The Palace of the Lost City turns 30

The sheer audacity of developing a 5-star hotel in a dusty stretch of bush in the North West Province caught the public imagination in 1992, and 30 years on The Palace of the Lost City remains the stuff of legends.

The hotel came complete with the fable of an African kingdom lost in the mists of time.

No detail was spared to stress that it was, indeed, a place of myth and wonder. From the moment The Palace flung its impressive 8m tall doors open to reveal its bold, glamorous interiors visitors have been awed by the hotel’s splendour.

Each of the 326[1] luxurious rooms and suites offer spectacular views over water and jungle. For a bird’s eye view of the entire area guests can visit the Kings Tower which, at almost 70m, is the tallest of the 10 towers at The Palace.

The hotel’s architecture and décor weaves a rich and colourful tale of Africa’s creativity, its textures, intricate designs, patterns, wildlife, and the talent of its craftsmen and women.

From the hand-painted dome ceiling in the grand entrance to mosaic artworks, golden seats upholstered with zebra-hide, and bespoke furniture in the spacious rooms, the hotel befits its royal legend. The King's Suite alone contains 800 custom-crafted items including fabrics and carpeting.

The evocative African landscape painted on the underside of a dome ceiling at the entrance took nine artists nearly 5,000 hours to complete while hand-painted murals cover an area of 3 400 square metres. The tapestries in the Royal Entrance Chamber behind the concierge and the reception desk took two full years to weave.

In the Crystal Court a massive rock crystal chandelier that is suspended 4.2 meters above the ground and spanning spans five meters in diameter, overlooks a Bösendorfer piano once played by Liberace and Elton John.

In addition to an Olympic-sized swimming pool with an intricate mosaic ‘sun’ design, a trip down a lush tree-lined stairway leads visitors to the Royal Baths and Amphitheatre overlooking Sun City’s popular Valley of Waves.

Over the past 30 years The Palace has accommodated the rich and the famous, royalty, rock stars and ordinary South Africans. Well over 300 famous performers and heads of state have stayed at the hotel from members of the legendary band Queen, to Michael Jackson and Witney Houston to name but a few.

According to General Manager Brett Hoppé “The opening of The Palace was a glittering affair that was attended by many celebrities who were big names at the time including Bo Derrick, Jean Michel Jarre who performed that night, Jerry Hall and Joan Collins, Hugh Masekela and Johnny Clegg and Savuka.

“Since then the list has grown to include many illustrious names such as Sting, Pavarotti, Wesley Snipes, Stevie Wonder, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many more. But it is equally important to note that many of these international stars returned multiple times and some, like Witney Houston, Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown, came incognito to simply holiday at The Palace.

“And of course the list of golf legends who have visited is too innumerable to mention.”

Hoppé said that although it would be difficult to improve on the original structure, rooms have undergone a refurbishment to bring them up to date, and the hotel can finally boast of having a luxurious spa and salon.

[1] The hotel originally had 335 rooms. Nine rooms have been removed to accommodate the new, luxurious Royal Spa and Salon

The Palace fun facts

• The 62-acre hotel is surrounded by 25 hectares of exotic jungle and waterscapes that all lead down to the Valley of Waves (opened in 1996). This wonderland is set within the greater Sun City resort, overlooked by craggy mountains and surrounded by the neighbouring 55,000-hectare Pilanesberg National Park.

• The Lost City, which opened in December 1992, was built at a cost of R830-million and was completed in a record 28 months. Workers moved 1 750 000 cubic meters of earth and blasted 85 000 cubic meters of rock. Construction required 30-million bricks, poured 85 000 cubic meters of concrete and installed 150 000 meters of piping.

• During the peak of building activity, nearly 10 000 people worked on the project, laying 8 million bricks. During the first year of construction, an average of one million bricks was laid every month by almost 200 bricklayers.

• The construction process required almost 15 000 custom-made pieces of pre-cast for the fascades, 12 km of air-conditioning, 500 km of electric wiring and 3 300 tons of steel reinforcing rods measuring 2 900 kg and 75 000 meters of electrical conduit for the 6 500 light fittings.

• 50 000 square meters of carpets covered the interior of the hotel and 5 650 square meters of marble was used throughout.

• The Palm Tree in the royal entrance chamber was once real and has been preserved.

• The six columns in the royal entrance chamber are designed as a bamboo tree resting on elephant feet, held by a protea to represent South Africa’s national flower.

• The royal entrance chamber dome ceiling is 25m in height and 16m in diameter. The evocative African landscape painted on the underside of the dome took nearly 5 000 hours to complete. It took nine artists to complete the work, painting on their backs in the same way as Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

• The total area of murals at The Palace covers 3 400 square metres, while the total painted area is a staggering 425 000 square metres.

• The massive chandelier in the Crystal Court is made up of 10 000 pieces of rock crystal from the Czech Republic. The roof of the Crystal Court presented another challenge for developers as its 29-metre roof span has to support five floors of suites above it.

• All of the timber doors to the bedrooms were hand-carved, including the massive 8m-high doors at the royal entrance.

