Best Hotels for Family Vacations in Nigeria

With the hike in fuel price, incomprehensibly high foreign exchange rate and the cost of cooking ingredients in Nigeria at the moment.

A lot of people are shying away from the mere thoughts of having any form of celebration, throwing parties or planning a trip to any exotic location outside the country but as it often rightly said “black don’t crack”. So I implore you to make the most of these situations, albeit how negative they may seem, to explore the beauty and hidden resources of Nigeria.

Take some time out with family members and friends, stick to visiting resorts and taking a well-deserved weekend treat at some of the hotels in Nigeria, rather than splurging on a vacation outside the country.

Here is a list of 5 of some of the hotels ideal for a family vacation in Nigeria:

1.      Eko Hotel & Suites:

The spectacular Eko Hotel & Suites has become one of the most visited hotels in Lagos. The hotel’s luxury rooms offer you a scenic view of the Kuramo Lake and the Atlantic Ocean.

Eko Hotel is equipped with world class facilities and one of the best hotel services. The hotel features over four restaurants ready to cater to all guests. You can also catch a glimpse of one of Nigeria’s biggest celebrities during your stay, as the hotel serves as a venue for some of the major entertainment events in the country.

2.      Radisson Blu:

Check out the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, located in Victoria Island, Lagos. The sophisticated luxury hotel is an ideal location for unwinding with family members. The stylishly decorated hotel offers you a scenic view of the Lagos Lagoon and its facilities are sure to take your breath away.

Sport loving guest will be treated to a fun time at the tennis court and beach volley ball court. Treat yourself to both local and continental buffet meals at the restaurant. You can also take a cool afternoon dip in the large pool or work out at the gym. Pamper yourself at the Spa/Wellness & Fitness centre. The hotel is located close to the Silver Bird Galleria, where you can catch the latest movies.

3.      Le Méridien Ibom Hotel & Golf Resort:

Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort is a scenic accommodation and resort that offers guests a serene stay close to nature. It is located atop the rich green vegetation in Uyo, the capital city of Akwa Ibom. Its restaurants serves the best meals, the rooms are superbly furnished and warm.

At its 18-holed world class golf course, you are assured of a memorable golfing experience.

 Plan your next vacation within the country and explore the spectacular luxury that awaits you at one of these Nigerian based hotels, you can also share an experience at one of the luxury accommodations in Nigeria in the comment section.

4.      Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja:

This luxury hotel lies in the commercial district of Abuja and is about 40 minutes’ drive from the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport. With elegant suites that are sure to make you feel like you entered a fairy tale and facilities to ensure you feel well pampered, Transcorp Hilton Abuja is a great mix of comfort luxury with solitude. An experience that is hard to forget awaits you on your trip to the city of Abuja.

5.      Best Western Hotel:

The spectacular Best Western Hotel is lies on the oceanfront in Victoria Island, Lagos. With an elegant décor, elegant suites and an assurance of fine dining experience. You and your family members will have an amazing holiday at this hotel. Best Western Hotel affords you a healthy mix of business with pleasure, as it is an ideal location for both leisure seekers and business guests. You are also assured of value for every penny spent at this hotel, complimentary breakfast is served and free internet service is available. Shuttle service to the Virgin Spa, the beach and the Silverbird Galleria can be arranged from the hotel.

Top 5 places to meet good natured girls in Nigeria

Making and keeping new friends is no easy feat. Guys are often faced with the challenge of having to stick to clubs and bars during a weekend rendezvous with friends while some seize the alternative opportunity of waiting till they can attend church services. While I think crowded bar and parties are never short of women, I still doubt they are ever the best place to meet and mingle with respectable ladies.

Many ladies create an instant resistant when approached at a bar, as they think you are just poaching for a one night stand and wonder if you should be taken seriously. There is a higher likely hood of meeting well-bred women when you explore places where you can get a sense of their personality and even share some of their interests.

