There’s something to be said for a 4×4. Before I had one, I was one of those people who pooh-poohed the whole ‘Camel” macho off-roading, sleep-on-the-ground, mud-spattered wheel arch mentality. And I despised the hordes who flocked to our beautiful beaches, zooming up and down, throwing sand in the faces of sedan drivers.
So when I got my beloved bakkie, it was with mixed sentiments that I freed my wheels, deflated my tyres, gritted my teeth and drove on to the soft sand of Sodwana Bay. Within an hour I was navigating the beach with more confidence than a Baywatch babe! Now, I’m 100% converted to the cause and revel in the fact that I can pack up the bakkie with cooler box, umbrellas, beach chairs, towels, kites, kids, husband and painlessly cart all and sundry to where I want to sit.
You can still take your 4×4 on to the beach at Sodwana — for a short 2km stretch adjacent to Jessers Point, and to launch a boat or dive. Diving is the life-blood of Sodwana. But to be fair, there’s a lot more to the place. And to be fairer, you don’t need a 4×4 to discover the joys of ‘Sodies”.
It’s a perfect place for families to unwind and appreciate the beauty of South Africa’s coastline without having to spend a fortune.
The beach is inside Sodwana Bay National Park, now part of the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park, so there’s a small entrance fee to pay if you are not camping at the park’s official campsite, a stone’s throw from the beach. Outside the park, set behind the dunes that line this section of coast, is Sodwana Bay Lodge, which offers a range of accommodation, from hotel rooms and timeshare cottages to privately owned houses overlooking Lake Shazibe.
The hotel rooms come in the form of two-sleeper chalets arranged around the communal areas of the lodge — the Leatherbacks restaurant, the bar, boma and swimming pool, and the dive centre. The timeshare cottages sleep between six and eight people and can be rented on an ad hoc basis through the main lodge. The 40 private houses, which sleep between six and 12 people, are available to rent through letting agents. It’s a sprawling arrangement that offers a holiday village vibe.
The lodge, which opened in 1989, has been under new management since the start of the year, and general manager Peter Binney is steadily breathing new life into the place. Binney says the hotel rooms are being refurbished and the cottages overhauled, and other plans are in the pipeline.
While the rustic thatch-and-reed hotel rooms are perfect for couples, and can be booked on a bed-and-breakfast basis or with dinner included, the cottages and houses represent great value for money for families and groups of friends.
Over the years, House 26 has become a home from home for my family and friends. While the rate of R1 500 a night may sound steep, the house is perfect for a group of eight, which works out to about R187,50 a person.
Like all the cottages and houses at Sodwana Bay Lodge, House 26 is self-catering and is serviced every day. There is a supermarket at nearby Mbazwana and a small shop for bread, milk and other necessities inside the national park.
House 26 has everything for the perfect beach holiday. There’s lots of space: four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two huge living areas, an outside deck with built-in gas braai, and a kitchen equipped with a double-door fridge, microwave, stove/oven and an ice machine. There’s also an outdoor shower. Everything in the house is provided, only towels need to be brought from home, and, of course, cozzies! The beach is a short, 10-minute drive from the lodge and is where most of the action happens.
If you dive, the reefs at Sodwana are first-rate and the lodge has an excellent dive centre. But if you don’t, there is quad biking, horse-riding, microlighting, turtle tours (in season), day trips to nearby Lake Sibaya and Hluhluwe-Umfolozi game reserve, and snorkelling at Mabibi.
But if, like me, you have a 4×4, there’s nothing better than driving down to the beach in your cozzie, parking off next to the ocean, lifting the tailgate and tanning.