Butre & Akwidaa

Darco writes:

Hideout Lodge (Butre):

Huge recommendation for this little hotel. We slept in a treehouse and we were very impressed by the friendliness of the staff (a much desired attribute that missed in most hotels we visited) and the quality of the food and room we stayed in. Price/Quality was excellent so if anyone is looking for a secluded spot at the beach please consider this location.

Batenstein Fort

Quite a negative experience for us visiting batenstein fort in Butre. We have been coming and going to butre a couple of times because we came back for hideout lodge when first staying there, having a good experience and coming back to it after green turtle lodge and we saw when we arrived and left from the trotro spot, a small simple wooden shed, which read “tourist office”. Now before we went to batenstein we saw this office at least four times, none of the times it being occupied.

We went to search for the path up the hill to the fort and from the bridge to hideout we took a right (afterwards we saw we should have taken a left). We walked through forest on a little footpath, came across a wateringhole and some people who would only show us the way “for something” so we just said hi and moved along. Finally we found what we thought was the path and through a very interesting climb we reached the fort. We enjoyed some nice views and we saw from there a path had been made that went directly into the village. So when we were done seeing the fort we went back down along the path. When we came back down into the village however we were in for a rude surprise.

A man came up to us saying we were to pay for visiting the fort and that we had to follow him to the tourist office (which was until then unoccupied on all occasions). We were asked to pay 10 cedi for seeing it even though it is nowhere even hinted at, a fee has to be paid when visiting the fort (not in the village itself, not on your way to the fort, not at the fort itself, no sign whatsoever). The tourist office, was suddenly occupied by 3 other men and a book was given to us for registration purposes (interesting detail, the oldest registration was only just after the italians renovated the fort and built a path to it in 2010). We put down our details and in the column for amount paid we put 10 cedis and gave him the money. We then asked for a receipt to know the money would go to the village, to a guide (we did not have) and keeping up the fort but he gave us some bogus excuse not to give the receipt. Desillusioned we went back to hideout afterwards and were very dissapointed this had happened. So please, if you are going to visit the fort, be warned you will have to pay for it, and it would be best you go to the tourist office first so you can at least get a guide with you (although I must say it seemed to me the money we paid would not be going to the village, or the guide, or the fort, but the man would just take it himself. He even said when he met us going down from the fort he “wouldn’t be here if people would not have to pay”.)

 

Green Turtle Lodge (Akwidaa):

This is just an opinion from two visitors so please don’t get discouraged for going there when reading this but we were not impressed. Especially since the bradt guide offers this as a great place to stay, we had a very different experience.

First of the positive aspect, we were greeted by a very friendly staff member of the reception so hats off to her.

Then the negative aspects.

- We would think, considering all the environmental friendly ideas the creators of this lodge had, to be sure of a night of solid resting. This, however, did not happen. The bed we were sleeping in (we were in the 35 cedi hut with shared bathroom) was terrible. We had a big beam right in our backs and even though me and my gf differ considerably in height we both had tremendous trouble getting comfortable (we didn’t btw). The second problem was a generator (of all things!) was on most of the night right behind our hut making the noise levels unbearable. Why would they have a generator? Especially since it is advertised they are using solar power. Even worse, the generator did not seem to be for the guests to make their stay more comfortable but for the employees (not that I would not grant the employees such benefits, but it’s at least strange the generator would seem only for them). A last problem we had, although this is in all fairness our own fault, is the huts do not have any fan or AC so it gets really hot in the hut. Too hot for us to be able to sleep together with the other two problems.

- A second negative experience for us was the turtle hike. We did this because we thought it good to support the turtles in this way but our experience with the guide seemed lacking. The guide told us a quick two sentences of turtles nesting at this part of the beach and we started walking. Due to bad luck we only saw turtle tracks and nothing else (but we usually have this bad luck when viewing animals so no surprise there) but it seemed strange to us, to walk a mile to get to a secluded spot on the beach where a change on turtle sighting would be higher, only to turn around and walk back not even 200 yards into the area. Furthermore the “guide” seemed to not know at all what he was doing, because when we asked if we there was a chance we could see eggs, he said, sure, and started digging in random spots with two hands (I seem to remember turtle eggs being very delicate and so this way of digging seemed absolutely crazy). Also only after us making a comment on it being to bad we did not see any turtle did our “guide” start using his torch a bit more often. All in all a very lacking experience.

