Never been to South Africa before, nevermind the Palace Hotel, so had a read of the reviews beforehand, which were mixed.
After staying there for 5 days, I have to say that I cannot understand the poor reviews that have been given.
Depending on what you are used to, the hotel ambience and atmosphere were absolutely brilliant. The hotel surroundings were tropical and every, repeat every part of this hotel had character and beauty. No wonder there were people taking pictures, it is what you would expect when people see this hotel for the first time. It was an amazing experience.
There is an Italian restaurant on the premises with food to die for. There is also a very relaxing in-house bar called the Tusk bar. High tea could be taken in the main breakfast/restaurant with the higlight being a wide selection of world class cakes. Plus there are other bars outside by the pool area. Breakfast was taken in the large restaurant within the hotel, either sitting inside or outside and all staff I came across were extremely friendly and very helpful. There was a wide choice of different food available and there was even a waitress that made omelettes of your choice. My wife eats a lot of fruit and commented that the fruit tasted like fruit should, very fresh. Not like the dry fodder available back home. There was always a very good exciting vibe at breakfast time.
The hotel is on top of a hill and a short distance to Sun City itself. If you know the paths to take through the gardens and past the swimming pools, it is all a short distance away from the hotel. Alternatively, you have the option to wait for the hotel mini bus or the round robin Sun City bus to get were you want to go which goes down the main route (5 mins, if that). On the return journey, it is advisable to jump the bus, due the walk being uphill and the extreme heat. Depending on how much exertion you have used, it can be quite tiring.
It is true that the majority of the attractions are away from the hotel but this hotel is heaven itself and a most luxurious retreat. It is dearer than most of the other hotels, so lends itself to more exclusivity and seclusion.
Whilst there, I had a go at quad biking, clay pigeon shooting, archery, swimming, safari, etc. The wave pool can be viewed on youtube, so you can see how good it is for yourself. Some people have said that they had seen nothing of note while on Safari but the time to go is at both extremes of the day. Either dawn or dusk, (feeding time) you will be lucky to see much during the normal part of the day. Although, I did not get the chance to play, I heard that the golf courses were in fantastic condition. Also, to add that the resort was quite safe with no instances of any rowdiness or trouble.
Overall, it was a truly fantastic experience and one that I would recommend to anyone.

Fantastic experience, if a little artificial. Rooms perhaps dated but entirely in keeping with the african theme. Pool is definitely NOT heated, certainly not the one at the Palace!
Breakfast and overall atmosphere was superb.

This hotel was an overrated, overpriced disaster from start to finish.

I've been to Sun City before and I was returning with friends to celebrate a special birthday. The Palace was a complete letdown, our money was totally wasted - much better to get a decent room at Cascades, near to the action, than this place.

What I can't understand is:
1) How this hotel EVER got rated as 5 star when you have to get a bus to the gym
2) How this hotel is supposed to be a 'Leading Hotel of the World', yet the Guest Services Team are rude and unhelpful (see my friend's review about being locked out of his room)

I would go to Sun City again, but I would NOT stay at this hotel. I would rather pay the same money for a much nicer room at Cascades AND be nearer to the resort's facilities, so I don't have to wait 15-20 minutes for a shuttle every time I want to do anything!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE - DO NOT stay at the Palace hotel. Why? It is simply overpriced for the service it offers (outdated rooms, limited on-site facilities, poor service, I could go on).

If you have never been to Sun City previously, you will enjoy the variety of outdoor activities and events (assuming the weather lives up to the name, which it unfortunately didn't during our visit, although I'm assured this is unusual!). My advice if you are planning a trip to Sun City is to stay at one of the other Sun City hotels and get their best suite for a similar price as a basic room at the Palace.

We constantly found ourselves on taxi or shuttle rides from the Palace to the other hotels in order to use their facilities (bars, gym, shops), bacause the Palace has very limited facilities for a hotel of its size (especially since it's billed as the best of Sun City's hotels).

The hotel itself is a huge place - an elaborate and interesting building set in the impressive greenery of the Sun City complex. However, the hotel is the most expensive of the Sun City hotels, which would be fine if the hotel offered the facilities of a 5-star hotel. However there is no on-site gym, limited business centre services, corridors smelling of damp and the rooms were a real let-down, considering the cost of staying there. I've stayed in hotels back home costing 20% of the nighly rate with better room facilities.

On arrival we were greated by a member of the guest services team and the hotel manager as well. A nice (if slightly over the top) touch, as we just wanted to check in! However, the first night of our stay, we were locked out of our room for over an hour when the door locking mechanism failed. On numerous trips to and from reception (via the dimly lit, damp smelling corridors), we had to practically beg the night manager to come up to the room, before he finally conceded that it wasn't our room key that was the issue, but the lock itself. We were kept awake for a further hour after they had forced the door open and tried to fix it from the outside. The next morning, despite assurances to the contrary, the issue was not fixed. Moreover, the night manager had not even passed on the issue to the day manager (Again, despite assurances to the contrary). It took nearly 18 hours before we could actually enter our room without being aided by one of the hotel's maintenance team (something which took 10-15 minutes to arrange each time).

It soon became clear that the hotel management were happy to charge high prices for this hotel, but their guest services were comparable to a much cheaper establishment. We were left wondering what exactly we had paid for! No recompense was offered for the issue with our door, nor any other issues we experienced during our stay (in-room telephone not working, in-room safe not working, shower door didn't close, I could go on).

Finally, two other notable 'experiences' worth reporting. Firstly, we requested an iron and ironing board to be brought to the room for some clothes which had creased in transit. We were told the only facilities available were 'paid for' hotel services, however we couldn't get our clothes pressed in time for the evening as it would take until the next morning. So we had no choice but to wear creased clothes that night, even if we were prepared to pay. Secondly, we attended the hotel's afternoon tea one day when the weather was particularly bad and we were confied to indoor activities. What I assumed to be the restaurant manageress, treated us (and several other guests seated close by), with utter disdain for no apparent reason. She grudgingly showed us to our seat and was openly curt and ill-mannered when a nearby guest asked for some menus. Once again, we were left wondering what we were paying for.

The only saving grace, was the friendliness of the junior members of staff, who were polite, approachable and jovial. It seemed as if the guests and junior staff alike were treated with disdain and contempt by the management. Even if I were offered a free stay at this hotel, I would not return unless the management team in situ at this hotel were replaced. Their only answer to any issues were to offer hollow platitudes (and no resolution), as if you were just an inconvenience. For those familiar with Fawlty Towers, the british sitcom, this would make an interesting comparison.

My final word, is to say, that from experience the Palace is not a fair reflection of South Africa's other hotel establishments and I would encourage anyone to visit this fantastic country, just avoid the Palace at all costs!