Not quite the luxury we hoped for
The Ridge Royal Hotel on Ghana’s Cape Coast was the final stop on our three-week tour of West Africa, and having looked at the website, we anticipated a little luxury before moving on to the beach. This was a huge, two-storey hotel set around a central area and due to its design, our standard room, […]…
A bustling fishing market and slave castle
Elmina fishing market Elmina, a fishing port on Ghana’s southern coast, is known for its role in the former transatlantic slave trade. A bridge overlooking the harbour area provided a bird’s-eye view of the seething mass of pirogues and people. The market looked impenetrable, but our guide skillfully steered us through the crowds where all […]…
Creating a beautiful batik tablecloth
Although I had a vague notion of what batik was, a workshop in Ghana’s fishing port Elmina, not only allowed us to understand the process, but create a piece of cloth. The event was run by the Global Mamas Community, founded in 2003. Their mission is to create not just financial prosperity for African women […]…
Surviving the Kakum Canopy Walk
Kakum National Park is one of Ghana’s most visited attractions, due to its canopy walkway which towers over a tropical rainforest of virgin hardwood trees, including ebony and mahogany. The 350m long walkway is made up of seven suspension bridges, and at a height of up to 40m, they provide a unique vantage point. On […]…
A memorable stay, but not necessarily for the right reasons
We stayed for three nights at the Noda Hotel whilst sightseeing around Kumasi in Central Ghana. Fortunately the hotel was located on the outskirts of Kumasi, and set back off a busy main road: Bradt refers to it as ‘one of the most hectic cities we’ve encountered anywhere in Africa, with surging throngs of humanity […]…
The most bizzare beach resort I’ve ever stayed in
After a full-on, three-week tour of Ghana, Togo and Benin, we looked forward to sun, sand, sea and relaxation at Brenu Beach Lodge, around a three-hour drive from Accra with the final 30 minutes being down a rutted track. On arrival there was a distinct lack of formalities: our vehicle was met, and our bags […]…
How adventurous are rail holidays for singles?
Discover thrill of solo rail adventure holidays for over 50s, through the beautiful expanse of South Africa, Australia, Canada and the US. …
No sun loungers, beer, salad or fries
Whilst touring Ghana we stayed for two nights at the Mekandi Riverside Resort, located on the outskirts of the small town of Akosombo. This was a relatively large hotel with 19 standard and premium rooms, and two suites. They were all ground floor and arranged in blocks, surrounded by substantial lawns and grounds overlooking the […]…
Monkeying around with the Monas
Whilst touring Ghana we visited the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary, having stopped to buy bananas on route. On arrival, our guide Robert began by telling us that Mona monkeys have inhabited the tropical forest surrounding the small village of Tafi-Atome for years, and have been protected as it was believed they were messengers to the […]…
Walking to the highest falls in West Africa
Wli Agumatsa Waterfall, the tallest in West Africa, has both lower and upper falls and a trek from the visitors’ centre took us to the former as the hike to the latter was too strenuous for a couple of ‘Silver Travellers’. As expected, guides were mandatory, and although ours had a slight stature set off […]…
A hotel charging for WiFi and breakfast juice
We stayed overnight at Ghana’s Wli Water Heights Hotel whilst visiting the nearby waterfalls. On arrival, there were no check in formalities, and we were simply led to room 2, one of 6 in a row. The reasonably sized room had the double bed pushed against the wall, which we moved to make both sides […]…
The best hotel on our trip followed the worst
Somewhat ironically the worst hotel of our five-week tour of West Africa, was followed by the best, and both were in Togo. Kpalimé, one of the most visited places in Togo due to its climate and unspoilt landscapes, is only a two-hour drive from the capital Lome. We stayed for one night at The Hôtel […]…
