The Balmoral

We booked for the Christmas Buffet lunch for the 25/12/2025. We were seated on the terrace which was very enjoyable as it was not crowded. The service from the staff/waiters was excellent - they were efficient and friendly. The food was delicious with a wide variety and selection. Being Halaal was an added bonus. The desserts were good and there were many options. One down side is that the buffet set up for the salads were placed on a wide counter so it was difficult to pick food up from the back - luckily there were staff members on hand to assist. Will definitely visit the restaurant again. Regards Anisa

Rooms: Less privacy and equipment arr either missing or broken. Overall the sanitary area is great and the beds are comfy. Though I would greatly appreciate it if there was less noise coming from the hallways as people like shout and scream which disturb other people. Service: the front desk and the porter were great. Very respectful and patient. However, the dining service was terrible. The lady that was serving us wore glasses and had a horrible attitude towards us, I.e. she would reluctantly give us menus whilst taking her sweet time to get them as well as glaring at us every now and then; she didn't know what the meals came with until reminded; she left without giving us the bill where we waited for over 15 minutes after we were done with our meal. Food: Out of all the eating places that I have ever experienced, this one by far tops it all as the worst I have ever experienced. The pizza was salty, sweet and full of tomato with dry cheese on top and the calamari was crumbly and came with a toast for some reason. On top of that the pizza itself was extremely small for R95. Imagine how the kiddies pizza is if this is a normal pizza at your restaurant. The amount of time to make this was also really long. Usually if the amount of time was abundant it would signify good quality food but this doesn't even cut it. Overall, a terrible dining experience I would rather go out and buy from a fast food joint than eat from here again.

My experience at this Hotel has been HORRIBLE to say the least. I booked for 3 nights from 08Jan to 11Jan. On Friday 9th Jan I waited for over 4hrs for housekeeping to clean my room, a few hours after checking-out, we discovered cash in my wife's wallet is lost. I've filed a complaint to investigate this matter and waiting for feedback. Im definitely not recommending Balmoral Hotel to any of my friends & family as a safe or hospitable institution for a holiday.

Attended the Christmas buffet lunch today. Food was delicious, so many options to choose from, even crab curry! Definitely worth the price we paid. We had a table outside on the terrace which was great as it was spacious (most of the other diners were seated inside) and Durban was not too hot today! Service was good with management checking in if all was okay.

I recently attended a function at Balmoral and I can only compliment the staff. Everything was perfect. Service was great - nothing was too much for the staff. They were so helpful. The venue was neat and well set out. The food was delicious. Well done. It was an amazing day.

This review is just for the buffet. The staff were attentive & kind but the food was below average. The lamb curry was more of a stew, the white rice was mushy and so was the breyani. The pasta was over cooked and under seasoned, the salad items were dry and wilted. The cakes offered as desserts were very dry. With a beautiful location and great staff one can only hope that the food gets better.

It was a beautiful experience. It was a home away from home. The rooms were well kept and even the buffet breakfast was top class. We will definitely come bac The staff were so hospitable and so friendly

I was very disappointed with my dinner at The Balmoral Hotel restaurant. The breyani was mushy with the wrong cut of meat and hardly any meat or potatoes. The chicken curry was shredded and unappetizing, the pasta was cold, dry and topped with unmelted cheese, and the fish was processed with a thick, floury batter that tasted cheap. The roast beef was dry, charred, and mostly surrounded by onions and garnish with very little actual meat, at one point there was none left at all. The stir-fry noodle station had no staff to assist. There were no rotis or breads offered even though there was a potato curry, and no other veg options like dhal to accompany it. The trifle had no fruit or cream, although the custard was excellent. The tea and coffee station was set up right next to the desserts but apparently not part of the buffet, which was confusing and disappointing. The manager on duty was unprofessional, dismissive, and even discussed my complaint with other staff in front of guests. For R235 per person, I expected much better quality, flavour, and service. The entire menu and preparation methods need serious review.