“Whoa, what a summer at home,” a corporate executive who used to enjoy summer abroad exclaims as he reclines into a swimming pool bench at a domestic destination.
Yes, that was a wonderful holiday at home with less stress, less travel wears and tears, more money in his pocket and most importantly a renewed spirit and strength to face his official responsibilities.
Perhaps, you should look inwards this Christmas and New Year like the corporate executive, save your hard-earned money and settle for some breathtaking home-groomed excitement here.
Bet, the wonders and breathtaking views in Nike Lake Resort will beat your imaginations and pamper you to a pleasurable relaxation typical of resorts of its like over the world.
A few metres before getting to the resort, you will behold with great awe the natural lake stretching over three kilometres with its incredible and rare aquatic population.
On getting closer, a look into the mud-colored lake water mirrors not just your true self, but also the whole essence of leisure. A deep of your feet into the water (though with caution), which chills all day long, will cool off the heat and stretch worn-out body tissues.
For a grand Christmas holiday experience, paddling on the lake is one thing that will take your mind away from the cares of this life and make your visit memorable. Besides, it makes you feel good and soothes the already aching body and nerves induced by the much pressure of work, very tight business schedules and bustle and hustle of metropolitan life.
Like a sort-of confluence, a V shape point on the lake seems to connect bold leisure seekers to another point of the lake that flows towards the hinterland of the Abakpa-Nike community. From there, you will see some local fishermen prohibited from fishing on the side of the resort looking for fish to catch, sell or make their soap pot richer.
The vast lush gardens comprising children’s park, soccer field and picnic area will also indulge you.
It’s really not yet late, but you can still discover this very accessible lake yourself this festive season. And it might interest you because the ground on which the hotel is built is rich with history: it was used as the headquarters of the Igbos during the civil war.
Besides, a curious leisure buff cannot wait enough to relish on the freshness and hospitality of its rural Abakpa-Nike setting that is more than imbued with lush and natural landscape that epitomises eco-tourism in every ramification.
Having enjoyed an environment that offers breathtaking views in a secure and tranquil setting, you retire into one of the resort’s 210 well-appointed and tastefully furnished rooms, suitable for all taste and budget.
All rooms in the resort overlook the well-manicured gardens or the lake and each room provides the comfort and luxury that is expected from an international 3-star hotel.
The hotel management invites you to dine at the Lake View Restaurant sitting over 200 guests. It’s a sight to behold and one that will induce one’s appetite.
With an in-house physiotherapist, the massage therapy centre is a cove of leisure.
To make your festive holiday more memorable, the resort offers to take guests to other attractions in the state.
A visit to Ohum Spiritual WaterFalls – 45 km away from the resort – is worth doing, while the challenging Milken Hill, 8km away, will make a good climbing exercise.
Guests who love city life and art can visit the National Museum about 10km away to see and appreciate works of art and the artists.
The elitists and splendour games lovers can visit Enugu Golf Club, an18-hole golf course -12 miles away to excite themselves, while every other guest can take advantage of shopping and banking facilities 10 minutes drive from the resort.
Most importantly, Agbakpa-Nike, the host community, offers many cultural outings and festivals this Christmas and New Year. So, you can take a trip and join the peace-loving community to relish in their heritage this festive season.
Definitely, you will find at this serene resort everything you need to make your stay this festive season a memorable one. So give it a trial.
Getting there:
By air, you can fly in from Abuja, Lagos, Calabar, among other places, to Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu. The resort is five minutes drive from the airport and only 10 minutes from the city center. By road, you can access the resort from Lagos through Benin-Onitsha-Enugu, and from Calabar-Umuahia-Okigwe-Enugu or Abuja-Okene-Otukpo- Ninth Mile-Enugu.
