Opening 2026: First Images & Pricing of South Africa’s R2 Billion Club Med Revealed

The countdown is on! South Africa is getting its own Club Med and now, new images have been released following a media site visit that took place this week. Scheduled to open in July 2026, the Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari resort will combine beachfront relaxation with a safari experience on an 18,000-hectare private game reserve.

Located on the spectacular Dolphin Coast, north of Durban, construction is well underway for the new resort on a site previously used as a sugarcane plantation. According to Club Med, everything is on schedule for the July 2026 opening of Club Med Tinley, with bookings set to open between 14 – 17 October 2025.

Early adopters eager to start budgeting can also start requesting quotes from 24 September 2025. Get your quote from the 24th of September on the Club Med website, and from 14–17 October you can simply confirm your booking. The official opening date for Club Med South Africa Beach and Safari is set for the first week of July 2026.

Transfers to Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari from King Shaka International Airport are said to take approximately 30 minutes, opening up a world of possibilities for local and international tourists.

What to expect at Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari

The unique duel-offering resort will feature 411 rooms, including 310 Superior and 35 Deluxe, plus the exclusive Ilanga section with 66 suites offering private pools and personalised service. This includes accommodation at the nearby Mpilo Safari Lodge, situated on an 18,000-hectare private game reserve, home to the Big Five.

Buildings for the beach resort at Club Med Tinley are being designed with locally sourced stone and light wood, large windows, and layouts that integrate seamlessly into the dunes, coastal forests, and pristine beaches.

Guest to the resort can expect an all-inclusive experience of the great South African outdoors. The all-inclusive Club Med experience is largely about enjoying sports and the great outdoors as a lifestyle experience amid pristine natural surroundings. Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari will be no exception, fulfilling this promise by combining nature, exploration and well-being in a unique seaside setting.

The programme of recreational activities includes a surf school (a world premiere for Club Med!), guided gravel bike tours, padel courts and flying trapeze rigs. Yoga classes will be offered as well as a wide array of activities for the whole family to enjoy. For those looking for deep relaxation, the facilities will include a wellness centre with a spa, hammam and thatched-roof palapa.

As for the safari experience, guests can organise their trip to the safari lodge à la carte with a Club Med counsellor before or after staying at the beach Resort. Every day, guided safaris, accompanied by experienced rangers, will head out in search of the Big Five (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and Cape buffalo). A minimum stay of five nights at Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari is required to take part in this exceptional adventure.

The safari lodge will accommodate couples and families in 75 premium tents, appointed with all the comforts and conveniences of a Club Med experience: panoramic views, a swimming pool in the adult lounge area, a restaurant, a supervised children’s zone with water games to romp in and family-friendly play areas.

Club Med Tinley will have it all including:

Beach Club for water lovers.
Resort Centre with bars, restaurants and live entertainment.
Kids Clubs for every age (yes, even toddlers).
Over 400 rooms including luxurious Exclusive Collection Suites.
A 500-person convention centre for events, retreats and conferences.
A commitment to community tourism and eco-friendly living.

What the site tour revealed

On a recent tour of the construction site, media were shown a sneak peak of the soon-to-be-completed resort. The tour was led by residential director Chris du Toit of Collins Group, the developers of the resort. Media present at the tour revealed that main village centre of the resort is already taking shape.

“You can already see how the restaurant will seat 1,000 guests, and the bars are positioned to offer views of both the pools and the dunes,” said du Toit. A 1,000-square-meter kitchen is being built to support large-scale events, while four pools are being designed to suit every type of guest — from families to those staying in the exclusive Ilanga section.

Recreational facilities are also under development, including tennis and padel courts, a surf school, flying trapeze rigs, yoga areas, and guided gravel bike tours, offering guests plenty of ways to connect with the surrounding landscapes.

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With existing resorts in destinations like Cannes, Bali, Phuket, Bangkok and Mauritius, Club Med is certain it can tap into its already large base of loyal customers with this exciting new destination. Speaking to the media, Olivier Perillat-Piratoine, Managing Director of Club Med, explained that they wanted those customers to discover what South Africa offers best, the beach and the bush.

“This project is transformational,” explained Perillat-Piratoine “but also in terms of the unique Club Med spirit, which is about kindness, conviviality, responsibility, and fun. It’s a place where you experience not a daunting hospitality, very welcoming, multicultural, and there’s no better place than South Africa to come with this concept.”

KwaZulu-Natal is set to be the flagship of Club Med South Africa, but the team also revealed future aspirations to create a new tourism hub outside of Cape Town and at Kruger National Park.

Watch an update on the site here:

How much does it cost to visit Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari?

We checked the prices of the opening season sale on the Club Med website. The website quoted us a total of R32,872 for a 4-night stay for 2 adults sharing (excluding flights and transport). A screenshot has been supplied of our online quote.