Sun City Casino Resort is situated within roughly a 2-hour drive from Johannesburg. It was built in the 1970s, but Sun City officially opened in 1979. Sun City used to be a symbol of hypocrisy and moral decay in apartheid. However, nowadays, it is the most luxurious place in the depths of South Africa.
History of Sun City Casino
Sun City was a brainchild of the South African tycoon Sol Kerzner, who had created the fabulous Atlantis Hotel and Casino Resort in Nassau. He just wanted to create something like Las Vegas in Africa. He made a deal with Lucas Mangope, a president of the formally independent from South Africa Bophuthatswana.
He received an exclusive license that allowed providing gambling activities, even though gambling was prohibited in South Africa at that time. Yet, Bophuthatswana had more liberal legislation, so illegal gambling, striptease, and prostitution were flourishing there. It was not difficult to get a gambling license. So, Sun City Resort was opened in 1979.
The crowds of white people from Johannesburg and Pretoria located nearby visited it, so "the black resort" quickly became known as a symbol of hypocrisy, moral decay, and apartheid. Many musicians avoided visiting South Africa due to the UN cultural boycott declared in 1968.
Nonetheless, many international celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Queen, Rod Stewart, Black Sabbath, Elton John, and Tina Turner, ignored this ban and performed at Sun City. In contrast to them, a group of stars, including Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and U2, released a song called Sun City in 1985, which supported a protest against apartheid. "I, I, I, I, I, I ain't gonna play Sun City!" was a line that determined the perception of the most famous and extravagant super resort in South Africa for children of the eighties.
Despite this anti-advertising, Sun City flourished under the leadership of Sol Kerzner (by the way, he had an interesting nickname - the Sun King). He continued to build hotels and resorts and finally constructed the huge Palace of the Lost City in 1991.
Since 1994, when Bophuthatswana officially became part of South Africa, apartheid has ended, and Sun City has been developing under new conditions. A water park and two exclusive golf courses have also been built.
Currently, Sun City Resort occupies 65 ha and has over 7,000 employees. Many of its staff members belong to the Indigenous Tswana population. Visitors are a multicultural mix of blacks, whites, and Asians. They are mainly tourists and sightseers from Johannesburg.
Casinos
Sun City Casino Resort has been a gaming mecca in Africa for years. There are few places on Earth where you can enjoy a safari in the daytime and gamble at casinos at night. This is perhaps the most distinguishing feature of this luxurious gambling establishment - gambling and adventures simultaneously.
Sun City has two casinos: Sun City Casino & Hotel and Jungle Casino, which is located at the Cascades Hotel. When you see the paintings on the domed ceiling, you will understand why Jungle Casino has received its name—they are true masterpieces. From the top, you can see African animals and a raging jungle. It looks just like 3D. Sun City Casino is designed as a jungle, and visitors can hear the noise of the artificial waterfall inside.
The table games at Sun City Casino and Jungle Casino include 43 tables for baccarat, blackjack, stud poker, and American and European roulette. The casino also has over 850 pokie machines. As at all modern casinos, pokies have cashless payment systems. To play, you must purchase a smart card. The casino is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Ordinary players can wager starting from 2 cents, while high rollers can gamble at the exclusive Salon Priv? where the smallest bet size is 100 rand. The casino also offers progressive pokies based on the wheel of gold, allowing players who have made bets of any level to obtain a jackpot.
Entertainment at Sun City
The monorail takes visitors to the Entertainment Centre, which is located in the center of Sun City. After passing by a few dozen expensive boutiques, you will arrive at Jungle Casino, one of two gambling centers. The rows of pokie machines are arranged under the domed ceiling, which is covered in murals of African animals.
If you exit the Entertainment Centre and go through the Bridge of Time with full-scale statues of elephants, you will find yourself in the amusement park of Lost City. This is the essence of Sun City's kitsch, the pride of African culture, and the heritage of the ancient, powerful kingdom. It looks somewhat like the mad Disneyland inspired by Ancient Egypt. A volcano model is located from the side of the bridge. Its eruption can be observed each hour. It erupts with a roar and smoke.
