Two days in Ghana

Because of timing due to meeting some friends in South Africa, my husband and I are finding ourselves with a two day layover in Accra. We arrive at 8:00 pm and leave two days later at 11:00 pm. I've been doing research and I think we want to get out of Accra, maybe to the Cape Coast area. I realize it's probably a 3 hour trip each way, but would be worth it to get away from the city and to someplace more relaxing. We'll be flying for a long time before arriving, so I think walks on the beach, visiting one of the castles, and chilling at a beach bar with a few beers is what we have in mind. We are middle-aged but well traveled and have done a lot of backpacking and have been to many places in Africa; we are now more into mid-range places (private room, private bath but not big fancy resorts or package tour places). I've looked at the following places to stay and am wondering what would be our best option:

1. Big Milly's Backyard: Pros: Short drive, Saturday night reggae. Cons: Beach not so good for walking (not really safe?)
   2, Ko-Sa Beach Resort: Pros: looks very nice. Cons: Long drive.
2. Stumble Inn: Pros: Looks very nice, not as much as Ko-Sa though. Cons: Long drive, beach not good for swimming.

We really only have one night because we arrive late enough that we probably don't want to do a long trip in the dark, but we can leave for wherever early in the morning.

Any suggestions? Opinions on the above, or other ideas?

Thanks very much!

Your options for a one night stay are Ada Foah, Volta Region, and Cape Coast. I would find a place to stay that night and leave Accra by 6am or earlier. Your going to hit serious traffic in Accra in the morning. With this amount of time I would hire a Car and Driver. I've paid 70-150 Cedi for a full day long distance. If your going to hit Cape Coast I would do the Canopy Walk. I've stayed at One Africa (http://oneafricaghana.com/) and had a great time. Mellow.

Big Milly's in Accra is the closest and there is plenty to do. You can get there the night you arrive. You could always stay there and than head to Cape Coast for a day. Expect delays and traffic in Accra....have fun...

Big Milly's is attractive, and the rooms are fine. They attract a backpacker crowd and a lot of local rastas. There have been a lot of thefts reported and muggings of people walking on the beach. Service is horrible. The musical performance I saw there was very nice, but it also attracted a lot of villagers. It was so crowded it was hard to see anything.

Ko-Sa is quiet and relaxing. The rooms are very nice and the service is excellent, but it is quite a bit farther away from Accra. There are no musical performances or any entertainment at all. It attracts an older crowd. Beach is fairly deserted and safe for walks, as there is no village nearby. Riptides make it extremely dangerous to swim there.

Of the two, I preferred Ko-Sa, but as you are pressed for time, Big Milly's is closer.

Thanks for the excellent responses and suggestions. I think we'll probably go to Big Milly's the first night (Friday), and that would place us on the right side of Accra to get to the Cape Coast the next morning without having to get across the city. Hiring a car and driver are great suggestions; we did this in Senegal recently and it worked out well. The canopy walk looks like a good activity, too. We're also trying to change our flights (FF tickets) to arrive a couple of days earlier if we can.

I'm sorry to disagree with you no. 1, but if you land at 8pm, your not going to get to Big Milly's much before 11.00-12.00 once you've cleared customs, got your luggage and made your way there - and thats assuming your flight is on time. Seems a bit of a waste of time if your planning on leaving early the next morning to go to Cape Coast. Just to balance that comment, let me just add that I don't have a great view of Big Milly's - I stayed with my best friend (we're late 30's) and I really wasn't that impressed, the room was pretty grotty and the hassle we got from the local men was really tiresome - maybe you'll get less as part of a couple but I wouldn't necessarily count on it. My husband (a Ghanaian rasta) hates the place as he says it gives all of the rasta's a bad name due to the way some of them behave...... Given that, I guess I'm not going to recommend putting the effort in to go there - horses for course though, I'm aware its lots of people's favourite place here, just really not my cup of tea.

I would rather suggest you stay near the airport for the first night - there's plenty of hotels nearby, both higher end bog standard (Holiday Inn, Golden Tulip, Fiesta Royale) and boutique (Villa Monticello) or more middle of the range (Airport View, Alisa hotel, Afia Hotel etc). Maybe a little more expensive, but will be a whole lot more convenient. And if you stay close to the airport, you can get the hotel shuttle and only start with your driver the next morning - this may help justify a more expensive hotel room as you'll have to pay for an extra day of the driver if you get him to meet you at the airport.

Going to Cape Coast on a Saturday morning, traffic shouldn't be too much of an issue as long as your away before 9 am - its more the Sunday night traffic coming back into Accra that you need to be careful of especially if your catching a plane that evening. We tend to leave around 12, stop for lunch on the way and get back home to Accra (we live 5 mins from the airport) by 4-5pm. If you do come earlier, well you will have more days anyway, but getting out of the city in the morning isn't generally too much of an issue as long as it isn't a public holiday (google it to find out) and you leave by 7 ish. Would definitely recommend getting a car with a driver, I do drive here but can find it incredibly stressful even after living here for a few years - and the road to Cape Coast can be a nightmare of police stops and speed checks especially if your coming in the run up to Christmas.

Can't comment on the other places you mention as I haven't stayed there, but can, as a couple of alternatives recommend Anamabo (even if just for a meal as the restaurant is lovely) and Elmina Bay. The canopy walk is good fun and be sure to visit at least one of the slave forts - Elmina is the best tour IMO, but Cape Coast is the most stunning visually. Also if you do stay for more days, look up Women in Progress to do some great tours if thats something you'd be into.

Thanks for the detailed response, Jolann. Good to hear the traffic situation from a local. I think it makes sense to stay near the airport the first night if it's not so bad getting out in the early morning. I'll have a look at your other recommendations, too. In the meantime, we're checking every day to see if any earlier flights have opened up.