Sun City Things to Do

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Over the recent break two friends and I headed off to Sun City for the day.

Past experience has taught us that The Palace at the Lost City staff do a pretty good job of keeping non-resident day tripping riff raff from bothering their five star residents. The only way of getting into the hotel to see it from the inside is to book for high tea or for dinner. We opted for high tea.

The booking process was easy. We simply asked the assistant at the hospitality desk of the casino to do it for us and Bob was our uncle! A shuttle bus took us up to the hotel and the magical word 'reservations' found us on the guest list.

We descended the magnificent crystal staircase into the gorgeous Crystal Court dining room in which every table was set with Royal Albert tea sets. We selected a table, for the dining room was not full despite the public holiday and perused the tea menu. Every tea is described, complete with recommended steep time. We placed our orders and moved on to the eats.

A central table indicated that if we requested sparkling wine we would have been given it, but we ignored that in favour of a variety of other treats. Cucumber sandwiches were prevented from drying out, but could be seen under their glass domes. They were very nice, moist without being soggy and real cream cheese was used. Miniature quiches hovered over chafing dishes. High tea included a variety of desserts. An establishment, in my not so humble opinion, is judged by its crème caramel and the crème caramel at The Lost Palace is superb.

I was less impressed with their fruit cake which was cut into large wedges and was fairly stodgy. Gordon Ramsay should actually have to beg for my grandmother's fruit cake recipe, but it really isn't a secret. It is the more expensive one in the cook book put out by the Department of Arts and Culture and published by the Government Printers. The only amendment my grandmother made, and the change from 125g of glace cherries is recorded with the notation “250g - We like cherries'. The modern book's metrication and my translation, the original is Imperial and Afrikaans.

Everything else on the table, well the bits that I sampled for it is impossible to sample it all, was wonderful. I enjoyed the cheese, biscuits and nuts which were part of the savoury offerings. There were no complaints from either of my companions either and one of them found the scones to be particularly good.

The Crystal Court is a handsome space, generously proportioned and nicely decorated within the African Lost City theme. The ambience is gracious. The service truly makes one feel royal. Once one is in the hotel one is free to roam around and explore all the public rooms and courtyards as well as the garden adjoining the dining room.

High tea was R155 per person, not cheap, but good value for money.

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There is a lion farm at Sundowner Ranch which is about 10 minutes drive from Sun City. They have area where you can interact with the lion cubs. You can also go walking along the lion enclosures to view the other lions. There is a restaurant , bar and also a area to buy soveniors.

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Sol Kerzner then went on to create a fantasy-land in the form of The Lost City, with an incredibly expensive and ultra-luxurious palace, with facilities only movie stars can afford.

The penthouse suite is a not-so-small fortune per night! More than 5 star material! Luxury in the extreme.

This consists of a stunning fairytale hotel, and a waterworld-wonderland. There is a fake sea (with real beach sand and rolling waves), rapids, quite a few water rides etc. A lot of fun for adults and children alike.

Easily driveable from Johannesburg (2 hours drive), this is a lovely day outing/week end getaway for the family, or with friends. There is a bus service that operates from some Johannesburg hotels too. I have taken the one from Sandton Sun Intercontinental before.

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The brain child of a man who had a Standard 8 (which in international terms means he did not complete his basic schooling).

He went on to build an empire in Sun City, and then Lost City next door, in a terrain that is rugged and quite harsh.

He has built an oasis in the midst of this, and created employment for thousands of locals, where unemployment is rife.

We never got to go here as kids because we didn’t have the extra money for the excursion, but as a young adult I started to go a few times with friends from Technikon, for pop concerts (Richard Marx), and to spend the day in the sun and sea in The Lost City.

Not being one who enjoys gambling, I didn’t do much of that – but if you DO enjoy gambling, this is a gambling mecca!

They do conduct a 'responsible gambling policy', not sure exactly what that entails, but as it can become an addiction, they have obviously taken strides to prevent this. They work in conjunction with a National Responsible Gambling Programme Toll Free Helpline: 0800 006 008.

Easily driveable from Johannesburg (2 hours drive), this is a lovely day outing/week end getaway for the family, or with friends. There is a bus service that operates from some of Johannesburg's finest hotels.

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You can only get into the Valley of the Waves if you pay an extra fee as a Sun City Hotel day visitor/resident (this fee differs, depending on what package you take and the number of people in your party), or as a Lost City Hotel resident (where this is included in your hotel fee).

This park lies over 25 hectares, and consists of a jungle, adventure areas, water fetaures and a man made beach with mechanically operated waves (they roll as normal waves do).

They have qualified lifeguards on duty all the time and security is great. You can rent a locker for your possessions if you want to go on water rides too.

The Sun City Cinema is a nice retreat to normality if you so choose :) They're usually a few weeks behind the regular cinemas. The screens aren't huge by any means, and it can be quite cold in the cinema as well, but it's still a guaranteed good time. Prices are about R35.

Home to about 100 crocs, several Meerkat, and some Iguana, Kwena Gardens Croc Center is a fascinating, and educational, experience. Some of these creatures are absolutely massive, and more than 80 years old. Very lazy looking too, though i wouldn't be deceived :P

Guides are available, though not entirely necessary, in my opinion, as the regular signposts provide a great lesson :) Entrance is about R35 per person, and feeding time is 4.30pm. Worth seeing!

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The Palace of the Lost City is the fanciest and most expensive hotel in Sun City. It was built to resemble a massive complex of ruins, and is very impressive. If you are not staying there, there are three ways to see it. You can eat dinner at one of its restaurants, go to high tea there, or go on one of the several guided tours each day.

Two of our favorite parts were the Crystal Court restaurant, a beautiful room with 40-foot ceilings, and teh lobby rotunda, which had beautiful mosaics. The stairway down to the Crystal Court was also impressive, with crystal balustrades. Outside, there is a nice swimming pool as well as an impressive walkway lined with animal figures connecting the hotel to the Entertainment Center.