Ko-Sa beach resort – our ‘beach home’ in Ghana!

Ko-Sa beach resort was the first resort our family visited when we moved to Accra 4 years ago and, after happily returning to it several times, we now consider it our Ghana ‘beach home’. Not far from Cape Coast, Elmina and Kakum National Park it is a central place to stay if you want to make day trips to explore these areas. It is also the perfect getaway to simply switch off and spend leisurely hours in the ever-warm, calm sea or under the shade of the palm tree panorama.

Ko-Sa beach resort is a tropical paradise

The wonderful inviting energy of Ko-Sa can be felt when you enter the beach resort grounds, and as you stroll through the garden and hear the soothing sounds of the Atlantic Ocean just a few metres away, relaxation beckons! Plants sway in the gentle breeze and butterflies dance around clusters of colourful flowers. Beautifully nestled in this green oasis is the chalet accommodation with the outside walls of each room uniquely painted in bright ethnic patterns.

Delicious freshly prepared international and Ghanaian dishes

Take a few steps further in the direction of the sea, and you will find the restaurant boma to your right, a large open-air deck area with an impressively high wooden roof. Essentially the ‘watering hole’ of Ko Sa beach resort, where appetites are satisfied, refreshing drinks are enjoyed, books are read and board games are played, all while enjoying the tranquil view and welcome sea breeze. The food on offer is varied and delicious, freshly prepared by the hard-working kitchen team using ingredients from Ko-Sa’s organic garden and seafood from the fishermen from the nearby Ampenyi village.

Present and attentive management at Ko-Sa beach resort

The owners of Ko-Sa beach resort are Nol and Annelies, who hail from the Netherlands and came to Ghana in 2006 to look at the resort. They fell in love with its location and Africa in general and say that being here ‘felt like coming home,’. Ever present yet unobtrusive, they work tirelessly on the upkeep and management of their resort and every time we have visited upgrades have been made or something new has been built. One of the projects they worked on during the lock down was an area in front of the restaurant to play Petanque that has been a real hit with guests! With many of their staff living in the neighbouring Ampenyi village, they are also committed to the development, social upliftment and well being of the local community and are involved in a number of local projects too.

Ko-Sa’s attractive and comfortable accommodation

The accommodation at Ko-Sa is simple, comfortable and tastefully decorated inside with colourful African wax and batik fabrics. Ceiling fans and aircons ensure a sound nights sleep and there are several room types available to suit your budget. Our family of 4 most recently stayed in one of the newly built spacious Deluxe Double Rooms that are sea facing and have their own patios. These chalets also have huge bathrooms and the showers are so big that our whole family could have washed the beach sand off our sun kissed bodies at the same time if we had wanted to!!

My favourite Ko-Sa beach resort moments

Opening the bedroom door after a restful night, and seeing the tropical green view in the foreground, against the backdrop of golden sand and the blue ocean is one of my favourite Ko-Sa moments. The sounds of birds cheerfully tweeting fills the air, and the immediate warmth of Ghana sunshine on my back feels like an idyllic and magical way to welcome in a new day! Sipping delicious fresh coffee with my feet in the coarse sand, marveling at the beauty of the shimmering sea is another blissful Ko-Sa beach resort morning ritual of mine that I will always treasure.

A protected cove perfect for cooling off

Different to other resorts that are perhaps more surfer friendly, Ko-Sa beach resort offers a wonderful, protected swimming-pool-like cove. At low tide the shallow waters are perfect for young children and as the tide comes in and the waves break over the protective rocks, swimming and boogie boarding opportunities present themselves. At times I’ve been reminded of the calm seas of Thailand, and sometimes the water has been so crystal clear that we’ve seen tiny translucent fish.

Ko-Sa’s beautiful beach with a palm tree panorama

One of the things I love about Ko-Sa beach resort is watching local Ghanaian life in the people walking along the beach, carrying big loads of firewood, or large silver bowls of fish on their heads, and the trip of goats (isn’t it a funny collective noun used for them!) and flock of shaggy sheep doing their daily rounds and getting their exercise!

The beach is scattered with chairs, loungers and tables and there are hammocks available too, making it possible to spend the entire day near the sea. You can enjoy breakfast and lunch there, interspersed with regular refreshing dips in the sea – the perfect palette cleansers!

