Ghana

For short term rentals such as a couple of weeks to couple of months, there are several reasonable places depending on your budget:

$600/month or $200/week - a furnished 2 bedroom, 2 bath in Dzorwulu
$1200/month - Hisbiscus hotel in Abelemkpe for a 2 bedroom apartment

I am renting a 4 bedroom house 2 bath with 2 bedroom fully self contained servant's quarters for $575/month - paid 6 months up front and quarterly thereafter in Dzorwulu so reasonable rents are available - just have to be patient and look !

As for transportation, car rentals here is ridiculously expensive ($65/day or more) and most places that will rent you a car will demand that you rent their driver as well. What I did when I first came here is rent a car for $100/week from someone I knew. Private car rentals are by far a cheaper way to go. The problem with taxis here is you have to negotiate all the time and unless you know what the going rate is from point A to point B, you'll pay too much. If you're staying for a couple of months, it's almost worthwhile to buy a cheap car when you get here and sell it before you leave (which is what a German friend of mine used to do).

As for cash, you can always use a Visa card to get cash advance at the Barclays's Bank in Accra Central.

As for girls, pretty much EVERYONE who is not married (even some married ones) is available to an Obroni (non-black person) - however, I stand by my previous comment that there is no such thing as a freebie here in Ghana. The minimum you have to giveup is "transport" money of at least 100,000 Cedis but as MichaelTheOne says :

[QUOTE=MichaelTheOne] "what is 100,000 cedis to us, but a mere USD 10! Later you exchange numbers, and include her in your list of "fuck-on-call".
[/QUOTE]

All in all, Ghana is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live here - hey wait a minute - I do live here ! Thank God I'm going back to China in a few weeks for a holiday !

GC

Thanks very much you have been extemly helpful.

I was getting the impression that I had to be paying USD$100 to $200 per day to stay there and that is a bit crazy unless you have to do business there or are just over loaded with money. LOL.

Thanks again.

[QUOTE=Global Citizen]For short term rentals such as a couple of weeks to couple of months, there are several reasonable places depending on your budget:

$600/month or $200/week - a furnished 2 bedroom, 2 bath in Dzorwulu
$1200/month - Hisbiscus hotel in Abelemkpe for a 2 bedroom apartment

I am renting a 4 bedroom house 2 bath with 2 bedroom fully self contained servant's quarters for $575/month - paid 6 months up front and quarterly thereafter in Dzorwulu so reasonable rents are available - just have to be patient and look !

As for transportation, car rentals here is ridiculously expensive ($65/day or more) and most places that will rent you a car will demand that you rent their driver as well. What I did when I first came here is rent a car for $100/week from someone I knew. Private car rentals are by far a cheaper way to go. The problem with taxis here is you have to negotiate all the time and unless you know what the going rate is from point A to point B, you'll pay too much. If you're staying for a couple of months, it's almost worthwhile to buy a cheap car when you get here and sell it before you leave (which is what a German friend of mine used to do).

As for cash, you can always use a Visa card to get cash advance at the Barclays's Bank in Accra Central.

As for girls, pretty much EVERYONE who is not married (even some married ones) is available to an Obroni (non-black person) - however, I stand by my previous comment that there is no such thing as a freebie here in Ghana. The minimum you have to giveup is "transport" money of at least 100,000 Cedis but as MichaelTheOne says :



All in all, Ghana is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live here - hey wait a minute - I do live here ! Thank God I'm going back to China in a few weeks for a holiday !

GC[/QUOTE]

Hey there,

My "Accra or Dublin" post had a double-meaning; first of all surprise at the price, but also at the term "double-storey bungalow" - after all, the definition of a "bungalow" is that it only has one storey, right, hence the Irish connotation :-)

Anyway, shocking "humour" aside, yes, Blastoff is right about the vast expat/local price disparity. Most "first-world" style hotels are $100+, but if you stay in a "guest house", you'll probably pay about $5-10. They actually aren't too bad - I stayed at one right next to the Trust Tower for a couple of nights, and it seemed perfectly safe, and basic but not dirty (they had a daily cleaner). There were a couple of other obroni who stayed here while I was there. I brought back a different chick each night and that was no problem with the owners. The first girl was fine, but the second was a snotty ***** who turned her nose up and seemed to think I should be staying at the Accra Ritz. She was also a psycho who was scared of the dark and nicked £80 from my wallet, but that's another story (which I think I posted earlier).

As for withdrawing money, Visa is the only card which is accepted: I'm from the UK, and I can usually withdraw money from various places (Brazil, Dubai, etc) with my HSBC Switch Debit card. However, this didn't work in Ghana, and I don't think they even have HSBC in the country. So yeah, the simplest thing is just to bring money and take care of it.

