Hello everyone,
Last month I had some time on my hands and
went on a 3-day vacation to Whispering Palms Badagry. I didn’t plan to blog
about it but at the end of my stay, I knew I had to review it. It was an experience. Everyone that saw my Insta stories wanted to know where I was.
The plan was to go to a place that would
feel like we were not in Lagos at all, without actually leaving Lagos. The
major requirement: water. Nothing comes close to the feeling I get beside a
natural body of water. The peace and calm, and then you dip a toe in, aaahhhhh.
Next thing I’m fully considering how to leave my whole life behind to live on
the beach and forage coconuts.
There are a number of waterside resorts in
Lagos but the price tag per night can be intimidating for regular people like
me. When I saw Whispering Palms online for N15,000 per night, I was excited. They’re right on the Lagoon front. We called them a few days before and packed our bags the night
before the trip.
We had set off before we
remembered how costly food and drinks can be in places like this, so we stopped
at a supermarket to get bottled water and snacks- apples, popcorn, bread and
spreads; and then Gin, limes, mint
leaves and Limca to make cocktails! I was so ready.
The Journey
The trip to Badagry took longer than we
expected. That Lagos-Badagry Expressway has potholes here and there so it will
slow you down. We took along someone who lives there or we would have stopped
several times to make sure Badagry was still ahead. From Ikate Lekki, it took 3
and a half hours. Me, I slept off. We
kept joking that we are definitely outside Lagos. Our tour guide wasn’t having
it though: “It is still Lagos”. He works in VI and goes to and fro every day.
RESPECT. I could never. The good part is the map turned out to be very accurate
so you don’t need a guide.
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| Sign by the Express. The Resort is still 20-30 mins in. |
Whispering
Palms
We finally saw the sign for Whispering
Palms on the other side of the road and we cheered while making the turn. If
only we knew we still had a 20-30 minute drive ahead of us. Haha. We FINALLY
arrived at Whispering Palms and it was instantly so worth it.
No noise, clean
air, palm trees everywhere. I didn’t know I was going to do a blog post when I
went there so I didn’t take many pictures, but I will share what I did take. We
also wanted to minimise use of our phones and it made us truly absorb and enjoy everything.
You can plan a day trip or you can stay over. Entry fee for a day trip is N2000 for two people. If you’re
lodging, you won’t pay the fee.
They are busy during festive periods.
December is peak period. I prefer when it’s quiet so May was perfect.
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| Parakeets by the reception |
The Rooms
They have a main building with classic
rooms which cost 15k; a set of chalets that cost 18k per night, and some more
luxury villas ranging from 40k/night for a room to N150k for a 4-bedroom. We
stayed in their classic rooms so for two people sharing that’s N7,500 each. We
asked to pick our rooms and they let us view all the available classic rooms.
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| Main Building with Classic rooms |
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| The Villas |
You
can tell that it’s an old building with ceiling fans and an old style bathroom but
that’s part of the charm. My friends loved the old-timey feel. I’m more of an
ultramodern girl myself when it comes to hotels and especially bathrooms, but I
found myself feeling the charm by day 2. There’s a TV, a fridge, a hot water
kettle for tea, wardrobes, a dining table and chairs. Simple, functional stuff.
The intercom in my room wasn’t working and they graciously offered to change
the room when I noticed but I didn’t want to move. A worker gave me her number
so I’d just call.
The
bathroom has hot and cold running water and a tiny shower stall.
Like many old spaces, the room was big and
very airy. My favourite part of the room was the balcony with a view of palm
trees, and the lagoon in the distance.
It was bliss waking up in the morning and
sitting out there. The bed was huge- big enough for 3 people to sleep on
comfortably so if you really want to save, that’s an option. No shame in that.
My girls and I used to be 3-4 in a hotel room when we were in school and needed
to have a Girls trip. Best times of our lives I tell you. Then we couldn’t wait
to have money and now we miss those days (Not that we’re now rich or anything,
just less broke).
Facilities and Activities at Whispering Palms
It’s a big place. On Day 1 we requested a
tour. They have an outdoor pool, an outdoor gym, a mini zoo with monkeys, a
baboon, turkeys (didn’t know they live in zoos too), a crocodile and a 103-year
old tortoise.
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| Outdoor gym |
You can also play football, basketball, tennis and volleyball. They
have a restaurant and I think 2 bars. We took an evening walk by
the Lagoon and there was this cool breeze coming from the water that gave me
life.
