This past weekend was one of the greatest of the year so far. As I’m sure you ALL know, the minions from the Despicable Me franchise are starring in their very own film when it releases next month, and to celebrate, United International Pictures invited some media, celebrities and guests to Sun City for a once in a lifetime experience!
We started off the weekend at their offices in Sandton where we met the other guests before hopping on a bus to Sun City. I always think it’s so crazy that this paradise is only a mere two hours away from Joburg. After arriving, we all checked in to the brand new rooms at the Vacation Club – which are beautiful! The rooms include two rooms, two bathrooms, a lounge, patio and a kitchen and it really is every family’s dream spot at Sun City.
After settling in, we hopped on a bus to the Gary Player golf course where we had high tea at the 19th Hole. There was the first time we met up with the minions. The company will be hosting a nationwide tour of these costumes and if you can, make an effort to see them. They have been done fantastically and you are in complete awe when you see them first. Naturally, I got a selfie with them. After our delicious high tea, we went back to the room, showered and got ready for dinner which was held at the Maze. That maze is kak hard. Paired with freezing weather, I’m not going to lie, I was excited when I found my way out. As we walked out, we were greeted by a yellow carpet and a beautiful dinner setting where we had some burgers, meat, curry and kebabs. It was literally the perfect ending to a perfect day.
As perfect as the Friday was, the Saturday was bigger and better! We started our day with a yummy breakfast at the Tree Tops restaurant. We then went to the cinema and became the first people in South Africa to watch the brand new Minions film. I will save my thoughts about the film for the review which will be up in the next couple of days. After the film, we got to take some awesome pics with the minions again on The Bridge of Time.
After all the movie hype died down (Trust me, it took a long time for the hype to calm down), we went to the Cabanas Hotel for a picnic on the lawn. It was one of the best picnics I have had in my whole life. I totally suggest asking them to organize this for you on your next visit. It will SO be worth your while. After that we did something you must do when visiting Sun City – a game drive! Our game ranger, Pontso, was so brilliant and funny and made the trip that much more amazing. I was amazed at how often he looked on the ground at the animal tracks and planned our trip from that. We saw rhino, baboons, zebra, hippo, elephant, buck, giraffe and tons more on the drive. Game drives are one of my favourite things to do so you know I had a ball. What was really cool, though, was seeing a dead giraffe. The animal apparently fought with another giraffe and punctured an organ leading to its death.
The day was already incredible but we ended the evening off with a bang by having dinner at the famous Shabeen. If you haven’t been there yet, make a plan to do so! It’s a truly South African experience. Some amazing African cuisine, dancers, music and beer! Make sure you order their famous quarts. The venue has some pool tables and a great fire-place as well.
When Sunday arrived, I, along with pretty much every other guest I’m assuming, had this terrible sadness come over us. It was home time. After another delicious breakfast, we packed our bags and travelled home. I’d like to thank the folk at UIP (Stefan, Halima, Sharon and Ruth) and Sun City (Hey, Nicole!) for an awesome awesome weekend. One which I will remember for the rest of my life. Now, we wait until July 10th so we can head back to the cinemas and watch the film all over again!
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