Welcome to Lala Palm Lodge

Come and experience Kwa Zulu Natal’s best-kept secret; a charming, informal and secure self-catering holiday hideaway carved out of the lush tropical vegetation of the Admiralty Reserve. From the resort, a shaded pathway through bush inhabited by duiker and dassie leads to golden sands and the warm blue ocean where schools of dolphin frolic in the waves and whales drift lazily by.

The area enjoys year-round sunshine and the balmy weather continues throughout the winter. Safe bathing and surfing, fabulous fishing and diving, stretches of unspoiled beach, restaurants, attractions and friendly locals make our little piece of paradise the perfect South African tropical holiday destination.

The Lala Palm Lodge is the ideal getaway for couples, families, or groups. We can accommodate groups of twenty-eight comfortably (up to forty including children!) Great for small weddings, special birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions.

On arriving at our little piece of paradise you will be met by “The Crew”, our helpful and friendly staff, who will ensure that your car is parked in our secure off street parking area. You will be ushered into the newly built and decorated reception/lounge and entertainment area which has been designed for relaxing with family and friends, playing board games, reading, and watching television. Adjacent to the lounge is the fenced swimming pool.

Your luggage will be carried to your sleeping accommodation which is nestled privately amongst the lush vegetation of the garden. Fully serviced accommodation is in each Villa with en-suite showers and toilets. All are fully equipped with stoves, fridges, microwave ovens, crockery and cutlery, linen, and bath towels (please bring your own beach towels), and paddle fans. Each Villa has its own safe and private patio and braai. Lala Palm Lodge is the ideal getaway for families or groups. We can accommodate groups of twenty-four comfortably. Great for small weddings, special birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions.

Facilities and Nearby Attractions

• Swimming Pool
• WIFI Not Available
• BBQ Areas
• Beaches
• Golf

Beach and Attraction

Whether you’re a sun worshipper, adventurer, nature lover, bird watcher, golfer, fisherman, or simply want to escape the rat race and chill, our little piece of paradise offers a variety of experiences.

At Lala Palm Lodge, you will experience one of nature’s greatest mysteries; the annual sardine run; the breath-taking finest of the Indian Ocean, & the tropical fauna & flora paradise surrounding the chalets. There are 4 chalets on our large property, each with 3 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms (main en-suite), a fully equipped kitchen, & a spacious living area with stack doors that open onto a stunning patio with its own private braai area. Our 6-sleeper chalets are positioned to maximise privacy, & are nestled among beautiful indigenous trees, where an abundant wealth of birdlife, little Blue Duiker, Bush Buck & Dassies surround us. There is OpenView in each chalet, & a sparkling swimming pool on site. The property is fully electric fenced, with secure parking.

A short stroll of less than 75m across the road takes you on to our pristine Munster Beach, where ledges & rock pools abound with marine life, with excellent fishing spots. A short walk north along the beach brings you to Dolphin Bay, the ideal location for whale watching. A leisurely beach walk to the south finds you at the well-known & magnificent Glenmore Beach, a very popular flagged swimming & surfing beach. Glenmore Beach is also our closest boat launch site.

The lower South Coast is a FISHERMEN''S PARADISE, with great fishing spots for kilometres along our beautiful coastline. Other popular beaches in the area, within a 15-minute drive, include Port Edward, Leisure Bay, Trafalgar Beach (Blue Flag), Marina Beach (Blue Flag) & Ramsgate (Blue Flag).

Across the Itongasi River a tavern and hotel are tucked away on the beach and, high above the lagoon to the south, a cafe and pub. Pulpit Rock, another favourite fishing spot, is located here. Our stretch of coastline has become a world class golfing destination, earning it the title of “Golf Coast.” Six golf courses, four of which are a few minutes away from Lala Palm Lodge, welcome visiting golfers and provide them with spectacular settings, excellent greens, and fairways on which to play.

An easy walk takes guests of Lala Palm Lodge to the Munster Sports Club where tennis, squash and bowls can be played by prior arrangement. Guests also have access to the Angler’s Club, a favourite fisherman’s watering hole situated above the boat launching beach. There are several fine restaurants in the area (including Italian, German, French and Portuguese).

For those seeking the bright lights the Wild Coast Sun with its restaurants, pubs, shows, casino and new water world is only ten minutes away. Beaver Creek coffee farm & restaurant Fishing charters Extreme activities at Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve, including swing, zip line, abseiling & white-water rafting Crocodile Farm Snake Park Shark Cage diving Numerous restaurants & pubs. Other activities to be enjoyed in the vicinity include beach horse riding, quad and mountain biking, hiking, kite flying, sea safaris, deep sea fishing and shark cage diving.

Truly something for everyone. We look forward to creating beautiful memories for you at

LALA PALM LODGE!

Beaches to visit nearby, go find some treasure!

Glenmore Beach
‘Glenmore’ is flanked by two rivers, the Mkhandandlovu (‘Head of the Elephant’) to the north (which spills into Dolphin Bay) and the Itongasi (literally translated as the ‘I don’t know’ River!) to the south which ‘unofficially’ divides the area into two camps – Glenmore to the south & Munster (as it’s come to be known) to the north. However, the actual swimming & surfing bay IN MUNSTER is known as ‘Glenmore Beach’ (very confusing to the ill informed!)

‘Munster’, the smaller of the four resort areas, has a charisma all of its own. Long stretches of unspoilt beaches often strewn with interesting shells washed ashore from adjacent reefs and the remnants of the ‘Nightingale’ wreck (1933), are just some of the features that add to its magic.