• Nearly every item in The Palace was custom-made and 85% of all materials were sourced within southern Africa. This was the first time that hand-carved furniture was used throughout the public areas and guestrooms of a hotel.

• Among the decor items are six elephant tusks, arched in pairs over the Tusk Lounge and Bar. They are 5.6m high and weigh two tons each. They were carved in Indonesia out of local Squara wood (which is heavier than ivory). Because of their weight, they were made in four sections and assembled on site.

• The atrium is dominated by a life-size bronze sculpture of Shawu, a large bull elephant who lived at the Kruger National Park. At a shoulder height of 3.4 meters, Shawu’s left tusk was the longest on record in the region, and one of the sixth longest ever recorded in Africa. The famous elephant was brought to life by South African sculptor Danie de Jager, whose sculpture of Shawu realistically portrays the leathery texture of his skin, his ragged ears and cracked feet. Shawu towers 4.5m above the ground and is one of the most photographed animal sculptures in the world.

• Each of the fabrics and carpets were designed and created exclusively for The Palace. The tapestries in the Royal Entrance Chamber, behind the concierge and the reception desk, took two years to weave.

Gardens and waterscape fun facts

• The Lost City gardens cover 25 hectares. They were constructed at a cost of R25-million in 1992.

• Today the gardens enjoy Botanical Garden status. They vary from tropical rain forest to indigenous landscapes. The lush, tropical botanical gardens of Cascades ramble over 55 000sqm of hillside.

• More than 1.2-million plants, trees, shrubs and ground covers from some 3 200 species were laid out in nine different eco-systems. Three quarters of the plants are indigenous to southern Africa with some representing countries such as Madagascar and the Comoros. The surface of the artificial lakes and pools covers 70 500sqm.

• Most of the plants, including the trees in the baobab forest, were planted fully grown.

• The total surface area of artificial lakes and pools is 70 500sqm, equivalent to roughly 56 Olympic swimming pools (at 1 250sqm).

• The waterscape at The Palace was created from 4 000 tons of native Pilanesberg rock, 1 860sqm of concrete rock made from natural moulds, and 3 720sqm of glass fibre reinforced concrete. Water flowing from The Palace to The Cascades covers 7 740sqm and comprises three swimming pools (The Palace, the Queen’s Baths and The Cascades pool), 12 waterfalls and cataracts and 1 050m of low weirs. Water is circulated by 45 pumps at 8 314 cubic meters per hour.

• At the time of its construction in 1996, the Valley of Waves was one of the largest combinations of water and waterpark features ever built in a single project. The Roaring Lagoon wave pool contains 8-million litres of water and creates two-metre high swells. It regularly creates ideal surfing waves which move away from the dam wall at 35km per hour to subside onto a sandy beach, 120m away.

Sun City fun facts

• Sun City is encircled by four concentric rings of an extinct volcanic crater, 150km in circumference. It is one of only two such alkaline craters in the world (the other being in Russia).

• Construction on the original Sun City resort began on 15 July 1978. The fast-tracked project was completed at a cost of R30-million in a record-setting 16 months.

• The Sun City resort revolutionised the approach to gaming in South Africa, introducing for the first time the concept of value-for-money entertainment amid luxurious surroundings. The resort was also the first to introduce the concept of million rand jackpots.

• The inaugural golf classic, held on the Gary Player Golf Course the day after the complex opened, carried a prize of R1 000 000 which was won by Gary Player himself. The inaugural Million Dollar Golf Challenge was held in 1981, and renamed the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 1995. In 2016 the tournament made its debut as part of the European Tour, with a field of 72 players and a purse of over R120-million.

• The recreational Waterworld lake near The Cabanas is 750m long with a capacity of 1 300 000 cubic meters and a depth of 16m.

• The original Entertainment Centre (now Sun Central) was built at a cost of R30-million and inaugurated on 24 July 1981 by Frank Sinatra. Famous visitors
  

Adam Sandler

Aishwarya Rai

Akshay Kumar

Alex Taylor

Alfre Woodard

Amanda Coetzer

Amir Khan

Amitabh Bachchan

Amy Kleinhans

Andre Rieu

Andrew Young

Angelique Kidjo

Anna Kournikova

Anna Vissi

Anthony Delon

AR Rahman

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Astrid Herrera

Babyface

Barlie Swart

Basetsana Makgalemele

Beach Boys

Bernalie Daniels

Bernhard Langer

Beverly Peele

Beverly Johnson

Billy Dee Williams

Black Eye Peas & Fergie

Blair Underwood

Bles Bridges

Bo Derek

Bobbie Eakes

Bobby Brown

Bobby Eaves

Boncana Maica

Brambies

Brandy

Brenda Fassie

Bridget Nielsen

Bruce Fordyce

Bryan Adams

Carlos Franco

Carol Alt

Charl Cood

Charlize Theron

Chicktay Brothers

ChonChita Martinez

Chris de Burgh

Chris Hubank

Chris Isaaks

Chris Rock

Chris Tucker

Christopher Lee

Cindy Crawford

Claire Johnson

Cliff Richards

Colin Farrell

Colin Montgomery

Collective Soul

Constantino Rocca

Corey Pavin

Counting Crows

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa

Dana Winner

Daniel Davidz

Danny Clover

Darren Clarke

David Copperfield

David Frost

David Gates and Bread

David Hasselhoff

David James – Elliot

David Vlok

Deborah Shelton

Dennis Quaid

Denzel Washington

Deon Coetzee

Desmond Tutu (Achbishop)

