Life at the Bay

At Sugar Bay Resort, we offer two types of holidays; a holiday camp and a school camp/tour. Our holiday camps are typically held during the holiday period whilst schools are on break, at least four times in a year. Our school camps/tours are held throughout the year and typically host both local and international schools out of peak holiday periods.  Sending your child to Sugar Bay on a school camp, however, isn’t the same as sending them to a holiday camp. There’s a misconception between the two, whereby, parents assume that their kids have reaped all the benefits that the complete Sugar Bay experience has to offer during a school camp. A school camp/tour is merely a taste of what can be experienced during our holiday camps, where the opportunities and fun are endless. Here are 7 differences between holiday camps and school camps/tours: 1. The Leaders During school camps/tours, learners are accompanied by their headmasters and educators. This sometimes leaves kids ver...

Over the past few years, we’ve been noticing a significant decrease in the number of female applicants who sign up to become camp counselors.    Many young ladies feel as if they cannot advance if they do not begin studying right away, and often end up disappointed after a year or two, when they realize that they stepped into the wrong career path.    At Sugar Bay, we believe that high-school graduates should take time out to discover themselves if they are unsure of what career path to choose. This is why we recommend that you join the Sugar Bay family during your gap year and train to become a camp counselor.    Find out the benefits you can reap from working as a camp counselor at Sugar Bay below: Counselor-in-training (CIT) Course: When you sign up for our CIT course, you will be in line to receive accredited qualifications that will be useful within the camp environment, including international camps, as well as outside of the cam...

Sugar Bay Resort is a holiday camp for kids and teens located on the Dolphin Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal. The camp has been running for the past sixteen years and has improved with every passing year.   We recently spoke with Sugar Bay’s camp director, Zoe Ellender, to find out how she envisioned the summer camp concept and in turn, created the exceptional camp.    Ellender shared that it all began with her unhappiness practicing as an attorney. She disliked the unhappy environment where the more miserable clients were, the more money you made. She engaged in some deep soul searching after her realization that her career was too negative for her, and, with the aid of a life coach, was lead into discovering what her passions were. “I love the beach, I love children, I love the sun and hate England, events management, sports, especially ocean sports, teaching, and planning and going on holiday” , she said as her face lit up with glee.    “When I discovered m...

Camp and school are very similar in that both are learning environments for children. However, the differences between the academic and experiential learning context explains why many children not only prefer camp, but also why they gain more personal growth in the camp environment. Here are 8 differences between camp & school: 1. Experiential learning method Learning is practiced on a daily basis at both camp and school. While school is more about textbook learning and studying for exams, camp promotes learning via experiential education. At camp, children get to physically participate in an activity and attain a skill from it. This method of learning seems to be what many children prefer. 2. Informal atmosphere School provides a formal environment, which children may find intimidating and conformist. Camp, on the other hand, is a very casual environment which allows kids to learn while still having fun and without too much restriction. The quote, “What we...

The first half of the year is almost done! And to celebrate that we’re halfway there, we’re giving campers a R1800 discount on all our June/July holiday camps. We’ve programmed four themed holiday camps for these winter holidays, and we’ve picked the best of the bunch! Even though it’s getting a little chilly, know the sun always shines at Sugar Bay.    Smurfs - The Lost Village week: 25 June – 2 July Join us as we embark on an adventure with our blue little friends through the forest filled with enchanted creatures to uncover the biggest secret in Smurf history!    Highlights: Enchanted Beach Bonfire Forbidden Forest Fear Factor Smurf Blue Colour Run Papa Smurf’s Potion-Making Classes Magical make your own Smurf Class Camp out at the Forbidden Forest How much will it cost to embark on this adventure? Book now to go blue & become a Smurf!  Baywatch week: 2-9 July ...

Our April holiday camps were A-mazing! It’s no April Fool’s joke, this we reassure you. We had an all-star line up with themes fresh out the box office for each of our three-holiday camps.    Hipster Week: 9-16 April 2017 We got our groove on and stepped into the sixties for Hipster week. This camp accommodated 94 campers and was our opening holiday camp for the first school break of 2017. The kids enjoyed many fun activities integrated around the theme such as; Hipster Hunts, Hipster Bonfires, Trashion Shows, Mainstream Markets and the Trendiest Party in Town. They also went on a “Hippie” excursion to the popular tourist attraction, the Durban beachfront, where they went kayaking, bodyboarding, built sand castles and had a “Wanderlust” class along the beach. Browse through our Facebook Album to see more pictures from the Hipster week themed holiday camp.    Hogwarts Week: 16-23 April 2017 There were many magical events and mysteri...

Restricting the kids from being engrossed in technology can be very challenging. The best means of keeping them away from their lit screens all the time is by motivating them to participate in engaging activities. Getting the kids involved in physically challenging games is the best way to actually get them active and away from being consumed by their technological gadgets.    Here are 5 popular camp games that you can play with the kids at home:    1. Stalk the lantern Stalk the lantern is a game which was inspired by the army and typically played during the dark. Everyone needs to be dressed in black and have their faces painted, just as the soldiers camouflage themselves in the army. Divide the players into teams and select the same number as the teams to get representatives to form the lantern. The representatives are responsible for shining the flashlight on players in order to get them out of the game. The objective of the game is to get as close ...

Making a career choice at the age of seventeen and committing to it for a lifetime is a pivotal decision that comes with a lot of pressure. However, times have evolved and we are no longer restricted to working one specific profession for the rest of our career. During a staff training meeting held at Sugar Bay Resort, young adults were given a career guiding lecture by the Director, Zoe Ellender, who said, “Unlike in the past, you no longer have to serve in one position at one company until you retire and get yourself a golden watch for your services. These days, you are allowed to change your career choice as many times as you want to. The diversity in occupation allows for a variation in skills, which plays a significant role in creating outstanding résumés.”   Her encouraging discussion with the youngsters opened their minds to realize that it really is okay to make the wrong decisions and start over, as nothing goes to waste. She also explained the importance of takin...