- In the bradt guide it is mentioned they also did other excursions to a nearby national park, the stilted village etc. but when informing on this they did not seem to do those anymore. The last time he could remember they asked 300!! cedis to go to the national park which is an outrageous amount to begin with but they didn’t seem to eager to even offer us these excursions in the first place.

All in all, we were planning on staying there for 5 nights, we eventually stayed just one and left with dissapointment.

Akwidaa,

We had to go to akwidaa from the turtle lodge to catch a trotro and I noticed a troublin trend there (although this could be interpreted in other ways than I did). Children, ranging from about 10 to as young as 3 years old, seemed to be calling us “my friend” all the time. Now of course in itself this may seem harmless but after being in ghana and india, you know that “my friend” is not used in a friendly, i-just-want-to-say-hi manner, but in a i-want-something-from-you manner. Needless to say we just said hi back and would be on our way, but if that is the general consensus for all of akwidaa, the children there are raised with quite negative intentions. As I said before though, this can be interpreted in different ways and maybe it is just their way of a friendly greeting.

 

 

 

Trip Report 5-26th Feb 2013

Sandra writes:

We (German couple, 41 and 52, journalist/university prof) visited Ghana for three weeks in February 2013 and found the guide very good and valuable (and – this for Germans who are preparing for Ghana -  far far better than the German one from Jojo Cobbinah, this one gives just lots of wrong and more of useless information.)

Here a couple of updates to the Bradt guide and highs and lows as we have experienced them (prices are usually for self-countained doubles or one of those big-bed singles, with fan)

Accra, Pink Hostel (100 GhC)

nice staff, full of young volunteers, feels a bit in the middle of nowhere, okay but nothing special.

Accra, Afia African Village – also called: Afia Beach, Accra (120 US Dollar)

the bungalow was nice, although the AC did not work, for being in Accra the beach looks very good, pay attention when you call to make a reservation: The guy I asked how much it is confirmed the figures, 100 for a standard bungalow, 110 with balcony and 120 with ocean view, but he didn’t say that it was in Dollars although I was talking of Cedis all the time. At the end Helen, the boss, proofed to be very professional: she charged us the 120 Cedi. In fact 120 Dollars seems a bit too much and 6 Cedis for a beer is double of what you pay elsewhere.

Ada Foah, Brightest Spot Guesthouse (25 GhC)

great value for the money! nice courtyard with very good tilapia & banku served.

ferry Ada Foah to Akuse (5 GhC)

the MS Sogakope left on time -  Friday 6h in the morning – and this is a great trip to do. Women are selling food and there are lots of little villages to see (even if I some times felt a bit like in a zoo).

Atimpoku, Adomi Hotel (35 GhC)

room was okay and quite – what you won’t expect, because the Hotel is right on the main traffic circle. The owner is half-german and has been living in Hamburg for most of his life, good opportunity for an interesting chat on Ghanain-German cultural differences.

Koforidua, Erdrec Hotel (34,50 GhC)

the Hotel description fits just perfectly! one feels a bit like in USSR already entering the reception Hall and for sure once touched the dark red carpeted floor – quite unique. still: good value, just a bit out of town, but plenty of shared taxis on the street.

Boti Falls didn’t have any water in mid February, even if the man at the Trotro-Station in Kof-Town was sure there was, they still want the full fee.

Kumasi, Sanbra Hotel (44 GhC) and Fosua Hotel (60 GhC with AC)

both okay, but alltogether not too friendly or nice, just okay. We didn’t find the coffee shop or the cocktail bar in the Aseda House though.

Tamale, Catholic Guesthouse (33 GhC)

very nice place to stay, we particularly appreciated the quiet garden after downtown trips, plenty of shared taxis to get into town.

Visiting the Mosque and walking up is worth and also walking along the Zongo Hausa to the leather workers, on the rooftop bar of the Crest Restaurant do not worry if a couple of young Ghanains take a seat at your table, they are just curious and want to talk and they will leave immediately if you just tell them friendly to do so!

There is a ForEx in Hospital Road now.

Bobiri Forest Butterfly Sanctuary (30 GhC)

this is a wonderful place to stay! Agnes prepares good diner even if you arrive without reservation and a very nice breakfast with lots of fruits, take it both on the terace of the main house. The walk though is for sure a bit longer than 3km, but still it is worth walking from Kubease. And: Jonathan does a great job as a guide through the Forest (4 GhC).

