Garden Court is one of a string of side-by-side hotels on Marine Parade, the nexus of the Durban beachfront area. Not to be confused with the nearby Garden Court South Beach, this Garden Court is directly opposite the Pavilion, and thus ideal for those who literally want to be in the center of the action.

The 30-floor Art Deco tower dominates the waterfront, and offers grand views no matter which side your room is on — you’ll either look out over the ocean, or back towards downtown (and be able to see literally every city landmark if you’re on a higher floor).

The lobby is semi-glamorous, with ornate decorative windows and marble floors, but is clearly starting to fray around the edges — which is presumably why there is renovation going on (as of May 2015). This did create a bit of a nuisance when I was there, but it’s all for the greater good I suppose. I also spotted construction crews on some of the lower floors, and learned from staff that they were updating carpets, fixtures and wall coverings in the guest rooms and common areas.

Getting up to my room was a bit hairy – the elevators were a little rickety (presumably they will be replaced as well) – but once I opened the door I was pleasantly surprised by its size and ambiance. There was enough space around the bed to not only walk comfortably, but to do a little dance routine if you so desire, and the bed was massive as well. The furnishings and color scheme are nothing to write home about, but I did love the USB ports in the bedside area, the modern bathroom fixtures, and of course the incredible view of the ocean. I made a point to wake up at 5:30 am just to take a photo of the sunrise.

Business travelers might be a little disappointed with the 350 MB of free wi-fi — it is not super slow, but not super-fast either. I gave up after a while and was more than satisfied with the 20 cable TV channels on the flat-screen TV.

The on-site restaurant is functional but not particularly charming — but why would you want to eat onsite when there are dozens of restaurants literally within spitting distance? The adjacent boardwalk is lined with them, as well as public pools, a kids play area, and hundreds of street vendors selling all manner of tacky souvenirs. The hotel is also within easy walking distance of the convention center and a couple of other downtown landmarks, including uShaka Marine World.