Whenever I visit Gwahumbe Game Lodge & Spa it’s as though I’m floating on a sea of tranquillity. One of my favourite little pieces of heaven just over an hour’s drive from Durban. Usually, I am either exploring the reserve by 4×4 or huffing and puffing along the 4×4 track on a mountain bike; however, this time I decide to self-indulge (actually, a friend treated me) in luxurious beauty treatments at the four-star (plus, in my opinion) spa. A decadent treat. As someone once said, resistance is futile…

Before even reaching the main gate to the reserve, I stop a few times to photograph the rolling mountains with the sugar cane fields in the foreground blushing a vibrant green. The light haze from the sun enveloping the peaks make them appear too perfect for this world. Nature at it’s five-star best!

At the main reception, where I announce my arrival, I help myself to a mug of Rooibos tea and take it down with me to the spa, overlooking more perfect peaks now with balls of cloud hovering above them, the sun almost disappearing for good.

My favourite treatment without doubt is the hot stone massage. A first time encounter, I feel my body melting in to the bed after each heated rub of the smooth, hot stones. Close to falling asleep, I use all my will power to stay awake so that I don’t miss one second of such a serene experience. Five out of five stars for such treatment. Why did the sixty-minutes have to feel like ten minutes?

By the end of the five treatments, my stomach lets me know just how ravenous I am. Next to the roaring fire, I sit at a table and scan the menu for the kingklip I previously relished when I last visited four months ago, just before I returned to the United Kingdom. And now I’m back in desperate need of its succulence. If you don’t ask, you don’t get, right? Fortunately, they have the fish in stock and cook it to perfection. Thank you, Chef!

Upon leaving the reserve, I stop a couple of times for another few majestic panoramas.

From the moment I arrived at Gwahumbe Game Lodge & Spa up until the time I had to drag myself away, five hours later, I kept thinking, “How do I leave? I should have booked in for the night with my mountain bike and then enjoyed a cycle at sun rise in search of their grumpy rhino.” Sometimes I just do not think enough!