4 LUXURY VISA-FREE HONEYMOON DESTINATIONS FOR NIGERIANS

If there is one thing that Nigerians lavish money on, it is on weddings. Our honeymoons are treated the same, they are simply opportunities to indulge. The only issue is that our green passport limits the numbers of locations where we can freely visit without a visit to the consulate of an embassy. For those that have no time to stress over applying for visaS but still wants to venture out of the boundaries of Nigeria for a LUXURIOUS  honeymoon, this is for you (Note that you may need to apply for a visa on arrival for the destinations below).

(1) SEYCHELLES

A beautiful country in the indian ocean but still part of the African continent. Indirect flights will take 13+ hours from Lagos but the beauty that awaits you is well worth it. This country is made up of 115 islands so you will be spoiled for choice on islands to explore. The Seychelles has also become inspiration for wedding ceremonies (due to the ease of visa free travel) for Nigerians. Stay at the Four Seasons Resort and enjoy the luxury of your own villa with an infinity pool nested in the beautiful grounds (see image below).

cq5dam.web.1280.1280

 

(2) CAPE VERDE

This island country consists of 10 islands and is located 570km off the coast of West Africa. The flights to Cape Verde are a little more trickier as there are currently no direct flights from Nigeria. Total flight time is 8 hours on the shortest route but stop-overs will make journey longer depending on which airline you take. Stay at the Ibersotar Club Boa Vista  in Boa Vista and look out upon Praia de Chaves, an endless stretch of white sand backed by rolling sand dunes – the perfect honeymoon for a pair of beach lovers.

MOVEABROADNOW

 

(3) SENEGAL

A country in west africa bordered by Mauritania in the north, Mali to the east, Guinea to the southeast, and Guinea-Bissau to the southwest. The country has dramatic landscapes and is perfect for exploring the wildlife reserve. Total flight time from Lagos to Dakar (The capital of Senegal) is approx. 4 hours but includes one stop (at least). Stay at the luxurious “Fathala Lodge” and experience guided game drives, Lions walks, bush walking to mention a few activities.

dakar-senegal-summer-study-language-senegalese-main

Image: ciee

(4) KENYA

Kenya with its savannah, lakelands, the dramatic Great Rift Valley and mountain highlands is a stunning destination. From Nairobi (the capital), one can visit the Maasai Mara Reserve (Home to wildlife like lions, elephants and rhinos) known for its annual wildebeest migrations. Stay at the luxurious “Governors Il Moran Camp Masai Mara Kenya Safari Camp” and experience luxury at its best. Direct flights to Nairobi from Lagos takes about 5 hours.

IMG_0179

 

Hope you were inspired with my 4 luxury visa-free honeymoon destinations. Perhaps you have ideas on other visa-free destinations for Nigerians. Please share them below 🙂

CHECKING IN: THE WESTIN LANGKAWI RESORT & SPA MALAYSIA

I stayed at the Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa during a trip to Malaysia where I attend a destination wedding. It was my first time in Malaysia and didn’t know to expect from an hotel in Malaysia. Nevertheless I knew the “Westin” name had a lot of prestige associated with it. I stayed at the hotel for 4 nights and below is my visual diary/review of the hotel. Read to the end for an HONEST review of this hotel.

THE ROOM

IMG_2753

 

IMG_2754

THE VIEW FROM THE ROOM’S BALCONY

IMG_2745

I choose a garden room view

THE POOL

IMG_2744

The hotel has two pools (a baby/kids pool and an adult pool with a pool bar). 5* for the blueberry mojitos and for their famous coconut cocktail

IMG_2741

Your truly posing with the gorgeous backdrop

ROOM SERVICE
IMG_2746

A wide menu with both continental and asian options

IMG_2756

THE SPA

IMG_2758

I didn’t have any time to try out the spa so I can’t comment on the service but it was certainly beautiful spa area

LOBBY GOALS

IMG_2759

VIEW POINTS

IMG_2747

IMG_2740

IMG_2748

 

 

THE PREMIUM ROOM (garden view): I loved the beautiful modern style room with a separate bath, toilet and shower.

THE BREAKFAST: A mixture of continental and asian food. Unlimited Champagne bellinis for breakfast says it all.

THE FACILITIES: The pool was divine. I loved the decor of the hotel. There was a gym and spa on site which was great. The resort was home to the LCC (The Langkawi Convention Centre) which is great for hosting the many events that was held for the destination wedding.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: The walk to my room was a little far and particularly irritating when my key wouldn’t work as I had to walk all the way back to the reception to get it reactivated. Perhaps request a room closer to the lobby when booking. In all fairness though, given we were a big party attending the wedding, they probably felt it made sense to locate us where our noise making wouldn’t be a problem

Overall I loved the hotel and would recommend it for those who were visiting Langkawi. The hotel concierge and staff were extremely helpful and polite.

Have you been to Langkawi before and if so, what did you like the most about it? Stay tuned for my write up on what else there is to do in Langkawi!!

CHECKING IN: LA CAMPAGNE TROPICANA BEACH RESORT (DAY TRIP REVIEW)

With the value of the Naira diminishing every day, it is the case that many Nigerians are re-thinking their annual Dubai and US holidays. The truth is that many Nigerians do not feel they have gone on holiday until they have checked-in their luggage at Murtala Muhammed airport and jumped on an international flight.