They told us they are open year round, but still maybe it is better to phone: 020 8094709 or 0236 464520 (the numbers Agnes gave me)

Winneba, Lagoon Lodge (35 GhC)

the first room somewhat stylish (in our sense) room for decoration and colours, huge bathroom – very nice. Food is good, somewhat ridiculous that there is no smoking allowed in the garden though. The guys at the reception/at the bar were friendly but totally clueless, it took them nearly half an hour to copy, re-copy and re-copy again the same invoice. Be patient!

Winneba itself seems poorer than other small cities, the beach is okay but nothing compared to the ones farer west and seeing the University Campus is worth – like a wholly different, elitist, world.

Green Turtle Lodge, (60 GhC)

it is (still) a great place to stay, what a wonderful project! But we had the impression that things are changing and that this might be related to the fact that the original owners have left (we talked to the caretaker who said the place is still for sale, but an American might buy it within short time). The huts could easily be in a better shape: for example the electricity didn’t work properly when it got humid at night, because the connecting wires were ‚connected’ in the most unprofessional way – though the staff managed to fix it after a while; time to buy new matrasses and pillows, and for sure to wash the cushions. The evening turtle tour now seems to be done only if tourists ask for it, at least the documentary book on the daily turtle watch tours stopps in february 2011 or 2012 (sorry can’t remember the year). The staff is friendly, the food is good and a bit different in style from what we had most of the time, but the reception looks a little bit like there was no-one there for the last two years.

Still the beach is great!

The canoe tour (10 GhC) with Jimmy at 6h in the morning in the mangroves behind Akwidaa (poor little village 25minutes west from the Turtle walking at the beach) is everything but exciting and Jimmy didn’t have a good day, he hardly said a word and after 35minutes he seemed only happy that is was over.

Butre, Hide Out Lodge (50 GhC)

Another great beach and another nice lodge. in comparison with the Green Turtle the food here unfortunately is done in some ‚western style’ kind and this is not a good idea at all: I had a bad banku which was cut into slices like Italian polenta, the pepper sauce wasn’t hot at all and the fish was just a fried slice – what a disappointment in comparison to so many great grilled tilapia, banku and pepper I had on the streets elsewhere. The advantage on the other hand is Butre itself, which is just around the corner – over the bridge to be exact – and a very nice little village, with fishermen who that morning we were waiting for a Trotro had exposed what to us looked like little sharks and dolphins!

Elmina, Coconut Grove’s Bridge House (110 GhC, 85 GhC when AC does not work!)

the idea was to go to the One African Guesthouse – but do not try to walk their from the main road where the Tros between Takoradi and Cape drop you off, it is just too far and it is all walking along the busy road. So we ended up in the Coconut Grove’s: the building is very nice facing the bridge and the castle, but for the room itself it is definetely a bit overpriced and the breakfast is ridiculous – every single street egg bread was a lot better.

Elmina was the only city we visited which had a square place and spots around – being from Old Europe that was what we missed elsewhere – thanks to the Portoguese!

the fish market is definetely worth the 1 GhC entry fee – quite an impressive quantity of tunas and even more impressive the way slight women cut them into pieces with machetes.

Cape Coast, Mighty Victory Hotel (40 or 50 GhC)

Oasis Beach seemed to us a bit too much an all-Obruni/volunteer meeting place, the Mighty Victory is worth the walk through town up the little hill and it isn’t far at all, a quite and nice place to stay with gazebos in the garden-kind entrance. Don’t miss the Market day on Sunday.

Ceto Beach House, Dixcove-Akwidaa Road

Proprietor Claire Wilkinson writes:

Ceto Beach House is a self-catering house for rental. From as little as USD25 per person per night you have access to your own house, complete with modern bathroom and kitchen, a private garden and a large, secluded sandy beach with safe swimming. With 2 bedrooms, Ceto sleeps 4 people, with mattresses and nets available for more guests if necessary. There are also quarters available for a driver if needed.

 

It can be arranged to have the kitchen stocked with food and drink prior to your arrival. Perfect for a family or group of friends wanting to cater for themselves and enjoy the seclusion of their “own tropical beach”

 

Booking needs to be made in advance, preferably by email

 

Ceto is signposted 4km from Dixcove on the road towards Akwidaa just before you get to Akyinim-Achowa

www.cetoghana.com

email@cetoghana.com

+233 (0)272 92 56 33

+44 7552 313947

 

Ben’s trip report

Two weeks in Ghana

I only had two weeks in Ghana but I felt obliged to share my two pennies’ worth on this update page given how useful the Bradt guide proved to me.

