There’s a wide variety of hotels in Ghana so you’ll definitely want to read the reviews. My tour guides at Ashanti African Tours were very helpful in guiding me to find lodging that met my needs.
Overall, I’ll admit I was pleasantly surprised to find out the country has a nice selection of lodging options that make you feel right at home.
The country has accommodations that meet any budget. My advice would be to reserve the rooms but try to avoiding paying in advance because you might get there and find the reserved hotel doesn’t meet your standards but another one does. Also, find out if they accept credit cards become some don’t. Cash is King in Ghana.
My favorite
Out of the hotels that I visited, my favorite was the Ridge Royal hotel in Cape Coast. It didn’t cross my radar when I was booking rooms online. I ended up there when I didn’t like the budget room I had reserved at the Coconut Grove Beach Resort and the hotel was sold out so they couldn’t put me in another room.
Ashanti African Tours quickly found me a room at the Ridge Royal Hotel instead. I had to pay about $100 more a night but it was worth it. The rooms were $140 a night but they would’ve cost way more in the United States. The hotel opened in 2016. It had a restaurant and big pool and bar area. There was also a night bar in the lobby. It also had a chateau section for families that looked like mini apartments with fabulous landscaping. The shower in the rooms was better than mine at home. It was steaming hot water with a lot of force. It felt amazing! Nearly two months have gone by and I’m still dreaming about that shower. And the best part, good WiFi. I was able to post pics onto Instagram and talk to my family with ease. It was a very pleasant experience and I wished I could’ve stay in that hotel a couple of nights. I loved it and the staff was very friendly and accommodating.
Here some tips for selecting hotels in Ghana:
- Make sure the rooms have a lot of outlets because you’ll need those to charge your devices
- Check if the hotel has a restaurant or restaurants nearby. This is very helpful. The tours end around dinner time and you’ll want to go back to your hotel to eat. If you’re planning on solely using wifi to operate your cell phone, you won’t want to catch a taxi to get a bite to eat because if something goes wrong, you won’t have cell phone access.
- Pay attention to the hotels’ showers. Some hotels in Ghana only had a handheld shower head instead of an over head one, which in my opinion made it difficult to have a good shower.
- Pay attention to whether reviews say the hotel has good wifi. This is essential. One of the five hotels I stayed in didn’t have good wifi so I was disconnected for a few days.
- Get hotels with free breakfasts. That will keep you energized throughout the day.
- Check Air Bnb. I met some girls who were there and they said they fell in love with their Air BnB and had a lovely time chatting with the host. This will allow you to rent a room and get to know Ghananians.
Some of the other hotels I stayed in were the Coconut Grove Beach Resort, Mahogany Lodge, Olma Colonial Suites, and the Asantewaa Premier Guest House.
Coconut Grove Beach Resort
The Coconut Grove Beach Resort in Elmina also had its regular rooms which were nice. But for $135 a night, the wifi was pretty slow and kept cutting out. I did enjoy its overhead showers which appeared to be new. The resort is on the beach and that was the best part. Also, the hotel had a pool and bar area and restaurant. It’s probably one of the most popular hotels in the region. Since I live in Florida and can see the beach anytime, for the price, my preference was the Ridge Royal in that region of the country.
Both the Coconut Grove Beach Resort and the Ridge Royal are fairly close to the slave castles in Cape Coast and Elmina.
Accra hotels
In Accra, I stayed at Mahogany Lodge the first night and Olma Colonial Suites my last three nights. Both had pools and were nice. Olma was in a better location but Mahogany had a restaurant which served the best breakfast and also had good food. Olma didn’t have a restaurant but the workers ordered food for you and picked it up. The room also included a free breakfast which was delivered to the room in the morning.
I’d say I liked Olma Colonial Suites slightly more. When I arrived, my WiFi wasn’t working. My tour guide Isaac made them buy a router just for my room. Then my WiFi worked great ! Great customer service all around.
Kumasi hotel
In Kumasi, I decided to stay in a cheaper hotel. I chose the Asantewaa Premier Guest House. It was less than $100 for two nights so it was good for the price . It had a restaurant and the food was good. My only complaint would be not enough outlets in the room and the lack of an overhead shower. The wifi worked well though.
When staying in the hotels, you’ll want to bring a convertor that works for UK outlets. Also I brought my own pillow case, soap, and washcloths. You will not find wash cloths in most hotels. I also bought bottled water and used it for washing my face and brushing my teeth as a precaution.
Overall, the hotels were secure with security guards. I felt safe. I took my expensive belongings with me during the day but none of my other items went missing. The hotels were clean and a pleasant experience. I had better service there than I did in some hotels in the United States.
If you’ve been to Ghana, share below your favorite hotels and tips?
