North Coast tipped for luxury Club Med resort

The North Coast is on the cusp of securing a luxurious beach resort development with Europe’s largest resort operator, Club Med.

The mixed-use resort town development is being planned on prime land at Tinley Manor, north of Ballito.

The new luxury R1-billion resort will be the first Club Med in Southern Africa.

Several sources have confirmed that the Collins Group are in official talks with Club Med but could not comment on the French group’s involvement.

Despite the property giant being tight-lipped about Club Med’s involvement, it is understood that plans for the large-scale beach resort are at an advanced stage, with Club Med being drawn into the design process.

While the finer details have not been disclosed, it’s expected the new resort will offer upward of 350 rooms and 50 villas with extensive conference facilities on-site. It will be situated on a 30-hectare coastal site at Tinley Manor.

Construction is set to start next year and it is envisaged that the resort will open for business in 2022.

The project falls in line with the Collins Group and the Royal Shaka Property Group’s multi-billion rand residential, resort and commercial property masterplan which spans seven development zones between Sheffield and the Blythedale node, covering approximately 5 000 hectares of land and over 16 kilometres of coastline.

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At a recent KDM IDP Mayoral Izimbizo, officials cited infrastructural challenges with the growth trajectory of the North Coast.

Based on the current infrastructure capacity, very little if any electrical supply will be available to this development immediately without a major capacity upgrade in the area.

With a capital financial contribution from the developers, plans for a new major substation to service the Tinley Manor development have been put in place and will address any further load requirements.

According to well-placed sources the French-based luxury resort group has been eyeing the North Coast to set up a beach resort for a number of years with a number of potential sites including the iSimangaliso (formerly St Lucia) Wetland Park World Heritage site and the eLan Group’s Blythedale resort having been visited by Club Med bosses.

While the Western Cape was a consideration, its cold, wet winters make it a highly seasonal destination unsuitable for a large resort needing year-round occupancy.

With its year-round warm weather and balmy sea the North Coast also offers the benefit of combining a beach destination with the “Big Five” safari reserves in the north of the province.

The region is also aligned with the Club Med image which has over the past few decades transformed itself into an upmarket family destination.

Currently the only other Club Med resorts in Africa are in Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal.

The Collins Group spokesperson could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

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