Overview
Sun City opened in 1979 in South Africa’s North West province and is operated by Sun International. It scores 8.8 overall, the lowest of the five, and the reason is location rather than quality: the resort sits about two and a half hours by road from Johannesburg with no rail link, so getting there is a commitment.
What that commitment buys is the only property on this site where the surroundings compete with the resort. Sun City borders the Pilanesberg National Park, in the crater of an extinct volcano, and game drives are booked from the resort itself.
The casino floor
Gaming is spread across two casinos, the main Sun City Casino and the smaller Valley of Waves floor, with slots outnumbering tables by a wide margin and a salon privé for higher limits. The mix leans more towards machines than any other property we cover.
The minimum age is 18, in line with South African law, and ID is checked. Dress is casual to smart casual; the code tightens only in the fine-dining rooms at the Palace.
Accommodation
Four hotels sit within the resort at clearly separated price points: the Palace of the Lost City at the top, then the Cascades, the Sun City Hotel and the Cabanas, which is the family option. The Palace is the one that earns the resort its rating — a purpose-built folly at the head of the complex, with the Lost City gardens running below it.
Golf, water and what else is on site
Two Gary Player-designed courses run through the resort. The Gary Player Country Club has hosted the Nedbank Golf Challenge since 1981 and is the stronger of the two; the Lost City course is the more forgiving, and keeps live crocodiles in the hazard at the thirteenth. The Valley of Waves is a wave pool and water park rather than a hotel pool, and it is the reason a good share of guests come at all. There is a spa, an entertainment centre and a concert arena that carries touring acts.