Mothers Day at Makaranga Gardens

Mother’s Day comes and goes every year and while I love to be celebrated for all the wonderful things I apparently do for my family, I think the best gift is not only my children’s appreciation but more so their everyday happiness – and here ends the soppiness!

So, when Mother’s Day arrived this year I decided I wanted to spend it not only with my family but also with some close friends and their families.  Once that was decided a venue needed to be chosen, so on the recommendation of a friend and in the pursuit of something different to do in Durban, I chose a picnic lunch at the Makaranga Gardens, in Kloof – it sounded great: buffet style picnic, baskets and blankets provided, pre-pay to secure booking – ok done!

When we walked into the reception we were met by a team of staff who gave us a map of the gardens and name bands for the littles ones – so we wouldn’t loose them while sipping on our champaign and lazing in the gardens I assume – we put their names and telephone numbers on each of their arms and off they ran.  In hot pursuit of the children we quickly moved off into the grounds and settled next to the well manicured swimming pool area, under the large umbrellas (it was an incredibly hot day this year) and ordered our champaign, orange juice and some white wine – as you do!  We sipped away on our drinks while we waited for the lunch to be served, some of us took walks through the winding gardens, others sat around and chatted while the kids ran around the grassed grounds and played happily on the jungle gym.

Our picnic lunch was served in the conference center, buffet style.  We were given a picnic basket, disposable plastic containers, plastic cutlery and picnic blankets.  The buffet was bountiful with cold meats, wraps, cheeses, salads, breads, quiches, fruit and cakes.  We eagerly filled our baskets and headed back to our spot by the pool where we heartily ate, drank and chatted and succumbed to the incessant yearnings of the children to swim – the problem with this was none of our children had bought swimming costumes and proceeded to swim fully clothed, thankfully the hotel supplies towels at the pool side which are handed out by their lifeguard who probably thought we were all a little mad but no-one complained and I made a metal note to bring swimming costumes next time.  After another walkabout, some more lazing and continuous chatting, we dragged ourselves away to head off to a friends house-warming, but we probably would have stayed longer given half the chance.

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All I can say is, WOW, what a venue.  From the moment you drive through the gates you are greeted by spectacular gardens, shrouded in sculptures by various artists and this theme continues throughout.  The main building has been paneled with wood giving it a feel-good, do-good, green vibe and the contemporary design of the reception gives you a magnificently framed view of the gardens with an infinity styled patio leading to the gardens.  It’s quite awesome – for lack of a better description, but I do think the word awesome, in it’s true sense of the meaning does it justice.  Makaranga is gorgeous and lullingly peaceful.  You are situated in the heart of suburbia and yet you feel as though you a million miles away.  What I really liked was that the kids could swim and run around chasing each other and really enjoy themselves while the adults could relax and soak up the sun and tranquility.

Makaranga is a real gem which capatilises on it’s gorgeous setting.  For eating options you can choose from either a picnic in the gardens or a sit down lunch at their restaurant called ‘NONNA’, which spills out onto a covered patio overlooking the gardens.  There is also a kiddies corner, equipped with t.v, small tables, colouring in goodies and bean bags – making it perfect for families with little ones, which is a plus since I have friends who are always looking for toddler friendly places.  Apart from the restaurant ‘NONNA’, there is the deli, which is called the ‘THE DELI’ and is filled with an array of breads, cheeses, cookies and more, great if you want to enjoy an quiet picnic in the gardens.  ‘THE DELI’ provides the picnic baskets so all you need to do is choose your treats and tuck yourself away in one of the many corners of the gardens and quietly relax and enjoy.  Something which I thought was nice is that they allow you to bring in your own picnic and charge you a surcharge (almost like a corkage – I think it’s R60), which for my friends who have children with coeliac disease allows them to also enjoy a nice day out without worrying about their children can and can’t eat.

If of course you just want to have a sundowner cocktail (not limited to sundown though, obviously), glass of wine, cold beer or good coffee then there is the Library Bar with comfy couches, bar stools and wooden deck from which to enjoy the views, while relaxing and sipping away on your drink.

We haven’t stopped talking about Makaranga since we left.  It is a magnificent venue which has something for everyone, from families with small children to corporate companies wanting to do conferences, from weddings and photo shoots to couples wanting a quiet getaway, for a venue in KZN to have all of these qualities, especially so close to Durbs, is very rare.  The food was delicious and the service delivered by Hopewell was excellent.  The ladies had a fabulous Mother’s Day and so too did the men who took up position on the pool loungers after lunch and I’m not sure, but I think a few were catching some zzzz’s too!