In short, I split my limited time between the West Coast and the Volta region with a few of pit-stops in Accra. What follows is a list of the key hotels / events that I did with a simple 5 star rating system (***** = Muhammad Ali; * = Muhammad Atta).

WEST COAST

***** Ezile Bay, near Akwidaa
Without doubt the highlight of my time in Ghana. Run by a charming French lady, Ezile Bay is a small collection of bungalows on a cute beach near Akwidaa (west of Busua). The key draw of Ezile Bay is how isolated – and clean – the beach is compared to rival resorts nearby. The food was delightful which should come as no surprise given a Frenchwoman’s involvement. The beach is said to be swimmable but I wouldn’t get too confident – there are some nasty rocks in shallow water (at low tide at least). The rooms are very modest and there was only electricity for a few hours in the evening…but who cares when you’re in Ezile Bay?

*** Mighty Victory Hotel, Cape Coast
Decent enough. A short walk to the centre of town but it has wifi which is cool. Somebody mentioned to me that the staff weren’t friendly but I got along with them just fine.

VOLTA REGION

***** WAASPS trial flight, near Kpong
Philip, this has to go in the next guidebook. Run by a Brit but staffed by young Ghanaian women, this is a cool airplane company that has two neat dimensions: i) teaching local (rural) girls to build and fly planes and ii) dropping medical info to hard-to-reach parts of Ghana.
I did a trial flight in a really slick little plane that they built onsite. It may not be for everyone but it’s certainly safer than your average tro-tro journey and the views are spectacular. And it helps that the manager, Jonathan, is the closest thing that the West African aviation world has to a rock star.

**** Mountain Paradise Lodge, Biakpa
Lovely place. If you’re in any way outdoorsy then you shouldn’t miss this one.

atmosphere

** Waterfall Lodge, Wli Falls
Strange atmosphere. They also close on Tuesdays which is really peculiar for a hotel.

*** Aylo’s Bay, Atimpoku (near Akosombo)
These guys are out for as much of your money as possible. It’s bang on the Volta River which offers sensational views – and is great for swimming despite the minature crocs (no joke). But the prices are practically double what was stated in the book – 70/80 cedis for a double without/with a river view. Plus they make you pay on arrival which wasn’t the coolest way to kick things off.

In truth I found the whole Atimpoku / Akosombo area slightly less friendly than elsewhere in the Volta region – perhaps it’s something to do with being closer to Accra. In particular watch out for a taxi driver named Aristotle. Although he claims to be both a pastor and the captain of a cruiseship, he is actually just a money-grabbing psychopath.

**** Boat ride on Lake Volta, Akosombo
The maintenance man at the Volta Hotel, Daniel, takes people out on a motorboat for 40 cedis an hour which I think is less than other boat trips / boat hire nearby. This Daniel fella is super-cool and he lets you stop for the odd swim. (Best to give him a tip since the greedy hotel keeps all 40 of the cedis for themselves.)

ACCRA

***** Tour of Nima with Charles Sablah
I had a few hours being shown around the Accra suburb of Nima with Charles, a local. He gave some excellent insights into the community – its diversity, its history – and showed me both his house and those of his friends. We stopped for a beer at one friend’s and lunch in another. Awesome to the max. It’s not far from Asylum Down if you are staying there. His website is as follows:

http://ghana-nima-tours.yolasite.com/

**** Josta Lodge, Osu
Aside from a renegade toothbrush that I discovered in the bathroom, I liked this place. It was clean, safe and had wifi. Best of all it was in Osu, a much cooler suburb than Asylum Down, which I found to be really boring. Granted, Osu is way more pricey but this was my last night and I thought I’d ratchet up the luxury a few notches.

** Pink Hostel, Asylum Down
I’m less sure about this place. I stayed in a pretty shabby dorm that had an even more gritty bathroom adjoining it. I found the staff less than friendly – in fact one woman had a permanent expression as if she’d just received some dreadful news. There was wifi which was some consolation.

* Shai Hills Resort, between Accra and Akosombo
I’m sure the nature reserve is lovely but I took one look at this hotel and bolted for the nearest town (which happened to be Accra). The whole hotel complex looks like the aborted brainchild of Kim Jong-il and I can guarantee that you’ll be the only guest.

OTHER

A few other tit-bits that other travellers may find useful:

Language. The cleverest thing I did was use the small phrasebook at the back of the guide to try out my language skills on the locals. It’s great fun and it is an excellent way of interacting with, for instance, cab drivers and the people next to you on tro-tros or buses. It also serves as a great icebreaker because the locals love to hear you give their language a try. When you invariably screw up, their reactions are something to behold.

