La Campagne Tropicana Island Beach Resort: My Tour Of This Paradise On Earth (Photos + Video)

By: Egor Efiok‎

After my vigorous workout

With Joseph Benjamin who was one of my guests

My journey to this beautiful resort started in the summer of 2010 when I accompanied Desmond Elliott to get him ready for interviews with Nollywood Movies UK and Ovation Magazine, respectively (see photos below).

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Gosh! I can't believe I used to be this big! NEVER again! Lol!

Fast forward to November 2013 and I was introduced to the owner of the resort, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, while looking for a good location for a project.

As it was also my birthday weekend, Otunba graciously organised a birthday picnic for me. That weekend was the best birthday present I've ever had‎. It started with my friend, Mike Larry (in long dreads below), throwing a party for me at his club, Dollhouse Lagos (see a few photos below); and after having a swell time with my friends there, we headed to La Campagne Tropicana Island Beach Resort the following day to continue the party. 

One thing you will quickly notice about the resort is their unique traditional way of greeting accompanied by the Yoruba word, "Ekaabo". Everyone on the Island has to greet in the same manner, so the visitors are taught how to greet and receive the greetings. The greeting is called Oshuba, which translates thus: My hands are tied, as you come to me, I have no grudges against you, accept my greetings from the bottom of my heart. The younger person places their hand on top and the older person returns the greeting the same way (see examples below). 

There is also a small drum and drumstick outside all the chalets instead of a bell, to attract the attention of the staff. You hit the drum with the drumstick and if you don't want to be disturbed, you put the drum inside your room. 

I like the fact that Otunba has kept his Ondo State tradition alive at the resort. It's so interesting that it makes one want to have a history lesson about the resort and the entire tradition (which I did btw).

Exchanging greetings with a staff member younger than myself

Exchanging greetings with my tour guide, who is fondly referred to as Baba Laba.

Baba Alaba, who is also one of the operation managers, showing me how to exchange greetings with an older person.

Nnamdi, one of the operation managers who was also very helpful.

My party was held in front of one of the tree houses at the resort. We were treated to champagne and sumptuous meals of chicken and different types of seafood that were barbecued live as we languished in the beauty of our surroundings. Forgive me if I repeatedly use the word, beautiful; it is because I can't find a more suitable word to describe this resort. The place is breathtakingly beautiful and is a paradise in the true sense of the word, itself. The staff are all extremely polite too and make you feel at home. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun and my guests also echoed the same thing. Unfortunately, I had to leave my guests behind, who all spent the night there courtesy of the resort, as I had to be in London the next day for the ZAFAA Awards.

A week later, I was back to explore the entire resort. The resort is larger than imagined and has over 600 chalets to suit couples and families alike, ranging from 2-6 bedrooms, complete with bunk beds and dining tables. For writers like my reclusive self, this is also a perfect haven and there are beautiful one bedroom chalets at the beachfront; you can sit outside and brainstorm with just the sound of the waves giving you a peaceful vibe.

I stayed at one of the tree houses at the beachfront (see photos below). The resort also has many fitness trainers, so I requested one before starting my tour and at 7am on cue, the drumbeat (my bell) alerted me to his presence.

My fitness trainer on my 1st day, Rapper and tv boy, Galala.

See photos below of the inside of my tree house followed by photos of me exercising on my second day at the resort.

My Brief History Lessons About The Resort

I am going to post more photos from the resort which would include chalets, inside the chalets, bars, the basketball court, etc. Just in case you also get confused about the names and their meanings, I will share right after the photos, what my very competent tour guide, Baba Laba, taught me about all the observations I made and the meanings of all the names of the chalets, bars, stages, etc. View them below first.

Bole Kaja Bar: Translated, "come down and let's fight".

Oba Ilerigi: African Tourism showcasing natural materials/resources used to build the tree house. Eg roof made of straw, iron wood plank and raffia palms for the body.

KSA International Stage: KSA stands for King Sunny Ade and this stage is made up of 3 parts; hence you can have 3 events going on at the same time. The top of the stage can hold 150 people and the bottom, over 5,000 people.

There is also an Ola Rotimi Stage.

Okunree: This is where the musicians chill out.

There is a Canoe Buffet table too, with chairs set around it.

Mama Put Bar: The food at this bar is cheaper, as opposed to the usual 7,500 Naira (buffet). This shows that La Campagne Tropicana caters to all classes of people and does not discriminate.

I also spent a lot of time at the Snooker Bar sipping coconut water straight from the coconut, while watching people play snooker and watch football. It's a very lively bar.

Labalaba village: Labalaba means butterfly.

Open space: Nature performs miracles.

You will also see photos below of a game called Ogido Coconut Game (pick a coconut from the basket and knock down), Aim The Bucket, Basket ball and five aside.

