Over the top:The Palace,pool,Botanical Gardens,Lost City Golf Course and Sun Vacation Club.
For many people,these facts alone would prevent them from ever setting foot in the place. And I respect that decision. But I confess I’m intrigued. First,to see how Sun City positions itself today given it’s no longer the only place in South Africa where you can gamble and see big-name performers.
And,secondly,because it sounds kinda nuts – a sprawling 32-square-kilometre mega-resort in a jungle-filled valley 170 kilometres north-west of Johannesburg that contains four hotels,two Gary Player-designed golf courses,an artificial lake and a giant waterpark. Plus,it’s adjacent to Pilanesberg National Park,home to the Big Five and more than 300 bird species.
I have two nights at the swankiest of the resort’s four properties,the allegedly five-star Palace of the Lost City,which erupts from the surrounding jungle in aJumanji-like riot of fake stone columns,soaring archways and elaborate dome-topped towers. Inside it’s equally bonkers – a colourful,jungle-themed blizzard of murals,mosaics and carvings depicting some disturbingly violent scenes – from a giant sculpture of two cheetah hunting six impala to carpet emblazoned with lions and wolves merrily munching away on various prey.
The Palace of the Lost City - inside Sun City.
Two features that have genuine wow-factor are Crystal Court,a cavernous,dome-roofed restaurant with a central fountain of four trumpeting elephants,and the 1000-square-metre resort pool,which is surrounded by a sea of daybeds and manicured gardens.
The Palace Grand pool.
The whole setup feels like a crazy mishmash of Vegas and Disney,but without the calculated polish of either. Too often the service doesn’t match the five-star price tag,with maddeningly long wait times for meals and requests that are either completely ignored or only begrudgingly acknowledged after several reminders.