I am not certain sure when I first saw the sign for the resort but it is on a road most transporters use to connect to Ijebu Ode en route to Ibadan and the East. Opposite the Lagos State Driving Institute, the Epe Resort opened back in 2013. It is tranquil, expansive and super secure; surrounded by high fences topped by barb wire, floodlights and CCTV cameras.
I chose the last Eid holiday to spend a day at the resort and my travel companion Desmond was excited (here was a golden opportunity to check out the resort before taking his family on a later date). Traffic was light so we arrived around 1.28pm. Check in was easy as the room had already been reserved online. There are 39 rooms in total split between 3 categories – the Superior Garden Room, Deluxe Garden Room and Luxury Garden Room. The rooms are housed in several chalets along one side of the property. Each chalet has parking out front, a paved walkway, fire extinguishers, bay windows and depending on the category: patio furniture (a great place to share breakfast with a loved one).
Ours was the Deluxe Garden room, it was comfortable and had a writing desk by the bay window which had class wooden shutters, free 24 hour Wi-Fi, the bed was so big four people could lay in it side by side, the wall mounted flat screen TV had clear preprogrammed cable stations and there was a safety deposit box in the wardrobe valuables. The shower had lots of hot water, a hair dryer and a pair of fluffy clean towels. I had skipped breakfast and was feeling famished. To start of Desmond made himself a cup of tea from the set on the writing desk. I had a coffee and suggested a quick site seeing foray into Epe town.
Seeing as it was a public holiday most places of business were closed. We made a quick stop at one of several ATMs and then found a local canteen where we had lunch. There was some road work being done on the road into town so lots of dust was being kicked up by passing traffic. Pretty soon we were at the hotel and saw some guests sat poolside. We changed and ordered drinks by the pool too, the number of people soon doubled. Mostly families enjoying the brief holiday, I even saw a couple who own a business in the same building as my office. Pretty soon we were mixing, playing lawn tennis, basketball, football and table tennis. I guess no one wanted to try out volleyball that day but if you have children in tow they will definitely have fun. There’s also a swing set and slide for the toddlers.
When it got dark everyone retreated to their rooms and the next time I saw them was at dinner. For some reason I didn’t clarify the Wi-Fi signal was pretty weak in the restaurant. I guess it’s a tactic to make you focus on your meal. Speaking of which, I had Jollof with Peppered chicken while Desmond had the Semovita with Vegetable Soup and Beef for dinner. Our nearly empty plates and runny noses showed how good and spicy the food was.
Back in the room the AC was ice cold and pretty soon I was passed out, my first goodnight’s sleep in a long while. Desmond was online almost through the night which is why when I woke him up the next day he was grumpy. The complimentary Breakfast is buffet style and we all had our fill of either English or Nigerian cuisine with fresh fruit for dessert. Then it was time for a quick shower before the 11am checkout time.
Fully rested I started making notes for my review from the car; it was all very good remarks except for the slight feeling of disappointment that the resort’s spa was temporarily closed and that the gym was still under construction. It didn’t diminish the fact that we enjoyed our stay and Desmond would be returning with his family for a well-deserved holiday weekend. The ambience and privacy makes Epe Resort a wonderful romantic getaway for couples. It’s okay to take the kids because of the various outdoor distractions. For the business travelers there is a boardroom that seats 15 people and the conference room which had been under use during our stay which seats 60 people – perfect for the out of the way training seminars that some large companies favor.
The journey back was much shorter for some inexplicable reason.
Don’t waste another minute, click here to book the Epe Resort it really is closer than you think.
