Marvels in Ghana by thetravelboss.com

I found out that Accra had a mini-golf complex, and the location, almost by accident, but Marvels lives up to it's name - it is the development of complexes like this for Accra's middle & upper class that will cut through the notion of Accra as being a typical African urban sprawl, into something special & cosmopolitan.

Marvels is relatively easy to find - if you are on the new (and deservedly-titled) George W. Bush Motorway heading from Tetteh Quarshie Circle to Achimota Interchange, take the turn into Dzorwulu (left) / Christian Village (right) ramp that is the exit ramp on the right side of the road, but head towards Dzorwulu. Drive around 300m from exiting this interchange, and turn left at the first traffic light onto Forest Avenue. Marvels is around 300m down the road on the right.

Marvels has a neat little air-conditioned snack bar that sells hot dogs, waffles, coffees, and burgers. Don't expect the restaurant from the Waldorf - it is clearly aimed as a place for families & visitors to have a snack that is easy to prepare - but it is quite professional for what it is, and the equal of what you might find at this kind of place in a western country.

Games of golf are 8ghc per game, which is only about $4.50us, which includes putter & ball. The difficulty level of the 18 holes range from relatively easy at first, to challenging, even for a semi-experienced golfer like myself. Even with putting normally being a strength of my game on a regular golf course, I only got one hole-in-one at Marvels in my first game.

Some of the holes include tubes that you have to hit the ball down to get to the hole, a challenging figure 8, bricks & artificial mound constructions, and even gravel-traps. The duration of the game that I enjoyed with my fiancee was just over an hour, then we sat down and had a drink.

This is all set in a lovely garden with a water feature, and visitors who are resting or not playing can sit on a sheltered patio by the building and enjoy a drink. The main building also has a couple of hi-def TVs with DSTV to watch while you chill out before or after a game.

Marvels also does functions, as the day before we went, they held a birthday party, so it's a great place to consider for that kind of thing if you are in Accra.

Coco Beach in Ghana by thtravelboss.com

It's been called the quintessential beach town, and Cocoa Beach, an hour's drive east of Orlando on Florida's beautiful Space Coast, offers endless ways to enjoy recreation and leisure. Whether you are planning a family beach vacation, leisure travel, a business trip, a weekend getaway, or just a day at the beach, you'll find everything you need in Cocoa Beach and the Space Coast area to make your stay one to remember.

One of the more affordable vacation spots in all of Florida, there is never a lack of exciting things to do and see in and around Cocoa Beach. Besides offering the best of "sun and fun" at the beach, while on the Space Coast you can do some awesome deep sea fishing or take an extrordinary eco-tour adventure on a kayak tour or airboat ride to get up close and personal with Florida's awesome wildlife.

You can visit area attractions like the Kennedy Space Center (may be even see a rocket liftoff into space), explore our area's rich history by doing some sightseeing at our museums and historic sites, or soak up some beach culture while shopping for some fabulous finds. You can enjoy the great outdoors playing a round or two of golf on our spectacular courses, or get wet enjoying the absolute best in wind and watersports. You can even drive just a short distance to all the Orlando attractions, then return to Cocoa Beach to enjoy dinner at one of the many awesome dining spots on the beach, ranging from elegant to sand-in-your-shoes casual. After dark, kick back and enjoy the easy beach-style nightlife activities that run the gamut from cool jazz clubs to beach side cafes. Then stay overnight in the perfect hotel room and wake up to a spectacular sunrise on the beach.

And in addition to being the Closest beach to Orlando, Cocoa Beach is situated just minutes from Florida's fastest growing port - Port Canaveral - where you can embark from our world class cruise terminals aboard affordable cruises to exotic destinations. Disney Cruise Line makes its home in Port Canaveral, as well as Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

So all-in-all, if an affordable beach vacation offering the best of sun and fun is what you're looking for, Cocoa Beach and the Space Coast of Florida is the place to come. 

Labadi Pleasure Beach in Ghana by thetravelboss.com

Located on Nungua Tema road in Accra is this magnificent beach called the Labadi Pleasure Beach. As the name suggests, it offers a lot of pleasure to visitors. U can visit this beautiful beach everyday and you will leave with happy memories. Getting to this beach is not difficult at all; any vehicle from the main city centre, circle, in Accra can take you to the place. U can hire a taxi at a reasonable cost or join a bus. The place is so popular that every driver knows it. The inhabitants of the surburb are Gas and the place is called Labadi or La. The people of La are mostly fishermen; they are also very friendly and welcoming.

The beach has a vast stretch sand land with mini bars mounted at various points on the land. These bars serve both continental and local dishes as well as all kinds of drinks. Pric e of Food ranges from between 10 to 15 Ghana Cedis whiles drinks are between 2 to 10 Ghana Cedis.

Accomodation is no problem as the beach has a lodging place called the Labadi Beach Hotel. Rooms offer visitors the best comfort one can ever have and prices are reasonable.

