– another high-rise hotel, retail, entertainment and residential development. These have set the bar high for development in the region, with the total investment for both said to be in excess of R7 billion. Such is the demand for these mixed-use developments that within a few hours of its coming to market, sales for Oceans Umhlanga reached a whopping R1.55 billion, a new South African record!
So with all this development, one would think that uMhlanga would lose its appeal as a leisure destination. On the contrary, residents, visitors and holiday-makers alike now have a vast smorgasbord of leisure activities to keep them happy.
There’ s something about a beach, the sand underfoot, the sound of the ocean and the warm subtropical water. And uMhlanga’ s beaches, with their golden sands, rocky outcrops and iconic lighthouse( built in 1954), are one of the reasons visitors have been flocking here for decades. Add to this the fun summer, Easter, and winter festivals and it’ s obvious why. For a spot of adventure uMhlanga doesn’ t disappoint, with helicopter flips, ocean adventures, surfing, whale and dolphin watching and scuba diving. the exit from the N2 freeway in peak traffic, which triggered the construction of the new uMhlanga Interchange Bridge, which in turn triggered construction of the Cornubia Bridge giving access to Cornubia, another all-inclusive urban node of business, retail and leisure, currently under development.
And there’ s more. The new uMhlanga Arch, which broke ground in October 2017 and is due for completion in early 2020, will add another mixed-use development including a hotel, upmarket apartments, office space and retail outlets – all with spectacular views, as can be expected from this location.
And there’ s nothing like green spaces to clear your head, from the landscaped Chris Saunders Park on the Ridge to the uMhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve at the end of Lagoon Drive – you can take a scenic walk along the Ohlanga River Lagoon with its extensive reed beds, after which the town is named( uMhlanga means‘ place of reeds’ in Zulu). For a different type of green, opt for a round of golf at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club, just a stone’ s throw away across the new uMhlanga Interchange Bridge.
Get your walking shoes on for a stroll along the three-kilometre paved promenade, or join uMhlanga’ s five-kilometre parkrun, which starts at the striking‘ whalebone’ pier opposite the Beverly Hills Hotel, heads south to the Durban View Park, up to the northernmost point and then back to the pier. Tradition says that the run needs to be followed by a post-run coffee at BTW …
It’ s not just the sugar-cane fields that are making way for development; uMhlanga town itself is undergoing a dramatic transformation where low-rise residential and commercial is making way for high-rise glitz. The Pearls of uMhlanga, a multi-use development, has changed the uMhlanga skyline forever with its towering apartments, luxury hotels and boutique shopping mall. And close by is the soon-to-be-completed Oceans Umhlanga
From the Gateway Theatre of Shopping on the Ridge, said to be one of the largest shopping complexes in the southern hemisphere, to the local Umhlanga Centre and sophisticated Pearls Mall, all types of retail therapy are catered for. Those preferring a more informal market experience will enjoy the monthly Umhlanga Night Market at the Wavepark Gateway and Wonder Market at Chris Saunders Park.
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