Stayed 2 nights here during February 06. Staff very helpful, especially the concierge. The room was clean but the bathroom was very shabby/grubby and in need of reburbishment. The restaurant was adequate. I have stayed in better Protea hotels than this one.

My stay at the Hotel Edward was a disappointment. I checked in from the airport and wanted to change some money at the counter. "Sorry we don't keep cash here, its not safe. We can have someone go with you to a bank." Not at all what I expected from a supposedly classy hotel.

The rooms were adequate, the surroundings (other than the beach itself) quite dingy and run down. I was travelling on business and glad that my wife and daughter were not with me.

The hotel itself is very nice. The rooms are spacious and well equiped. However we would not recommend this hotel as it is in a dangerous area. We were repeatedly warned not to go out at night and even when we visited the restaurants next door to the hotel we were pestered by glue sniffing children. If you intend to visit Durban you are better off staying outside of the city and travelling in to visit any places of interest to you.

I stayed for three nights with a large group at the Hotel Edward. We were repeatedly warned not to walk alone in the neighborhood, but had NO problems during the day or at night. Children played in the large public pools in the carnival area across the street all day safely.

I walked alone all the way down to the great new Aquarium (35 min. each way), and only felt self-consciuos for the 2 blocks close to the hotel, where many vendors are set up to cater to the tourist trade.

Our group ate several meals there, and was impressed with the excellent table service and elaborate breakfast buffets, although (like everywhere in Durban), the fruit juices are over-sweetened. The curries are esp. good, but they are NOT boneless. The dining room has a good, new, upright piano, which we used for a rehearsal.

The two main concierges (John & Johnny) performed miracles and arranged for us: private cab rides all the way to Westville & back, cab drivers who gave extended tours of the city, connections to music stores who even delivered the music to us, and lots of business office-type assistance.

Our room was great, and had a plaque stating that the Dali Lama had stayed there on his first visit to Durban. The huge lit-up carnival rides and ski-lift ride are directly in front of the hotel, so ask for a room above the fourth floor if you want to see the ocean unobstructed. With the windows closed, the second-floor room we had was very quiet.