Stefanie Grace
  • Contact
  • Contact
2K
1K
773
Stefanie Grace

Live.Eat.Travel.Write

Stefanie Grace
  • LIVE
  • EAT
  • TRAVEL
    • Africa
    • Spain
    • Guernsey
    • Hotel Review
  • WRITE
  • ABOUT
  • Africa
  • EAT
  • Hair & Beauty
  • LIVE
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • South Africa
  • Style
  • Travel

Weekend at Sun City, South Africa

  • 4 minute read
  • Stefanie Haigh
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

Sun city views

I love a bit of winter sun and South Africa is one of the best options to get an amazing summer right in the middle of January. Lovely. My boyfriend is from Cape Town, so whilst it may be a bit of an obvious choice for me, it’s definitely not a boring one. South Africa has it all: sun, sea, city and safari! I love it.

This trip started with a weekend in Sun City, a place that was once a notorious symbol of South African oppression and now is, in short, a cheap outdated version of Las Vegas. But, whilst a lot of the resort is dated, there are still thousands of people flocking their each year for a weekend of family fun. There isn’t much action in the casinos, though they are packed with slot machines and people lining up to play them. We spent one evening at a blackjack table ‘cleaning up’, but otherwise enjoyed other aspects of the resort.

Ready to fly… #southafrica #wintersun #goodbyecold #homefromhome A photo posted by Stefanie Haigh (@stefaniegraceblog) on Jan 16, 2015 at 1:04pm PST

 

Sun City is, of course, home to the Gary Player Country Club, home of one of the best golf courses in the world. Whilst the boys played the famous Nedbank Golf Challenge course, I tested out the spa. After a busy few weeks of work and working out, plus a long flight, this detox massage sounded like just the thing I needed:

TheraNAKA™ Massage – Focusing on relieving stress and muscle tension, receive a customized massage using your choice of one of our anti-oxidant oil blends containing pure Grapeseed oil and natural botanicals or our shea massage butters. Detoxifying Massage: African Storm Body Oil & Africa Storm Body Butter. Price R600 (about £35).

The review? It was a nice enough place. The staff were lovely and the facilities were pretty, but a strange layout with the waiting area essentially the reception area that opened into a jacuzzi area and an open-plan gym left me a little relaxed. The massage was good but not mind-blowing. My skin did feel really good afterwards, but I didn’t necessarily feel refreshed and cleansed, in fact I was bloated for days afterwards (although this was unlikely to have been a result of the massage itself!). What ruined it for me was at the end when my therapist offered to go and get me a glass of water and then came back with a selection of products before hitting me with a sales pitch based on my dehydrated skin, fine lines around my eyes (she hadn’t been near my face but thank you for that…) and cellulite-ridden thighs. So much for a relaxing start to my holiday where I intended to spend my time wearing no make up and rather short shorts..! As someone who is a sucker for body oils with an interest in aromatherapy, I bought a TheraNAKA™ oil. Please note that a) I had already spied it on the way in and b) was in no way swayed by my massage therapist’s intense sales swag at the end – in fact I almost bought nothing just out of principle! (Looking back, that’s exactly what I should have done…) 

 

Such a glorious Sunday afternoon. #holiday #relax #travel #girlboss #southafrica #sunshine

 

A photo posted by Stefanie Haigh (@stefaniegraceblog) on Jan 18, 2015 at 12:49pm PST

Where to stay? We stayed at The Cabanas, but enjoyed the pool at The Cascades. This is actually so worth it, because for South African prices, Sun City is pretty expensive and The Cabanas is the cheaper option with smaller rooms but great service, clean towels and sheets, and good options at breakfast. A short walk brings you to the Entertainment Centre, which is essentially the hub of Sun City, where you’ll find all necessary amenities such as a pharmacy, newsagent and a variety of other shops and restaurants (oh, and more slot machines…). We actually went to dinner one evening at Santorini, a Mediterranean-style restaurant with a Greek vibe and good South African wine (which is just as well, because I’ve never met a Greek red that I’ve got along with…). The food was pretty good too – not necessarily authentic European, but definitely a good choice in pretty surroundings for when you are there.

Two nights at Sun City was a warm welcome to the country I’m starting to call my home-from-home. A great way to end a weekend there is with a drive-through the Pilanesberg National Park to our next accommodation stop! There’s more on that to come in a blog post later this week…(I squealed at my first sighting of a zebra!)

Stay tuned…!

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Stefanie Haigh

Hello, I’m Stefanie! I’m here to inspire you to create the life you want to live. This site is my way of sharing my life with you and sprinkling a little inspiration along the way. I live on the beautiful island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands with my fiancé, Rob, a South African who often begrudgingly makes appearances on the blog. Travel is a huge part of our lives – we love exploring the world, trying new foods and seeing new places. You’ll find a lot of that here on the blog, as well as a lot of what’s on my mind and how I’m feeling.

You May Also Like
A Day Out in Sark Island - StefanieGrace.com
Read Post
  • Guernsey
  • Island Life
  • Travel
  • UK

A Sark Day Out

  • Stefanie Haigh
Hiking Cerro Castillo Day 4 - StefanieGrace.com
Read Post
  • Chile
  • Latin America
  • Travel

Cerro Castillo Day 4: The Final Part to Hot Food and a Hot Shower

  • Stefanie Haigh
Engaged in Cerro Castillo - StefanieGrace.com
Read Post
  • Chile
  • Latin America
  • Travel

Cerro Castillo Day 3: The Lake, The Summit & The Descent

  • Stefanie Haigh
Hiking Cerro Castillo Day 2 - StefanieGrace.com
Read Post
  • Chile
  • Latin America
  • Travel
  • Walking & Hiking

Cerro Castillo Day 2: Forests, Rocks & Glaciers

  • Stefanie Haigh
Hiking in Cerro Castillo - StefanieGrace.com
Read Post
  • Chile
  • Latin America
  • Travel
  • Walking & Hiking

Cerro Castillo Day 1: Into the wilderness we go!

  • Stefanie Haigh
Baco - 5 Places to Eat in Santiago, Chile
Read Post
  • Chile
  • EAT
  • Latin America
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Travel

5 Places to Eat in Santiago, Chile

  • Stefanie Haigh
Arriving in Santiago, Chile - StefanieGrace.com
Read Post
  • Chile
  • Latin America
  • Travel

The Chile Diaries – Arriving in Santiago

  • Stefanie Haigh
10 Things I Love About Guernsey - StefanieGrace.com
Read Post
  • Europe
  • Guernsey
  • Island Life
  • Travel
  • UK

10 Things I Love About Guernsey

  • Stefanie Haigh
3 comments
  1. Pingback: Hello March! - Stefanie Grace
  2. Pingback: Book Review: Girlboss - Stefanie Grace
  3. Pingback: South African Wine Festival at Vivat Bacchus - Stefanie Grace

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

NEWSLETTER
welcome
Stefanie Haigh
Hello, I’m Stefanie! I’m here to inspire you to create the life you want to live. This site…
2K
1K
773
@thestefaniegrace

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

Stefanie Grace
  • Contact
Live.Eat.Travel.Write

Input your search keywords and press Enter.