Breaking through lush vegetation (north across the river) at Dolphin Bay, the wild sea crashing onto the smooth, giant outcrop of boulders below, is quite breathtaking – an ideal fishing spot and superb ‘whale-watching-look-out’ post. South of Dolphin Bay, at spring tide when the moon is at its fullest, Beacon Rock is excellent for ‘crayfishing’.

Glenmore Beach itself is ‘shark-protected’ and, because of its glorious setting, has become a favourite venue for events as diverse as Beauty Contests & Fishing Competitions. An excellent ‘surfing’ beach, the ‘mouth’ of the Itongasi River has made it ideal for boat launching.

It’s not unusual to see a group sitting around a bonfire at the water’s edge, soaking up a balmy evening, the lapping of waves drowning the sound of voices, the twinkling lights of an ocean liner cruising by or the ethereal sight of ‘jumping’ hurricane lamps ‘moving’ along the beach as ‘crab hunters’ go about their business.

It’s a place where residents and tourists can be seen walking or jogging along the i’lala palm and strelitzia-lined streets while enjoying the abundance of bird and animal life. It’s also home to ‘The Merry Crab’.

Across the Itongasi River a tavern and a hotel are tucked away along the beach and high above the lagoon to the south – a cafe and a pub. Here you will find Pulpit Rock, another favourite fishing spot. Weather permitting, villagers from both sides converge at the river mouth at sunset to wait for the ski-boats to return with their daily catch of big-game-fish, to haggle over a Rock-Cod or a Yellow-fin tunny..

Trafalgar Beach
In calm, clear conditions the rocky reef formation, containing remains of shellfish, fish species, plant material and petrified wood is a wonderful snorkelling spot and as the fossil beds lie a short distance from the shoreline, at low spring tide it is even possible to wade out and examine these ancient remains.

This little sea-side resort was named in the late 19th century by missionary relatives of the great sea lord, Viscount Horatio Nelson, after the decisive naval battle in 1805 where the French and Spanish fleets were defeated by the English under their famous forebear.

Not surprisingly, names of many illustrious and famous English seamen were selected as street names. However, while this fascinating Indian Ocean landmark with its wide grassy verges, subtropical vegetation, undulating terrain and expansive pristine beach has warlike namesake origins, it is, in reality, a quiet piece of paradise.

Palm Beach
Uniquely different, Palm Beach boasts its own Nature Reserve, estuary and natural tidal pool. The calm waters of the estuary are ideal for (beginner) wind-surfing while the reserve offers self-guided walking trails through its riverine forest, a bird-watcher’s paradise. South of the mouth of the estuary is reputed to be one of the best wind-surfing spots along the coast.

Named after the feathery (protected) i’lala (‘Sleeping’ palm – used in the making of bed mats & also known as vegetable ivory because of its rock hard ‘fruit’) found on the dunes, Palm Beach has a diversity of log homes, fishermen’s cottages and luxury villas which add to its charm while a superette, pub and restaurant are ideal meeting places for holiday makers and locals alike.

The 66-hectare Mpenjati(‘Warring Buffalo’) Nature Reserve straddles the Mpenjati River between Palm Beach & Trafalgar Beach. Made up of a system of interlinking wetlands, grasslands and majestic dune forests, the (1.8km long) Yengele trail on the North bank climbs and winds through one of the largest dune forests on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. It is habitat to forest antelope, porcupine, otter and a host of bird species, including the majestic Fish Eagle. The slightly shorter Ipithi (‘Duiker’) trail on the South bank is home to bushbuck, blue and (the rare) grey duiker, the magnificent but shy (nocturnal) genet cat and also a prolific cross-section of bird life.

Leisure Bay
Leisure Bay is another link in the chain that forms Glenmore Beach/Munster, Palm Beach & Trafalgar Beach. If one were to have the choice of ‘where to live’ it would be extremely difficult as each area has its own particular attributes – Leisure Bay, too, being blessed with one of the most awesome beaches along the South African coast. (It has been said that we have the most unspoilt and the most picturesque beaches in Natal – we KNOW we have!)

Cavernous rock crevices entice snorkellers, coves & inlets form inviting bays for swimmers & surfers and superb stretches of fine pristine sand – a sun-worshipper’s Mecca – not to mention the protective outcrops of rocks which, at low tide, serve as fishermen’s platforms and the rock pools – a toddler’s delight.

Varied animal and plant life, some thought to have been extinct, abound in all areas but, apart from the nature reserves, are more concentrated here, with the abundant stretches of admiralty reserve, their natural habitat. Amongst these species are the Vervet monkey, the blue and rare grey duiker, bushbuck, otter, monitor lizard and the nocturnal Genet cat. Bird species include the Fish Eagle, Crowned and Trumpeter Hornbills and the elusive Purple-Crested Loerie.

Kilometers of pathway hugging the high-water mark links Leisure Bay to Glenmore Beach, the hotel and other amenities. It’s also ideal for early morning or late afternoon walks. Quaint homes and large mansions line leafy lanes, some holiday cottages and some permanent residences.

Leisure Bay, the largest of all the areas, has the longest stretch of beachfront with three shark-protected beaches from which to choose and, being the furthest south, is the closest of the four resorts (a 10 minute drive) to the Wild Coast Sun & Casino and the bustling town of Port Edward.

Room Description
Each villa has 3 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms (main en-suite), a fully equipped kitchen, & a spacious living area with stack doors that open onto a stunning patio with its own private braai area. Our 6-sleeper chalets are positioned to maximise privacy & are nestled among beautiful indigenous trees. There is DSTV in each chalet, & a sparkling swimming pool on site. The property is fully electric fenced, with secure parking.

SMOKING IS NOT PERMITTED IN ANY OF THE VILLA