We went by the Coconut Dispensary- I love that name- where you get fresh
coconut to drink for just N200.
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| Source: Whisperingpalmslagos.com |
The plan (not my idea) for Day 2 was to
wake up early and work out in the outdoor gym but God made it rain that morning
and we slept in. Praaaise God! The weather cooperated throughout our stay. That
rain didn’t last till 10am and we went outside to meet mild weather- a
beautiful day for outdoor activities. They have Quadracycles to ride in
twos. If you're alone, a member of staff can ride with you.
It’s N1000 but don’t be afraid to negotiate. The person on the left has
control so switch up if you both want to steer. This was so much fun. They said
the 1k buys you 20 minutes but they didn’t stop us when the 20 minutes were up. We all rode for about 30 minutes before we wanted to do something else.
Out on the Lagoon they have these yellow
rowboats you can ride for N1000.
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| Source: Whisperingpalmslagos.com |
Unfortunately, the water level was too low
that day, even with the rain earlier, so we couldn’t ride. We changed into our
swimsuits and spent the evening swimming and sipping on coconuts (and Gin).
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| Is this baby girl life even complete if you’re not sipping on a coconut, poolside? |
On Day 3 we took an early morning walk
around the grounds to take in the scenery.
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| Seriously, what flower is this? I love it |
We also discovered swings close
to the bar and the water. I probably spent too long swinging.
After that, we went out to take a tour of
Badagry. If you need Whispering Palms to arrange the tour, complete with a bus,
a tour guide and light refreshments; that’s N12,000 for every two people involved
(6k each if you’re contributing). If you’re using your own car, N7000 for every
two (N3500 each).
We called our Badagry person to take us and we went
independently. After going on the tour though, we thought the Whispering Palms
cost was actually fair and we tipped our friend well.
Badagry is an ancient town famous for slave
trade. They have a lot of museums and relics of the slave trade era. I’d love
to share all about that but this post will be too long. Maybe a separate post?
Food
Food is the expensive part of Whispering
Palms. No matter what you’re eating, average cost is N3000. Whether it’s yam
and eggs for breakfast, poundo yam for lunch or basic rice, hold your 3k. If
you plan to eat three meals per day, it adds up. Our snacks came in handy; we
each had 2 meals a day. The food is alright. The fried rice isn’t great so pick
Jollof. It won’t be the best Jollof you ever had but it will do. They’re better
at soups. Their egg sauce is okay too. The turkey is nice. Order an hour before
you intend to eat because the food is made-to-order.
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| This tree overhangs a walkway that leads to the bar |
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| Moremi statue and story |
The Service
Everyone was so polite; they’ll greet you
with a smile and answer all your questions patiently. I was impressed. Maybe
when you work in such a relaxing environment, you’re happier.
Once you’ve paid
for your room, you’re a registered guest and your meals and activities get added to your tab until checkout. None of that annoying insistence on
pay-as-you-go like some hotels in this country. They’re also willing to waive certain
charges for lodging guests. They eventually didn’t charge us for the Quadracycle ride. You
may have to call to remind them of something you asked for before, but generally
they were proactive and very helpful.
Electricity
Light isn’t on 24 hours if NEPA strikes.
You’re assured of 12 hours a day: from 4pm to 10am. If you don’t ask they won’t
tell you and that’s not fair. However we didn’t mind because we were mostly out
doing stuff from 10am to 4pm anyway.
Total Cost: We spent approximately N50,000 each including snacks and fuel. Some
less, some more. Depends on what you eat. You can hold up to N65,000 each to be
very safe, especially if rooms are N20,000 and you’re paying for the tour. This
is about £100-120 and $150-170 each if you have 2 persons sharing a room. Less
if you’re more in number.
Advice:
- Call ahead to confirm current
prices.
- Take snacks and water (for a
day trip, I don’t know if this is allowed).
- Negotiate prices of activities
especially if you’re many.
- Order your food at least an
hour before you want to eat.
- Tour Badgary.
- Bring swimwear, slippers and
sandals, and airy little clothes.
- Don’t sit indoors! Come out and
do stuff. Swing. Play with water. Sip
coconuts. And take a picture with a flower in your hair.
Will I go again? Most definitely. We’re
already talking about going in an even bigger group next holiday.
XX,
NGND
Have you been to Whsipering Palms or
Badagry before?
