Two large geckos, with a practised air of menace, stare coolly across the baking stone, a quiet assertion that you’re on their turf. The occasional dragonfly hovers briefly into view, before vanishing, and in moments of comparative riot, a quiet voice intrudes on the gentle surrealism to offer another bottle of chardonnay. Welcome to Zimbali, and a world of a quietly decadent escapism.

Forty minutes north of Durban International (flights to Swaziland and Mauritius warrant the global moniker), on the forested fringes of Ballito, lies a secluded coastal respite from meetings and deadlines, late nights and early mornings.

Zimbali is, amongst other things, a golf estate which doesn’t necessarily suggest an oasis of tranquillity, but a development sensitive to both the ecology and aesthetic of the local forest means the occasional glimpse of red tile rising above the canopy of green, is as much of the residential aspect of Zimbali as you’re likely to see.

A similar philosophy extends to the lodge, a modest title for a five-star hotel that prides itself in understated luxury. A personal butler service sits discreetly on standby, an obsession with checking up on the stock in the minibar the only blemish on otherwise faultless attention. Chief amongst that service is ferrying guests to and from the main hotel in golf carts, driving style ranging from the sedate to the manic depending on who’s at the wheel.

Time puts its feet up

The carts aren’t essential, as the main hotel building is a minute or two’s stroll from the suites, but it adds to the sense of exclusive privacy to be swept along a path and through a wall of green and brown, to rooms that play off both the colour and feel of the surroundings. Plenty of rich, dark browns partner gentle creams that spill out onto a veranda that offers a sweeping vista of the forest canopy, and with the blue stillness of the ocean disturbed very occasionally by a tanker or frigate heading to or from the Durban port a little further down the coast.

Inside, a sprawling bed and equally vast bathtub echo the slumber of the place, time kicking off its heels and putting its feet up for a well deserved break. A surprisingly broad room service menu — tandoori chicken pizza pushing beyond the traditional realm of the cold toasted sandwich — is on offer, but while a day’s earnest endeavour by the side of the pool necessitates a break, the hotel restaurant offers an exciting menu.

Under the direction of Sun International’s Group Executive Chef Conrad Gallagher, the affable Irishman arguably most famous for directing cuisine at the Hoppe wedding at the Table Bay, the restaurant’s menu shows plenty of adventure, and while not everything works (the art of the sorbet needs a little attention), and the service gets a little frayed at the edges with a full house, there’s more than enough to suggest that the KwaZulu-Natal coast has the makings of a new gourmet gem.

High ceilings and plenty of space, with liberal use of wood, offer an easy going setting that runs in synch with the forest surrounds. There's an abundance of seafood on the menu, from conventional linefish offerings to more exotic sashimi dishes, and novel twists on springbok and beef amongst a menu that does what all good restaurants should: leave you torn between several options. The wine list does likewise, making a week in Zimbali a series of culinary explorations.

Add the lunch menu, that includes a number of curries playing spiritedly off local flavours and influences, and you’ll have a challenge simply staying afloat in the rim pool that lines up perfectly against the Indian Ocean; then again, anything more than just floating seems at odds with the tempo of life at Zimbali.

18 holes of magnificent golf are there for the taking (soon to be 36 once Gary Player finishes his addition to the existing course), and a trip down to the beach offers a walk on the sand, or time spent at the large freshwater pool, complete with sun loungers and café, that provides a second swimming option.

But the latter has a family timeshare holiday feel to it, hordes of armband-clad kids hollering away with disconcerting vigour. Taking refuge in the hotel pool is the better option, then, with the restaurant alongside, two stately bars, and a quiet legion of waiters just waiting to pop the next cork.

There are minor improvements to be made — Zimbali lacks a gym, and the nearest hairdresser is in Ballito — but perhaps that’s merely an extension of the estate’s laidback manner. The geckos have found themselves a splendid spot; close my eyes, and I’m almost back by the side of the pool, chardonnay in hand…