Guest reviews Oyster Box, Umhlanga Rocks

by DDR1234 Johannesburg, South Africa

Fabulous High Tea!!!!

Best High Tea in SA! Palm court is beautiful, colonial feel to it. The service was Excellent, the variety of sweet and sour and the tea's was exceptional, you will get as much of any treat that .you like. Will definitely go back!

by RMHH Cape Town, South Africa

Great lunch, a must

Such a treat. Oysters are still small... Lunch and service was great. Our Durban treat. The lamb sandwich was unreal, great fish cakes and the crayfish/prawn rigatoni was beautiful. If you haven’t been the location is spot on and it is part of the awesome Red Carnation Group.

by dayneo2018 Cape Town Central, South Africa

Our top pick for dining in Durban

We had a great experience at the Oyster Box Hotel. I would like to extend special thanks to managers Wesley, Clive and Byron who were so welcoming and attentive. We live close by, so we dine at the Oyster Box regularly, so I will only comment on the restaurants here. The Grill Room restaurant is a refined fine dining experience. I would rate it as the top fine dining restaurant in KZN. Staff are very attentive and knowledgable of the food and wine being served. Fine dining at its best. You will need to book for this restaurant as it is often fully booked, so plan ahead. Their online booking system if very simple and efficient. On a second occasion, we ate at The Terrace which is a great choice for a more casual dining experience. They used to have an amazing curry buffet, but unfortunately, this is suspended due to covid regulations. That being said, there are many other great options on the menu. They have a Vindaloo option that will satisfy the curry fanatics. The Terrace restaurant gives you an outdoor or indoor seating choice. Outdoor is great for lunch, but watch out for that heat wave in summer. Specifically for Covid, the Hotel has a very strict entrance policy. Only guests with confirmed restaurant or hotel bookings may enter. Guest bookings are confirmed and temperatures taken at the entrance gate before even arriving at the hotel door. All major doorways into and within the hotel have hand sanitizer stations, this includes at the elevators and at restaurant doorways. Guests are required to wear masks inside the hotel. The demands are simple and didn't feel that it detracted from the experience at all.

by Tomi K Cape Town Central, South Africa

Over-hyped and pricey for no real reason

We were really excited about our stay at the Oyster Box as we had heard great things about it. We were very disappointed. Firstly, we got 'scammed' by a travel aggregator called "guest reservations" that made it look like one was booking directly with the hotel. After making the booking, they added close to 50% in additional taxes so we landed up paying full price for the room (over R9000 for one night). This got everything off to a bad start (but admittedly wasn't the hotel's fault) but we did our best to not let it bother us too much. The sea-facing standard room was tiny, but had a great view and a superb shower. Gowns and slippers were provided as expected from a 5 start establishment. We were looking forward to the famous curry buffet but that was not available "due to covid" (but there was a breakfast buffet???). So we ate at a great sushi spot up the road and then went to the bar for a night cap. But didn't have one as it just felt tired. The first thing that greets you at the veranda bar (which had a fantastic view is a giant flat screen playing sport and kitsch red and white decor everywhere. Breakfast the next morning was fantastic though and the staff were generally friendly if somewhat over-attentive at times. Next time we'll stay elsewhere on the strip and go to the hotel for dinner rather.

by Stix92

Engagement Party!

We celebrated our enagement party at the Oyster box and what a celebration it was! Trisha and her team were incredibly professional and even though we had booked to have it outside at the Lighthouse bar we had to move it inside due to the heat but this was handled brilliantly by the team. Senzo was the man of the day! Full of life and so accommodating. We could not have asked for a better venue to celebrate oir engagement with friends and family. The platters were delictable and the setting was perfect. Thank you for starting our next chapter on a great foot.