Family holidays involve careful planning. There are restaurants to be researched, activities to book, and transport to consider. Wild Coast Sun removes a lot of this stress. Set on a beautiful stretch of the Eastern Cape coastline, just south of Port Edward, Wild Coast Sun is a sprawling resort with a lot to offer. There are water slides, swimming pools, a long stretch of beach, riverside adventures, restaurants, golf, and enough activities to keep even the most energetic children occupied.
We recently visited as a multi-generational family, and here’s what we loved, plus some personal tips and tricks for planning the perfect holiday.
Wild Waves is the big family drawcard
For families with children, Wild Waves is likely to be one of the biggest attractions. It certainly was for us. The water park has a lovely beach-style swimming pool, a dedicated children’s zone, a lazy river and a collection of water slides, including some considerably more thrilling options for adults and older children. You can easily lose an entire afternoon here.
There is one thing worth knowing before you go, though: timing makes a difference. Wild Waves can get particularly busy, especially when the water park opens its doors to schoolchildren from the surrounding community. It’s a lovely initiative, and it’s great that the resort makes the facilities accessible to local children, but it can get quite crowded. Outside those busier periods, we found it really enjoyable, and it’s worth checking with the hotel before planning your visit, especially if you’re travelling with younger children who might find it a little overwhelming.
The beach is worth exploring
One of the loveliest things about the Wild Coast Sun is its location. There’s a long stretch of beach to explore, with lifeguards on duty, plenty of space for seaside walks and a coastline that rewards a little curiosity. The area has fascinating geological features, including ancient fossils and sections of petrified forest. Ask the hotel for recommendations on local guides who can show you some of these features. They don’t organise the walks themselves, so you’ll need to make your own arrangements, but having someone who knows the coastline makes a difference. Some of the interesting discoveries aren’t necessarily obvious if you’re just wandering along the beach.
We also particularly enjoyed exploring the rock pools. It’s one of those simple family activities that costs nothing, requires very little planning and can keep children entertained for ages. We even spotted an octopus!
Escape to the riverside for some relaxation
Of all the different areas of the resort, the riverside was probably our family favourite. It’s a lovely contrast to the busier hotel and swimming pool areas, with a more relaxed, natural atmosphere. Getting there is part of the experience. You’ll need to wait for a shuttle, which takes you down in what is essentially a game-drive vehicle. The children loved it, and it adds a bit of adventure to the journey.
Once you’re there, there’s sand underfoot, the river, and a lovely spot to settle down with a cocktail while the children explore. We particularly enjoyed sitting in the sand with drinks, watching the afternoon unfold. It’s also a good base for some of the resort’s water-based activities.
There are activities for every age
If your idea of a holiday involves doing something a little different every day, you’ll have plenty to choose from. The resort offers a surprisingly broad range of activities, from kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, boat cruises and tubing to quad biking, horse riding and golf. There is also bowling, an obstacle course and even an escape room.
The only caveat is that these activities are generally charged separately. It’s worth keeping this in mind when budgeting, as the costs can add up if you have children who want to try absolutely everything. On the other hand, there’s no pressure to book a full programme of activities. Between the beach, pools and complimentary Water Park access for hotel guests, you can have a very enjoyable holiday without spending extra on every available attraction.
Familiar family favourites make eating easy
Wild Coast Sun has a good variety of dining options, including some familiar South African favourites. Spur and Panarottis are useful additions for families, especially if you’re dining with little ones and would like a play area and some easy family meals. There are also plenty of takeaway outlets, although these can become busy and noisy, particularly as they’re close to the indoor arcade. But this is a great place to wile away a few hours on rainy days when everyone is looking for something to do indoors.
We also enjoyed Maltos, a Greek restaurant which has an indoor swimming pool and lounge area. It was also great to start each day with breakfast, served buffet-style at the main Chicos restaurant, with weekend dinner buffets also available. The restaurant has a large, spacious dining room with familiar buffet fare, including a great waffle station. It is reasonably priced, plentiful, and convenient when you’re feeding a family.
Rooms with space for the whole family
The rooms are another practical plus, particularly if you’re travelling with children. They’re generously sized, with family rooms offering two double beds and a separate lounge area, giving everyone a little more breathing room than you might expect from a conventional hotel room.
There are also good-sized balconies, depending on the room category, with beautiful sea views. It was lovely to wake up to the Indian Ocean, and we were lucky enough to spot dolphins from our room.
You could happily stay put, but there’s plenty to explore nearby
One of the things I liked about Wild Coast Sun is that there’s really no need to leave the resort if you don’t want to. Between the beach, water park, restaurants, activities, and riverside area, you could easily fill several days without getting in the car. But if you fancy exploring, there are a few worthwhile attractions in the surrounding area.
Mac Banana is a popular family stop, with its farm-style attractions, food outlets and activities. There are also several coastal towns and beaches to explore along this stretch of the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape coastline, while Oribi Gorge makes a worthwhile excursion if you’re keen to venture a little further inland.
Would we go back?
Absolutely. Wild Coast Sun is a large, established family resort, and there are moments when that shows. This isn’t a quiet coastal hideaway, and during school holidays and peak periods, the resort can get busy, but the activities are spread across a fairly large area, and once you’re there, it doesn’t usually feel crowded.
If you’re looking for a holiday that offers oodles of fun for all ages, spacious rooms, somewhere for the children to swim, a beach to explore, enough activities to keep everyone happy and a few places where the adults can sit down with a decent cocktail while the children burn off some energy, Wild Coast Sun ticks those boxes. We loved the freedom of being as active or as lazy as we liked, and having so much on our doorstep. And alongside all the things we expected to enjoy, such as the pool, the water park, and the arcade, we particularly loved the small surprises: the novelty of the riverside shuttle, discovering an octopus in the rock pools, and watching dolphins from our room.