Westville North Accommodation

Westville North, as the name suggests, lies in the northern region of the leafy suburb of Durban, Westville, which was named after Sir Martin West Lieutenant Governor of natal in the mid 19th century. Westville North is bordered by the suburbs of Cowies Hill, New Germany and Reservoir hills and lies adjacent to the M19 highway, providing easy access to the nearby town of Pinetown in the west, and the city of Durban to the east. Westville North is home to a number of shops, stores and petrol stations, and includes a Spar, Caltex, a library and a newly built centre which houses green grocer amongst others.

The Westville North area is home to a number of senior and pre-primary schools as well as the Westville Campus of the University if KwaZulu-Natal, formerly known as the University of Durban Westville. The Westville campus of UKZN was built in the 1970's, and was initially established as an institution for Indian students during the apartheid era, as there weren't many universities that admitted non-white students. As a result, the university was the stage for a large number of student anit-apartheid political rallies. Today the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Westville campus offers courses in various sciences, engineering, humanities, social sciences, law and many others.

Aside from educational facilities, the university also features an indoor sports centre, tennis and squash courts, swimming pool, jogging areas a gymnasium and an Olympic-size swimming pool. The following sports are offered on the Westville campus: athletics, aerobics, badminton, basketball, boxing, ballroom dancing, chess, cricket, gymnastics, golf, hockey, karate, netball, soccer, softball, squash, swimming, table tennis, tenniquoite, volleyball and weightlifting.

Other facilities featured at the UKZN Westville campus include a Hindu temple and an Islamic place of worship, catering for the spiritual needs of students.

Attractions in and around Westville North include the impressive Pavillion shopping centre situated about ten minutes away, the Palmiet and New Germany Nature reserves which provide excellent hiking and bird watching opportunities, and Durban's beaches and many other attractions a mere twenty minutes away via the M19.

Guests visit to Westville

Being from up-country, and needing Westville accommodation, I was on the lookout for a Bed & Breakfast in Westville (a suburb of Durban, KwaZulu Natal),

We were accommodated at Ntengu Lodge, the most exquisite Guest House in Westville. Ntengu Lodge which is a 5 star luxury guest house perched on the edge of a ravine on the Westville Palmiet Nature Reserve - a peaceful, quiet place teeming with abundant bird life, and a meandering river running through it.

In the middle of the busy Westville suburb we felt like we were on Safari, enjoying stunning views of the Westville Nature Reserve from the deck while we sipped cocktails at days end.

Our Ntengu Lodge hosts happily filled us in on the history of Westville. Not only has it become a thriving business center, but it also sports the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Then there's the fact that Westville accommodation is on the route of the world-famous Comrades Marathon, which takes place annually between Durban and Pietermaritzburg - Bed and Breakfasts in Westville are very popular during this time and should be booked way in advance. Westville self catering accommodation will be just as popular.

Just minutes away lies the Westville Pavilion Shopping Center, where the girls took the opportunity to shop and eat a sumptuous meal in one of the 40 restaurants on offer, while the guys escaped to the nearby Westville Driving Range.

On a day off, we took the opportunity to drive to the Durban beach-front, although once there, we were in no hurry to stay, preferring to head north to quaint places like Hillcrest, Botha's Hill and Drummond.

Discovering Westville and the surrounding areas was an unexpected delight, and I plan to return to Westville, only this time I may look at renting a self catering unit, and bring the whole family with.

Thank you Andrew and the team at Ntengu Lodge, and special thanks to 'the barefoot chef' for the scrumptious treats.
Nicole

PS. The Westville Hotel looked pretty good and may be worth a consideration