Everyone my age bracket remembers the 90s ad where the guy with the microphone tries to get people to say the resort’s name three times fast with hilarious consequences.
Back in 2004 my cousin Peter, his then girlfriend and a few other friends went for a picnic at the resort. I was unable to follow even though I badly wanted to. When they got back though they told me I hadn’t missed much. Apparently, my cousin ‘Sir P’ who is well known for his temper had gotten into a shouting match with some members of staff. The experience was a bad one all around and cooled my curiosity about the resort.
Thank goodness for second chances; as finally this December work took me to La Campagne Tropicana and it is for all intents and purposes still a popular holiday spot. Located in the Ibeju –Lekki part of Lagos its beaches and plant life still looked untouched. All which made it the ideal setting for HotelNowNow’s next Television Commercial starring a real life HNN client and friend; Mofe Duncan.
The crew, Mofe and I gathered early that Saturday morning at a popular restaurant before VGC. None of us had ever been there before so we had no idea what to expect. After driving for nearly 3 hours we arrived at the resort. Shortly after a pair of Coaster buses drove in, bringing revelers who, from the way they carried themselves were clearly employees on a company sponsored retreat.
The welcome building was built to resemble a traditional hut even some of the furnishing was retro. The ladies behind the front desk paid their respects to us in traditional fashion and we signed in. Inside the premises we were met by the GM a Mr. Ayo Solomon who was very pleasant and welcoming. We had spoken on the phone the previous day and he simply handed us over to a subordinate with instructions to provide whatever we needed.
As we set up for the first scene of the shoot, I saw people of all ages playing and having a good time, games of all kinds like beach volleyball, sack races, tug of war, soccer etc. went on all around me. I was working but it didn’t quite feel like work. Music was blaring from different DJs across the beach. The resort is a favorite for many churches and companies for retreats. Many couples, groups of friends and families also gathered to make a day of it.
We were planning a few indoor shots as well so the staff showed us a few empty rooms in buildings built to resemble traditional huts on the outside. Each residential building was called Obieze which I think is Ibo even though the resort’s overall design and the staff’s attire was Yoruba. I think the management has made allowances for representing other indigenous Nigerian tribes. The building came with 3 or more rooms, one master bedroom, one spare and one room with a bunk bed for the kids; Spartan furnishing – all Afrocentric in design, it doesn’t feel so old because it was never designed to look modern.
There was a living room, a massage bed by the door, dining table, fridge and bar (which gets stocked on request).The only awkward thing is the steam boxes/shower stalls were a bit bigger than the bathroom making that space a little cramped.
Despite all this to really get the La Campagne experience; as one guest put it, you have to spend couple of days to spend the weekend imbibe the cultural essence. I will need to go back for a longer stay to properly ascertain this fact, but I bet I’ll have a blast in the process. The experiences of my cousin and his friends seemed to be at a time when a few bad eggs were employed at the resort. All the staff I encountered were eager to please and very respectful.
After 4 hours and a half hours we were done and called it a wrap. A few people had recognized Mofe and asked to take selfies with him before we left. I used that opportunity to get more feedback from other people about the resort. The general consensus seemed to be it was pretty far, still well-kept and perfect for honeymooners, departmental holidays, and excursions for little kids and out of town tourists.
Personally, I liked the ambience, pristine beaches, swaying palm trees and well placed food stands. I have decided that as soon as I can put a group together, we’ll spend a long weekend at La Campagne Tropicana Resort and as long as you don’t mind the distance you can join me and book now.
