Hotels near the airport

The Fiesta Royale has smart rooms, efficient service and a good bar and restaurant – the ideal accommodation for business travellers and families. Its location, no more than 15 minutes from the airport, is superb. The rooms are large – ranging between standard rooms, executive suites and chalets – and are each kitted out with DSTV, free wireless, ample wardrobe space and a safe. A large breakfast buffet is included. The Fiesta Royale would pass as a reliable and well-run hotel anywhere in the world: the service is a cut above many others. Its Mansonia restaurant has a private dining area for groups and parties. The bar and restaurant are becoming very popular for non-residents too, thanks to its well-cooked Ghanaian, African and international specialties. The Ceiba terrace offers a range of snacks and food. The pool is on the small side, but its backdrop of Italian-style gardens makes it a picturesque and clean area for unwinding.

This hotel is a cut above what you might have come to expect from the Holiday Inn brand elsewhere in the world, and the cluster of expensive suits usually found milling around in the bar area is an accurate sign of the property’s popularity with the business world. The lobby is a stylish, airy space full of floral displays and modern African wood sculptures, but from a leisure aspect it’s perhaps the Med-style pool – a ridiculously inviting sight on a hot day – that’s the main draw (despite the building site of new hotels around it). The rooms are good, with all the amenities you’d expect. It makes sense to take the Superior over the Deluxe which are around the same price. There’s a wide food offering from the pool-side bar – hugely popular on Friday evenings – a bar in the lobby and the Wiase Restaurant which does a superb Ghanaian buffet on Sunday afternoons, much loved by locals.

It’s telling that the lobby at the African Regent has become a frequented spot for informal meetings. This is partly down to the hotel’s location – the international airport is just minutes away by car – and partly down to its laid-back, upmarket ambience. Public spaces are stylish and manage to successfully fuse indigenous motifs with modern touches. There are some quality dining options too, with the Mukyia Restaurant offering an array of African and international dishes. Standard rooms are pretty basic – don’t expect too many frills when it comes to the bathroom. There’s a business centre with internet terminals and paid-for wireless in the rooms. A regular events schedule keeps things lively, and the modest but pleasant pool area sees all ages having fun in the sunshine. The service is also better than most in Accra. There’s a ‘Design Pop-Up shop’ which is notable for selling very cool bags made from recycled litter by Trashy Bags (www.trashybags.org).

The Golden Tulip is one of the most popular hotels in Ghana, thanks to its sizable rooms, conference facilities and location near the airport. The pitched roof lobby is one of the most spacious in the city (there’s a life-size wooden giraffe greeting arrivals), the staff are more alert than most and the pool area is seriously inviting. Its stylish lower ground floor restaurant, Branche, is a further selling point – dining spots this tastefully designed are rare in Accra. It’s an unpretentious space, with unpretentious pricing too – it’s not cutting-edge cuisine, after all. There are five meeting rooms and the hotel has wireless throughout, as well as a business centre. The accommodation comprises suites, apartments, chalets and regular rooms. And if US$435 for a double seems not enough money to be ridding yourself of in a day (in the last issue a double was $240), there’s a large casino (open Sun-Thur 1pm-4am; Fri, Sat 1pm-5am) immediately next door. It’s a pretty grand affair – one of the two biggest in Accra, along with the one at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel – and has roulette, stud poker and blackjack set over three adjoining levels.

If you like your hotels small, cosy and pampering, the warm colours and giant seats of Villa Monticello are a godsend. Located in the busy airport area, Villa Monticello is a 14-room hideaway with Italian toiletries and a different design for each room. Business guests can enjoy complimentary wireless throughout. Try out the Coco Chanel suite for kitsch, the Last Emperor suite for pared-down chic or the Provence and Aqua Verde rooms for cosy comfort. The spa offers excellent waxing and facials. All products are imported from top-notch suppliers. The spa is open between Monday and Saturday 9am-7pm. The Villa Monticello restaurant serves food from a Mediterranean and French-inspired menu with dishes including lobster bisque and foie-gras risotto. We recommend booking the restaurant in the evenings, although it’s also open for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. The desserts are excellent. Bar. Concierge. Business centre. Gym. Internet (wireless). Parking. Pool (1 outdoor). Restaurants. Room service. Spa. TV.