The Monkey Spring Plaza sculpture is on the bridge's other side. According to the legend of Lost City, statues of monkeys squatting with outstretched hands symbolize the memory of a group of monkeys that saved the ancient city from famine during a terrible drought.
An incredible water park, Valley of the Waves, is in the middle of the Lost City. The lake with tropical islands is surrounded by an artificial beach with white sand against the background of dense forest slopes. Every 90 seconds, hydraulic mechanisms create a two-meter wave that runs across the surface of the water park. Its area is 6,500 square meters.
The water park's attractions, such as the Temple of Courage, are equally exciting. Here, swimmers slide down a 70-meter chute from a height of 17 meters. The water park also includes an indoor swimming pool with a cocktail bar and a constant spring atmosphere called Royal Bath. Guests can also access the botanical garden with baobab trees and other tropical plants via swinging pedestrian bridges.
The Welcome Centre allows customers to arrange any adventure, including water skiing, parasailing, horseback riding, and stagecoach riding. Customers can also play paintball in the Outdoor Adventure Centre or feed crocodiles in the Kwena Gardens Crocodile Sanctuary. Sun City has two golf courses, including the Lost City Golf Course (which covers an area of 100 ha). This course resembles the African continent bordered by a pond where a few large crocodiles reside.
After experiencing all kinds of entertainment at Sun City, users can visit the nearby Pilanesberg National Park, one of the most accessible wildlife parks in South Africa. This park, which occupies an extinct volcanic crater, was declared a national park in 1984. It contains over 6,000 animals, including lions, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, elephants, and several types of antelopes.
Hotels
Hotel Sun City
Over 1,200 luxurious rooms in four hotels are available for Sun City visitors, of which 340 are at the Sun City Hotel. All rooms offer views of the crystal-clear artificial lake or the world-famous Gary Player Golf Course, where golf can be played. Water skiing and parasailing are also available.
Other attractions for visitors include access to the outdoor water park with rivers and waterfalls and, of course, an opportunity to drive a quad bike through the savanna. Exotic tropical plants and magnificent gardens surround the hotel.
Palace of the Lost City
Another Sun City hotel is the Palace of the Lost City. Due to its architecture and design, it is rightly recognized as one of the most luxurious hotels worldwide. According to legend, it was built on the site where the ancient citadel of the forgotten African king had stood. It is considered to be its reincarnation, which probably contributed to the appearance of its name: the Lost City.
This magnificent hotel with stunning mosaics, murals, painted ceilings, and fountains offers five-star service, a top-class water resort, attractions, and adventures within 25 ha of jungle surrounding the palace.
There are 338 rooms and suites with marble bathrooms, butlers, and regular services: a bar, luxurious handcrafted furniture, multi-channel satellite TV, air conditioning, and a ceiling fan.
The gardens that surround the hotel are strewn with fountains and swimming pools. There are also several bars and restaurants where the weary traveler can quench his thirst.
The hotel is designed in the style of the Lost City, offering visitors the opportunity to live in the royal atmosphere of a powerful ruler's palace.
Cascades Hotel
The third hotel is a five-star Cascades Hotel. The silhouette of cascades of the hotel rises from the jungle as tropical Aztec temples. All 243 hotel rooms include a luxurious private Garden Suite and a swimming pool. The rooms offer views of the landscaped gardens or the lavish swimming pool.
A lake with waterfalls, an artificial beach with a cocktail bar, a garden populated with exotic birds, and three swimming pools, including a swimming pool for children and a pool with heating systems, are available on the hotel's territory.
Cabanas Hotel
The three-star Cabanas Hotel is the most unofficial accommodation option and is more suitable for families. It has a children's playground and babysitting services. The Entertainment Center organizes activities for children from two to twelve years of age. The hotel offers 380 rooms with Wi-Fi, tea and coffee-making facilities, air conditioning, a safe, and a TV.
Sun City Casino and the entire City are stunning entertainment venues in one of the few locations on Earth where users can enjoy a wilderness area. The casino is in a fantastic resort town with unique and interesting attractions. If you are fed up with winter and you like summer, it's time to visit Sun City!
