The Palace of the Lost City celebrates 30 magnificent years

The Palace of the Lost City is set in a remote and dusty region of the North West Province – an unusual choice for a 5-star hotel, but also a perfect one for bringing to life its mythical origins of a forgotten African kingdom. This year, the luxurious attraction turns 30, a milestone that has been celebrated with a refurbishment to refresh its décor and furnishings, while a pampering spa and salon has been added to the property.

Brett Hoppé, the general manager, says, “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.”

The Palace fun facts

• The Palace is set on a 62-acre property surrounded by 25 hectares of exotic jungle and waterscapes and set within the greater Sun City resort. Nearby attractions include the Valley of Waves (opened in 1996) and the 55 000-hectare Pilanesberg National Park.
• The Lost City cost R830-million to build and was completed in a record 28 months. To give some idea of the scale of the job, consider these numbers: 750 000 cubic meters of earth had to be moved, 85 000 cubic meters of rock was blasted, 30-million bricks were needed, 85 000 cubic meters of concrete as poured and 150 000 meters of piping was installed.
• 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.

• 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 was produced by nine artists (painted lying on their backs as Michelangelo did for the Sistine Chapel in Rome) and took nearly 5 000 hours to complete.
• The Palm Tree in the royal entrance chamber was once real and has been preserved.
• 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 huge chandelier in the Crystal Court is made up of 10 000 pieces of rock crystal from the Czech Republic.
• 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, while all timber doors to the bedrooms were hand-carved.
• The atrium houses a life-size bronze sculpture of Shawu, a large bull elephant who lived at the Kruger National Park, created by South African sculptor Danie de Jager. Shawu’s left tusk was the longest on record in the region, and one of the sixth longest ever recorded in Africa, and he towers 4.5m above the ground. He 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.
• The Lost City gardens cover 25 hectares and cost of R25-million to create in 1992. Today they enjoy Botanical Garden status, with nine different eco-systems (such as tropical rain forest and indigenous landscapes) and more than1.2-million plants, trees, shrubs and ground covers.

• 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 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

• 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, as it was the first to offer value-for-money entertainment amid luxurious surrounding and to give away significant cash prizes such as its 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.
• The original Entertainment Centre (now Sun Central) was built at a cost of R30-million and inaugurated on 24 July 1981 by Frank Sinatra.

Celebrity guests