Kid’s paradise at Sugar Bay Holiday Camp

It’s holiday time. The kids are currently on a short mid-term break but December holidays are just around the corner and so is the task of deciding what to do with your little ones.

Rather than have them go to granny’s house where they will be spoilt and pick up all sorts of unpleasant habits, why not take them to a kids camp? They can make friends, learn to be social and give you a much-needed time out. Finding such a place where kids can holiday wasn’t easy but I tracked down a kids’ resort, deep in KwaZulu-Natal, called Sugar Bay.

I’m guessing the name comes from the fact that the resort is nestled around the sugar cane fields of the North coast. Zinkwazi beach is where the resort is located and is a bit of a drive out of Durban. What drew me to this resort was that it’s strictly for children and is safe, secure and on a private property. The resort was started by a married couple Zoe and Nic Ellender, parents to three children.

Zoe gave up her career as a lawyer and established a safe and fun paradise for all children. She’s fully dedicated to running the resort. Zoe decided to devote her life to the resort and kids because she felt that her law career wasn’t as fulfilling as she envisioned and spending time with her children was what made her truly happy. She chose to combine the enjoyment of being active with her passion for the beach, which resulted in bringing her dream to life in the form of Sugar Bay.

The concept of the resort is to send your children to a place where they are the main guests and are catered for, while also keeping them busy. This is similar to the concepts seen in many American movies where children would be sent off to summer camp. The camp takes children from ages seven to 17.

The distance from the city doesn’t make it the easiest place to get to. But the owners put some thought into this and have secured transport for children from Gauteng in the form of a bus charter from Sandton. There is also transport around Durban and the kids are constantly transported while at the camp. This offers many parents who don’t own cars or can’t afford flight tickets an opportunity to get their kids to the camp’s location.

Something different is also on offer in terms of trained camp counsellors who are always ready to assist the kids with any needs because they have studied level one psychology.

There is 24-hour adult supervision and if you have a child who’s never been away from home or needs assistance with integrating into groups with their peers, there is a counsellor to assist.

The pro counsellors are certified to teach kids in whatever activities they undertake. There are many activities, like rocking climbing, surfing, snorkelling, skating, soccer and BMX biking. If your child can’t swim, the counsellors will teach them.

I enquired about what’s on offer for December and the resort will be running themed holiday camps. Named and themed after popular movies and studios such as DreamWorks week, Jack Sparrow week and a very musical New York week, they will be running up to January.

The ethos of Sugar Bay is teaching children to be confident, self- assured and to become more independent.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.