Travel has a peculiar way of revealing the gap between expectation and reality. We arrive at destinations carrying the idea of a place from what we've collected from movies, photographs or stories told by others. Sometimes, the places we encounter can be quite different to what we've imagined. I remember stepping off a train at Gare du Nord in Paris many years ago, half expecting to hear "La Vie en Rose" drifting through the station, as if I'd walked straight into an Audrey Hepburn film. Instead, I was met with the familiar chaos of any major transit hub - bright lights, the blaring of train horns and harried commuters. Reality, it turns out, rarely comes with a soundtrack. Yet, some places do manage to bottle that cinematic magic, where fantasy and experience align in unexpected ways. The Palace of the Lost City at Sun City is one such place - though it offers something altogether different: an African dreamscape rendered in bronze, mosaic, and myth.
A Gauteng Childhood Rite of Passage
For my husband, who grew up in Gauteng, Sun City wasn't just a fantasy; it was a rite of passage. Weekend trips and family holidays to the Valley of the Waves are woven into his childhood. For those of us who grew up elsewhere in South Africa, Sun City always seemed like a far-off concept, something spoken about with curiosity.
Nothing else exists quite like it in the country, and accessibility meant it remained largely the domain of Gauteng families and northern neighbours. So while it was a homecoming of sorts for him, tinged with the glow of nostalgia, for me it was a completely new experience.
The Palace of the Lost City at Sun City is one such place - though it offers something altogether different: an African dreamscape rendered in bronze, mosaic, and myth.
An African Fantasy Made Real
Arriving at The Palace, I found myself thinking about my visits as an adult to Disneyland and Universal Studios in Florida - places designed to transport you elsewhere. But where those American theme parks lean into fairy tales and cartoon characters, The Palace draws from an entirely different well. E
verything here speaks in an African vernacular: elephant tusks carved in wood and stone, bronze wildlife sculptures by artist Danie de Jager, fresco ceilings depicting savannah sunsets, mosaic floors telling stories of lost kingdoms.
It's easy to see the appeal for international visitors seeking an 'African experience' - one that offers the romance and grandeur of the continent within the comfort and safety of a resort environment. It's Africa imagined with unapologetic theatricality.
It's Africa imagined with unapologetic theatricality.
A Michelin-Starred Vision for The Lost Ingredients
Exciting news on the culinary front is that Michelin-starred chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen has been brought on board to reimagine the culinary offering. The collaboration has begun with the revamping of the Crystal Court, the Palace's legendary buffet breakfast venue, and it marks the start of a broader culinary renaissance across The Palace's dining offering.
The Crystal Court's Grand Scale Transformation
Everything at Sun City is done at grand scale. The Palace itself sprawls across 25 hectares of botanical gardens, its towers visible from nearly every corner of the resort. When you step into the Crystal Court, that same sense of scale applies: this is not a modest continental breakfast setup. It's a vast, varied feast designed to satisfy guests from every corner of the globe. The sheer variety is staggering, offering something for every palate and cultural background.
Celebrating South Africa's Lost Ingredients
At the heart of the revamp is a concept called 'The Lost Ingredients,' which Van der Westhuizen and his team have developed to celebrate ingredients indigenous to South Africa - produce that has been overlooked in our modern rush toward imported and commercialised foods.
These aren't trendy superfoods discovered by Western wellness gurus; they're staples that have sustained communities for generations. Amaranth, cleome, Jew's mallow, cowpea - these are plants that thrive in the Pilanesberg region surrounding The Palace, resilient and waterwise.
At the heart of the revamp is a concept called 'The Lost Ingredients,' which Van der Westhuizen and his team have developed to celebrate ingredients indigenous to South Africa
Spekboom: A Lost Ingredient Rediscovered
When we visited, the focus was on spekboom. This humble succulent, known to many South Africans primarily as elephant food or a carbon-sequestering wonder plant, is making a quiet culinary comeback. Spekboom is a keystone species in South African landscapes, particularly in the Eastern Cape, where it supports entire ecosystems.
Its small, round leaves have a tangy, lemony flavour that shifts throughout the day - more acidic in the morning sun, mellowing toward evening. Rich in vitamin C and requiring almost no water to thrive, it's both a nutritional powerhouse and a symbol of resilience - in fact, it's the one thing I haven't managed to kill in my garden, which is testament to that resilience.
At the Crystal Court, spekboom appeared in a variety of forms: it topped a soetkoekie finger, which was lovely with morning coffee. It was infused into a strawberry, matcha breakfast parfait, where its tartness cut through the richness of the yoghurt. It topped an indulgent lemon curd and pineapple breakfast cup, and was a bright addition to individual nicoise tartlets. It even served as a garnish on a dish of beautifully poached pears with walnuts. These thoughtful, considered applications highlighted spekboom's natural brightness, while introducing diners to something unfamiliar in a welcoming way.
If you are so inclined, you can take the experience even further and order from the curated tray section (a la carte) and experience dishes like a corn and amaranth blini with trout and caviar (just be aware of the R 4 550 price tag) or the velvet mielie pap with 12-hour slow cooked lamb, morogo and fresh Cape truffle (R 2 250).
The Lost Ingredients menu will evolve, shifting focus as different plants come into season and as the team explores the depth of South Africa's culinary heritage. It's an approach that feels fitting for a place like The Palace.
Beyond the Dining Room: The Complete Palace Experience
Of course, The Palace experience extends far beyond the dining room. The resort's luxury is evident in every detail, from the handcrafted furniture in the suites to the sprawling Grand Pool reserved for Palace guests.
The Valley of the Waves remains the heart of Sun City's appeal, offering that same nostalgic thrill my husband remembered from childhood - now with some newer rides that are not for the faint of heart (just me?).
A New Chapter
What strikes me most about this new culinary direction is its ambition. Van der Westhuizen, through his JAN brand, has built a reputation on hyper-personalised experiences and fine dining that tells stories.
By bringing that sensibility to The Palace, Sun International is signalling something important: that South African luxury isn't just about spectacle and scale, but about a commitment to celebrating what makes this place unique. For international guests, it offers a taste of South Africa beyond the expected. For locals, it's a reminder that our culinary heritage, so often overlooked in favour of imported trends, deserves to be centred and celebrated.
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Julie Velosa
Julie is the editor and in-house food stylist at Crush. While she started her career in marketing, her passion for all things food and a love for writing brought her to Crush. When she's not editing or making food look pretty, you'll most likely find her eating tacos, walking her Boston Terrier or championing the merits of butter...
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