A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from the owners of a place called Honeywood Lodge, Ian and Sharon, inviting me and the famdamily down to their self-catering accommodation for the weekend.
Honeywood is situated just a bit north of Port Shepstone, on the KZN South Coast, in a suburb called Sea Park. We arrived on the Friday evening at about 6ish, and were met by Ian at the gate as we drove in. He showed us to our cottage, which was gorgeous. The apartment consists of an upstairs and downstairs section, and can sleep 4 people comfortably. The kids slept upstairs, which was huge excitement for them.
Once we had settled down, we popped up to the exclusive boutique restaurant they have on the premises, called “The Cellar”. The restaurant is headed up by exec chef, Dylan Smith, who used to be the head chef at Harveys & Society in Durban. Both these restaurants have great names for the best food in Durban, and The Cellar matched that tenfold.
Everyone was so accommodating at the restaurant, and went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. Dylan made the kids a delicious spaghetti pasta dish, while Les & myself shared a Chicken Livers starter and each had the most divine fillet steak. Really one of my top 10 steaks I have had in my life. We even got our own special table outside, so the kids could run amok.
Once we had settled the kids down, we managed to catch some of the soccer, before flaking out for the night. The next day we took the kids to see Toy Story 3, which is such a brilliant movie. We eventually got back to Honeywood in the afternoon, and spent it relaxing and the kids exploring the property, which is set in a gorgeous green forest. They had a ball running all over the place, and really enjoyed themselves, with the all the secret pathways. I also managed to chat to Ian, who told me that the whole setup at Honeywood was only completed in September last year. He also explained how all the rain water collects and drains off into a tank where it is filtered and reused, saving loads on water bills. They also use solar-powered geysers which help with the electricity consumption.All very eco-friendly
Eventually we had to bid our farewells to Honeywood Lodge on Sunday morning, in the pouring rain no less. Overall we had a great weekend away, and it is something we as a family need to do more often. We both came back feeling revitalised and just a whole lot more relaxed. I would highly recommend a weekend away at Honeywood Lodge, even if you are traveling from up north. The venue has also hosted a couple of weddings, and can be used as a conference venue for team building events as well.
Honeywood Lodge has a couple of really great specials running at the moment (till Nov). During the week(Monday to Friday morning), they have the self-catering units available for R500 a night. The restaurant is also open from Wednesday to Saturday. If you would like to go down over the weekend, you get Dinner(any 3 courses on the menu) & Breakfast at The Cellar, as well as accommodation for R400 per person per night if you are 4 people. If you are 2 or 3 people, then you pay R500 per person. These deals are well worth it, because you are getting your meals included as well. Be sure to mention you saw them on MarcForrest.com :) 
If you would like to visit Honeywood Lodge, check out their website at http://honeywoodsa.co.za/ or you can drop Ian & Sharon an email at [email protected]
A big thanks to Ian & Sharon and the team at Honeywood for hosting us for the weekend. We will see you soon :)
