I finally made the conscious decision to take a wellness & spiritual retreat. My mind and body have been constantly barraged & assaulted by the daily grind of running a restaurant and being a mother of a toddler. I could actually feel my mind tearing at the edges 😭. I've had to deal with relocation and it was always one storm after the other. I had friends advising me to take care of myself to be able to take care of my daughter. Not only was I physically drained but my spiritual life badly needed some rejuvenation. Last week I finally decided…Akosombo here I come!
Actually, i had to choose between Koforidua and Akosombo but the die fell on the serenity of river fronts and the serene scenes of Akosombo. Although I had driven to Akosombo before this was my first solo trip over the two hour journey.
Have you ever tried taking a road trip with Elevation Music on blast? Powerful! Almost like angels are carrying you on their wings to your destination. By the time I reached Kpong I was starving 😩😩 but the thought of a relaxing shower and good food kept me onwards. The road to Akosombo was in a much better condition than it was three years ago when I last visited. Pot holes are eating into the main road from the sidelines and one must be careful especially getting closer to Kpong.
Safe, tired and starving I arrived at Afrikiko Riverside Resort one of the few resorts dotting along the river Volta in Akosombo. This was my select hotel for rejuvenation , rest and reconnecting and what I saw was well pleasing to my eyes. The photos on Google maps doesn’t do enough justice to the greenery and flowery haven i dwelt in for the next 3 days. It's obvious from careful observation that alot of thought had gone into creating a unique garden and riverside dining experience. The touches of rustic and ocean elements are especially visible at the riverside restaurant. The garden area was immaculate and colorful with clever creative uses of hanging clay steamer bowls as lamp holders. Same steamers we use during the preparation of Kpokpoi. Marvelous. I was now stoked to have lunch and everything else the hotel had to offer!
Lunch on my first day was average with respect to taste and flavour balance. I usually prefer a la carte menu options than having to pay the GHC90 buffet lunch (which the hotel was offering) . Buffets can tend to be too commercial like a mass-produced product where everyone gets the same thing whether they like it or not. An a la carte menu however is the one the chef takes time to prepare specially for me. But the Chicken Yassa didn't live up to my expectations but I was too tired to argue whatsmore the splendour of the river Volta sated my hunger more.
My next two days were prayer filled, sleeping as much as I could, worshipping, writing in my journal and driving through the Akosombo township. How is the township soo clean and serene?? I was literally puzzled at the cleanliness of the town. Was it VRA responsible or the Port military? Whatever they are doing there, maybe Accra can learn a lesson or two or million. And the trees!! The breeze! The town is so green and serene to a fault. There’s something magical about experiencing the slow rise of the morning sunrise over the majestic green hills and watching it’s rays shimmer over the gentle lapping of waves of a river. You’re silenced in the awe and majesty of God’s creations. How can you say there’s no God? 😋
Breakfast at Afrikiko was sad and I was truly disheartened how such a gorgeous hotel couldn’t get a simple meal like breakfast right. Bland omelettes, water dispenser used for dispensing hot water for tea were just some of the less satisfactory experiences. I decided to report the issue to the hotel manager but for some really weird reason, this person was never around whenever I enquired of them. Intentional? I have no idea oh! I stopped eating at the hotel altogether and chose to drive all the way to Atimpoku for Aboloo, Shrimp, Fried turkey, Fried Snails and One Mouth Thousand fish. That was way more tasty and pocket friendly 🙌🏾.
Aboloo & compatriots
Dinner for me was also out of the question because I was told there was no a la carte service during dinner time only the buffet. I was stumped! Why did I have to pay GHC90 for a buffet which didn’t even serve dessert? Yep. No dessert.
I drove up to one of the oldest hotels in Ghana; the Volta Hotel which sits majestically on a hill close by to the Akosombo Dam . The hotel really shows its age. It still bore the timelessness of terrazzo walls!
A friend raved about the food there and I wasn’t disappointed at all! I highly recommend that you try out the Oriental Perch with fries! It was sooo good!
The texture of the fish had a bit of crunch yet amazing juiciness and flavour! The vegetables had the perfect bite and crunch and all washed down with a chilled glass of Shandy! A remarkably unforgettable lunch! I was reliably informed that Ghana’s first president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah brought the Perch fish into Ghana by depositing the fingerlings into the dammed Volta. So if you’re a perch lover, guess where you should be headed. The service there was attentive and friendly. My tummy was one happy jolly fella.
Poolside at Volta hotel
Although I didn’t go on a boat cruise, several visitors to the resort took turns on the boat. That was a trip I had gone on before 3 years ago so i passed this time. Weekends are busy days at most resorts in Akosombo and most people come for a day’s trip to explore the green landscape & river serenity or go for a swim in the hotel’s pool. My painting set from Acrilex came in handy for one of my restful moments but how intriguing it is that one can get so engrossed in painting that before you realise a whole 2 hours has gone by like in a snap ! e go over you! But I loved the challenge of combining primary colours in producing other colours. I struggled with getting purple ankasa ! Red is no joke!
The service at Afrikiko was average and I managed with the barest they had. If you ever visit, ask of Emily. She was so helpful and patient in taking my photos 😊. Either the hotel was understaffed or the pandemic had hit them hard because I kept seeing the same staff every day since I was there. It got me worried about hospitality worker health and safety. I know how exhausting it is for service workers and seeing the same personnel got me wondering if they were getting enough rest for the next shift. Hmm..it’s not easy.
I had a restful time at Afrikiko Resort. The ambiance is excellent, the customer service scores average, the rooms standard ( no working phones and dustbins and no division between shower and toilet oh and internet doesn’t get to the rooms ) and food is below average. Overall, I had a well-deserved time away and God spoke to me just as I was leaving that Sunday morning. Pastor Mensa Otabil preached a message which hit my soul! It was such a rescuing reassuring message that took me on my knees! Hmm…
If you ever need that time away from the hustle and craziness of Accra, you must absolutely road trip your way to Akosombo. You’ll leave refreshed and ready for progress. Take my word for it. Oh by the way, take along an iced chest with you and grab some fresh Tilapia & prawns at the Kpong fishing village on your way back home to Accra.
On my drive back to the city, I passed through Akosombo Continental Hotel where I stayed three years ago and my expectations of more improvements were dashed 😔. The hotel looked much in need of renovation. They must have been hit hard by the pandemic as well. It looked much brighter when I was last there and the service was literally in shambles. It's such a beautifully located riverside hotel right next to the Adomi bridge! I was so sad. Chale, the local hotels need us as Ghanaians to travel local to sustain domestic tourism. These hotels are employing locals who have families like you and I. The pandemic hit every hospitality industry hard! From restaurants, tourism sites, airlines to hotels. No one escaped unscathed. So let's do our bit and stay local. God bless us all!!! 💕💕💕