We have spent hours reading, relaxing and watching the waves crash over the long black rock formations as the tide comes in. The water filling the hundreds of unique holes in the rocks momentarily forms tiny little waterfalls as it gushes through them. These holes in the rocks remind me of the clay rounds that are used to make Ghanaian beads into which tiny crushed pieces of glass are placed.

Traditional Ghanaian glass beads and jewellery for sale at Ko-Sa

On the topic of beads, Kojo sells his beautiful necklaces and bracelets at Ko-Sa beach resort. He sets up his table on the beach and displays his stunning jewellery there. Bead workshops are also on offer and we thoroughly enjoyed doing one with him where he shared his story of how he came to be a bead maker, and showed us the process involved when making beads from recycled glass.

A place steeped in memories for our family

Ko-Sa beach resort holds dear memories for our family from the first time we visited during a particularly hot April when the bar staff kindly kept the Easter chocolates we had bought for our kids in their fridge! On Easter Sunday we walked several kilometres to Brenu Beach Lodge to have lunch with our friends who were staying there, who later joined us back at Ko-Sa for dinner. That night we were all treated to a festive dancing and drumming show put on by the local community and the lively atmosphere in the restaurant was amazing!

We’ve enjoyed watching some dramatic tropical storms encroaching, and have sat in the sheltered area watching the rain pelting down, only to be back on the beach an hour later reapplying sunscreen! We’ve admired an old Ghanaian lady who has spent hours patiently prizing tiny mollusks off the rocks, her back completely flat in a bent over position, with her long metal tool in hand. We’ve sipped on sundowners while young boys energetically and joyfully danced on the beach to music playing on their cell phones and spoken to a woman who spent the large part of her day observing how sea urchins in the rocks behave! We’ve observed subsistence fishermen gracefully throw their circular nets into the water and seen a big pile of small silver fish that they caught scramble and struggle before their bodies slowed down to stillness.

We have set our alarm clocks to catch the sunrise and been entranced watching the dawn of a new day as the golden ball of sun appeared when we lifted our heads from the water. And twelve hours later we have watched the same beautiful Harmattan sun retire for the night in the opposite direction. 

We’ve taken a long stroll along the neighbouring beach and been blown away by the serenity and beauty of this untouched landscape at sunset that stretches for kilometres and kilometres. And have wondered about abandoned buildings fully imagining the vision and dreams the owners must have had.

We have built sandcastles out of coarse golden sand, gathered pretty shells and little sea treasures and been fascinated at the intricacies of how the pincers of crabs work. We have watched in amazement as muscular men climb swiftly up the narrow trunks of palm trees to pick coconuts for us, and minutes later have sat sipping on their sweet interiors.

We have seen fisherman optimistically set out to sea in their wooden canoe fishing boats weathering the waves and getting smaller as they head to the horizon. And before retiring to bed we have gazed at that same horizon and seen a string of what look like fairy lights in the distance, and counted over 50 boats that are out at sea for the whole night!

We have walked to the Ampenyi village at dusk and been humbled at the friendliness and warmth of this fishing community and the children’s excitement to see us!

And we have explored the Posuban shrines in nearby Mankassim, and been fascinated by what we saw and subsequently uncovered more about these aspects of Fante culture. (See my blog post to learn with me)

I could ramble on with a smile on my face about beautiful moments watching swallows playfully flit through the sky, the sweet scent of pancakes filling the balmy Ghana air, and the spicy notes of seafood being grilled that make our mouths water as dinner time approaches. Watching the dusky sky transform into ice-cream swirls of pink and purple. Feasting on fresh fish and joyful moments playing family board games around the table late into the night. Wafts of cinnamon and cloves coming from the kitchen as our son Jack’s ‘favourite Dutch apple pie in the world’ gets baked.

But instead I’ll leave you now with the hope that if you haven’t already visited Ko-Sa, you someday soon get to experience this lovely beach resort, and that you too get to make some beautiful memories on Ghana’s coast!

For bookings visit Ko-Sa’s website.

You may find my other blog posts on the following pages useful:

• Living in Ghana – my musings on expat life in Accra
• Best places to discover and see in Accra
• Ghana culture and life – so much to explore
• Local Ghana festivals not to be missed
• Holidays in Ghana – our favourite places to escape to

I’d love to hear of your favourite Ko-Sa memories in the comments below, or what you would most look forward to if you were to visit.