Buses. If you’re going from town to town, buses can be a more sensible (and safer) option than tro-tros. Since buses will only leave when they are full, it makes sense to choose your bus wisely. A poor decision could literally cost you hours. Don’t bother with the large air-conditioned buses since they take an extremely long time to fill. The thinking man takes the orange Metro Mass Transit buses which, despite not being as safe as their upmarket rivals, fill up quickly and are crammed with funner people.

Motorbikes. If you’re foolish enough to get on a motorbike with anyone (it seemed to be the only option in some parts of the Volta region), make sure that the driver puts your heavy rucksack in front of him (rather than you carrying it on your back). They seem perfectly happy to do this and it will help to prevent you from falling off the back if you hit a bump or they accelerate too quickly (I’m convinced this can happen). One thing I tried was to offer the driver a one cedi tip at the outset of the journey on condition they refrain from driving like a nutter. (Need you ask, this made no difference whatsoever.)

Maps. For whatever reason, I didn’t meet one Ghanaian who could decipher a map. It’s best just not to go there.

Fufu / Banku, etc. I’m sorry but I’m just not convinced.

Local whiskey. I was foolish enough to try one of those little whiskies in a plastic sachet (K20 was the name). Massive error. This was 10 days ago and I still cannot get the taste out of my mouth.

Ben Griffiths

Ezile Bay, Akwidaa

Ezile Bay, Akwiida, Western Region
I am a permanent resident in Ghana since a year and I would recommend Ezile Bay for those who like to stay a couple of days in a charming environment, with safe beach and good food. Management (French couple living since a decade) and staff are so nice! Prices are cheap (small bungalow/2 people: 30 Ghc, 10-15 Ghc for main course). Dinner at night on the beach is a great moment (with good wine!). A walk to Akwiida (small fisherman village) or along the beach, visit to Cape Three Points Forest Reserve or visit to a local wine factory are among other things, the activities you can carry out after swim. Ezile Bay is my favorite spot in Ghana!

Herve Delsol

Ezile Bay updates

Some more information about Ezile: we have now 5 bungalows and 4 rooms (some are family rooms). We also welcome campers and overlanders.

Solar panels provide electricity. We have a garden to provide vegetable and fruits. We bake our own bread and the restaurant offers French and west African food (including bushmeat).

At Ezile bay, the sea is very calm (because is a bay) no current, is perfect to swim.

Ketakor beach (next door) is a very good spot to surf.

We have one traditionnal canoe “l’ekwatoria” to organise “sea taxi” between Busua and Akwidaa and also fishing trip, canoe trip in the Ezile river or in the ocean..
At Akwidaa it is possible to find a guides (local tourism community (http://www.ghanawestcoast.com/gwc/akwidae.html )   to make tours in the rain forest (cape tree points forest reserve) or walk in the country side.

Because we adopt the principles, rules and trade faire  of sustainable tourism, we are currently working with Ghanian association to develop future projects for the inhabitants of a small region (Akwidaa, Ketakor), especially around education. I will inform you of the progress of the project.

Have a nice day,

Danielle (of Ezile Bay)

Ezile Bay, Akwidaa

My name is Chris, i’m french, i would like to make report especially for Ezile bay village, near Busua, Akwidaa, and also say thank you for the helpful bradt travel guide. We had another book in french but the information was not so much, and less precise.

Ezile bay is a very good and romantic place to escape city life.

The location is awesome. It’s a beautiful lodge  right on a very quiet, safe, and clean small beach in a wonderful bay.

Ezile bay is is a paradisiac eco-lodge. Solar panel provide electricity. Beautiful white sandy beach boasting calm and transparent sea. Comfortable living quarters, amazing landscape, between rain forest and ocean, in a palm-three plantation. The manager and the staff are very helpful and friendly. Books in different language are available, games and body-board. The next beach Katakor (5mn walk) is a good spot for surfing.
Make sure you take advantage of the wonderful hiking and fishing opportunities, they have big canoe in Ezile. Also, you can  visit to the local villages, Katakor, Akwidaa new town and old town.
You could easily spend a day just talking to the locals. The kids are great. Food is very good and tasty, mix of Ghanaian, African with french touch (home made bread, jam with fruits from the garden). I met some really friendly people and enjoyed relaxing, escape by the beach for a few days, along with some of the best food (at the best price), I had during my entire stay in Ghana.