Here is a list of 5 places where you can meet good natured girls in Nigeria:

1.       Resorts:

Check out some of the resorts in Lagos, you have the added advantage to enjoying rich hospitality experience in in a tranquil environment and meet up with the girls who have also taken out time to relax and get some quite time. A girl who knows how to pamper herself is a keeper, as you are assured that she’ll also take time to whisk you away to take some rest. Some of the major resorts in Lagos are the Inagbe Grand Resort and the Atican Beach Resort.

2.       Book stores and Libraries:

Libraries and bookstores are one of the coolest places to scout for good girls. Some book cafes have places to seat and read. Here is an opportunity for you to start a conversation with an attractive and smart lady.

3.       Art Galleries:

This may just be the right place to spot a girl with similar interests. If you are an art lover, galleries are one suitable places to meet ladies that share your love for art and culture. Terra culture in Victoria Island and Nike Art Gallery are some the most frequented centre by art lovers.

4.    At a friend’s wedding:

Attending a friend’s wedding offers you a great opportunity to meet up with some of the couple’s friends. You can get talking with one of the bridesmaid or any other lady that catches your fancy as you are sure your friend would be able to attest to their good nature.

5.       Churches:

This sounds cliché but churches have become one of the most suitable places to meet up with eligible single ladies with good values in Nigeria. You can attend youth services and go on events organised by the church for young singles.

Tips for Planning a Destination Wedding on a Budget

Having lived all my life in Lagos, I have always dreamt of getting a romantic wedding proposal in a foreign land (Paris to be precise) and even saying my vows in an exotic location. Perhaps on Zanzibar Island or in the beautiful city of Dubai.

Then as I grew older, reality hit me, I realized the cost of planning a small wedding in Nigeria is just enough to put a dent in your finances if you do not belong to the class of elites and this made me wonder if it was just wishful thinking for the middle class and low income earners to aspire to have a destination wedding.

Are you getting married soon? An unapologetic romantic like myself who is fantasizing about saying the sacred vows in an exotic location? Your dream of having a fairy tale wedding isn’t far fetched after all.

A few tips have been curated to help in planning a romantic destination wedding on a slim budget:

Consider your family & friends:

Be sensible, choose a location both families can easily access, this way you end up making things easy for your guests. You can choose a visa free country like Mauritius, which is visa free for about 90 days or Tanzania where you can get a visa upon arrival.

Create a budget and stick to it:

It is advisable to create a budget for your big day and by all means stick to it, to avoid having “Money Tension” during and after the big day. If a Paris wedding would not work for your budget, stick to a location that is both affordable yet exotic.

Remember, creating a budget ensure you do not put a dent in your finances and allows you go easy on yourself. It also helps you make wise decisions, you can fly in your most important vendors and use local talent for the rest.

Stick to off peak travel seasons:

Ensure you keep high travel season in mind, there is a lot more room for negotiation if it’s not peak season but you should also avoid putting yourself at risk for bad weather. Try booking just at the cusp of the low to high season, to ensure major weather threats have passed but the resort or destination isn’t operating at full capacity yet.

Make detailed enquires:

In some countries you are required to stay there for a certain period of time before you can be legally allowed to wed there. Therefore to avoid hitches, get your marriage paperwork figured out ahead of time or get legally hitched in your home country before setting out to have the ceremony of your dreams. This way you are certain of the legitimacy of everything and you end up saving fees for paperwork, officiants and lawyers fee.

Get a planner:

Getting an event planner may just be one of the best decisions you’ll make for your wedding as many can’t afford the time and extra cost of visiting the destination prior to the wedding. Event planners save you a ton of money, time and stress as they make all necessary enquiries and preparation ahead of your destination wedding.

Choose a wedding planners who specialize in the place or area you are considering getting hitched as they have more insight into the best deals, hotel options and can even help score the best travel deals for your guests.

Pick a venue that doesn’t require tenting:

Having an outdoor event can be surreal and can save you the extra cost of procuring a tent, decorating, putting in flooring and lighting it up to name just a few.

Look for a venue that doesn’t require tenting but has a covered area for backup in case of an unpleasant weather. This way, you can get a plan B at no extra cost, as the resort management will be pleasant enough to offer you the option to avoid hitches.