The beach has a nice programme line-up for visitors. Mondays and Tuesdays are usually quite days where visitors can just come and relax. Activity days are Wednesdays, Fridays and the Weekends (Saturdays and Sundays). There is the famous reggae night on Wednesdays which starts from 6pm. Here visitors are treated to great reggae tunes from local reggae stars till the next morning. It is such a lovely time to spend with friends. On Fridays, there is the Happy Hour which also starts from 6pm. This is usually a time to relax with friends over drinks while soaking in cool music.

The weekends present a lot of activities. Lots of visitors throng the beach on weekends. Apart from swimming, visitors also do horse riding among other activities. To protect swimmers, Life guards are positioned at various points at the beach. They guide swimmers as to where to move to and where not to go. This is done till all swimmers have left the sea.

For those who don't swim, acrobatic displays are done to the admiration of visitors. There are also musicians who come around to play music just to make visitors happy. Speed Boats are also around for those with the interest.

La Palm Casino in Ghana by thetravelboss.com

In December of 2003, KaiRo International opened the La Palm Casino in Accra, Ghana. This prestigious casino is located in the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel and benefits from the group's experiences in Africa.

Rounding off their expertise, KaiRo International has succeeded in opening a casino that will remain the forerunner in Accra. KaiRo International operates to very high standards, using modern equipment and offering clients the best service available through well trained staff. KaiRo represents the total spectrum of investment and development in the gaming and hotel industry.

The company has offices in London and Dar es Salaam with casinos operating in the New Africa Hotel, Dar es Salaam, and Twin Peaks in Arusha and Colony Club in Blantyre, Malawi.

La Palm Casino is tastefully decorated to international standards with comfortable and spacious surroundings. In partnership with Ladbrokes.com, on-line sports betting facilities are provided. Additional facilities include a well stocked bar and the casino offers a comprehensive snack menu to their clients.

This casino offers a memorable evening of entertainment where our clients' needs are well considered and catered to.

    -Games: * Roulette * Poker * Raise 'em Poker * Blackjack * Pontoon *
    -3 American Roulette Tables
    -2 Blackjack Tables
    -Poker Tables
    -Texas "Hold em" Poker
    -54 state of the Art slot machines with additional touch bet screen, station 8 multi roulette machine.
    - Betting on major international sporting events with Ladbrokes
    -The casino opens at 12 noon daily (slots) and the tables open at 6pm and at 4pm on Sundays
    -The casino is only open to persons over 18 years old

The National Theatre of Ghana by thetravelboss.com

The National Theatre is a Semi -commercial and Multifunctional Institution, professionally equipped in order to meet world standards with unique and viable customer-oriented programming in the contemporary and traditional Arts. The Theatre is one of the most famous venues of the world. It hosts some of the renowned international events like Conferences, Seminars, Awards night, Workshops, Artistic Presentations, Receptions, General Meetings, and Parties etc every year, linked to variety of industries.

Major festivals and programmes presented in collaboration with national and international communities and institutions, all of which included workshop for artists, art professionals and teachers in the use of the arts in teaching classroom subjects and entertainment purposes have been created and instituted over the past few years. These will revolutionise the entertainment and educational system once its implementation becomes integrated into the cultural and educational policy. It is expected that this will change the public awareness and behaviour towards the arts.

The Theater proudly boasts of its multifunctional and flexible areas and of its capability to host different kinds of events. Thousands of visitors, organizer and exhibitor gather at the exhibition center to take the advantage of functional and flexible spaces build for them.

The Theatre has computerised all departments in order to strengthen its internal and external operations and linkages.The Theatre employs about 95 people, 10% of whom are paid through the Theatre own resources.The Theatre has an annual operational budget of 1.4 billion cedis. It must be noted that 39% of the National Theatre funding comes from government and 61% from venue rentals, investments, sponsorships and gate proceeds.

Kokrobite Beach in Ghana by thetravelboss.com

The Ghanaian coastline is full of picturesque, palm-lined beaches, thus Pink Hostel has organised a day trip one of these tropical locations, the Kokrobite Beach.

Kokrobite beach lies on the outskirts of Accra and offers a beautiful and serene place to relax and get away from hectic city life. A tour guide will accompany participants to one of the Kokrobite Beach Resorts. The beaches and water are very clean and provide a wonderfully relaxing, tropical experience. Restaurants and local shops on the beach offer a variety of meals and drinks. Besides taking a dip in the ocean, sunbathing on the beach or relaxing in the shade of a coconut palm, it is possible to arrange to go horse riding. Locally constructed stalls that spill onto the beach are an ideal place to purchase souvenirs.

Our garden gate opens onto a long, sandy beach with a rocky promotory to one end, suitable for scrambling over or fishing from. The beach is clean and safe for swimming or surfing, or for just relaxing under a shady thatched umbrella.

Kokrobite is a small, lively fishing village about 25 km west of Accra and one hours drive from Kotoka International Airport. A trip to Accra for visas or shopping takes about 45 minutes.

The village has recently acquired a tarmac road but it stops 1/2 km short of the garden, so we are not disturbed by traffic. Kokrobite village is a clutter of thatched clay huts where cooking and sleeping take place outside. The fishermen work from large dugout canoes which are manually hauled up the beach accompanied by singing. A plentiful supply of fresh fish is always available in our restaurant. 

