“Baby, I am in heaven!”
I am at the parking lot of the Royal Marang Hotel in Phokeng near Rustenburg fetching luggage from the car. The above message has just come into my phone. It’s from my partner who is already in our room – not just any room, the presidential suite.
I’d heard about this hotel’s splendour – not only from reading about it but also from some of my friends who’d been there. But it all sounded a little exaggerated. Surely such luxury was out of place in a rural village in the North West…
Well, I was wrong. The Royal Marang Hotel is all that it is made out to be, and a bit more.
This much I discovered during a recent two-night stay at the place that hosted the English football team during the 2010 World Cup.
It was actually a surprise that I did not leave anything in the car, having rummaged through the boot as quickly as I could upon that receiving that SMS informing me of “our heavenly room” for the weekend.
And it was dreamy alright.
The bedroom was so big it felt like two bedrooms of a standard townhouse put together. The plush carpets felt so soft underfoot I would not have had a problem sleeping on the floor. The bathroom was so beautiful, with decorations that are suited for royalty. The bath tub was huge and could fit more than five people into it. There was also a walk-in closet with a light sensor. When one walked into it the light would go on and once you left it would go off. Such perfection and detail – just about everything in the room left me in awe.
Entering the room, you are greeted by a dining area with a table big enough for 10 people. The lounge and dining area are designed in one huge space but you are able to see the separation of the two.
Incredibly, though, upon entering the hotel precinct there is no clue of the luxury you’re about to experience.Seeing only football fields to our right and the bush plus a mountain range not so distant, we could well have been driving into a game reserve – leading to me slowing down in case an antelope sprang up from nowhere.
Instead what sprang up was a majestic view of the hotel building – its lights shining brightly in the quiet Rustenburg night.
It was at the reception area where I began realising we were in for five-star luxury, comfort class and opulence – as per the hotel’s pronouncement on their website.
Later that evening we decided to have dinner and bumped into the Sharks rugby team that was also staying there ahead of a match the following day.
The menu did not have many options as the hotel had prepared buffets for the rugby guys, but we managed to get a nice meal anyway.
As the night whiled away I had a conversation with the night manager, who informed me that the hotel, as it had all the facilities within walking distance, was mainly for sports teams.
The Springboks, Bafana Bafana, Banyana Banyana, England football team have all stayed at the hotel.
For a sporting facility, the hotel is in a league of its own, with a state-of-the-art gym, many football fields, and a boarding house for their junior teams, surrounding it. This is a dream place for any sporting team to stay. The hotel is also next to the headquarters of the local Premiership side Platinum Stars.
But I was not there to ready myself for a big sporting event. I was on a weekend getaway and I must say the hotel is a great place to go to when you want peace and quiet in a holiday destination.
Situated just 15 minutes away from Sun City Resort, and the Pilanesberg game reserves, one can enjoy the game drives and the excitement of Sun City in the day and retire to pure luxury in the evening.
A lot of similar South African establishments often disappoint when it comes to service, but not so the Royal Marang.
The staff of the hotel are friendly and always go out of their way to meet the needs of their guests. The night manager told a story of how they once had to get someone to travel about 30 minutes to get popcorn (not part of their menu) for a couple they hosted. Talk of going the extra mile, hey! Or is it the epitomé of “the customer is king”?
I must say this hotel is a majestic place to be and stay at, and if one would like to go there it will not be money wasted as you will enjoy the best of what a majestic hotel feels like.
Tel: 014 573 4100; e-mail: info@theroyalmarang.co.za; Reservations 011 781 1661; E-mail: res@theroyalmarang.co.za; www.theroyalmarang.co.za - Saturday Star