The best hotels in Accra

Labadi Beach has always been one of, if not the, highest end hotel in Ghana, as the wall with photos of staying digitaries attests. But in the light of new openings, it has had to up its game. The main changes is out the back with a new and incredibly inviting pool and a full, new conference and events centre. Also upgraded is the gym. It has retained its cool – the lobby alone is all ceiling fans, dark leather sofas and gold-coloured standing lamps. The property’s pristine rooms and luxury suites, all fairly recently renovated, come with a private balcony. There’s also floodlit tennis courts, volleyball court and table tennis equipment; sauna and massage services are also available. The resort has two bars and a restaurant to choose from.

Backed by 16 acres of palm-studded grounds and a sweeping azure pool, Accra’s luxury bolthole is certainly living up to its hype. Waiters on in-line skates glide across the gleaming patio, supplying fresh snacks and icy drinks to holidaymakers stretched out on loungers around the pool. An onsite luxury shopping centre is filled with high-end goods, from catwalk fashions at Fifth Avenue to Afrocentric art at Joe’s Perspective. Elsewhere, Sankofa restaurant pleases with an array of international flavours, and the one2one cocktail lounge expertly whips up any requested tipple. There’s a little deli by the shopping galleries, and the restaurant is becoming popular too. It’s also worth saying that the breakfast is one of the best in the city right now. Don’t miss the massage here, whether you’re staying or not!

Offering an outdoor pool and spa centre, Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City is situated in Accra in the Greater Accra Region, 1.1 km from Independence Square. The hotel has a year-round outdoor pool and views of the pool, and guests can enjoy a drink at the bar. Free private parking is available on site.Each room at this hotel is air conditioned and has a flat-screen TV with satellite channels. Certain units feature a seating area to relax in after a busy day. Extras include bath robes and slippers. Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City features free WiFi throughout the property.There is free shuttle service at the property.You can play tennis at this hotel, and car hire is available. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park is 1.2 km from Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, while Accra Sports Stadium is 800 metres away.

This hotel is a cut above the standard 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 an airy space full of floral displays and modern African wood sculptures, but from a leisure aspect it’s perhaps the Med-style pool – an 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 similarly priced Deluxe. There’s a wide food offering from the pool-side bar (hugely popular on Friday evenings for the sunset), a bar in the lobby and the Wiase Restaurant, which does a superb buffet, especially on Sunday afternoons when locals flock to enjoy a vast Ghanaian spread. If you want to try all the Ghanaian food in one go, come here and stock up. The same hotel group recently opened the Atlantic Hotel in Takoradi

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

The Golden Tulip is one of the most popular hotels in Ghana, thanks to its sizable rooms, its conference facilities and its location near the airport. The pitched-roof lobby is among the most spacious in the city (there’s a life-size wooden giraffe greeting arrivals), the pool area is seriously inviting and the staff are more alert than most. The hotel also has five meeting rooms and a business centre, with wireless throughout, and its accommodation options range from suites and apartments to chalets and regular rooms. It’s worth checking online for cheaper rates and longer term discounts. There’s a large casino (open Sun-Thur 1pm-4am; Fri, Sat 1pm-5am) immediately next door, and it’s a pretty grand affair – one of the two biggest in Accra, along with the one at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel – with roulette, stud poker and blackjack set over three adjoining levels.