The resort opened to guests in July 2026, with its global inauguration held in September. It combines a beachfront property at Tinley Manor with Vikela Safari Lodge in a private reserve of approximately 18,000 hectares.
For Club Med, the development forms part of a wider expansion strategy. President and CEO Stéphane Maquaire said the group welcomes approximately 1.4 million guests annually and aims to increase that number to 2.6 million by 2035.
“We’re entering a period of accelerated development,” Maquaire said, following several years in which the group focused on upgrading its existing resorts.
The expansion plans include building on Club Med’s established mountain destinations, including the French Alps and Hokkaido in Japan, while developing its beach resort portfolio and pursuing opportunities in markets including Africa, the Caribbean and the South China Sea.
Maquaire said South Africa offered an opportunity to expand the group’s customer base locally while introducing more international visitors to KwaZulu-Natal.
“One of our core values is pioneering. That means creating new destinations and opening up new opportunities for tourism. Together with the South African authorities, we’re doing that here on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast,” he said.
He pointed to destinations such as Cancún and Punta Cana, where Club Med had helped establish tourism offerings, as examples of the contribution the group believes it can make to the North Coast, working with local communities and authorities.
Olivier Hannaert, CEO of operations, Club Med EMEA, Indian Ocean, and French West Indies, said South Africa had been an important source market for the group for decades. Club Med has maintained a commercial office in Johannesburg since 1985.
More than 30,000 South African travellers visited Club Med destinations around the world in the previous year, particularly mountain resorts and Indian Ocean destinations such as Mauritius and Seychelles.
Hannaert said the new resort created a different relationship with the local market. South Africans could now experience Club Med at home, potentially encouraging them to explore the group’s other destinations as well.
For international visitors, the challenge is to broaden perceptions of South Africa beyond the destinations that already dominate travel itineraries.
Hannaert said Durban and KwaZulu-Natal were not always the first places international travellers considered, with Cape Town and the Kruger National Park more familiar to many. Club Med wants to use the resort to introduce the region to a wider audience.
The Beach & Safari concept is central to that proposition. Guests can combine time on the coast with a safari experience at Vikela, rather than arranging two separate holidays.
Laurent said the potential of the two sites had been central to the project from the beginning.
The beachfront property covers 32 hectares and includes approximately six kilometres of coastline, while the safari component sits within a private reserve of around 18,000 hectares.
Laurent said the development team worked on the architecture and layout to create distinct environments for different guest experiences. These include restaurants and bars overlooking the main pool and sea, quieter spaces such as the Zen pool, and facilities for families, children and sports.
The design also had to account for the practical requirements of operating a large resort, including staff facilities and routes that allow employees to move efficiently between work areas.
Construction began in March 2024 and lasted approximately two years, according to Laurent. He said sustainability considerations were incorporated from the early design stages, including building orientation to make use of natural ventilation.
The project also includes a water-treatment plant that allows treated water to be reused for irrigation, heat pumps for the pools and approximately 5,000 square metres of solar panels. Laurent said the solar installation was expected to supply between 12% and 20% of the resort’s electricity needs.
Interior designer Victoria Wood said the resort’s design drew inspiration from the natural setting between the ocean and dune forest, as well as the colours, patterns and craftsmanship of South African culture.
The aim was to create a consistent identity throughout the property rather than simply apply a decorative theme, she said.
The design incorporates colours drawn from the ocean, dune forests, wetlands and clay-coloured earth. Wood said the team also worked with local craftspeople to incorporate handmade elements into the resort.
At the main bar, the shape was inspired by a traditional Zulu hat, with the idea carried through into woven and threaded details in the ceiling.
The approach differed at Vikela Safari Lodge, where the landscape was intended to remain the main focus. Wood said the interiors drew inspiration from the sunrise over the bush plains, with colours and light used to create a sense of awakening while keeping the surrounding environment prominent.
The development's economic contribution includes employment, skills development and opportunities for local suppliers.
Hannaert said the wider development had generated approximately 2,300 direct and indirect construction jobs. The resort supports around 600 permanent direct jobs, alongside approximately 1,500 additional jobs in the surrounding economy.
At the beach resort, around 80% of the G.O.s and G.E.s, Club Med’s terms for its team members, are in their first jobs. Hannaert said all positions at Vikela had been filled by South Africans.
More than 45 people had also gained experience at other Club Med resorts before joining the local team. Hannaert said the intention was to provide more than initial employment, helping people build skills and progress within the hospitality industry.
More than 125 companies were involved in the project, according to Hannaert. Local service providers, including gardeners, security teams and lifeguards, also contribute to the resort’s operations.
Barq Guessoum, the resort’s Chef de Village, said employees spent approximately three months practising and developing their skills before the opening. Some had also travelled to other Club Med resorts to learn the brand’s standards and gain experience.
Guessoum said the transition from classroom training to working in a large operational resort had been challenging for some employees, particularly during the first weeks of service. However, he said the team had made progress as employees gained confidence and experience.
He also described local partners as part of the wider resort team. Club Med included them in training so they could understand how the operation worked and how they contributed to the guest experience.
The group’s community ambitions extend to agriculture, education, nutrition and sport. Guessoum said Club Med wanted to work with nearby farmers to improve production and create opportunities for the resort to purchase their products. Community initiatives would also seek to support children’s access to education and nutrition and create opportunities to participate in sport.
For Guessoum, the combination of the two sites is a key point of difference. Guests can begin their holiday at the beach, visit the safari lodge and return to the coast, or follow the same experience in reverse.
He said the safari should feel like the start of a second holiday rather than the end of the first, with guests bringing their stories back to the beach resort and sharing them with others.
A representative of Vikela Safari Lodge described a typical day as beginning before sunrise with coffee, followed by a morning game drive, breakfast and time to relax at the lodge. An afternoon drive gives guests another opportunity to explore the reserve, with a sundowner stop and the chance to look for nocturnal wildlife on the return journey.
The all-inclusive safari offering includes game drives, meals and drinks, with the experience designed to accommodate families and guests who may be discovering a safari for the first time.
At the September inauguration, Maquaire reported positive early feedback from the resort's first eight to ten weeks, with guests arriving from more than 30 countries. Around three-quarters of customers were taking the combined Beach & Safari experience.
For Club Med, the resort is therefore more than an addition to its international portfolio. It is an attempt to build a stronger relationship with the South African market while giving international visitors another reason to explore KwaZulu-Natal.
