Debbie Reynolds reveals the fascinating history and breathtaking interior of Teremok Marine in Umhlanga.
From the personalised welcome note and scented candles to the thoughtful bathroom “goodie” basket, Teremok Marine reflects the essence of the Davidson family. Mom, or should that be matriarch, Debbie Davidson is style personified.
Our history goes way back – before she owned the Barnyard Theatre – to the days when I was a newspaper lifestyle reporter and she owned a communications company. Our collaboration on The Mercury Durban Designer Collection fashion event entrenched her reputation as a formidable businesswoman. I learned that when she sets her mind on something, it will be done.
The “do it right or don’t do it at all” ethic has been passed down to her daughters, Kim Davidson and Tracey Gielink, who are partners in the boutique lodge on Umhlanga’s exclusive Marine Drive. The sisters are remarkable in their own right. Tracey is a seasoned lifestyle journalist and Kim a proficient marketing and communications expert.
Their combination of skills, experience and innate style gives Teremok the edge in a highly competitive space, hence its Zulu Kingdom Excellence Award (2005 to 2008) and the inaugural Amarula Best Retreats in Africa Service Excellence Award in 2008.
Accolades aside, it is the embedded sense of family which defines the Teremok experience whether you visit for a night, a week or just a few hours at the recently revamped spa. The vision for the spa’s regeneration was to create an “urban apothecary where clients can take refuge and find comfort and remedies for their daily stress”. The result is a true revolution against sterile spas. “It’s a mix of antique and contemporary,” says Kim. “Frida Kahlo chairs, an elevated Buddha, red duco and hanging lanterns.”
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And so to the lodge proper which is an eclectic and exotic design mix, thankfully, minus the OTT factor. The communal entertainment area, consisting of lounge, bar, library and dining room, has contemporary African undertones without going the ubiquitous ethnic-bongo route. Uncluttered but inviting, the rooms embrace views of the Indian Ocean and the lodge’s signature weathered milkwood tree.
The eight spacious suites – all of which have open-plan inclusive bathrooms – are individually decorated and inspired by nostalgia. So, time for a brief history lesson. Russian revolution survivor Constantine Vladykin, known at Kotchka, came to South Africa as a mining surveyor. He married Louiza van Zwam the daughter of a Belgian diamond cutter. They had two children, Nadya (born 1937) and Yvan, who was killed in a motor accident aged 19.
Nadya married Harvey Douglas in 1959 and while on honeymoon was asked by Kotchka to find land suitable for a seaside retreat. Pieces of marshy land on Umhlanga’s Marine Drive were snapped up by the family and in 1965 the land at number 49 was set aside for Kotchka’s retirement home. His friend Steffan Ahrends, who also designed Milkwood further down the road for Harry and Bridget Oppenheimer, was the architect. And so, in 1968, Teremok, or “little hideaway” in Russian, became the Vladykin home. Sadly, Kotchka died a year later and the Douglas family inherited Teremok. Regrettably after 33 years, in June 2002 they put the house on the market.
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Three weeks later, Debbie Davidson viewed it and fell in love. Her initial plan to use Teremok as accommodation for the Barnyard Theatre’s large touring casts turned into a dream to create a luxurious home-away-from-home for discerning business executives and tourists.
To convert the house into eight suites required a major overhaul, but the Davidsons insisted that the house retain elements of its rich past, such as doors, sash windows and wooden flooring.
“The suites have also been named to reflect an element of Teremok Marine or its history,” says Kim. “This specific theme has been carried through from the individually decorated suites, to fragranced toiletries, mood CDs and confectionery, all of which are room-specific.”
Vladykin, for instance, reflects the legacy of the man who built Teremok with heirlooms – old hat boxes, a porcelain doll, inkwell – brocade and velvet in deep jewel colours. Milkwood with breathtaking views of the India Ocean is reminiscent of a modern beach cottage dominated by a lime-washed four-poster bed wrapped in billowing organza and ribbons.
Juliet is a loft room decorated in evocative shades of gold, copper and brown and embellished with organzas. The mood is romantic and classic. Durban View, clearly named for its magnificent views of the city, has an African zen feel and is adorned with antique bevelled mirrors which reflect the changing light.
The Palm suite décor is a colourful fusion of African and Indian colonial influences, a cool hideaway in subtle shades of green. Zodiac takes its name from the beautiful Brazilian hand-carved door with signs of the zodiac that was Teremok’s original front door. It’s a moody room with an essence of mystery with sumptuous bronze silk curtains punctuated by intense red.
The decadent Beethoven suite is a nod to the first show ever staged at the Barnyard Theatre and centres around a suspended violin. Music notes dance across the walls and gilded furniture. Taking its name from Nadya’s husband, the Douglas suite, with its white ostrich skin headboard, is a modern interpretation of a classical idea decorated in fresh greens teal, aquas, browns and white.
Asked to choose my favourite, I had to decline. I could live in any one of them any day of the week.
Useful info: Phone 031 561 5848, e-mail marine@teremok.co.za. On the web. Teremok is at 49 Marine Drive, Umhlanga Rocks.