Hans Cottage has a well-developed streak of eccentricity. It calls itself a ‘botel’ – half boat, half hotel – for no better reason than that it sits next to a man-made lake, with the bar on a concrete pontoon. It has a gate guard who is prone to donning a plastic replica of a British policeman’s helmet and saluting. And over the small, shallow swimming pool it has a Virgin Mary statue that carries a sign saying, “No drowning.”
It is also half-zoo. Crocodiles swim benignly around the lake, occasionally emerging to bask on an island behind the bar. You can get up close for a fee, but it doesn’t require much bravery – they’re small, and too well-fed from the lake’s countless tilapia to try for a chunk of human. In the trees above, egrets mingle with bright yellow weaver birds – a nuisance to farmers but fascinating to watch – and resident pairs of pied and woodland kingfisher can be spotted flitting around the water. Finally, there is a pond full of catfish beside the car park.
The bar itself is a glorious, ramshackle, split-level place, hung with flags and fronted with a stage, onto which staff sometimes wander to idly pick out a guitar riff. Service is slow and there’s little to get excited about on the menu – apart from the passion fruit juice, made from fruit grown on-site – but you’ll still love relaxing here as the sun goes down.
Accommodations are plentiful, and range from very basic rooms to ‘executive suites’ with flat-screen TVs and air-con, though there is no guarantee everything will be working. Hans Cottage is far from luxurious, but it is always memorable – and it’s also a great base for exploring Kakum National Park, whose visitor centre is about 20 minutes’ drive away.
Expert Review
Hans Cottage has a well-developed streak of eccentricity. It calls itself a ‘botel’ - half boat, half hotel - for...
Hans Cottage has a well-developed streak of eccentricity. It calls itself a ‘botel’ – half boat, half hotel – for no better reason than that it sits next to a man-made lake, with the bar on a concrete pontoon. It has a gate guard who is prone to donning a plastic replica of a British policeman’s helmet and saluting. And over the small, shallow swimming pool it has a Virgin Mary statue that carries a sign saying, “No drowning.”
It is also half-zoo. Crocodiles swim benignly around the lake, occasionally emerging to bask on an island behind the bar. You can get up close for a fee, but it doesn’t require much bravery – they’re small, and too well-fed from the lake’s countless tilapia to try for a chunk of human. In the trees above, egrets mingle with bright yellow weaver birds – a nuisance to farmers but fascinating to watch – and resident pairs of pied and woodland kingfisher can be spotted flitting around the water. Finally, there is a pond full of catfish beside the car park.
The bar itself is a glorious, ramshackle, split-level place, hung with flags and fronted with a stage, onto which staff sometimes wander to idly pick out a guitar riff. Service is slow and there’s little to get excited about on the menu – apart from the passion fruit juice, made from fruit grown on-site – but you’ll still love relaxing here as the sun goes down.
Accommodations are plentiful, and range from very basic rooms to ‘executive suites’ with flat-screen TVs and air-con, though there is no guarantee everything will be working. Hans Cottage is far from luxurious, but it is always memorable – and it’s also a great base for exploring Kakum National Park, whose visitor centre is about 20 minutes’ drive away.