Gooderson Natal Spa Hot Springs

Lovely place. Pools are on another level, they are so good. Staff are just outstanding. Always willing to help. The place as a whole is dated but extremely clean and neat. Food was great albeit a bit on the pricey side as expected from a resort though. We stayed in the hotel. There should be some sort of drying facility in the room considering it is a hot spring resort and people spend most of their time there in the water so cossies are constantly wet. The road on the way, although not the fault of the resort is an embarrassment to the local municipality considering the resort brings in considerable income for the area. I really enjoyed the history and geology lessons that can be found on many a wall in the hotel. It's a historical gem that should be treasured.

Edit: The prompt and detailed (not generic) response to my review on a public holiday nogal, is very telling of the high quality staff and attention to detail in every aspect. Well done Natal Spa.

I have given a rating of 2 mainly because of the activities. Their booking was not a seamless process as I had to phone a number of places to finalize my booking. I did not even get a confirmation so had to phone to confirm if an accommodation was booked for me seeing it is a 4hr30 mins drive. I also think they should warn people of the construction so that they are not driving when it gets dark as the potholes are really bad and smaller cars can experience a blow out or guests can use an alternate route. I feel the self catering accommodation really needs an upgrade. The furniture is as old as the resort. We experienced bad service at the bar from Nkululeko and Mike. All three occasions we canceled our order as we experienced certain people being served before us as we waited. We placed an order for milkshakes, 30 minutes later we go for it as the lady was busy so we told her we will come back and when we did go back back, no customers are there at that stage, as Mike fills the glass with the milkshake at a charge of R5 per glass but as we are waiting 30 minutes later for thie milkshakes he stops to help another customer and we are watching this with like really did you really leave our drinks aside to help a customer that just came in! and we experienced this on all three occasions we went to order. Not all things bad, a really helpful and friendly person was a gentleman named Bongokuhle. The fridge had missing parts and he really tried to sort it out but those parts did not fit in the fridge. He checked if everything was good with us everytime he saw us. I also think paying the price for that accommodation is not worth it and then there's the additional cost of every game, activity or item. If I visit again it would be because of the activities.

We were really looking forward to our stay at Gooderson Natal Spa, but unfortunately our experience fell short of expectations.

First off, the roads in and out are awful. The pot holes in both directions are ridiculous and make the drive extremely unpleasant — honestly not worth the hours it takes to get there.

The self-catering accommodation units were disappointing. They felt under-maintained and not particularly clean, which was frustrating considering the price point and the effort it took to get there.

The restaurant food was just okay — neither memorable nor terrible. It did the job, but nothing about it stood out as something we’d return for.

On the positive side, the hot spring pools are lovely and were definitely the highlight of the stay. They were relaxing and well kept.

This could be a wonderful getaway if the road conditions, cleanliness and maintenance were improved. But being a few hours’ drive away with these issues, I won’t be going back.

This gem is nestled between the mountains of KZN near Dumbe. Our stay was pleasant and the whole layout of facilities is very neat and easy accessable from your room.
The variety of pools are a plus. The food is very tasty thanks also to chef Owen and team who made effort to chat with visitors in the dining area. Also big thanks to all staff who randomly wants to know if you are having a great day. Big thank you to Raymond, Phillip, Bregita and front desk. Also a big thank you to Management Francois and Su-Mari you are the best.

What an absolute pleasure. Top notch accommodation. Meals was excellent. Staff was super friendly. Hosts Mr and Mrs Roux was amazing. Pools was nice and clean. Definitely worth every penny.