Sun City last week revealed renovations it has made to its popular Cabanas and Valley of the Waves facilities. The refurbishment follows the introduction last year of three new upmarket restaurants - The Brew Monkey and Food Factory, Legends and Bocado - after the owners closed the fast-food chains that had become a part of the Sun City experience.After a year-long process, the Valley of the Waves water park has completed its reconstruction with the introduction of two new slides.On arrival, journalists were treated to a beach party at the Valley of the Waves. We sipped cocktails as the sun set, but it was slightly disconcerting tohear screams from where we were enjoying our sundowners.Unsure whether the commotion was brought on by excitement or terror, we went to investigate - and to try out the new slide.To get on the slide, I first had to collect a two-seater inflatable boat and walk up three flights of stairs.By the time I got to the last step I had butterflies in my stomach and confessed to my partner that I didn't think I could go through with the ride.But adjacent to the slide was something even worse - a longer, darker, even more horrific slide, designed to appeal to the most die-hard adventurers.BLIND RUN: Close your eyes if you have to, but make sure you try the tandem tunnel-slideFrom our vantage point three storeys up, we watched a woman get inside the tube and lie down in a burial position with her arms across her body. She waited, visibly nervous, for the glass door to close behind her. Outside, her friend pushed the green button that would commence her rapid and steep descent into the pools below.She dropped like a carelessly handled cellphone lost over the edge of a cliff.At that moment I knew I only had the guts to take the less extreme of the two new slides and happily leapt into the rushing water.After a 60-second tandem ride with my friend inside the dark tunnel of the water tube, I came out into the splash pool.I couldn't help keeping my eyes tightly shut during the twisting, almost vertical drop of the slide and only managed to open them when I detected the light at the end of the tunnel.With adrenaline still pumping through my veins I prepared for a tropical party that night at the Cabanas, which has undergone an extensive island-style refurbishment.The hotel rooms have colourful bathroom doors and the rooms have a studio apartment feel. The new pool-side area offers a relaxing holiday atmosphere that has a comfortable back-yard feel to it.Khoabane's trip was sponsored by Sun City, see www.suninternational.com/sun-city or find out more using the #NewSunCity hashtag..