Whispering palms Prices, Reviews and Facts
You are probably reading this blog because you’ve heard of whispering palms located in Badagry, Lagos. You are considering going there for a staycation or vacation but the million dollar question on your mind is “is it worth your money”? Check out the facts, prices and reviews below.
How to get to whispering palms
The best way to get to whispering palms is water transportation, the road network from Lagos to Badagry is very bad and a total waste of time and money. You can commute using the popular banana boats from Ebute iro or from the Lagos Ferry station at CMS. It cost an average price of N2000 – N2500 for a direct trip depending on the station you choose and the day of the week you go. Ebute iro station isn’t open on Sundays but they are open Mondays to Saturdays while the Ferry station at CMS is open all week long 6am – 6pm.
These banana boats carry as much as 19 passengers but they are not very comfortable because the seats are wooden and have no back rest however, they get the job done pretty well. You might not get a direct boat to Badagry sometimes but not to worry, you can buy a ticket of N500 naira to Liverpool jetty and from there you would take another going to Badagry for N1500 or N2000.
You can also get comfortable 10-seater speed boats from Kampari tours at a fee of N130,000 to and fro.
Arrival at whispering palms
At my arrival, there was a security man at the jetty who helped me alight from the boat, he led me to the reception where I was first welcomed by some lovely parrots. The reception isn’t fancy, there are photos of the past heads of states and the pictures of the owners. The keys are made from calabash cuttings which are grown within the vicinity. A steward was attached to me and his responsibility was to show me the different available rooms and help me settle in.
Lodging and Room prices
The shocking fact about lodging here is that the power or electricity doesn’t come on until 6pm and it goes off by 11pm. I arrive at 11am on a Sunday and that was a huge disappointment for me.
Whispering palms room rates
The Standard room cost N20,000
The Palm view N30,000
The Deluxe cost N35,000
The Deluxe and palm view rooms were very hot during the day but the standard room on the 1st floor was well aerated and had a good view of the resort. A discount can be giving if you are booking multiple nights and the difference between these rooms are the size and tidiness.
Whispering palms room reviews!
The Deluxe rooms are extra wide with a bath tub, dining table, massive wardrobe and king size bed while the palm view follows in size but without the bath tub and dinning set.
The deluxe and palm view rooms all had damp and peeling walls close to the wardrobe and bathroom. The rooms seem cleaner and better maintained than the standard rooms. The rooms all come 1 Septol soap, 1 towel and 1 tissue paper.
The standard room, the bath room and bed are relatively small. The 2 standard rooms I saw all had dirty bedside foot mat, dirty curtains, dusty tv set, old and ugly looking cups, spoons and jug. The bathroom was an eyesore, it had dirty tiles and coloured walls from brown water. The towels were very brown and scary, I actually ran out of the room in disgust. The AC when turned on had a disturbing noise like that of a bad motorcycle.
Swimming pool area
There is only one swimming pool area in whispering palms, what that means is that if you go on a public holiday lodger would have to share same pool as day users. Day users pay N1000 to use the pool.
Whispering palms swimming pool review!
Lodgers and day users should have separate pools especially now during COVID. The rooms are hot during the day and if you visit on a public holiday there would be no space for you to use the pool because it would be crowded by day users.
Games Area and z00
Whispering palms has a games area and a zoo, it also has other
games like the presidential game bespoke to the facility, a see-saw, a swing
and many other playground equipment free to use when you
lodge or pay as a day user.
The zoo has a baboon, a monkey, crocodile, tortoise, chicken and
turkey.
Heritage Museum
There is a heritage museum within the vicinity just by the side of the restaurant. The museum has a beautiful masterpiece and a few relics from the time of slavery.
Whispering palms Review!
No one is assigned to attend the lodgers at the museum so do not expect anyone to explain anything to you. It is free to lodgers and day users and it is open 8am – 6pm.
Other Facilities at whispering palms
Conference room: The conference room can take up to 100 people conference style arrangement and 50 people boardroom style, it has 3 AC and 6 ceiling fans.
Barbeque area: The barbeque areas around the Resort all have unique names like Ikogosi, Olokun, Yankari and so on. There are more than 6 barbeque areas around the resort so no group can be too big.
Lagoon view bar: This bar is located almost outside the resort and offers visitors a piece of the lagoon view. The Lagoon has plastic chairs and table and each table has an umbrella and 4 chairs. You can engage in water crafts activities at the lagoon bar like pedal boating which is free for lodgers and day users. The pedals of the boats are rusty because of the salt water so you may want to have more people join you on your ride to make pedaling easier.
Picnic areas: These are the green areas within and around the resort used for small get together and parties.
Walk of Art and Replica of the Tada Bronze : There are more than 1 dozen works of art on the walk way which connect the entrance to the restaurant, they include arts from the Fulani tribe, Benin Tribe, Yoruba tribe and other cities from west Africa.
Restaurant: The restaurant food is probably one of the best things at whispering palm, the food is nice and quite affordable. Every plate of meal cost N2500 whether lunch, breakfast or lunch and it takes exactly 45 mins to prepare. Even when there is no power in the rooms, the restaurant always has power so you can chill here to charge your phones while waiting for your food.
Sharwama stand: You can get sharwama within the resort for just N1500 and the sharwama stand is just beside the museum.
Tricycle ride: The tricycle is self-driven and it is for free for lodgers and day users. You can use this tricycle to move around the vicinity.
Speed boat ride: This cost N2000 per person for 15 mins and you have to book ahead as the boat owner isn’t resident at the resort.
Facts about Whispering palms
- Do not go to whispering palms before 5pm: This is because the power only comes on by 6pm and the rooms are hot. Schedule to take the 4pm boat ride from Lagos to Badagry, you should arrive Badagry between 1hr or 1hr 30 mins.
- You might not get a direct boat from Lagos to Badagry, but can stop at Liverpool Jetty at Ojo and then take another boat going to Badagry.
- There are no palms tree whispering to themselves; if you assume the resort experience is linked to the name, you are in for a real disappointment.
- Moving boats; Fast moving boats move almost on an hourly basis commuting people between Lagos and Badagry so you are bound to wake up to the vroom sound of boat engines.
- Carry your own soap and towel; Depending on the room you take, the towels are brown and the soap the resort provides is Septol.
- Complimentary breakfast isn't guaranteed; You might not get complimentary breakfast if you didn't pay up to a certain threshold and it also depends on the room you take so keep that in mind when picking a room and also ask the receptionist.
- The price and value of the room the resort has to offer in relation to hotels of the same prices in Lagos isn't encouraging.
- The road network leading to whispering palms from the Badagry museum is very good, clean and impressive.
- You can take a morning jog on the clean, tied roads connecting the community to whispering palms, the air is clean and the environment is friendly.
-
Whispering palms beach; There are no beaches at whispering palms, one side of the resort bounders the lagoon while the other borders the community.
- Whispering palms entrance fee; For day users kids between 16 and below are charged N1000 while adults are charged N1500 and this covers the pedal boat and the bicycle ride
I hope I have helped you answer the million-dollar question, if this article did, please leave a comment or ask your questions.
To book a team retreat to whispering palms Badagry and a visit to the historic site of Badagry, you can contact Kampari tours.