South Africa Accommodation | North West Province

Sun City - Cascades Hotel

Lush gardens, tropical birds and the water features give The Cascades its unique and relaxing atmosphere. The Cascades has 243 rooms and understated luxury is the order of the day. Each room faces onto the lush, tropical gardens and pools and the Gary Player Golf Club. All rooms are airconditioned. A thermostat control is located in the room to facilitate your personal requirements. Please keep the windows closed when the airconditioner is in use.

ACTIVITIES

The Valley of Waves is open daily from 09:00 to 18:00 in summer and 10:00 until 17:00 in winter and offers an astounding variety of adventures waiting to be discovered and enjoyed here. Walk across the impressive Bridge of Time that links the Lost City Entertainment Centre with the Valley of Waves. Guarded by mighty elephants that protect the incalculable riches that lie hidden in the Hall of Treasures, an ingenious mock volcano regularly erupts, causing smoke and lava to bellow forth from deep within the Temple of Creation. Pass the Monkey Spring Plaza - commemorating the troop of monkeys that saved the ancient tribe from starvation during a terrible drought - and enter the Valley of Waves through the massive Kong Gates. Stretched out before you is the Roaring Lagoon, where 1,8 meter high waves roll constantly towards the white soft sand beach.

The Sacred River Ride will take you on a gentle ride on an underground river, young and old alike can follow its time worn path. The more adventurous can try the death defying water slide - the Temple of Courage - plunging down the face of the mountainside into the sparkling pool below. After the earthquake destroyed the ancient civilization, the old diamond and gold mines were partly flooded and today provide thrilling semi-submerged waterslides as they twist down Slide Hill. There are several different forests in the Valley, namely the Rain Forest, the Baobab Forest, the Jacaranda Forest and the Tropical Forest, containing rare plant varieties.

Continue exploring and you will chance upon the Sway Bridge - devised by the King to entrap those who wished harm to the Royal Family - it creaks and sways as it spans the yawning chasm over the cascading waters below. Discover the Hidden Cave Falls by following the Hippo Gorge Trail, from the foot of the Royal Staircase or take the Adventure Path that links the Rain Forests across the Royal Staircase. Intrepid explorers will also find the Gong of the Sun Lion. This beautiful gong saves the ancient people by summoning them to the safety of the Royal Arena shortly before the earthquake devastated their homes. Pass by the Royal Arena, a beautiful amphitheater and the Royal Baths, whose tepid waters were reputed to have healing powers and were originally built over a natural spring. Take a well-earned liquid refreshment break at the Observatory Bar overlooking the Lake of Peace and the Roaring Lagoon or visit the Food Court where tasty foods are available.

LOST CITY GOLF COURSE

If golf courses were ranked solely on how spectacular and memorable they are, Lost City would come out on top more often than not. And no hole more so than the par-three 13th with its green shaped like the African continent, surrounded by pot bunkers and an enclosure to front left that is home to over forty crocodiles and hundreds of miss-hit golf balls. The view of the hole from the elevated tee is unforgettable and one can understand why Gary Player sincerely believes he has created one of the top courses in the world at the Lost City, with its desert-style front nine and African bushveld closing nine.

Rocky outcrops and large waste bunkers, planted with a variety of cacti, are a feature of the desert- style front nine. The fairway landing areas are generous made more so by the recent conversion off all playing areas, tee to green, to kikuyu grass. The greens are large and generally flat in contrast to those across the hill at the Gary Player County Club.

Playing the back nine is like going on a golfing safari. It has often been noted that the game is more exciting when played downhill and this is certainly the case here. In addition to the previously mentioned 13th, holes eleven, fourteen, fifteen and sixteen are all played from elevated tees offering thrill, excitement and challenge to the golfer. And some of the most spectacular African views to be had on a golf course. On the whole a round at Lost City is an experience which one will not easily forget. But it doesn't end with the golf. Make sure you have allowed time for an after round sundowner at the Zimbabwe Ruins style clubhouse which overlooks the ninth and eighteenth greens. If you're looking for golfs "Out of Africa" experience, this is it.

GARY PLAYER GOLF COURSE

Known all over the world as the venue for the annual Nedbank Golf Challenge this Gary Player designed course is probably the most recognizable in South Africa. It is also one of the best. And the critics agree as it is ranked number 1 in the country by Compleat Golfer magazine and number 2 by Golf Digest (South Africa). Many of the game's superstars have graced the fairways at this magnificent bushveld course and this adds to its appeal. To be able to compare your game to theirs, to say, "I birdied that hole just as Seve did," or, "I drove past the place where Ernie or Nick landed", is all part of the mystique of playing the Gary Player Country Club. Off the back markers the course measures over 7 000 metres which makes it one of the longest in the world. But a variety of tees make it possible to shorten the course and render playable for all levels of golfers. A distinguishing feature of the course is its green's complexes, with strategically placed bunkers, swales and mounds that protect the super slick clover shaped greens.

With pristine perfect kikuyu fairways and excellent bent grass greens the course is kept in perfect condition all year round. Ernie Els, Nick Price, David Frost, Seve Ballesteros and Bernard Langer have all won the Nedbank Golf Challenge more than once but the most impressive performance over this testing layout came in 1999 when Ernie Els posted a winning score of 263 - twenty five under par and eight strokes better than the previous best. A feature hole? Well they're all good at the Gary Player Country Club, but for risk and reward the stand-out is the 9th . Play this par 5 from the forward tees and then have a go for the island green with your second and thrill to the challenge of this superb test of golf.