By Katherine Greene
When South African hotel group Sun International designs presidential suites, the term “presidential” is not taken lightly.
In fact, two of the group’s 25 resort locations have welcomed both former and current US commanders in chief during the last month. Current President Barack Obama spent his downtime during a stop on his three-nation tour of South Africa in early July at Sun International’s Cape Town resort, The Table Bay Hotel. The president and his family called the harbourfront hotel home while they visited the World Heritage site at RobbenIsland, the University of Cape Town, and the opening of the Nelson Mandela Legacy Exhibition.
The Lion’s Head Presidential Suite, which starts at $3,609 per night, offers guests lavish accommodations and striking, 180-degree views of the natural beauty of TableMountain from the suite’s private balcony.
From hosting the current leader of the free world, to receiving one of the most influential presidents of recent US history, the Sun International group has had a busy summer. Two weeks ago, former US President Bill Clinton and his daughter, Chelsea Clinton, spent their evenings while in Zambia inspecting the ongoing Clinton Foundation projects in the area, at Sun International’s Royal Livingstone Hotel.
The hotel, which straddles the edge of the breathtaking Victoria Falls, is a five-star Virtuoso property. For a rate of $ 1,039 a night, guests can enjoy the comforts of the hotel’s Presidential Suite, and experience private butler service, colonial-style architecture, and visits from the families of wild zebra, monkeys, and giraffes that also call the property home.