Club Med South Africa Beach and Safari Debuts the Brand's First South Africa Resort

Club Med has inaugurated Club Med South Africa Beach and Safari, its first resort in South Africa and the worldwide debut of the brand's Beach and Safari concept. Trade coverage on Oct. 6 highlighted the dual stay: an Indian Ocean beach resort at Tinley Manor in KwaZulu-Natal, paired with Club Med Vikela Safari Lodge inside an approximately 18,000-hectare private Big Five reserve.

The beach resort sits on 32 hectares about 30 minutes from King Shaka International Airport and offers more than 400 rooms, suites and villas, plus four pools and separate family and adults-only zones. Included activities cover surfing, sailing, stand-up paddleboarding, padel, yoga and flying trapeze. The property also opens Club Med's first surf school in South Africa.

Vikela Safari Lodge is sold as part of a combined stay, not as a standalone booking. Guests get luxury tented accommodation, guided game drives and nature experiences that extend a beach holiday into wildlife country. The hybrid format is designed to push longer trips and raise KwaZulu-Natal's profile with Club Med's international guest base.

The project cost more than R2 billion. Tinley Leisure developed it with South African capital; Club Med operates it. Construction supported more than 2,300 direct and indirect jobs, and the resort created 600 permanent direct positions, with more than 80% of staff drawn from local communities. For advisors booking premium all-inclusive Africa trips, the Beach and Safari pairing is a new product rather than a rebrand of an existing Club Med village.