Gardenia Suites

The setting is peaceful, and the restaurant is open to both the public and guests staying there. The food is good, there’s a roomy gym for private and public individuals, and the bar has plenty of your favourite sips. Rooms are spacious, too. It’s a great ambience for corporate events, with a conference space that can hold about 50 guests.

A classy, peaceful atmosphere, just right for a chat with a business client or a friend.

The Fish Palava was amazing, though the jollof rice didn’t live up to what Ghana is known for. The food was a mixed bag overall, even with generous portions. Staff were friendly and polite, and they brought me tea every day. I also got a discount, which was nice. I had an interesting stay at Silicon Lodge Hotel in Ghana. The room was comfortable, and I liked being able to control the lights from the bed and the door. There weren’t enough sockets for my devices, and the fridge and AC were noisy, which could bother some people. Despite a few things that could be better, I’d recommend it to anyone wanting a comfortable stay and a taste of local culture.

The service made our month-long stay at Silicon Lodge extremely poor. Staff would attend to requests, but usually without a smile unless you produced a GhC note. The one person I saw doing her job with a smile was the woman in the breakfast area. She has potential to be a manager, if properly trained. My partner and I initially liked the serene, paved street with some greenery, the tasteful compound, and the decent-sized rooms. We stayed in both an apartment and an executive street room, both nicely decorated. The place looks clean at a glance, and we liked having a varied menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But the menu depended on whether shopping had been done that day. We’d hear “we don't have that” for a week in a row, and breakfast supplies ran short too, sometimes even bread and butter, despite the corner store selling them. Beetroot & Ginger juice, popular with guests, ran out as well. Meals were unpredictable because one of the two chefs used a lot of salt. This kept happening, and the food wasn’t free, which made it frustrating. Room cleaning was very poor. Sheets sometimes went unchanged for four days. In the executive room, the AC was aimed at the living area, with none in the bed area, in sweaty Ghana. The hotel wouldn’t provide an iron and board, insisting guests send clothes to them instead. They returned mine badly ironed and ruined, then charged the full price. Six or more items, each worth over £150 pounds, were damaged. There was no apology, and laundry took ages, so we had to keep chasing them for it. That policy is impractical when travellers need to iron clothes as needed. There were times the place smelled like sewage. Once, they emptied the toilet container during the day without warning anyone staying there. It was the worst smell I’ve experienced. Someone with a master key also came into our room while we were in bed or getting dressed. When confronted, she said she’d knocked. Even if delivering food we’d ordered, they shouldn’t enter when they know guests are in the room. There are phones in the rooms, so they should make sure they work, or knock harder, and only enter when certain nobody’s there. I started securing my belongings. The lodge has potential to be Accra’s best boutique hotel, but the management and owners need to improve hospitality and service. Charging hefty prices for poor service isn’t excused by low pay or other local factors.