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 Parc Residence on the city’s outskirts.
Room 4 was large, spacious, and simply furnished with a huge wardrobe, table and two chairs, desk and chair, TV and shelving. There were bedside tables, but if you wanted to charge phones overnight, the bedside lights had to be unplugged. The bed was too singles pushed together with rather jazzy blue and white Je t’alme (sic) bedding but there was only one sheet and one pillow each and the mattress was a little hard for our liking. There was an unplugged fridge, but no fripperies such as a hairdryer, safe, bottled water, or complimentary toiletries apart from a bar of soap.
The huge bathroom had a large walk-in shower, loo, and basin with lots of space for toiletries. The powerful hot water was the best we’d had for several days.
We were on the ground floor and near reception, so thought we’d have to keep the shutters closed, until we realised the windows were mirrored, so passersby couldn’t see in. Our large terrace had a comfortable sofa for relaxing.
All meals were included, and we ate on a patio overlooking beautiful, peaceful gardens.
On arrival, we enjoyed a salad nicoise and Greek salad served with a basket of sliced baguette, and jug of French dressing.
We were looking forward to a pre-dinner G&T but found there was no tonic, and, although we’d got used to having Sprite, there was only a tropical orange drink or Coke. However, having discovered the chilled French Sauvignon Blanc was 12,000 CFA or £15, all was well.
This was probably one of the only hotels on our trip which appreciated the simple concept of three individual courses served on time. The friendly waiter tempted us with an off-menu starter of avocado with shrimps, accompanied by more of the delicious baguette. We followed with a pork chop in a dijonnaise sauce and beef filet au poivre with a portion of shared French fries and petit pois. Finally, it was hard to resist the suggestion of fresh mango – a huge plate of delicious, ripe, juicy fruit.
From the a la carte breakfast menu we opted for freshly squeezed pineapple juice, a plate of watermelon, pineapple and mango, and cheese and ham omelettes, with more French bread. Everything was beautifully presented and served with individual pots of fresh coffee and a jug of hot milk which made a huge change from sachets of Nescafe, a flask of hot water and evaporated milk.
The inviting looking swimming pool was surrounded by loungers, but sadly we had no time for lounging and would like to have stayed longer.
PS – the worse hotel was the Amazone Hotel in Bohicon
