You need to understand there is no ‘science’ to how I pay for my trips and hotel stays. I work six days a week but get paid like clockwork on the last day of every month. Based on this I am able to figure out my monthly expenses on utilities, feeding and the odd miscellaneous spending on flu medicine. Once I have that sorted and the date of leave has been approved I begin saving a fixed sum religiously. It’s nothing just a bit of self-discipline and in no time you too can ‘Live It Up’.
PRESTIGE SUITES & APARTMENTS was the second on my list of three affordable Ibadan based hotels based on HotelNowNow’s discounts and my budget. I arrived at the premises around 6pm on a week day, so most of the service apartments were unoccupied.
I was greeted by the admin manager and the IT guy both of who were very friendly and explained how the place operates. Prestige Apartments has 6 Apartments and a total of 14 rooms. Classified into Diamond and Gold Apartments; the Diamond has a total of two 3 bedroom apartments and one 2 bedroom apartment. The Gold apartments also had two 3 bedroom, and one 2 bedroom apartment.
Thanks to the helpful online concierge on HotelNowNow I got the best deal for my budget, one room in a Gold 2 bedroom apartment that went for a song. I spoke to JD the IT guy who confirmed that Wi-Fi and cable TV was available in each apartment. All apartments had a dining area and a living room. The Prestige is situated well into a quiet residential area with constantly monitored street gates. According to JD, “People need some where serene and quiet! We give them that.” He said they like to think they provide that ‘home away from home feel’.
I wanted to see for myself so they showed me around a few empty apartments. Each apartment had a kitchen equipped with a microwave oven and a refrigerator but no cooker. Understandably all cooking happens in a central kitchen on the ground floor by the chef Marcel. A pleasant enough fellow who said he could prepare anything I wanted with ample notice. For dinner I asked for fried rice and chicken and it was excellent. If I had pre-ordered they could have stocked my fridge with all the drinks I would need during my stay. Also available on pre-order to guests were things like barbers, hairdresser, masseuse, manicure/ pedicure experts and a 24 hour cab service.
To my dismay there were no visible smoke detectors and fire extinguishers although JD assured me they had a few. I suggested the inclusion of a gym and bar and he told me there were plans already underway to install them. That was months ago and they have since added a fully stocked bar to the premises. The Prestige Suites and Apartments is approximately an hour away from Ibadan airport without traffic. There are two silent cabin generators for power and an inverter for long term lodgers. In house cleaners, a security team and a nice high wall with razor wire to keep out the unwanted elements.
I didn’t have many questions left so JD gave me their Wi-Fi password and called it a night. With no one to chat with I had no choice but to turn in early too. I spent most of the night chatting online and streaming videos on YouTube.
If you enjoy quiet getaways with the comforts of home, this place is for you. As for me, I left shortly after breakfast the next day. So far so good, my mini vacation in Ibadan was going really well. I had one more hotel booking plus 10 days of leave left and I intended to spend at least one week with family in Lagos.
