New luxury seaside resort in South Africa getting ready to open its doors
The new R2 billion all-inclusive luxury resort, Club Med South Africa Beach and Safari, has officially opened bookings as it prepares to open its doors in July 2026.
This project, led by Collins Residential, is the biggest development of its kind since Sun City, one of Africa’s most ambitious resort projects, was built in the late 1970s.
Club Med South Africa is being built on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, 20 minutes from King Shaka International Airport and a short drive from Ballito. This will be the first Club Med to offer a dual location with both beach and safari access.
For an extra cost, guests can choose to leave the beach resort and stay for 2 to 3 nights at Mpilo Safari Lodge, an 18,000-hectare privately owned game reserve in Zululand.
Mpilo offers a 75-key lodge where guests can enjoy daily game drives, luxury amenities and communal facilities in the heart of the savannah. Just over R300 million has been invested in this project.
Chris Du Toit of Collins, the development manager at Collins Residential, has confirmed that construction of both the beach and safari resort is well underway and expected to be completed by the 4 July 2026 opening.
“The main beach resort village is in the final stages of construction and looking fantastic,” Du Toit said. “This will be a world-class facility for guests.”
The French travel operator Club Med has over 70 all-inclusive resorts worldwide, including in Italy, the Maldives, France, and Thailand.
The project is funded by South African debt funders and equity partners under Tinley Leisure, backed by African Bank, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Tinley Leisure Women’s Investment Group, Collins Residential, and Absa.
The investment consortium comprises South African partners who have invested over R2 billion in Club Med South Africa’s development.
Globally, a week’s stay for a family of four at Club Med averages between R75,000 and R380,000. For two people, a five-night stay in Club Med South Africa will cost:
| Room type | July 2026 | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Superior | R46,286 | R55,256 |
| Deluxe | R55,414 | R66,180 |
| Executive collection space | R87,366 | R104,412 |
Club Med set to transform South Africa’s economy
As the first real all-inclusive resort in South Africa, Club Med will offer guests many luxury amenities and features, including –
- Six padel courts
- Three tennis courts
- An archery arena
- A sports field
- A trapeze arena
- A dam, featuring activities like stand-up paddling and canoeing
- A spa
- Various bars and restaurants
- A nautical club
- The first-ever Club Med surf school
- The first-ever Club Med conference facility, which can seat up to 500 guests
- Backup water and electricity
Du Toit said on Moneyweb’s Property Pod that Club Med marks a significant achievement for the North Coast of KZN, and South Africa as a whole.
“Tourism is one of the markets that we have the potential to grow as a country and can make a significant impact on our GDP,” he said.
“This product will bring international visitors from all around the world to South Africa and to KZN, and that’s the ideal way to grow the GDP and the tourism sector as a whole.”
Du Toit explained that, thus far, all of the feedback Club Med has received from around South Africa, the tourism industry, government agencies, municipalities, and from guests themselves has been positive.
“There’s a lot of excitement. There’s a lot of anticipation. There’s hope that this will change the North Coast forever,” he said.
Du Toit said that once Club Med is complete, he expects to see even more positive momentum and investment in the province.
“We anticipate that area on the North Coast to be active over the next few years with more resort developments, even residential developments,” he said. “The Durban market has been moving northwards.”
He added that, for areas like Umhlanga, Ballito and further north, the future development potential is significant.
Club Med South Africa
Mpilo Safari Lodge
Comments