If you looking for the best hotel in Accra, this is the place. I enjoyed a tremendous stay at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City and would not hesitate to return.
Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra Review
In March 2020 I spent two nights in Accra. My first night I spent the Marriott and my second night at the Kempinski.
Booking + Check-In
My room rate was $240 and included breakfast as well as all taxes and fees. I was coming from Cape Coast and arrived very late in the evening. There was no wait to check-in and I was assigned to a standard room on the fourth floor. This was my first stay at a Kempinski property.
Guest Room
It was a fairly long walk from the lobby to the elevator bank and then back down the hall toward my room.
Although it was a hot evening, the air conditioning was blasting in the room, keeping me quite cool (to the point at which I eventually turned it off). The room was spacious, with a seating area including a couch and chairs.
Here’s the room in daylight:
The bathroom a water closet with toilet and bidet, rainhead shower, and toiletries from Ferragamo.
The room also included a plus bathrobe and slippers in the closet and a mini-bar with soft drinks. Bottled water was complimentary.
Dining + Room Service
I was tiredd and not really in the mood to go downstairs to one of the hotel’s many on-site restaurants. Instead, I called room service and asked if dinner from Cedar Garden, the hotel’s Lebanese/Levantine restaurant could be brought up. The menu looked wonderful and I ordered Shakriyeh (slow-cooked lamb with baby onions, coriander, pine nuts, and pita chips in a yogurt sauce with tahini).
This turned out to be my best meal of the trip. Lamb has a strong and distinct taste and this dish was brimming with flavor.
Satisfied, I went to bed.
Other dining options at the hotel include Papillon (all-day dining with Mediterranean influence), Gallery Lounge (afternoon tea in the lobby), Gallery Bar, and a poolside terrace.
Breakfast
Breakfast at Papillon was a treat, with a large buffet plus a menu of a la carte items available. Coffee was also tasty (speciality drinks like cappuccinos available) and freshly-pressed juices were available. However, my favorite breakfast items wasn’t even a breakfast item…it was the mini-pizzas directly out of a wood fired oven. A very lovely breakfast with good service.
As for the artwork…no comment.
Pool
The hotel features a large outdoor pool with cabanas and chairs.
Fitness
I loved the hotel’s large fitness center, which included not just late-model cardio and strength training equipment, but a lot of it.
Spa + Wellness
Even in scorching hot weather, I enjoy the routine of a sauna and steam bath and this hotel offers both in the male locker room, as well as a nice jacuzzi. The hotel features the largest spa in West Africa.
A special thanks to Michael Addo, one of the spa attendants who was extremely attentive while being discreet at the same time. For example, as I stepped out of the sauna he appeared with a bottle of water and fresh towel.
Security
Accra felt very safe to me, but entering the hotel felt like entering a U.S. diplomatic compound. There was a high fence and security guards. The undercarriage and trunk of my Uber was checked for bombs. There was a metal detector check upon entering.
Perhaps that is best in the uncertain world in which we live in, but the hotel is very fortified.
Service
I mentioned Michael above, but every staff member I encountered was well-trained and polite. Even passing maids in the hall resulted in a warm “good morning” or “good afternoon”.
CONCLUSION
The Marriott was nice, but the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City. I had a lovely one-night stay here and wish it could have been longer. Next time, I will be proceeding directly to this hotel.
How would you review the Kempinski Gold Coast Accra hotel?
This story is part of my An African Adventure As The World Shut Down trip report.
Thorough as always – thanks Matthew. Excellent coverage for a less commonly featured destination. Hope your holiday is wonderful for you and yours. 2021 will be better : )
When travel is back on, there are usually great deals to Accra on *A. I think I will pull the trigger one day and definitely would stay here. This hotel looks exceptional.
Did you feel safe Matthew? One of the reasons I am hesitant to head to places like Accra or Cape Town is safety concerns, but I know Accra and Ghana in general is pretty safe. Thanks.
I felt very safe (as least as a tall, white, male) and wait till you read the next couple installments!
The hotel is definitely one of the two best in Accra (the Movenpick Ambassador is the only other one at this standard). I haven’t stayed at the Kempinski myself, but I’ve attended and hosted multiple events there. I’m not sure the value for money is worth the premium prices relative to other locations in Accra (for example, basic catering for a media event is almost double the price per head than the Marriott). Also, the location is more convenient for the financial and government districts rather than Osu or Airport City which are the more lively parts of town.
After seeing this review I can understand why it’s double the price of the Marriott. Value though in retrospect is more important, right?
Value is a subjective thing of course, but of the various international brand hotels I’ve stayed at or hosted/attended events at in Accra, I’ve found the Movenpick to be the best from a quality standpoint, followed by the Kempinski, and then the Marriott, Holiday Inn and Ibis Select in that order. Price wise, the Kempinski and Movenpick swap places and the other three are largely in that order. Don’t get me wrong – the Kempinski is a wonderful property – but I think a lot of their premium charges are linked more to the brand name than actual value additions.
Looking at the Movenpick, it does look quite comparable inside (though fairly ugly from the outside). Maybe I will try it. I want to check out Accra again if United’s planned service actually begins.
Leaps and bounds better looking than the Marriott you reviewed there. Very impressive. Would def be my choice now.
@ Matthew — I actually like the painting.
Yes, so do I; also the bronze outside the spa ( although it’s hard to tell from the photo)
It’s by a Kenyan artist, Michael Soi.
$240? Would that be to a Ghanian what an American would think of a $2000 room (not suite) at a hotel in the US?
When I was a third of the way into the very interesting article, I felt “if I were in Accra, despite Ghana not being a hotbed of terrorism, I would be afraid that the hotel would be a terrorist target”. If there were a hotel in New York that had $2000 rooms and suites for far more, I would be afraid of a terrorist attack. Sad world we are in.
I wonder if there are local hotels that are not too run down? I have stayed at local hotels in India that appear to be along the standard of Econolodge and a little better, like Comfort Inn.
What a load of nonsense, I am on the last leg of my return home from Kumasi and Accra and the only truth told is how bad the traffic is and I can tell you it is worse than that. That hotel is a dump compared to others there and that bomb checking is all BS so you should check too see if you were in another city in Africa instead.
Matthew is perking my interest in Ghana despite a 2007 review on Trip Advisor:
Ghana is a big mistake for a holiday destination
I just visited Accra for 17 days with my wife and her mother. We actually got married there. The taxi drivers are a rip off, I stayed in the Ultimate Hotel on Kasoa Road and got ripped off also. Lots of mosquitoes…the repellent we got did not work at all. My mother in law got bitten a lot as well as my wife. Traffic situation is bad n the drivers are the worst next to Dubai. If you plan on committing suicide, get into one of the local buses. People do not give you change and they hike the prices when you speak.
Why on earth would someone staying near Kasoa claim that they visited Accra. It’s not even in the same region. And in 2007, before the George Bush Expressway was built, that would have been a horrendous drive.
Today, if there is no traffic at Mallam Junction, you can get to Kasoa from the airport in just 30 minutes on the expressway. But it is still very much a distant residential suburb rather than having any sort of attraction in its own right.
Agree. There are some lovely hotels downtown. Very safe, even at night to walk about.