Doreen Morris

Dr M Mahathir

Dr Nina Simone

Drew Barrymore

Eddie Grant

Eddie Levert

Eddy Grant

El Divo

El Gore

Elizabeth Hurley

Elton John

Embeth Davitz

Emma Sams

Enrique Iglesias

Eric Benét

Eric Miyani

Ernie Els

Ernie Hudson

Ernie Smith

Fanie de Villiers

Ferdinand Rabie

Fezile Mpela

Forest Whittaker

Francois Pienaar

Gary Player

Gayle King

George Benson

Gerald Levert

Gina Tolleson

Gladys Knight

Glenda Reymond

Gloria Estefan

Goodluck

Grace Jones

Gray Hofmeyr

Hannah Botha

Henry Cele

His and Her Majesty King and Queen of Malaysia – Tuanku Jaafar

Hootie & the Blowfish

Hrithik Roshan

Hugh Grant

Hugh Masekela

Hunter Tylo

Ian Woosnam

Iman

India Arie

Ivana Trump

Jackie Chan

Jackie Mason

Jackson Browne

Jacob Zuma

Jacqui Mofokeng

James Small

Jason Donovan

Jean Michel Jarre

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jeff Dunham

Jeff Trachta

Jennifer Jones

Jeremy Mansfield

Jermaine Jackson

Jerry Hall

Jerry Springer

Jim Furyk

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Joan Collins

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Joe Cocker

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John Denver

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Josh Groban

Julia and Eric Morley

Julio Iglesias

Justin Bonello

Kabir Bedi

Karisma Kapoor

Keith Floyd

Kelly Rowland

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Kerishnie Naicker

Kim Alexis

Kimberly Elise

King of Chaos

Kofi Anan

Kylie Minoque

Lee Westwood

Leleti Khumalo

Leo Sayer

Leon Schuster

Leonardo Di Caprio

Letta Mbuli & Caiphus Semenya

Linda Evangelista

Lisa – Marie Presley

Lisa-Marie Presley

Locknville

Louis Farrakhan

Louis Gossett Junior

Luciano Pavarotti

Makroko Kroko

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Man Power

Manu Padayachee

Marc Brooks

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Maria and Timothy Shriiver

Mariah Carey

Mariasela Alvarez

Mark O’merara

Mary J Blige

Mary Joe Fernandez

Mats Wilander

Meat Loaf

Michael Bublé

Michael Caine

Michael Campbell

Michael Douglas

Michael Flatley

Michael Jackson

Michael Mclean

Michael Mole

Michael Winner

Miguel Angel Jiminez

Mike and The Mechanics

Million Dollar Golfers

Miriam Makeba

Monica Seles

Moody Blues

Morgan Freeman

Morris Chestnut

Mr Sipho Mabuse

Ms Rochelle Mtirara

Naas Botha

Naomi Campbell

Natalie Cole

Nelson Mandela Former President of South Africa

Nick Bester

Nick Faldo

Nick Price

Nicole Scherzinger

Nina Simone

Olga Barabanshikova

Oprah Winfrey

Paris Hilton

Parish Rawal

Patricia Lewis

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Paul Phume

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Peggy-Sue Khumalo

Pete Sampras

Peter Sullivan

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Pink

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President Thabo Mbeki

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Prince Edward and Princess Sophie

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Priscilla Presley

Priyanka Chopra

Queen

Quincy Jones

R Kelly

Rajit Kapur

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Ray Cooper

Reeva Forman

Regina King

Richard Branson

Richard Marx

Richard Steinmetz

Ricky Hatton

Ringo Madlingozi

Robert Guillaume

Roberta Flack

Robin Leach

Robyn Poole

Ronan Keating

Roxette

Sam Waterston

Sanjay Dutt

Sarah Brightman

Seal

Selma Hayek

Shaggy

Shari Belafonte

Sharleen Surtie–Richards

Sheik Juffali and Christine Estrada

Shirley MacLaine

Sidney Sheldon

Sipho Mabuse

Sir Bob Geldorf

Sir Tom Jones

Sol Kerzner

Sonu Nigam

Spice Girls

Spin Doctors

Steve Hofmeyr

Steve Jones

Steve Stricker

Steve Tshwete

Stevie Wonder

Sting

Stormzy

Sunil Chetty

Sunjay Dutt

Sushmita Sen

Sydney Poitier

Tanya Fourie

Terry Cruz

Thabo Mbeki

The Andrew Strong Band

The Commitments

The Eagles

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Thomas Bjorn

Three Sopranos

Tina Turner

Tom Jones

Tom Lehman

Tony Leon

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Tracey Chapman

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Vanessa Mae

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Welcome Msomi

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Wet Wet Wet

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