Anyone been to Sun City in S.A.?

[srebbe64]

My missus has persuaded me to take her and the kids to Sun City for a week in February (half term). I think she got the idea from a friend.

So, has anyone been there from PH? I'd like to know what hotels are worth checking out (we'd like to stay in decent one). Also, what is there for kids (age 7, 10, 13 and 15)? Lastly, anyone know what the weather is likely to be like in mid-February?

[Jaglover]

Sunny

[angusfaldo]

I used to live near Sun City. And am also going to be there in Feb half term!

It is a long way from Johannesburg and so your main options for hotels are the on-site ones. They are all run by Sun International. If you want to travel there from Joburg you need to allow about 90 minutes each way. There's not much around sun city apart from mines and desert.

A large part of Sun City is casinos. And they won't let you in with kids. But the beach area etc is great. Keep your eyes on the kids if they are younger ones though, the wave machines can be pretty major and I'm not certain how good the life guards are.

You'll have a great time. But it would be a shame to miss out on the other stuff RSA can offer by just staying at Sun City. Nearby mountains (machaliesbergs) and game parks offer plenty of other activities. And travelling south of Joburg to the Orange River you can go rafting etc. You're close to Pretoria as well so might fancy a visit to the admin/Gov capital. Don't get too excited about sightseeing in Johannesburg. It is all too easy to end up in the wrong part of town.

Email me offline if you think I can answer any more questions. Got lots of friends still around nothr JOburg etc and might be able to help out.

[angusfaldo]

Oh and the weather should be good. Feb is RSA's late summer. Probably be in the mid 20s centigrade with the chance of afternoon rain. Sun City does tend to have it's own weather though. Can be very different there to Joburg.

[srebbe64]

angusfaldo said:

I used to live near Sun City. And am also going to be there in Feb half term! It is a long way from Johannesburg and so your main options for hotels are the on-site ones. They are all run by Sun International. If you want to travel there from Joburg you need to allow about 90 minutes each way. There's not much around sun city apart from mines and desert. A large part of Sun City is casinos. And they won't let you in with kids. But the beach area etc is great. Keep your eyes on the kids if they are younger ones though, the wave machines can be pretty major and I'm not certain how good the life guards are. You'll have a great time. But it would be a shame to miss out on the other stuff RSA can offer by just staying at Sun City. Nearby mountains (machaliesbergs) and game parks offer plenty of other activities. And travelling south of Joburg to the Orange River you can go rafting etc. You're close to Pretoria as well so might fancy a visit to the admin/Gov capital. Don't get too excited about sightseeing in Johannesburg. It is all too easy to end up in the wrong part of town. Email me offline if you think I can answer any more questions. Got lots of friends still around nothr JOburg etc and might be able to help out.

Okay, well maybe I'll see you in February!

We would like to do see some wildlife when we're there. How far is Sun city from such places, any idea?

The kids what to stay at a hotel called "The Palace of the Lost City". Do you know of ths place? All a bit too much like Vegas for me - but holidays tend to evolve round the kids at their age.

[zaktoo]

angusfaldo said:

Oh and the weather should be good. Feb is RSA's late summer. Probably be in the mid 20s centigrade with the chance of afternoon rain. Sun City does tend to have it's own weather though. Can be very different there to Joburg.

Well, actually I am writing this from Joburg. Mid-February is probably our hottest time of year, expect more mid-thirties than mid-twenties, and we happen to be experiencing a slightly drier than normal summer so far, so there isn't the usual cooling effect of rain. In my opinion, Sun City is a horrible place to go - but I'm probably not going to be a good gauge of whether or not you'll like it!

If you're going to go there though, you may as well stay in one of the hotels there. Driving on our roads is, well, different to say the least, and frankly, I'd rather not if I weren't accustomed to the driving styles of the w*nkers that somehow make up a significant proportion of our population - across all colour lines incidently, in case anyone should infer that I was speaking of one particular bunch of people.

FWIW, you may enjoy the Kruger Park or some of the better game lodges a million times more than some dingy casino that's cheesier than a cheesy thing dipped in cheese and served with cheddar biscuits... ;-)

Ciao

Zak

[alfaman]

Srebbe -

I spent a couple of months or so in S.A recently as part of 7 months out of the UK. I went to a lot of great places , but didn't go to Sun City on the advice of many South Africans I met -( unless you like a built up commercialised place with Casinos, Hotels and crowds ).

I would wholeheartedly recommend : Kruger National Park for the wildlife , The Northern Drakensberg and Lesotho border area for dramatic mtn scenery , Sodwana Bay area for diving and beaches. All driveable from Joburg. The weather will be HOT.

The Cape area is fantastic too ( but a long way from Joburg)

[angusfaldo]

srebbe64 said:

We would like to do see some wildlife when we're there. How far is Sun city from such places, any idea? The kids what to stay at a hotel called "The Palace of the Lost City". Do you know of ths place? All a bit too much like Vegas for me - but holidays tend to evolve round the kids at their age.

Kruger is about 4 to 5 hours by car - and check it out but I think you'll need malaria pills - which might or might not make a difference to you.

There's a wildlife park very close to Sun City called Pilanesberg - the main hotel is in a horseshoe shape around a hippo pool. Not the best game watching but close and convenient.

As for someone's comments about driving - as a UK driver you're more than well enough equipped to handle the open roads in RSA and the limited traffic compared to UK. And they drive on the proper side too. RSA drivers seem to think they are the King, but 99.9% of them have never experienced the M25 or North Circular...

Sun City is like Vegas. If your family really want a beach holiday in the sun with a reasonably high chav-factor then there's plenty of places close on the Spanish coast that offer it! But then at those places there's no local rules at the golf club giving you a free drop if your ball lands in kudu shit. 3 days and you'll have had enough, I reckon. And the fact that so much of Sun City is put over to casinos that your kids can't access will cheese you off a bit. Especially as the casino areas are not seperated, they are part of the overall complex - so you can't really avoid them.

>> Edited by angusfaldo on Saturday 5th November 21:58

[zaktoo]

Well, my comments on the driving were more about the fact that seeing a fully-laden taxi overtaking you on the hard shoulder at 80mph in the rain at night can be a little unsettling. As can the oh-so-important yuppie tw@t in his BMW turning right in front of oncoming traffic just before the lights go green so he can get across without waiting. The standard of driving is so utterly low here that I can well imagine people from more curteous societies experiencing a little culture shock on the roads. It's certainly not supposed to sound like one-ipmanship, more a friendly word of warning.

Ciao

Zak

[williamp]

Nonetheless Zak, SA is a place I would dearly want to go to.