Backpackers have been coming to Busua for decades, attracted by its relaxed small-village vibe, long beach and relatively safe waters. In recent years the Black Star Surf Shop has bolstered the town’s reputation as Ghana’s surf school hotspot, and Busua Inn, a likeable French-run guest house just a hundred yards or so down the beach, is a great place to watch locals and visitors catch a few waves.

Accommodation is adequate, though not a strong point – with a bed, a fan, a wardrobe, and rudimentary shower, rooms do what they need to and nothing more, and their ‘sea views’ are in reality obscured by trees. Instead, it is the communal areas that make Busua Inn memorable. The reception is fronted by old wooden shutters, and inside batik fabric, beads and local paintings hang on the walls; owners Olivier and Danielle have an artistic bent, and also maintain a Pinterest account focused on West African culture and food.

Outside, the tree-filled yard offers shady tables on a wooden patio. This section of the beach is a hive of activity – sit back with a cold beer and watch novice surfers doing their first dry land drills, local fishing parties hauling in a catch, and traders carrying boxes of bofrot or piles of fabric.

Come mealtimes, Busua Inn punches far above its weight, with a range of European, Ghanaian and Ivorian dishes, many of them using fish caught the same day.

If you’re in the area to surf, Busua can arrange packages in partnership with its sister hotel Ezile Bay, taking in the tamer local waves as well as more challenging conditions at Cape Three Points. It’s also possible to walk across the nearby headland to Butre, notable for the ruins of Fort Batenstein – although appallingly maintained, they offer superb views along the coast.