Aburi Botanical Gardens in Ghana by thetravelboss.com

The beauty and uniqueness of this garden stem from its relatively bracing, relieving Climate and the lushly scenic setting. Its serenity makes it an ideal place for the stressed who wants relief, the writer who wants solitary to write, the thinker for reflections, newly weds for honeymoon, campers, nature lovers, recreationists and sanatorium for the recuperating. It is also an excellent place for picnic activities. Butterfly and bird lovers would love Aburi Gardens for the presence of many species of butterflies and birds that would come so near.Another delight of Aburi Botanic Garden is the blossoming mixture of indigenous and exotic trees of global importance, aesthetics and medicinal properties.

How to get there. It is easy to go by public transport as mini busses or trotros can be boarded at Tema Station in Accra central, or at Odawna station near Kwame Nkrumah Circle, and also at Madina. Aburi is just 35 Km away from Accra and probably less than an hour?s drive.

Driving your own car, from Accra makes is even easier, you will have to go through Achimota, Dome, then through Kwabenya town, then drive straight through Brekuso village and within the next 10 minutes you find yourself at a T-junction, then you take the left turn and in 10 minutes you find yourself in the Aburi town where you cannot miss the entrance to the beautiful garden. Just look up and you will see the huge matured royal palm trees lined up along the street that seems to be welcoming you.

It is interesting to note that there are no mountains to climb when you drive through the Kwabenya route but a few low hills, you will hardly notice. The road is coal tarred, smooth and without potholes and you will not find much traffic on it. The Kwabenya road was constructed as an alternative route to access the Paduase Presidential Lodge without climbing the steep Akwapim hills as Mrs. Fathia Nkrumah, the wife of the first president of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, was not comfortable traveling on the main steep winding Aburi road.

Bojo Beach in ghana by thetravelboss.com

First-time visitors pulling up to Bojo Beach’s powdery sands are oft taken aback that this easily accessed beach just 25 minutes’ drive from the frantically beating and dusty heart of Accra feels more like a remote stretch of the Caribbean. A meander through a couple of Accra’s sprawling suburbs and down a bumpy track or two is all it takes to reach this wide expanse at Bortianor, just off the Kokrobite Road.

After paying an 8ghc entrance fee, beachgoers hop into little boats that glide across a small and flat stretch of water to Bojo’s gleaming strip of sugar-white sand. Thatched umbrellas stud the shoreline, looking out over the area’s characteristically crashing waves. Rustic to say the least, Bojo is a delightfully simplistic set up of sand, water and seating. The current here is a powerful one, however – there are lifeguards, but it is advised that only good swimmers go out of their depth in the hardy surf. But what appeals compared with the overall feel of city-front Labadi, is Bojo is well-maintained, clean, and the urban hubbub seems eons away.


A large thatched shack is the only refreshment option, serving up average but edible snacks and a good selection of chilled drinks. During the week, and on the rare cooler day, the beach is a wonderfully tranquil haven, with oodles of space. Weekends and holidays tend to see a transformation into a bustling hive of activity, with locals and visitors alike enjoying a festive atmosphere, and participating in the likes of jet skiing, football, volley ball, music (at times pretty loud) and dancing.

Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Ghana by thetravelboss.com

While walking past the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, it seemed strange that the most obvious entrance was closed with a fence, where it was also forbidden to take pictures. This is probably an entrance normally only used for special occasions. The visitor entrance is around the corner. After buying your ticket, I had a stroll in the pleasant gardens with old and newly planted trees from dignitaries of other countries. When I reached the central area of the park, it turned out that the fountains were all silent. I could see the many statues of music players, and could only imagine what it would look like with fountains of water.
Picture of Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum (Ghana): Monumental mausoleum of Kwame Nkrumah

I walked towards the Mausoleum itself, first pausing at the bronze statue of Kwame Nkrumah towering high above me, and seemingly pointing towards the road ahead. This is, in fact, precisely the spot used by Kwame Nkrumah to declare Ghana independent on March 6, 1957. In the top of the monument, inevitably, the Black Star that is so typical for Ghana, symbolizing African freedom, also to be found in the flag of Ghana. The grey mausoleum stands on a small island and can be reached by concrete bridges. Inside, you can find a straightforward last resting place. The museum behind the mausoleum is worthwile, if only to see the small items that Kwame Nkrumah used during his life.
Picture of Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum (Ghana): Bronze statue of Kwame Nkrumah at his mausoleum

Kwame Nkrumah has a mythical name in Africa and especially Ghana. He was the first sub-Saharan leader to lead his country to independence in 1957, and turned it into a Republic in 1966. Kwame Nkrumah was convinced that Africa should unify in order to avoid all kinds of problems. Unfortunately, his lessons were not learned and at least in some corners of the continent, this must still be regretted. Nkrumah was ousted in a coup in 1966, and went into exile in Guinea, to become the co-president of the country. He never returned to Ghana alive.