Sun City got its name for a reason

What makes a visit to Sun City so appealing in winter? Well, how about, just for starters, that winter in Sun City is rather mild. “Our worst winter day is better than the best summer day in parts of Europe!” says Brett Hoppe, who has been general manager at the Sun City resort since January 2020.

Sun City certainly got its name for a reason, a world-famous resort developed by Sol Kerzner in the heart of the Pilanesberg over 40 years ago. The orange globe in the sky was showing off on our visit last month, to take in the newly-refurbished five-star Cascades hotel, and some of the winter activities available to visitors.

The Cascades offers a five-star experience at a much lower price- point than Sun City’s premium hotel offering, the Palace. The latter is more luxurious – the Palace was initially built as a six-star hotel, but is now “five-star deluxe”. South Africa’s hotel grading system does not allow for six stars, explains Julius Ramotse, the general manager of Hospitality at Sun City for all hotels except the Palace.

But the Cascades is still a fine hotel, the rooms spacious and comfortable, and the hospitality excellent. “We started the refurbishment shortly before lockdown, freshening the rooms up, and then Covid hit but we continued the revamp even during Covid,” adds Ramotse.

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“We knew that hospitality would bounce back at some stage and wanted to position the environment so that when the first customers arrived they would see the new Cascades.” Sun City, like everywhere else in the tourism industry, was badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

“From a financial perspective had Sun City not been part of a Sun International as a listed property, it would have closed down,” admits Hoppe.

Now, however, the green shoots of recovery are very much showing, with even business conferences returning from Zoom to physical spaces. Meanwhile, if there is one positive for the global tourism industry out of Covid, it is that domestic tourism has picked up and Sun City, by its very nature, forms a bit of a coronavirus-free bubble.

The next step is for international tourism to start to rise again – it usually forms around 30% of Sun City’s trade. “During Covid, because of the insular nature here, people felt safe and we managed to create a bio-bubble with rigorous testing,” adds Hoppe. “Families could roam free and be safe (from crime too, another important factor in planning a South African holiday), whether at the Valley of the Waves or anywhere.

“In a city environment, or even on a beach holiday, those are things people worry about.” And once you are locked safely within Sun City, there are an abundance of activities to take part in, for all the family. The resort is famous for the Valley of the Waves, its casino, and the two world-class Gary Player-designed golf courses, the Lost City and the Gary Player Country Club.

But there is also so much more to do, as we experienced. Even if you don’t like golf, the Segway Tour of the Gary Player Country Club is well worth the ride. Our guide Riley, who grew up in Sun City, was a bubbly breath of fresh air and showed us how to use the segway safely before we breezed around taking in the sights.

Those machines can actually go seriously fast, for any adrenaline junkies out there! Sun City also borders on the Pilanesberg National Park, which contains the Big Five, and so provides a perfect place to stay for any game-viewing fanatics. For a combination of the game-viewing and adrenaline thrills, the resort offers a quad-biking safari with Mangwe Game Trackers that is also well worth a go.

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If more culture but no less fun is your preference, meanwhile, we paid a visit to the Segaetsho Cultural Village, which gives some fascinating insight into the history of the area where Sun City is built. There was also an interactive dance performance at the end of the tour that comes highly recommended!

The visit ended with a wonderful massage at the Gary Player Country Club Spa, which also contains the only gym on the whole resort, though there is a gym and spa in the process of being built at the Palace. Constant development is a theme at Sun City.

The timeshare scheme, the Vacation Club, is so popular that it is now entering stage three of development; the Soho Hotel, right by the casino, is also getting a refurbishment, as is the Palace, including its new spa and gym. Sporting events are also synonymous with Sun City, particularly the Nedbank Golf Challenge, which returns this summer, celebrating its 40th iteration. Even in winter, Sun City has hosted an ultra-triathlon and the Race to the Sun – a 100 mile race from Hartbeespoort dam to Sun City.

“It is amazing to see the number of families who are here when we host a sporting event,” says Hoppe. “Whoever competes, their family is happy to come and support them at Sun City (where there is so much to do) rather than being in the middle of nowhere.” There really is something for everyone at Sun City.

Romantics can propose at the top of the King’s Tower, which provides verdant views across the resort and beyond. Foodies can eat a fine steak at the Grill Room, one of the Palace’s restaurants. Lovers of a drink and a dance must visit the Shebeen, to dance the night away. We left both satisfied and wanting more, which is about the best recommendation you can give any tourist destination.