Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Cheap Hotels in Lekki You Should Have on Your Radar


Lekki is considered an expensive part of Lagos. And that isn’t an entirely wrong notion. With prime real estate worth millions of naira in the area, every other thing from pubs and restaurants, to dry cleaning and day care for kids could be considered a bit on the high side. Especially in comparison with the rates and prices in other parts of Lagos. But despite being known for being the domain of the rich and wealthy, hotels in Lekki are well priced and there are a good number of luxury hotels, offering an amazing range of services, whose prices and room rates are still very affordable.
I’d take you through a run of 10 of these hotels very quickly. If you are on business in the area and in need of accommodation in Lekki, these hotels are great to spend time in, not too pricey and with good facilities. These prices are as seen on hotel booking site in Lagos, Jumia Travel.



Limeridge Hotel
Plot 10, Chevron Drive, Lekki, Chevron Drive, Lagos.
Price: N13,000
Amenities: Air Conditioning. Pick and Drop. Room Service. Restaurant, Bar and Lounge.

Noah's Ark Hotel & Suites
Plot 14, Lai Yusuf Crescent, off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
Price: N12,000
Amenities: Internet. Air Conditioning. Swimming Pool. Room Service. Restaurant, Bar and Lounge.

Pelican Hotel Lekki
By Chevron Round about, Chevy View Estate, Lekki, Lagos.
Price: N10,400
Amenities: Internet. Air Conditioning. Pick and Drop. Restaurant, Bar and Lounge.

Axor Suites Hotel
16/17, Olugborogun Street, Beside Conservation Centre, Second Toll Gate, Off Lekki Express Way, Lekki.
Price: N11,000
Amenities: Air Conditioning. Swimming Pool. Restaurant, Bar and Lounge.

Zasarii Hotel
13, Cornlius Odunjor Crecent, behind Union Bank, Chevy Estate, Off Chevron Drive, Lekki.
Price: N13,500
Amenities: Air Conditioning. Internet. Swimming Pool. Restaurant, Bar and Lounge. Room Service.

Topaz Lodge
9 Ichie Chris Onyekwuluje, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
Price: N14,400
Amenities: Internet. Air Conditioning. Room Service. Pick and Drop. Restaurant, Bar and Lounge.

Lekki Heights Hotel
1 General Ogomudia Boulevard, Off Babatunde Ajose, Off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
Price: N13,500
Amenities: Air Conditioning. Swimming Pool. Internet. Room Service. Pick and Drop. Restaurant, Bar and Lounge.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Ideas on Traveling on a Budget

If you are tired of the hustle and bustle of Lagos, traveling could do you some good. It would give you a great deal of time to relax without having to think of work, family pressures, bills, traffic, noise pollution and all the factors that make Lagos one big place of constant cacophony.
But where do I travel to?

I don’t even have the money. I know that’s what you are thinking.

But you do not need so much to travel these days, all you need is to figure out where to go and a solid plan and budget to work with.Moremi Statue shot by Mosimi of EatTechTravel

So how do you figure out where to go?
First, think of friends that you have outside Lagos. They could be serving, in school, starting life or a business outside Lagos. From Akure to Lokoja, to Jos, Enugu, and Bayelsa. Wherever these friends and family may be, your travel destination is already sorted.
Secondly, talk to them about your visit. Tell them of your intentions to come over and rest, maybe also to complete your book of poetry or read the hardcovers you bought at Ake Festival last year, or to just change your environment, eat and sleep without waking up to alarms at 5am, suggest also that they pay for one leg of your trip. What are friends for? You would be surprised that they would agree to it. If not in whole at least in part.
Now that you have had one leg of your trip paid for, you have reduced expenses on your travel which is great right? By road, most places in Nigeria can be reached with under N10,000 by bus. By flight, however, between N20,000 and N50,000. More expensive if you are doing major cities like Abuja to Calabar or Abuja to Port Harcourt, or Lagos to Abuja. If you are doing this destination, I don’t get, go to the inner states, and leave the major cities out of your travel that’s where the real experience is.
A third note to consider when traveling on a budget is to eat home meals. Food is ridiculously cheap outside of the major cities and you would do well to avoid big restaurants and eateries while there. Do home cooked meals unless you made a hotel reservation, but even with that don’t do room service. Find one of the cheaper restaurants, where the regular folks go to and get yourself a good meal.
While on your vacation, do not give in to the temptation to always be on the internet. You might find yourself buying another SIM card to switch to a stronger network reception in your new area, inevitably buying more data and perhaps fuel for the generator when your devices are out of juice. If it goes out of juice, let it stay out of juice until power is restored. Sleep or go out and enjoy the sights of your new environment. Interact with nature and speak to the locals. It’s a better experience than pressing your phone like you do every other time.
Also, if you traveled during leave, come back a couple of days early so that you might get yourself back into the rhythm of work. You may need to clean up the house, do laundry or your trip back may have one or two unintended delays.