Transportation - I found taxis to be perfectly adequate and very cheap. I stayed at the Paloma Hotel most of the time (the place where Champs Sports Bar is found) and a taxi from there to the Aviation Centre next to the airport, which is a fair hike, cost me about £1 or so. Don't pay any more than that - it's a buyer's market (there are loads of taxis).

BTW about Champs Sports Bar, do any of you regulars or guys who live in Accra frequent it? It's the kind of place I would live in if I were there - loads of big-screen TVs showing every live sport under the sun; great Tex-Mex style food; regular movie-nights; and lots of sexy girls, particularly on the karoake night, which I think is a Friday. Actually, Paloma wasn't a bad place at all - fairly reasonably priced (though my group got a corporate rate), with everything on site (food, entertainment, girls) and lots of taxis waiting outside. Too bad I was surrounded by colleagues the whole time!

Apparently the guy who owns and runs Paloma is an American or Canadian: he's a white guy and I saw him around once, but it was during a very busy time. I meant to ask him about the place - how he got it, what it cost, whether he has some kind of special dispensation from someone in government (in many countries foreigners aren't allowed to own businesses or property), etc. Did he start it from scratch, even build it himself? Is it profitable?

Does anyone here know the place, and the owner? I'd be very interested to know more about the potential to start a place like that (or buy one) in Accra. I imagine it would be a pretty good life.

[QUOTE=Chris P]Hey there,

but if you stay in a "guest house", you'll probably pay about $5-10. They actually aren't too bad - I stayed at one right next to the Trust Tower for a couple of nights, and it seemed perfectly safe, and basic but not dirty (they had a daily cleaner). There were a couple of other obroni who stayed here while I was there. I brought back a different chick each night and that was no problem with the owners.

[/QUOTE]Impressive!

How did you even hear of such a place that is reasonably fit for obroni's at those prices?

That is amazing news for those travelling on a budget. Many people won't even consider Africa just because of the huge accommodation costs. This is great to know even though I can afford to stay in hotels there and have stayed in many more expensive again in Europe etc, it becomes a matter of principle for me not to pay that in a 3rd world country.

Hi Blastoff,

I actually found out by asking a taxi driver. He showed me a couple of places: one of them, called the Kokomlemle Guest House, was a real shit-hole, and looked like it was in a dodgy area too. The driver told me that obroni sometimes stayed there, but I didn't fancy it (it was VERY cheap, like $3/night I think). The one I settled on was in a quieter area, right next to the huge Trust Towers: it was also set within its own compound, which was locked up at night, so I wasn't too worried about safety. The people running it were friendly and straightforward - when I arrived late with a girl, I just knocked on the gate and they came out and opened it when they saw it was me, and didn't even question the girl.

The place is fairly basic as I said - like a hostel in Europe maybe. But each room has a TV and a fridge, and it isn't dirty, so it's fine for a budget traveller. And certainly it's a hell of a lot better value than a $100+ place. I really only slept and shagged there - after waking up late and having some morning fun, I got rid of the girl, had some breakfast, took a taxi to the aviation centre gym, then to Champs for some live sport and steak, followed by either sticking around at Champs in the evening to watch a movie or enjoy the karaoke, or taking a taxi to Jokers/Macumba/Aquarius to check out the booty, before finally retiring back to the guest house with my chosen bubblebutt. Nice!

Chris P said

"My "Accra or Dublin" post had a double-meaning; first of all surprise at the price, but also at the term "double-storey bungalow" - after all, the definition of a "bungalow" is that it only has one storey, right, hence the Irish connotation :-)"

LOL..you're right...blame it on "ghana speak".

BTW, I am all for you opening another sports bar like 'Champs". Have you been to Ryan's? I notice that different places attract different kind of obroni crowd. e.g.

Ryans: mostly UN/Embassy obroni crowd, 30s yrs+...lotsa 4WDs/CD number plates
Champs: NGOs/short term obronis, 25-30 yrs
Moonsoon: Flashy/biz type obronis
Tantra: Flashy/RICH/dance crowd/party till you drop kinda obronis.
Macumbah: newbie obroni...first port of call for all just landed obroni
Damba Lounge,Golden Tulip: Oldies/family type/biz.

I prefer Saturday nite at Champs though..that's when they have a band playing. Also, fewer people. I get to sit and enjoy my tex-,ex food properly. LOL.

[QUOTE=Chris P]
Apparently the guy who owns and runs Paloma is an American or Canadian: he's a white guy and I saw him around once, but it was during a very busy time. I meant to ask him about the place - how he got it, what it cost, whether he has some kind of special dispensation from someone in government (in many countries foreigners aren't allowed to own businesses or property), etc. Did he start it from scratch, even build it himself? Is it profitable?