After Baba Laba saw my "History notes" above, he erm...wasn't quite satisfied with them (hehehe) and decided to elaborate further to ensure that I thoroughly understood his lessons. Bless! To say that he is very meticulous is an understatement. He painstakingly went through every detail I had written and then emailed me the additional information below:

{1} Oba Ilerigi simply means KING sized wooden bed room. It is a piece of art from the stable of the ambassador of tourism & culture. This art is a wooden house from well extract Africa's best wood, best rafia palm, best rafia mat, straw tatche roof to crown it & it's well polished in a cosmopolitan manner for all nations. Best African wooden house. 

{2} Kodi Village is a hut built with the taste & flavor of North Africa, as you know Kodi means shells, in particular, those you find @ the beach & our Hausas & Fulanis love them & use them for art work. The roof top is white in colour & those are their favorite colours.

{3} Labalaba Village is a hut also built around the Yoruba tradition but this time, as a round shape for safety of the huts. And Labalaba means butterflies so when you are in Labalaba chalet, remember that you have learnt a word from the Yoruba language. 

{4} Oso is a hut of two different shapes (triangular & circular) by the lake side & this lake is called in Yoruba Ijebu language, Oso. For this cause, the hut was named after the lake and it was sitted in between the three natural echo friendly environments such as the forest @ the back, the savanna mist with lake water @ the front, but mind you, as a center that promotes nothing but the best of African culture, tradition & beliefs of our people, these huts were built with 80% content of local material well designed to suit the natural environment. 

{4} Obieze is a three bedroom bungalow named after the IGBO tradition & culture. Meaning, the KING's palace. It is well polished in a cosmopolitan manner and to suit high class people, it was built around trees to give the atmosphere of home far away in the tropical environment.

Thanks Baba Laba! 

Welcome To The Jungle/Mangrove Forest!

What many people may not realise as well, perhaps because it is easier to get more absorbed with the beach front view, is that the resort has a very large beautiful jungle complete with monkeys, mudskippers and a lagoon named Oso (Ijebu); Oso means lagoon. The jungle also has many beautiful chalets, a library (Ile Ikawe), spa (Itura Spa) and a clinic (Gbaralemi clinic). There is also a Founder's Camp Site (aka Olawanle Camp Site) here. This was where the owner of the resort, Otunba Olawanle Akinboboye, camped 26 years ago when he was conceptualizing the resort. I have posted photos below, of the exact spot and the tent he stayed in. Gulder's Ul‎timate Search was filmed in this jungle as well. 

After a vigorous and enjoyable workout accompanied by breakfast, Baba Laba gave me a memorable tour of the jungle...the memory of how detailed he was still makes me smile. How can I ever forget when I asked him if there were snakes there as well, since there were monkeys in the trees and the jungle was as real ever. His reply: "Well, if you see a green snake, just pick it up by the tail and greet it, Ekaabo". Ha! Woyo! Mbok! No sir! Lol! Although he was clearly joking and there are no snakes there, I get the feeling that even if one sees a snake there, the snake will be as tame and friendly ‎as the entire atmosphere is! Hehehe! The monkeys were delightful too and kept bounding up the trees. I didn't manage to get shots of them because they kept running away from me. Anyway, enjoy the images below that I managed to capture with my phone. Please forgive the quality of the photos. I was photographer, tourist and student all at once! :D Ironically too, my phone battery's below 20% warning bleep came just as I was preparing to take the photos below. I was certain I wouldn't capture more than a few shots at the most. However, we were in the OPEN SPACE where "nature performs miracles" as Baba Laba had earlier lectured me, so touch wood with me as I become superstitious in my new quest to keep my phone battery alive. Did nature perform a miracle on my phone battery? You'd have to find out...  

My tour of the jungle is now completed and my phone battery is showing 3%. Even Baba Laba was surprised that it captured all the images above and still hadn't gone off. I had almost finished my tour of the entire resort anyway, so I just silently willed nature to perform its miracle for a little longer. Did it? Let's see...

Guess what? My battery just died! Right after Baba Laba took me this last photo! Honest, I'm not making this up! You better take your history lessons about the resort literally while you're there...as you can see, this is a MIRACLE! 

Some people have asked me how far the resort is from Lagos and I will give you the easiest directions. If you start your journey when there is no traffic, it's about an hour from Aja (use Lagos Business School as your landmark). When you get to Elekan beach, do a left and you'd be at La Campagne Tropicana Island Beach Resort in 20 minutes. There are also milestones to guide you. It is a very straightforward route and I have never needed help with directions after the first time I went there.

I recommend this resort for any type of activity, so check it out. Prices are also affordable (see prices below). I've decided to spend as many weekends here as possible, so don't be surprised if you bump into me :) For newly weds, this is your perfect honeymoon destination...nah mean? ;)

I cannot end this post without saying a big thank you to Otunba Wanle Akinboboye for the lovely experience and to the staff of La Campagne Tropicana Island Beach Resort, especially Baba Alaba and Nnamdi. Thanks so much guys, I had a swell time!

Finally, I'd like to introduce you to the owner of this beautiful paradise, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye. Please click here to read more about this great man and his avid support of the arts. Watch him in the video below too.

