The Retreat Hotel
Four-star rooms with a guest kitchen and minimarket in Pietermaritzburg
About this stay
The Retreat Hotel pairs four-star rooms with a shared guest kitchen, a lounge and a small minimarket. Each room has a private shower room with toiletries, a TV and a kettle, with daily housekeeping. The front desk is staffed 24 hours, WiFi is free and private parking on site costs nothing; there is room service but no full restaurant, and the shuttle is extra. No street address or suburb is published for the hotel, so get the street when you book to choose the right N3 exit. Pietermaritzburg is the KwaZulu-Natal capital on the N3, with Howick and the Midlands about 20 minutes north-west and Airlink flights to Johannesburg. Guests rate it 7.4 from 21 reviews.
- Four-star rooms with private shower room, TV and kettle
- Shared guest kitchen, lounge and minimarket
- 24-hour front desk with private check-in and check-out
- Free private parking on site and free WiFi
- Room service, plus a shuttle at extra charge
- Rated 7.4 from 21 reviews
Our take
The Retreat Hotel pairs four-star rooms with a shared guest kitchen and a minimarket, and that is why I would book it: you can cook a simple dinner after a long N3 drive without hunting for a takeaway. I would use it for one or two nights in PMB, for a graduation at the university, a business visit or a break before the Midlands. I would not book it for a honeymoon or a romantic weekend: nothing I could verify, from the lounge to the room service, sets it apart for couples. The 7.4 from only 21 reviews also tells me to expect consistency, not polish.
- Stock up at the minimarket on arrival and use the shared kitchen for breakfast: there is no full restaurant, only room service.
- Coming from Johannesburg, consider the one-hour Airlink hop into Pietermaritzburg's own airport instead of landing at King Shaka in Durban and driving inland.
- Free private parking on site means you can leave the car for the night after a long N3 stretch without paying for street parking.
- Arriving late? The front desk is staffed 24 hours, so a delayed flight or a slow N3 drive does not leave you waiting outside a closed reception.
- Arrange the shuttle when you book if you need it: it is an extra charge, and the town's minibus taxis are not the easiest option for a first visit.
Why we love it
- Cooking your own supper in a four-star hotel
- Basics from the minimarket without leaving the building
- A front desk awake at any hour after a late N3 drive
Why guests love itI see The Retreat Hotel as a practical overnight stop for a family crossing KwaZulu-Natal, not a holiday base. The shared kitchen and minimarket are the real help: you can warm a bottle, prepare a simple supper for children who are done with restaurants, and keep milk and fruit cold for the next day's drive. Free private parking and a front desk that never closes make a late arrival off the N3 easier. I could not confirm a family room or a cot. There is no pool or play area that I could verify, and no full restaurant. For days out, the Midlands to the north-west have more for children; I would sleep here one night and move on.
Guest reviews
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