Many times when families plan their vacation or companies plan retreats for their C-suite executives, they tend to look outside the country, even if it is another African country. For them perhaps, that is where they will get facilities that are world class.
Planning a vacation or retreats outside the country, especially in this present time is sure to cost one an arm and a leg. What many do not know is that there are beautiful locations right here in Nigeria, that can meet every expectation there and beyond.
One of them to be precise is the Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort & Conference Centre in Ekiti State.
I had the privilege of being invited to the Ikogosi resort and I was blown away. At first I thought, ‘which resort do we have in Nigeria that will match the ones I have visited outside this country? I have read about the warm spring in Ikogosi where hot and cold water from a high rock meet but never mix, but I was not prepared for what I saw and experienced when we got there.
We departed Lagos to Ekiti State around 9am and had a smooth four and half hour ride until we got to Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort and Conference Centre. I urge you to do all you can to visit that place because I was blown away.
The water, which feeds the spring, comes from a high rock and splits to meet again at the base. The natural warm spring emits hot steam as it cascades down from the rock. Interestingly, the hot water meets with cold water, the two coming from the same rock. Though both flow together, they never mix. Very interesting; hot and cold water running side by side! This should be another wonder of the world.
No one has been able to explain this phenomenon but some of the locals told me a story of what they believe was the cause of the hot and cold water cascading down and never mixing. According to the story, the two wives of the Oba were always at loggerheads and while one was calm, the other was fiery tempered. It was so bad between them that even after their death, the calm wife became the cold spring and the temperamental wife became the hot spring. Until there is a scientific explanation of this phenomenon, I will stick to the story given by the locals.
I guess my biggest shock was how beautiful the resort is. Without mincing words, the facilities and service are world-class standard. The rooms are comparable to what you get in a 5-star rated hotel and the food was so good I forgot I was on a diet. The spa session was on another level and they had a poolside bar that brandished top drinks brands, coupled with a mixologist who served fantastic mimosas, cocktails, egg, among other delicacies. Also, customer service is as I have never experienced because the staff members are so well trained, it was amazing.
We danced so much to the tunes dished out by the DJ and enjoyed a round of friendly karaoke competitions well into the early hours of the morning.
I was pleasantly surprised at the number of organizations that came in bus load after bus load for their team bonding activities and new year retreats. The experience was indeed out of this world.
Seriously, organisations do not need to look outside the shores of this country for the best place to hold their activities. Nature has blessed us with so much beauty that the country can earn serious revenue from tourism.
Further enquiries about the management of the place revealed that it is being managed by Glocient, an organisation with years of experience in the hospitality industry. Small wonder it ticked all the right boxes.
As someone who enjoys traveling and visiting interesting places, this experience is one that I would love to repeat because it has left a lasting impression on me and I am so proud that it is in Nigeria.
Ucheagwu Mimidoo, the writer, is a public relations and corporate communication expert.
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