If you want to have as much uninterrupted fun as I did at La Campagne Tropicana Island Beach Resort, telephone the resort on +2347045612367/+2347045612369 or email info@lacampagneng.com

MORE USEFUL INFORMATION (PROVIDED BY THE RESORT) 

The Resort (www.lacampagneng.com) which is the first ever African-themed Resort located at Ikegun, Lagos State, ninety (90) minutes from Lagos, the business capital of Nigeria, is designed to present Africa and African culture in a cosmopolitan manner to domestic and international tourists. 

The Resort is spread over 65 acres of land and is bounded by a fresh water lagoon and a “clean” sandy beach that stretches for miles along the warm equatorial waters of the Atlantic Ocean. 

The Resort contains a mangrove forest that provides visitors with the opportunity to observe, at close quarters, a wide variety of tropical Flora and fauna that include mangroves, monkeys, squirrels, bats, and various species of birds such as kingfishers, sea hawks, egrets and ducks. 

The Resort is patronized by both individuals and corporate bodies for leisure activities and work retreats. It is at the forefront of Nigeria’s private sector initiative to attract international tourists to the country and develop her Tourism industry.

SECURITY IN THE RESORT

The resort is secured by three arms of security personnel. These are:

a. CORPORATE GUARDS LIMITED (www.corporateguardsng.com)

This is the major security outfit that ensures that the resort is secured 24/7 (both day and night). They are always found in all parts of the resort patrolling. 

This security company is the foremost private security company all over the federation, has trained thousands of operatives and secures a long list of homes, offices and parastatals all over the country. 

The client list of the Company, which ever since 2002 was adjudged the best security company in Nigeria and which operates under a Grade ‘’ A ‘’ License from the (Nigerian ) Ministry of Internal Affairs, includes First City Merchant Bank Limited, Standard Chartered Bank Limited, Citibank and T B S, to mention a few. 

b. AREA 5 POLICE FORCE

About 15 kilometers from the resort is the Akodo Police Station. This station offers special security services to the resort. The officers are fully armed with patrol vehicles and are always at the resort’s services.

c. COMMUNITY POLICE

Aside from the above, the community police from the resort’s neighboring villages also work with the police and Corporate Guards to ensure that the lives and property of everybody in the resort are secured. 

They are made up of thoroughly trained indigenes of these communities.

d. ENTERTAINMENT

The resort is also into providing entertainment for its guests. Its entertainment arm, ATUNDA ENT (www.atunda.com) is an entertainment promotion company with strong roots in Nigerian culture. 

Its main focus is on creation of the right environment for growing talents and developing them into international super stars. Some of the stars that regularly perform in the resort are Afe Onikoko, Anu and Olo. 

This arm of the resorts is into dance, drama, live shows, fashion shows and other forms of arts. The company celebrates African culture in its originality through entertainment.

OTHER FACILITIES AVAILABLE IN THE RESORT

Aside from the exclusively furnished chalets that can accommodate well over 100 guests comfortably, other facilities available in the resort are as listed below:

• Well equipped Conference Hall that can accommodate about 100 guests at a time. It is fully air-conditioned and has a projector, sound system, comfortable furniture and six restrooms.

• A well equipped modern kitchen where both continental and intercontinental dishes are prepared by seasoned and highly experienced professional chefs.

• A well-furnished front beach restaurant that accommodates about 60 guests.

• Four fully stocked bars for all sorts of drinks.

• A ‘Yorubar’ where African dishes are prepared, served and enjoyed in an atmosphere synchronized with African beats, songs and dance. Here, the five senses become fully engaged.

• A well equipped highly spacious KSA International Stage where several international and local artists perform.

• Olarotimi Stage for dance, fashion show and other forms of entertainment. 

• Children’s Playhouse that houses all sorts of children games and recreational facilities.

• Various outdoor and indoor games and activities for team building exercises such as Sack Race, Volley ball, Egg Spoon, Tug of War, Obstacle Course, Aerobic, Swimming, Football, Water Volleyball, Table games (Scrabble, Chess, Monopoly), Snooker, Table Tennis, Canoe ride, Basketball, Badminton, Catapulting, Aim the bucket and Horse ride).

• A fitness team at the resort to put you through in any of the above-listed exercises.

• Several barbecue points where fresh fish, chicken, suya, calamari, lobsters, prawns, crabs and other seafood items are grilled and sold.

• Ojinna spots where African snacks like fried yam (dundu), fried plantain (dodo), bean cake (akara) are fried for guests.

• A supermarket that stocks petty cosmetics, swimming items and other daily consumables.

• A standard swimming pool.

After the jump break are the rates for all the chalets and everything else in La Campagne Tropicana, as provided by the resort, including photos of famous stars that have visited the resort. Click to continue...

SNOOKER BAR (left) CLOSE TO THE BAR (right)

BEACHSIDE SEATS (left) INSIDE THE RESORT (right)

GUESTS RELAXING (left) THE INTN'L STAGE (right)

For more information and to see more photos, check out the resort's website at www.lacampagneng.com