Does anyone here know the place, and the owner? I'd be very interested to know more about the potential to start a place like that (or buy one) in Accra. I imagine it would be a pretty good life.[/QUOTE]

The owner of Champs Sports Bar is Patrick and he is Canadian. He's a cool guy and very approachable. He's been there for 10 years and he owns Champs and not Paloma. Paloma Hotel is owned by a bunch of Lebanese people (as with most places that's been around for a while)

As for the cost of setting up a business and stufff here in Ghana, PM me and I'll fill you in on all the gory details.

GC

[QUOTE=MichaelTheOne]
Ryans: mostly UN/Embassy obroni crowd, 30s yrs+...lotsa 4WDs/CD number plates
Champs: NGOs/short term obronis, 25-30 yrs
Moonsoon: Flashy/biz type obronis
Tantra: Flashy/RICH/dance crowd/party till you drop kinda obronis.
Macumbah: newbie obroni...first port of call for all just landed obroni
Damba Lounge,Golden Tulip: Oldies/family type/biz.
[/QUOTE]

You called it dead on for the above !

Where is Tantras ? never been there nor heard of it.. My hang-out is Monsoon's (I'm the guy who is drinking the bottle of Johnny Black with my friends)

GC

There is much info here for Accra but can anyone share some experiences in places outside of Accra, such as Kumasi or Cape Coast or any of the smaller towns up country? How easy is it to hook up with the girls? I guess not so difficult but any info available before I trek off into the unknown would be welcome.

Location: Same compound as the chinese restaurent " Sisters of the East" in Osu. Go down from Koala, towards Woodin. Its one of the lane on your left. Find the signage for the chinese restaurent.

Tantra is owned by the the Indian bloke who owns Top in Town supermarket.

for the perfect evening out: try.

Monsoon: Has got to be one of the better Western Style restaurents in town. Perfect set up for post dinner drinks. Also has got excellent veranda for drinking under the moonlight. Has anyone tried the new Sushi bar?

Other excellent restaurents are: La Chamiere, Tarverna Tropica. For another excellent evening out. Try Jazz Optimist (ex-Baseline).

Golden Tulip is just sad and pathetic. Pure RIP OFF!

Sorry bro,

Most guys I know try not to stray out of Accra, for obvious reasons. They usually pick a lady and head out to either Ada or Akosombo for a weekend "fuckfest". They may also consider Elmina. These place have excellent (by Ghana standards) hotels.

Pick your prey, pick the booze, leave on Friday afternoon, fuck till you run dry, return on Sunday evening. Monday, back to the grind. LOL.

Tried to go to Monsoon last night and found that it was closed as the owner went on holidays. It will re-open on September 5. Now where the heck am I gonna go for my wiskey ???

The Sushi bar in Monsoon is quite good even though the sushi chef is Chinese - I've had it there several times. Often you'll see Japanese people eating in there.

Will try Tantra's.

GC

It's been five years since my last trip to Kumasi, but it was pretty much of a hole when I was there, and I doubt that much has changed. What can you expect from a town whose biggest industry is funerals? There are a couiple of discos, and the women are easy, but the hotels and restaurants pretty much suck. The trip from Accra is long and uncomfortable, over rutted and dangerous road, and there's nothing at the end of the journey to make it worthwhile.

I was there last year, and intend to revisit soon. The STC Express bus to Kamasi is reasonably fast, very cheap and has AC. It's safer than any other ground transport available in Ghana. The bus makes one short stop en-route for bladder relief. Take water and buy more at the stop. Transit time is about 5 hours.

For people in a hurry, Citylink runs two flights a day to Kamasi in small commuter aircraft. 20 kilo bag limit. I believe the price is about 100 usd round trip.

If you like to mix a bit of cultural sightseeing with your mongering, Kamasi has about a day or so of things to see versus nothing in Accra. The town may be slightly less secure than Accra. It has a distinct hot season, very hot, and you will do yourself a favor to avoid it.

There are a vast number of hotel rooms available considering the size of the town and the limited number of visitors. The unimaginative or desperate monger should be able to find a connection at Ryan's Irish pub, most nights. It is co-located with Rose's Guesthouse. The whole town has possibilities and
the non or semi pro ladies should not be difficult to find.

Have any of you guys travelled with Air Afrique. An agency in London is quoting fares of approximately £380 return from London to Accra via Tripoli. This is a lot cheaper than KLM or others which are charging approx £550.

I have tried looking them up but all I can find on the internet is that they went bust a few years ago but they must have started again. Any info would be appreciated.