Pics: Rediscovering the old magic of Raffles at the Maharani Hotel and North Beach, Durban

Don’t bother to visit,” they told me. “There is nothing to see in North Beach, Durban."

I can still hear those voices as I pull up in front of the iconic Southern Sun Maharani Hotel. As I step out of the car, a massive cloud bursts overhead, drenching the pavement (and me!). For a split second, ducking my head against the downpour, I wonder if I should have listened to the skeptics. Was the downpour an omen of what I was to find?

Then, in a flash, the skepticism is washed away. I step into the splendour of the Maharani Hotel and the memories come flooding in.

That outside glass lift ride to the top of the hotel is legendary but no longer exists.

Back in the day, Raffles (or Boogie in the Sky IYKYK) wasn't just a club; it was the destination.

It’s the 80s and 90s all over again: my sisters, our friends and our cousins, all dressed to the nines to enter the glitz of Raffles on the 32nd floor. I can still see the sailor hats and the chic outfits; I can still hear the echoes of "The Safety Dance" pulsing through the speakers. “You can dance if you want to...”

Boogie in the Sky, floor 32

And heavens knows how many twirls we had on the dance floor to the sounds of "Can't take my eyes off of you". Then there was Louis the DJ who always made cassette tapes for my one sister which we would listen to on the drive home.

Decades later, in 2026, I press the button for that same floor. While I may have lost some of my razzle, it seems Maharani has retained it despite the years.

I am not disappointed as the lift doors open. In fact, I feel as though I’ve stepped into a time capsule where memories and heartbeats are stitched into the very walls. For a moment, it’s as if time has stood still; I can almost see my beautiful sisters laughing and dancing in the peripheral vision of my mind.

A young lady cleaning up after a big night at the venue greets me, snapping me back to the present. "Wow, these views," I remark. She giggles. "They're pretty super, hey?" she says with a smile.

The views, the views

I had just last year walked 27 flights of stairs to get to the top or the Ritz in Cape Town where the views were spectacular… but these views, well these are something else.

Raffles may be gone, but the vista that captivated everyone in the 90s remains. Despite the grey, punctured sky, nothing can prepare you for the raw beauty of this North Beach strip.

I snap some photos as I leave the Maharani and I begin my walk further down, the downpour has stopped, leaving the air fresh and salt-heavy.

I wonder why people don’t swarm here as I pass the Elangeni, finally ending up at the magnificent Edward Hotel, also Southern Sun. Inside, chandeliers hang like galaxies, punctuating the high ceilings.

There is a soul here that no amount of modern glass and steel can replicate. I sit down for a cup of tea which costs a mere R21, mind you, almond milk included. And it gives me four cups. (Cape Town could learn a thing or two about value). With the scent of the Indian Ocean in the air, the world finally goes quiet.

There is a specific kind of magic in Durban when it’s overcast. The humidity carries the salt of the sea, and the moody sky makes the gold and neon of the beachfront hotels pop. It is hard to imagine that some have labeled this strip "abandoned."

Grit and glitz

Admittedly, the City Manager and the Mayor have their work cut out for them. 

Still enveloped in the romance of the past I continue my walk, this time down a quieter street. It’s not Cape-Town CBD clean, grittier, more real, and an agitated man is swearing about killing the pedestrians, me included. I watch some drivers skip red lights and youngsters plan some escapades and then I am in a main city street and it’s calmer again, although I am told crime is an issue.

Of course the challenges are stark: major developers are hesitant to touch the Point or south Beach. Between Transnet’s reluctance to renew leases and an aging infrastructure that is simply too expensive to fix, and let’s not even talk about the sewer issue - we aren't seeing the billion-rand injections that other precincts are enjoying.

The grit is real, and the hurdles are high. And given that the Hilton didn’t renew its lease further afield close to the ICC (but has put its roots on a four-star Hilton at Sibaya), it’s easy to think the days of a centralised business district may be over for South Africa, and for Kzn.

Yet the recently concluded 50-year lease agreement between eThekwini Municipality and Southern Sun Hotels for the Elangeni and Maharani Towers is in particular a development of real strategic significance.

Underpinned by a R1 billion capital investment, this project signals confidence not only in these iconic hotels, but in Durban itself. Some of the good sea-facing apartments now fetch between R2 - R6m, a, sign that the bottom has not dropped out of the values of these properties, while it is true, others go for R400,00 to R500,000.

An understated gem?

This particular stretch - the Golden Strip - has been described by some as an understated gem and the best value for seafront apartments

It is impossible not to romanticise this old-world magic interspersed with the modern, the new, the bustling markets, and the energy of the youth.

As I walk back to my car, I think of the my hometown Cape Town.

Cape Town certainly has the Razz and the old Ritz, and the KZN North Coast may have its pristine managed precincts and the new superb Club Med… but Durban? Durban has the heart and the memories. 

And, I’m afraid - in spite of all the red flags - I have fallen madly in love with it all over again. Maybe you will too... give it a visit.