White Sands

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This is how Chloe and some of her chums spent
their mid-term break. Imagine, a 2 1/2 year old with a mid-term break! Anyway...




It seems that not so long ago, White Sands was a place I'd heard about once or twice-- primarily from the Black Stars' coaches wife, so I knew it was a great place (she has impeccable taste) -- but I just didn't give the place much thought. And then, all of a sudden, in the last several weeks there has been a huge buzz about the place.

As luck would hav it, the exclusive White Sands had become not quite so exclusive. No longer must you ante up a $2000 annual fee, you could simply gather up 4 additional families and split the cost of that membership -- aka the "corporate" membership. What does $400 a year get you? Well, I just had to find out for myself. And lucky me, membership isn't required during the week!

So, on Monday, Fuen, Lorena, Jackie and I, along with our kids and 2 drivers piled into three cars and took the hour and fifteen minute journey out of Accra. It's past Kokobrite, just over by Till's. I knew this place was different just because the road was fully paved THE WHOLE WAY! (For those of us who risk our lives every weekend just trying to access our beach plots at Kokobrite, this is a big deal.) There are sign posts along the way directing you to your destination, but once there, there's not a single sign on the walls or the gates indicating that you have arrived! Oversight? Strategy? Sign not yet finished? Who knows!

Upon entering the gates, we were approached by a good-looking young Ghanaian man dressed in semi-traditional clothing. "Good morning, Madam," he says. "Akwaaba." (That's "welcome" for those of you not schooled in Twi.) "I know YOU are a member, but I see some in your party who are not. You ARE aware of our guest fee of 25 Ghana Cedis per adult, aren't you?" Damn it! We thought that given it was a slow weekday, we'd be able to evade this ridiculous fee. It's essentially only US $25, but when you think that it would be a week's salary for the average Ghanaian, you've got to wonder...And, no, I am NOT a member, but who am I to argue with authority?

To make a long story short, it's the first place in Ghana that I have been to that I can honestly say is up to international standards. Even so, the cost of the rooms is exhorbitant. The standard rooms are suites, about the square footage of a reasonably-sized, relatively affordable one-bedroom Manhattan apartment, but the bathrooms are much nicer than you'd find in such an apartment. Rumored cost/night? $1.000+. Member cost? $200. $200 is probably more reflective of the right price, even still, when you think you are in Africa and you know how cheap the labor is, you still have to wonder...Nevertheless, the grounds were really well-kept -- unusual for this part of the world. The pool was lovely. An eternity style pool that was landscaped in such a way that made you feel like you were sitting on the grass just above the sandy beach (those pics are of the pool). A very spacious, equally well-designed baby pool. Incredibly comfortable lounge chairs with extra-large Santa Barbara umbrellas. Courteous staff to help you with towels, umbrellas and the like.

About an hour into our visit, they came by with "complementary" drinks -- freshly pressed pineapple and ginger. It was divine. Cocktails, coffee, tea, soft drinks and gourmet sandwiches can be brought to you poolside. We were in heaven. We had the whole place to ourselves...until the owner of Captain Hooks and his friend arrived with two local ladies--I'm sure there's a story there somewher!!...and where should they decide to sit in this huge expanse of a place? As close to us as possible...and then they proceeded to grimace when the 5 children that were with us were making noise--as toddlers do.

We spent the whole day in the shade of the umbrellas, with the breeze of the ocean and soothing pool. The kids LOVED it and so did we. The only real drawback is the very odd co-ed changing facilities! Separate showers joined together with a communal "locker room". I suppose we should be thankful that there are showers at all, but strange.

The kids were exhausted and took their naps on the ride back to the city. We are all looking forward to our next visit.