Create a theme around your local element:

Make smart decisions when it comes to venue selection, take a look at the design of the space and location, the cultural elements and local foliage to ensure it fits with how you have envisioned your wedding.

Don’t try to bring in foreign elements into your chosen destination, it will look unnatural and you get to waste a substantial amount to bring in the décor.

Honeymoon meets Destination Wedding:

Having your honeymoon in the same place or same country you had your wedding is a smart way to save cash. It is therefore advisable to choose a destination which holds the appeal of a romantic stay as well as the ideal location for saying your vows.

You can spice things up after the wedding by seeing the city and switching suites.

Create your dream destination right where you are:

For people who can’t afford to travel at all. Probably due to a health concern of one of the parents, you may choose to create the wedding of your dreams right where you are with the help of an event planner.

Create a destination theme that matches the country of your dreams “Dubai in Lagos” or “a Paris themed wedding”, our event planners are killing it right now with their innovative ideas. Create the destination wedding you have always wanted by exploring options like the Jhalobia Recreational Park and Garden where you can have a beautiful garden wedding or check out resorts in Lagos like the Eko Tourist Beach Resort for a lovely Lagos Beach wedding.

A beautiful outdoor wedding at the Clear Essence California Spa and Wellness Resort in Lagos where there is a package for romantic getaways and pampering spa escape is also sure to leave you breathless.

Wall of Remembrance

I recently saw a movie titled "The War Room", a very good movie, if I do say so myself. The movie was all about talking to God about our marital travails rather than nagging and complaining about our spouse. Teaching us the importance of talking to God in prayer first instead of trying to fix it our own way. My favourite part though was the bit about an elder woman who kept a wall of remembrance (an idea from the wall of remembrance built and filled with names of fallen comrades so that their family members and loved ones can remember them and their service to the country) to stay grateful for all the things God had done for her and when we think about this deeply, this should be applicable in human relationships.

I'm aware that been petty is peculiar to the women folk and as an honorary member of the complaints and nagging committee, I have long come to terms with the fact that a woman in Lagos is no better at dishing out the cold hard cuisine of judgement and labelling than a woman in Abuja will (lol). On a serious note tho, that is the default response of women to issues. 

I cringe now when I think about ladies who never give their boyfriends a break, who would rather complain about all the little things he did wrong rather than appreciate all the amazing things he has done right.

A friend once complained about how her boyfriend fails to pick her up daily after work as she sees other colleagues enjoy a ride back home with whoever they were seeing. I was bemused, as the boyfriend in question works at a firm in Victoria Island while her office is at Ikotun and I really wondered if she had an ounce of pity for the poor guy, the traffic issues he had to face in Lagos and of course the distance he had to cover daily just to satisfy this selfish new whim of hers. Then she continued with her complaints saying “Deji is not even romantic, he says I’m inconsiderate and that I have I been complaining about that one little thing he hasn’t been able to do right and how I forget all the other countless things he does for me.”

That was when I realized the importance of the Wall of Remembrance the elder woman in the movie spoke about, it serves as a reminder of the good things other people have done for you. I know the idea sounds cheesy to say the least but serves as reminder of good deeds and good days.

You get to appreciate the thoughtfulness of your spouse when he stopped by on his way from work to get you take-outs for dinner so you don’t have to cook, days when he makes you breakfast just because he thinks you should rest.

Instead of whining and complaining about your spouse’s inability to get you the finer things in life or take you to luxury hotels like Four Points or Oriental Hotel like your friends, appreciate his efforts even when all he can afford to spare is just enough for a budget hotel in town.

This serves as a reminder of your spouse’s strength whenever they go out of course. It reminds you to temper justice with mercy even when they err and all you can think of is digging out past mistakes just to make a point. Even when it’s killing you to be in the right and you feel the strong need to appoint yourself Jury and Judge, it reminds you of all the sweet things the other person has done which pales in comparison to the crime.

You can create cute sticky notes with thoughtful things the other person has done on your vanity mirrors or keep a go-to journal that reminds you of all the things you should be thankful for.

Always remember this “Never let the things you want, make you forget the things you have”.