There are many gems in this country of ours as alternatives and it takes just a little research to unearth them. One of these gems for me was at the La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort based in the Ibeju Lekki. I went to this resort for a day and below is my visual diary and review of my trip at the end. Here also is a video I made of my trip. Enjoy!

IMG_9296

The cute corner in the reception room at the resort

IMG_9295

The bus that drove my cousin (pictured) and I from the reception area to the beach and back (about a 10min walk so certainly walkable). 

IMG_9297

The gorgeous beach beds that can be rented for the day or night

IMG_9292

Activities were vast at the resort (above was pool volleyball)

IMG_9289

A snippet of the really long CLEAN pool with pool bars

IMG_9413

An island in the pool

IMG_9263

Beach vibes

IMG_9290

“Yoru’bar” – One of the many bars at the resort (The name playing on the yoruba tribe name)

IMG_9291

One of the accommodation areas. LabaLaba village hosts huts like the ones below which were gorgeous but if you are looking for luxury, I would say to upgrade to the other accomodations.

IMG_9293

In front of “Laba 5” (one of the cheaper yet decent accommodation options)

Review of the resort:

Accommodation: I didn’t sleep overnight as I went on a day trip but I did request a tour of the “Laba” and “Obieze” rooms. They were certainly impressive and I was tempted to stay the night.

Activities: So many options from kayaking to basketball to volleyball to many other games.

Cleaniness: I was impressed by how clean the beach and common areas were. There were an abundant of staff on ground everywhere I turned which created the impression that there was always someone around to help.

Food: I had no experience of the food served as our group came prepared with our own bbq spread.

Security: I felt quite secure just because there were “serious” security guards on entrance into the resort.

What I didn’t like: Nothing much to say to be honest as I had not set my expectations high but I was blown away.

Would I go back: Yes! Yes! Yes!

Perfect for: Honeymoon, girls retreat, company retreats. I would also recommend people to stay overnight as I felt that was the best way to get the most of the resort.

 

Hope you enjoyed the write-up. Do let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below.

 

FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE, TWITTER for more amazing TRAVEL content.

CHECKING IN: GOVERNOR’S IL MORAN CAMP KENYA

When you think of going on a safari in Africa, you may think that accommodations on safari would be sub-par and as such you don’t raise your expectations. You don’t necessarily expect warm water or even great service. This was not the case when I was on a 5 night safari trip in the Masai Mara. I stayed at the Governors II Moran camp in the Masai Mara and here is my visual dairy:

IMG_0179

Glamping, a great alternative to tent pitching…The Glamp camp only consisted of 10 tens to give that exclusive feel

IMG_0163

Sassy posing on the hammock. Note that I was awoken by a hippo who was 3 feet from my tent in the tent. Note that there are no barriers (no fences) between you and the wild. The tents are protected by armed guards all day, all night.

IMG_0128

For those who love to shop, we had a shop on camp.

img_0348

Not bad for a tent huh?

img_0347

His & Her sink

img_0345

Study area

img_1263

Lounging in the reception area of the camp

 

What do you think about this GLAMPING (aka Glamorous camping)? Have you done it? Would you do it? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts

 

CHECKING IN: Four Seasons Resort Seychelles

To date, this is probably one of my favourite holiday destinations and it wasn’t even for my honeymoon (not that I have had one to date anyways). I spent 6 nights at the Four Seasons Resort in the Seychelles and it was divine. From the rooms to the scenery to the service, I could not fault much or could I? hmmm read more and enjoy the Four Season’s through my eyes:

ACCOMODATION

img_6153

The beautiful villa (above). The whole resort was a combination of villas and private homes each hidden between trees. The villa I stayed in above was the standard villa. The entire villa had an built sound system which was impressive.

img_6152

Another view of this gorgeous living space. Daily, the resort delivered treats specially made by the chef for complimentary consumption.

img_6159

The bathroom was everything (with a view our private pool in sight). I connected with nature 🙂

VIEW FROM THE SPA

img_6151

The view from the Spa located at the top of the resort which ensured that the best view of the resort was from the Spa. I had a spa treatment and I was impressed by the level of service personnel but the quality of the treatment itself was debatable.

THE RESORT’S PRIVATE BEACH

img_6070

Trust me to engage in a photoshoot at the hotel’s private beach. The resort has vast complimentary watersports which I also engaged in. Snokerling was certainly the best activity I embarked on and I was amazed by the many species I encountered.

MAIN POOL & BAR AREA

img_5551

Pooltime any anyone??

FOOD

img_5481

Food is the one thing that I believe was certainly over-priced at the resort; The reason being that most food on the island was actually imported and very few products were manufactured on the island.

 

img_5480

 

What I loved: The accommodation i.e. Villas were simply amazing. I could not fault the rooms. From the amazing sound systems to the stunning pool.

What could be better: The food. I am a foodie so naturally critical of food. The food wasn’t bad but if you’re like me in that when you indulge in food, you want it to be super worth it then you may be a bit disappointed. Also, food at the resort was very expensive as I mentioned earlier.

Would I go back: It’s certainly an ideal resort for a honeymoon or even a girl’s retreat so as long as my bank account is happy, it is certainly a possibility.

 

What is the most important thing you value when you spend time at a luxury hotel? I mean the one thing if you didn’t have, you would feel you wasted your money. Is it the service or the food quality or something else? Share your thoughts below!