Durban
WAYNE COETZER
38, general manager, Oyster Box Hotel
After a breakfast of eggs Benedict at Remo's, tel: (27-31) 539 5955, I'd go to a favorite spot. One of them is when you drive down from Berea, along leafy streets with flamboyants in full bloom, and see the Indian Ocean at the bottom of the hill. A Portuguese lunch at Neo Café, tel: (27-31) 332 2299, on the beachfront, never disappoints.
A few spare hours of an afternoon offer a chance to trawl Cathay, tel: (27- 31) 561 5783, a specialist bookshop for Africana and antique books. Then I'd take the Sky Car ride at the new Moses Mabhida Stadium, or take my two young sons line-fishing off the rocks on the Umhlanga beachfront. Come sunset you'll find me in the Lighthouse Bar at the Oyster Box Hotel, tel: (27-31) 514 5000, overlooking the ocean, sipping an Umhlanga Schling cocktail and eating oysters from the hotel's own oyster beds. For dinner I'd saunter down to the Grill Room. I recommend the duck à la pêche and a glass of Bouchard Finlayson pinot noir. The perfect end to the perfect day.
IMRAAN COOVADIA
40, novelist
Durban is a sunshine city, even during the winter, and like Hawaii it's a surfer's paradise. So a perfect day should begin on Umhlanga Rocks Beach, near the candy-cane lighthouse, with a trip along the boardwalk. Umhlanga's crabs are friendly. The stinging bluebottles not so much. The sharks are less of a menace, kept out at 400 m by an extensive system of nets.
This perfect day should take in the three side-by-side cultures that make Durban unique. First, colonial England, which can be visited at the Rob Roy Hotel, tel: (27-31) 777 1305. Or go for tea at the Beverly Hills Hotel, tel: (27-31) 561 2211, where Gaddafi stayed on his most recent visit. Second, Zululand, which provides most of the city's population, its rickshaws, royal family and the herbalist shops near the old market that are worth going on an expedition to (but leave your valuables behind). Third, India, which might best be sampled at Seabelle, tel: (27-32) 941 5551, a north coast restaurant famous for prawn curry.
Mitchell Park, with its flowers and animals, is a great place for a holiday afternoon, perfect in winter sunshine. Spice, tel: (27-31) 303 6375, the fusion restaurant in Morningside, is the usual hangout for American visitors like Bill Clinton. Finally, everybody who doesn't sleep early in Durban ends up at Bean Bag Bohemia, tel: (27-31) 309 6019, a late-night tradition since 1995. Bean Bag is not only historical, by Durban standards, but is also housed in a national monument. It's where Elton John goes when he's in town. This is the highest recommendation a Durbanite can imagine.
BONGANI TEMBE
47, opera singer and CEO, KZN Philharmonic
I'd start with a workout at the Virgin Active gym opposite the new Moses Mabhida Stadium, one of the World Cup venues, then have breakfast at the Durban Country Club, tel: (27-31) 313 1777. A leisurely stroll from there through the revamped promenade along Durban's beachfront lets visitors survey arts and crafts sold by mostly rural women. It leads on to uShaka Marine World, tel: (27-31) 328 8000, which has the world's fifth largest aquarium.
My next stop would be the KZNSA Gallery and Artscafe, tel: (27-31) 277 1705, which is the perfect lunch setting. I might walk off the meal in the surrounding area, which boasts an eclectic mix of bookstores and antique shops. On my way home I'd peruse an exhibition at the African Art Centre, tel: (27-31) 312 3804.
In the evening, I suggest a show at the Durban Playhouse, tel: (27-31) 369 9555, one of South Africa's leading performing-arts centers and a hub of multiculturalism in KwaZulu-Natal. It's also home to the KZN Philharmonic, widely regarded as Africa's premier orchestra.