Thursday, April 13, 2017

Things to do for fun this Easter


Easter is a period of fun and relaxation for many. Either as a group of family or friends, as a couple or even solo. In case you’ve been wondering what to do for fun this Easter, here is a list of places you can visit and get good value for your money. Before I go on to the list, I’d just like to say that you can get amazing discounts on hotel reservation from the guys at Jumia Travel. Hotels in Lagos and other frequently visited regions like the east and Abuja have awesome deals on this platform. If your fun Easter weekend includes getting a hotel reservation, don’t hesitate to go book your room.
So here is what to do for fun this Easter weekend.



HI Impact Planet
I know. Don’t say it. It is not in Lagos. It’s on the outskirts really, but Hi Impact Planet in Ibafo is an amazing place to spend Easter especially with the family and if you have kids. HI Impact has lots of games, rides, and wheels. Go Karting, bowling, video games. It is an amazing place to be in. It also has restaurants and a lodging facility which makes it even great. So if you lose track of time and end up overstaying, no problem, just book a room for the night.
Boat Cruise to Takwa Bay
The guys at Quiloz Adventures put together this amazing boat cruise to Takwa Bay which you can make at as low as N3,500. Lots of fun activities are promised on the ride and at the bay, includes football, a game of volleyball, sack race, tug of war…no, there is no eating competition so better eat before you come.
Socialiga 2.0
The second season of this amateur football league in Lagos kicks off this weekend and it promises to be a fun and exciting event. There is football, as 10 teams begin the campaign, eyes on the cup title, as well as music, games, a photo booth, food, drinks and generally an exciting time with family and friends. At only N1,000 per head for entry it is a pretty good deal on how to spend your Easter Saturday.
Fela! The Musical
Prepare yourself for a riveting performance that presents Fela, the music legend, the enigma and the social activist in a way you have never seen before. Relive Fela’s tunes, his powerful message once again in this Broadway musical brought to Lagos to celebrate the state's Golden Jubilee. The event holds at Eko Hotel and Suites. A splendid Boat Regatta is also going to hold on the waters of the lagoon so you would want to look out for that.




Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Traveling by Road in Nigeria: These Safety Tips Could Help


Road transport is the most common form of transportation in Nigeria, it is cheaper than air travel, and rail transport is all shades of messy. Bus parks are extremely popular. Especially in city centers like Lagos. From Ojota to Yaba/Jibowu to Oshodi and Iyana-Ipaja, there are inter-state bus parks. If you are not driving yourself, across states, and across rivers, these safety tips might be great for you to adhere to.



If possible do not travel at Night.
A lot of people, especially business travelers find it convenient to travel at night. Road travel in Nigeria, can take an average of 9 hours from point A to point B. Except if you are visiting surrounding states. For this reason, many are avowed to spending an entire day just traveling, and would rather say goodnight Lagos, Good morning Port Harcourt. While this may seem smart, and time saving, it is also risky. Circumstances might leave you stranded in the middle of the night and in the middle of nowhere. If this happens in the day it is easier for you to navigate your way around or to seek for help.

Patronize Big Transport Companies.
Big transport companies like God is Good Motors or ABC Transport take greater safety measures and service delivery process compared to smaller or one man transport companies. Big transport companies install speed limit devices on their vehicles and have monitoring mechanism in place for their drivers and vehicles unlike smaller companies. This means that traveling with bigger, well established companies would guarantee a better road travel experience.

Let your Next of Kin know you are traveling and the contact on manifest should be accurate.
We often fill manifesto forms when we travel, but I have personally seen people fill their own contact numbers instead of their next of kin’s number. The purpose of asking for a next of kin’s number is to have a contact person to reach in case of an emergency. Be safety conscious by filling the correct next of kin details.

Be familiar with stop over motels and hotels on your route.
If you take route regularly, become familiar with places to eat, and motels and hotels that you can stop over in the case of an emergency. This would help you know what direction to head in the case of an emergency where you need a place to stay for the night rather than being entirely at the mercy of locals.

No radio silence.
It is important to be in constant communication with someone when traveling. This could be someone you are heading out to meet, or someone you are just leaving. Once when I traveled a lot I would text the name of every major town we entered to a friend who knew I was traveling. Switching off your phones while on a trip isn’t a smart travel move as far as safety is concerned.

Travel Early.
Also in line with not traveling at night, it’s also necessary to travel early. You would get to your destination early barring a hitch, and if there is one, you would still have more time left to spare, if a bad tire, or traffic jam gets in the way of your average trip time.

Also, don’t tell your Village people when you are traveling. Wink wink.