Together, the Golden Horse Casino, the only casino in South Africa with its own horse race course, Scottsville, and Southern Sun Pietermaritzburg, provide a seamless entertainment, leisure and hospitality destination in Pietermaritzburg.

A highlight of the refurbishment project is the hotel’s new, upmarket restaurant and coffee shop, Vigour& Verve, situated at the entrance to the hotel adjacent to the reception. The 110 seater restaurant boasts a contemporary and inviting interior which invites customers to meet, eat, and stay for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between.

Open daily from 06:30 to 23:00, Vigour & Verve features a simple menu of tempting light meals and dinners. On the menu is a range of mouthwatering fresh salads, scrumptious sandwiches with delectable fillings, spruced-up burgers, pizzas, succulent steaks and fish dishes. The juicy pulled lamb sandwich, bolstered with feta, caramelized onion, and tzaziki, is sure to be a hit with lunchtime diners, while the signature butter chicken, with papadam, pickles and cucumber raita, is the ultimate in comfort food. Vigour & Verve also features a Harvest Table, decked with tantalizing selection of freshly-baked breads, muffins, cakes and desserts.

The refurbishments completed at the hotel include the installation of free WiFi; a new Guest Business Centre, a new entrance and aesthetic changes to the rooms. Every room is equipped with a mini bar fridge, a safe, 26 TV channel line-up, and complimentary tea/coffee making facilities. The conference centre has also undergone minor changes.

Arisha Stanley, general manager of the Golden Horse Hotel says: “A refreshed, cosmopolitan experience awaits guests at our hotel, with a new look and feel, a new welcoming and convenient restaurant, and all the modern amenities that business and leisure visitors expect from a four star hotel.

“This is of course combined with the high standard of hospitality and quality accommodation that is renowned at all Southern Sun Hotels. As part of Tsogo Sun’s family we can provide greater benefits, and ensure that we offer the premium level of service expected by discerning guests. With the refurbishment complete, we can take Southern Sun Pietermaritzburg into its new era and we look forward to the journey ahead,” adds Stanley.

The hotel, conveniently situated en route to Durban in the heart of the KwaZulu-Natal midlands, is an ideal destination for holidaymakers as well as a convenient stop-over for business travellers. It features 96, including a presidential suite, three suites, and two disabled rooms; conference facilities for 300 people and an outdoor swimming pool.

Like all the properties in Tsogo Sun’s portfolio, Southern Sun Pietermaritzburg is marketed under the group’s Sun Burst brand. With this comes Southern Sun’s host of benefits such as the Frequent Guest programme which gives members instant access to substantial accommodation discounts and the ability to earn and spend Sun Rands whenever staying at one of the participating hotels.

One of the leading and largest hotel and entertainment groups in southern Africa, Tsogo Sun’s portfolio includes 14 casinos and over 90 hotels incorporating the Deluxe, Southern Sun Hotels, SunSquare, Garden Court, StayEasy and Southern Sun Resorts hotels.