Protea Hotel by Marriott Durban Umhlanga

Hotels
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Protea Hotels by Marriott
8.7 (3411 reviews)
Corner Lighthouse Road & Chartwell Road, Umhlanga Rocks , Durban , za

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Paid
Children allowed

Facilities

WiFi available
Free WiFi
Parking
Non-smoking rooms
Air conditioning
Fitness center
Swimming pool
24-hour front desk
Restaurant
Family rooms
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Excellent location (walking distance to beach, malls, restaurants)
Friendly and attentive staff (reception, concierge, breakfast team)
Clean rooms with great views
Good/bountiful breakfast (buffet and omelette station)
Safe-feeling property and convenient to local amenities
Cons:
Paid and cramped parking; intrusive repeated driver-license scanning
Noise from the road / loud music at night for some rooms
Limited on-site dining (no dinner/room service/lunch) and no airport shuttle as advertised
Perceived poor value in some areas (expensive drinks, single-shampoo bottle, bottled water quality)
Breakfast service management issues at times (dirty tables, understaffed)

Categories

Cleanliness
9.2
Multiple guests repeatedly praised very clean rooms and well-maintained spaces; a few notes about inconsistent restocking (tissues/soap) and one comment criticizing housekeeping attitude, but overall cleanliness is strong.
Service
9
Staff frequently described as friendly, attentive and helpful (concierge, reception, breakfast staff); isolated service issues include rude cleaner and an intrusive parking ID scanning practice, but overall service sentiment is positive.
Location
9.5
Location is consistently highlighted as a major positive: central, walking distance to beach, malls and many restaurants — one of the strongest attributes mentioned across reviews.
Room Quality
8.8
Rooms noted for excellent views, cleanliness and adequate size for most guests; a few comments about smaller rooms for larger groups, lack of bathtub for some, and road/noise affecting room comfort in some cases.
Amenities
7.5
Mixed feedback: guests cited lack of hotel dinner/room service and no airport shuttle (contrary to booking listing), paid/limited parking and small parking spaces — amenities perceived as a weaker area.
Value for Money
7.8
Mixed signals: some say stay was affordable and perfect; others called it not good value (notably high drink prices, cheap-feeling toiletries, bottled water quality concerns). Overall value is slightly below target.
Food and Beverage
8.6
Breakfast receives strong praise (buffet variety, helpful omelette cook), but there are recurring operational complaints: understaffed breakfast service, dirty/unsupplied tables and limited in-hotel dining options.
Overall Experience
9.2
Overall impressions are very positive with many guests describing their stay as great/perfect and praising staff, cleanliness and location; noise and some service/amenity limitations temper but do not dominate the overall experience.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-08-12 21:04

Property Description

Family-Friendly Accommodation with Partial Sea Views
Protea Hotel by Marriott Durban Umhlanga offers stylish rooms with partial sea views and elegant furnishings. Each room features a satellite TV, separate bathroom, and some even include a fully-equipped kitchenette.

Delicious Buffet Breakfast and Convenient Dining Options
Start your day with a delicious buffet breakfast at the on-site Lighthouse Restaurant. Explore various lunch and dinner options at nearby restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.

Attentive Staff and Convenient Services
Enjoy a hassle-free stay with services like airport shuttle and babysitting arrangements available upon request. The 24-hour reception desk ensures assistance at any time, and on-site parking is provided for your convenience.

Book your stay at Protea Hotel by Marriott Durban Umhlanga for a memorable experience in the heart of Umhlanga Rocks.

Important information:

Please note the hotel offers wireless internet- the first 500MB per room per day is free, thereafter charges apply.Please inform of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details in your confirmation.
Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
This property does not accommodate bachelor(ette) or similar parties.
Payment before arrival by bank transfer is required. The property will contact you after you book to provide instructions.
A deposit may be required at the property.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 10:00 AM
Airport code: DUR

Location

Guest Reviews

8.7
Based on 3411 reviews
Cleanliness: 9.2
Service: 9
Location: 9.5
Room Quality: 8.8
Amenities: 7.5
Value for Money: 7.8
Food and Beverage: 8.6
Overall Experience: 9.2
L
Lambrechts • solo_traveller • za
8
Cons:

Cool drink prices @R42 for a can of coke, way outpriced

2026-08-08 • via Nuitee
B
buduram • solo_traveller • za
10
2026-08-08 • via Nuitee
P
Pravesh • family_with_children • za
8
Pros:

Breakfast

Cons:

Not value for money. I had three boys in a room that was small

2026-08-06 • via Nuitee
R
ROLAND NAIKER • family_with_children • za
10
2026-08-06 • via Nuitee
S
Sandiso • family_with_children • za
10
Pros:

Clean rooms
Excellent views
good location
friendly staff

Cons:

paying for parking

2026-08-05 • via Nuitee
B
BABALWA • extended_group • za
9
2026-08-05 • via Nuitee
E
Elvin • solo_traveller • za
1
2026-08-04 • via Nuitee
J
Jody • solo_traveller • za
5
Cons:

no dinner

2026-08-04 • via Nuitee
M
Manuel Luis F • solo_traveller • za
10
It was lovely
Pros:

Location

Cons:

Zero

2026-08-03 • via Nuitee
S
Sihle • solo_traveller • za
9
Umhlanga
Pros:

Everything about the room. The view. Breakfast was great. Very clean and friendly staff all round.

Cons:

Nothing

2026-08-03 • via Nuitee
S
Shobhana • solo_traveller • za
8
Pros:

Attentive staff. Great location. It felt safe and the walk to the beach is short. Access to 2 mall within a 5 min walk

Cons:

Not a dislike but a note that lunch dinner and room service aren't available at the hotel because of the proximity to fabulous restaurants outside the hotel.

2026-08-03 • via Nuitee
N
Naidoo • solo_traveller • za
8
Pros:

The breakfast buffet was really good especially the guy making the omelettes so chatty and sweet, the fact that it was cold and we asked for blankets and we got so good service. The rooms amazing views. The convenience of walking to any eating place outside the Hotel. Also the reception was really kind and the concierge that took our bags up was so friendly .

Cons:

I didn't like the loud noises at night , but it wasn't to bad .The parking wasn't very nice it was very small , and I feel that guests should receive free parking, which we was additionally charged .

2026-08-02 • via Nuitee
P
Pavani • solo_traveller • za
10
2026-07-25 • via Nuitee
N
Nongcebo • couple • za
7
2026-07-25 • via Nuitee
K
Kenneth • solo_traveller • zm
10
Pros:

Room was clean

Cons:

Nothing

2026-07-24 • via Nuitee
C
Casper • family_with_children • za
10
2026-07-23 • via Nuitee
B
Bhekinkosi • couple • za
10
It was great to stay at the hotel
Pros:

The staff is excellent. They went all out to help us.

2026-07-23 • via Nuitee
M
Marcel • family_with_children • nl
9
Prima verblijf!
Pros:

Prachtig hotel met dito inrichting. Centraal gelegen, vanuit je hotel loop je zo de straat op met diverse restaurantjes. Kamer superschoon. Ontbijt heel uitgebreid en erg lekker van engels ontbijt tot gezond fruit en alles daartussenin.

Cons:

niets

2026-07-23 • via Nuitee
D
David • couple • za
10
2026-07-22 • via Nuitee
G
Graeme • couple • za
10
In the heart of Umhlanga
Pros:

Location, cleaniness, friendly staff!

Cons:

Nothing

2026-07-22 • via Nuitee