Staycation | The Southern Sun Ikoyi Experience
The Southern Sun Ikoyi Experience
Who doesn’t love a great staycation? When Southern Sun Ikoyi told us they had a fun weekend planned out for us, we knew we wouldn’t miss it.
The weekend was packed with activities and the people were great but before getting into the details of our incredible itinerary, watch the video that tries to capture the essence of our weekend.
Others invited included Daddy Freeze and his wife Benedicta, Chigul, Chico, Ireti Doyle, Kelechi Amadi-Nonso, Mr Seyi of Inside Watch Africa, Mary Edoro of Bella Naija Style, Tony Ekaidem, Mozez Praiz, Onyeka, and Linda Ejiofor who are all talented and amazing individuals in their respective fields.
Day 1 – Meet & Greet
Checking in was a breeze, welcome drinks were offered and the staff were courteous. We checked in, settled in our rooms and had some time to tour the hotel.
Room for the weekend
View from my room
At about 6.30pm, we were off to the welcome cocktail by the Jacuzzi pool side. This was an avenue for everyone to meet in a relaxed atmosphere. Ubong Nseobot the Sales and Marketing manger welcomed us and the cocktails began. We were joined mid way by the General Manager – Mark Loxely.
The cocktail hour served its purpose as we all introduced ourselves, discussed careers, tried to solve Nigeria’s every growing list of problems and just enjoyed the evening.
After the meet and greet, dinner was next. I had to leave so I didn’t join in but I hear I missed out on a very exciting karaoke session and some great seafood.
It was a great way to start the weekend and we all felt like we knew a little bit more about the other guests.
Highlight – Getting back to my room and finding a tray of fruits with our itinerary for the rest of the weekend.
Detailed itinerary for the weekend
Day 2 – Beach Fun and Stuffed Bellies
Part 1 – La Manga Beach
The day started off with breakfast and I really liked the spread. There was a little of everything including puff puff if that’s your style. The plan was to head to La Manga Private beach and after forgetting me at the hotel, getting me a private car, we were at Fiki Marina getting kitted up and listening to the safety brief.
The boat ride was uneventful and in no time we were at our destination. Located in Ilase, La Manga has various beach villas owned by various individuals. Southern Sun partners with one of the owners and it’s a part of their leisure jumbo package for those interested in spending a day frolicking at the beach and soaking up some sun.
The sun was hot but luckily we didn’t have to walk to our particular villa as quad bikes had been made available.
The beach house was a site for sore eyes. It was nicely built with a kitchenette, living area, swimming pool and bedrooms.
A beach villa at La Manga
Beach day equals lazing around and that’s exactly what we did. We played games like cards and scrabble, listened to music, ate the tasty bbq that was provided, argued and just enjoyed the day.
Lunch at the Beach
Part 2 – Dinner
Dinner was done a little differently from the first day. Instead of a buffet, it was a la carte and we were asked to choose whatever we wanted. Now this was a struggle because no one was sure about what to get. The foodie in me wanted everything but I ended up settling for the tiger prawns and rice.
Other meals that were ordered included lamb shank, mixed grill, seafood salad and so much more. It was a colorful table and the food tasted just as good as it looked.
