Whilst the house provides peace and tranquillity from the busy heart of Accra, it also gives you the key to enjoy the lively, vibrant and noisy town centre – because as Dad always said “Africans like noise” – so whether it is the blowing of car horns instead of using indicators, or hi-life music blaring from a bar, or a loud and intense argument about football – it sometimes feels as if it is virtually impossible to experience peace and quiet in Accra. Don’t worry if its your first time in Ghana you’ll get so used to it that when you return to the UK, Europe or America, you will find yourself missing it.
The house is located just off the 3 Junction of the Teshie Nungua estates - a middle class residential area half way between the cities of Accra and Tema and close to the resort of Coco Beach – you will find a number of big and small beaches within a few minutes drive from the villas. Labadi and Tema beaches are the best known and are very busy at weekends and bank holidays. They are fun places to go, so keep valuables to a minimum, take a picnic and enjoy yourself.
Unlike many of the newer estates, the villas are off the main Accra-Tema road, so it is just a few minutes walk to the main road where you will find a selection of small shops. The main place for food shopping is A-Life Supermarket where the selection of goods can be variable but generally meets your basic shopping needs. It also has an excellent fruit and vegetable stall where you will find pretty much everything you need. It is just down the road – a 2-3 minute drive. There are plenty of shops and fruit & vegetables stalls along the road leading to the house - but be warned, prices seem to vary according to your perceived wealth! You will also find petrol stations, especially Shell, to be well stocked with essentials including a suprisingly good selection of wine (by Ghanaian standards!).
Further afield, you will find larger supermarkets within 30 minutes of the house by heading into town where Koalla (Osu), Maxmart (Airport) and Woolworths (the South African version – a bit like Marks & Spencer, near Aviation House) are the best stocked but also the most expensive.
There are a number of food markets in town, Makola being the biggest and best known, but we think a better option is the new Boboshie Saturday Market, off Spintex Road. Being much smaller, it is cleaner and easier to get around, and you will find an excellent selection of meat, fruit and vegetables. You will also find an amazing selection of fresh sea food in Tema Fish Market – The main market has a good range of fish including snapper and tuna, and there is a separate shellfish market where you will find freshly caught prawns, lobster, squid, sole and much more. An amusing source of confusion for us is that the fish that we know as mackerel in the UK is called salmon in Ghana. clarify the matter - as far as we aware, there is no freshly caught salmon in Ghana.
When it comes to eating out, you are spoilt for choice if you want western dishes, but have less choice if you want local food in a restaurant setting. Coco Beach Resort (picture), Dutch Hotel, Next Door Resort are all within 15 minutes drive and serve good western and a limited local food selection in sea side settings. Coco Beach and Next Door have live music from Friday to Sunday for you to relax to - or have a dance if you feel energetic. Friday’s in Sakumono (15 mins away) offers good food in a garden setting with loud music, and also have a club where you can dance until the early hours of the morning.
Also within 15 minutes drive from the villas are two 4/5 star hotels. Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Hotel. Both have a classy continental feel (if that is what you want in Africa). La Palm (as it is known) has a good casino and a Ghanaian restaurant called Ghanaian Village - it is very good but expensive by Ghanaian standards.
One experience that we had a few years ago which still stays with us was seeing the fishermen bringing their catch home early one Sunday morning. It really is a very moving sight. To witness this you will need to get to Coco beach at about 5:30 and walk towards Teshie to your right (its best to walk through Coco Beach resort on your way to the beach, so that security are aware that you are on the beach). You will find the fishermen towing their boats to shore and the women bringing their containers to collect the fish they’ve caught as the sun rises over the sea. You can then follow it up with an early breakfast at the resort overlooking the sea.
The house is located just off the 3 Junction of the Teshie Nungua estates - a middle class residential area half way between the cities of Accra and Tema and close to the resort of Coco Beach – you will find a number of big and small beaches within a few minutes drive from the villas. Labadi and Tema beaches are the best known and are very busy at weekends and bank holidays. They are fun places to go, so keep valuables to a minimum, take a picnic and enjoy yourself.
When it comes to eating out, you are spoilt for choice if you want western dishes, but have less choice if you want local food in a restaurant setting. Coco Beach Resort (picture), Dutch Hotel, Next Door Resort are all within 15 minutes drive and serve good western and a limited local food selection in sea side settings. Coco Beach and Next Door have live music from Friday to Sunday for you to relax to - or have a dance if you feel energetic. Friday’s in Sakumono (15 mins away) offers good food in a garden setting with loud music, and also have a club where you can dance until the early hours of the morning.