Living it up at Labadi

On a recent visit to Ghana, JECKONIA OTIENO found out that the hotels and hospitality there are just as good as our very own

Stepping out of the plane at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, I approach the Customs Desk with the same trepidation that a first time visitor has on arriving to foreign country.

“Akwaaba,” the lady at the customs greets me at the airport and I am momentarily confused, but I look up; written in bold on the wall are two words, side by side, Akwaaba / Welcome. It is a word that I have to get used to the few days I am in Ghana just like getting used to the word karibu in Kenya. The response to this is midasi meaning ‘Thank You’ to which many of the locals reply eeyooo.

The humid atmosphere over the Ghanaian city of Accra is quite overwhelming as we head to the hotel where we are to stay.? After some traffic jam and a dual carriage way, just one like the Thika Road of the early 2000 we branch off to the five-star facility — at Labadi Beach Hotel which is one of the best in Ghana beside the Atlantic Ocean.

Exquisite finish

On the reception area there is pleasantly dark-colored wall washed by fountain water. It resolutely stands opposite the reception with the roof above the entire exhibiting hardwood roof beams that shade the space in front of the reception.

The heat is almost choking as we amble up the brief staircase to the reception. The moment the door is swung open, there is a complete change of the atmosphere since the lounge area is air-conditioned, a stark difference from the exterior. There are also overhead fans that whirl softly on the wooden beams that make the roof.

The use of wood is extensive at the reception — actually all over Labadi. From the many seats spread around the lounge, the bar area and the dining room, even the veranda, the main raw material is wood.

Over the tables at the reception area are all artifacts’ that seemingly have withstood the test of time. Some of them are wooden bowls and pots with a few seashells inside them and local nuts from the native trees.

The sculptures of animals like the elephant are stationed in the corners of the reception and there is also a piano for entertaining guests in the evenings after the sun kisses the horizon.

The antique lampshades make it all more beautiful with the twisted porcelain trunks on which they are perched. This is replicated in the rooms of residence, which in themselves are just a class exquisite.

African touch

Not to be sucked in the modern with too much exoticness, there are indigenous wooden traditional stools of the Ghanaian people.

Just beside in the adjacent room is a cybercafé to ensure connectivity to the rest of the world.

The wine bar is dimly lit with the bottles of exotic and local brews glittering in the faint bulbs that illuminate the inside.

Out at the veranda, there is a beautiful view of the swimming pool with a fountain spewing water beside it. The pool caters for all types of swimmers from those who prefer the shallow waters to those who can explore the deep end. Set on a sky blue background the water is so inviting but not far away lie the expansive waters of the Mighty Atlantic Ocean that washes the coast of West Africa.

From the swimming pool area the sound of the ocean and its crashing waves can be heard but before we get to the shore there is more to see — the rooms, the compound and the food.

Next to the pool is an area with some natural water surrounded by mangrove trees. Over these small pool is a wooden bridge that is connects the south and the north of the hotel; the south being the ocean itself.

The compound is expansive with different types of vegetation but mostly notable are the coconut palms, which offer shades beside the mangroves and the huge artificial shades beside the pool.

The paths are well trimmed and paved as the cut through the grass lawns and at night they the lamps that line them shine some appealing light in the darkness.

Smart interior

If the beauty outside is anything to go by then the residences are even ‘more cool.’ Going with the times, to get into your room you must have a smart card, which you insert at the door, and it opens. The room in itself is exquisite and well designed.

From the humongous bed to the huge flat screen on the wall, the accommodation is near perfect. The air conditioning is also transferred here and makes you never want to leave the rooms to venture out into the heat again for whatever reason.

There is a study table and a safe for keeping valuables. Also in the room is a refrigerator for keeping drinks in case you do not want to step out into the heat to take a walk to the bar – at a fee of course.

The bathroom has both a bathtub and a shower. The glass encased shower shows that Labadi is a classy hotel not just any average outfit.

One does not have to go to the cybercafé to use the Internet thanks to the fast wireless connectivity, which makes Internet accessible in the rooms.

There is a safe, which a visitor is allowed to use to keep valuables so that cases of loss of precious personal belongings do not arise; you choose your own pass code for the safe.

Powerful waves

Each of the rooms on the upper floors has a sliding door that leads to the balcony. From the balcony you can view the gardens and bamboo trees that line some of the paths.

The artistic wooden slabs on the wall add to the beauty of the rooms but they appear like metal because of the silvery colour that has been used to paint them.

Talking about Labadi Beach Hotel is not complete without the tennis pitch and the health club where visitors exercise to tone their bodies.

From breakfast to lunch to supper, the meals are mouth-watering with an array of West African dishes like foofoo. Self-service is the norm rather than exception and visitors have a chance to interact over meals.

Finally, the beach... Those who feel that the swimming pool is too small for their swimming pleasures have an option to go to the sea and swim.

But the waves crash more powerfully than along the Kenyan coast because there is no barrier reef to break the waves.

It is along the beach where the locals teach us the in-thing that has gripped Ghana? — and Kenya, actually much of Africa — the Azonto dance.