Hans Cottage Botel!

On the weekend that we went West to Cape Coast and beyond, we stayed overnight at the Hans Cottage Botel, a rather excellent little spread that is nestled inland, in the bush between Kakum National Park and the coast. We originally discovered it on our own, only to discover that it was featured in "the book" (Bradt's Ghana) all along. I'm not sure why we resist as the guide has yet to fail us. As you can see by the pictures above and below, the highlight of the "botel" was the fact that the restaurant, bar and gift shop were on stilts in a swamp inhabited by several Nile crocodiles!

The restaurant area was walled in, but the walkway railings were just open enough to allow for a Finn-sized morsel to hop into the water to "play" with the crocodiles (Finn utters a throaty "oooohhhhh" right about now). The parents were definitely on high alert and we resisted the photo-opportunity that presented itself as Cohen begged us to let him touch the crocodile's tail as it sunned on the shore. A number of tourists did this and I had clear images of When Animals Attack and Faces of Death, as will those of you have seen either of these programs will. Feel free to use your imagination to picture Cohen touching the tail, as we (in a rare moment of parenting wisdom) exercised our judgement. Needless to say, we are still enjoying Cohen's company to this very day!

At this time of year, the resort was all but empty--aside from the one tour bus that came and went--so we had the run of it. The above peeing statue was almost as big a hit as the crocodiles and it is also symbolic of every road trip we've taken as the men (and sometimes the women) let it fly whenever the urge takes them. Carmilla and I politely avert our eyes and say nothing while Brontë giggles with mischief!

There are many levels of accommodation, but we (out of necessity) opted for one of the chalets, conveniently and comfortably distant from the crocodiles. The chalet was actually a massive two bedroom house, with a full kitchen, dining room and living room. A bit of bug spray, a tangle with a rather terrifying looking spider, and a lizard chased out with a broom, and we were ready to move in! It was pretty reasonably priced (160 Ghana Cedis) as it included breakfast for all, use of the pool, and a room for Douglas, our trusted driver. The pool was pretty fantastic and exactly what we needed. It was surrounded by a kiddie wading pool that went a good long way to keeping everyone amused and cool. The kids even taught Douglas to pencil swim. We joked that we are turning Douglas, son of farmers, into a man of the sea. The resort has managed to be eco-friendly as it is embedded in a habitat rich with wildlife, including dozens of birds, and even monkeys (though we didn't catch a glimpse). There are trails that weave in and out of the bush and on the weekends, there is entertainment. We ate Fan ice cream and danced to highlife music after supper, and the kids were thrilled. Carmilla and I seem to have replaced coffee with Star beer...not sure that this is a good thing!

The botel is about two hours from the city, so we won't likely come back here very often. This is one of the major advantages of being along a coast littered with resorts as we can dash away for one night of bliss whenever the city starts to get the better of us. We are currently looking for a city resort where we can use the pool, access the beach, and have a little something to eat, without the overnight charge or two hour drive. The day-user fee is usually 5 Cedis for adults and less for children, so we'll let you know when we find one.