By Kristof Eyckmans, hosted by Palace of the Lost City
This iconic hotel is part of Sun City, a luxury playground for South Africans and international visitors. A mere 2 hours’ drive from Johannesburg, this isolated retreat is the perfect place if you are looking for fun, luxury resort with and all kinds of indoor and outdoor activities.
There are 4 hotel options at Sun City. However, there's one that stands out from the rest - The Palace of the Lost City. Ranked as a top 40 Best Reosrt in Africa by Condé Nast top 40 Best Resorts in Africa we think it is a must visit when in South Africa.
Last year marked the 25th birthday of the palace and it was the ideal time to finally stay there and experience what all the buzz is about.
Your first impression of the property is when driving up the majestic entrance - on our entry we knew that this was going to be a phenomenal property. It deserved the title palace - as that is the look and feel from the moment you arrive. The massive entrance brings you straight into one of the highlights of the hotel, as above the reception area, there is a massive dome decorated with all kinds of African themed illustrations. Chairs are upholstered with zebra skin, gold gilded walls, palm trees that give you that instant holiday feeling,… Yup, welcome to African opulence.
The hotel hoses 335 suites, of which 3 are presidential suites. They all have amazing views of the surrounding area, endless amounts of space and a bathroom which is bigger than most New York city apartments. All of this makes you forget the real age of the hotel and it’s interior which sometimes could use a touch of TLC. Though still very luxurious and very much 5 star worthy, one can’t ask for more when you are visiting the palace as you are miles away from civilization.
And that is one of its major advantages. There are endless ways to entertain yourself when staying here, as the resort is so remote, it has the advantage to have a massive amount of space available to trans create into a massive playground. There is the famous Pilanesberg National Park bordering the resort, which means you can enjoy a real safari at any time of the day. Rather prefer to ride some quad bikes, go drifting or have fun at the maze? Not a problem. Though a lot of guests of the Palace of the Lost City come over here to enjoy the two golf courses this resort has on offer. One is the Gary Player golf course which hosts some of the world’s best golfers every year as they play the annual Nedbank Golf Challenge which is part of the European Tour. A casino is also available in Sun City, but do you really want to go and play indoors when there is something called “The valley of the waves”?
This legendary water park is an amazing place where you feel like you are being transported to a tropical island. In the center of it all is the Roaring Lagoon, a 6500 square meter wave pool that generates huge waves every 90 seconds. If that isn’t what you are looking for, you might want to try one of the several water rides and slides, or just sit back and relax in one of the bars and restaurants which are dotted all around the valley. Having the palace in the background sure gives the valley some extra flair.
All in all, this place is amazing and if all of the above mentioned doesn’t convince you, then surely the great restaurants, the super friendly staff or the amazing gardens will. It attracted the rich and famous from all over the world. Michael Jackson was one of the regulars who enjoyed the luxury and uniqueness of the Palace of the Lost City. It is the perfect way to start or end your holiday in Southern Africa.