The Royal Senchi Hotel is beautiful. It sounds cliché, but my first thought when I pulled up was that it felt like I had entered an ancient African kingdom. The mud-house inspired architecture made me think about the movie Coming to America, and what Zamunda — or more specifically, what Prince Akeem’s palace — would look like.

The 84-room mini-resort complex is located along the Volta River, west of Akosombo, and 90 minutes from Accra. The lush well-manicured grounds give guests the feeling of being in a personal jungle. It’s not a long ride from attractions in and around Accra, but I got the feeling that this place is set up in a way that makes you not want to leave.

The soothing scent of cedarwood hit my nose as I stepped into the lobby, styled with contemporary design in mind yet accented with West African crafts, and I was greeted with smiles, bellhop service and guava juice.

My room was cozy, romantic and also smelled like cedarwood. The décor featured Adrinkra symbols, and the stool at my vanity was inspired by the Ashanti stools, carved by hand and made out of wood. There was a tub in the center of the room, in a nook that could be closed off or open to the rest of the room depending on preference, and there was a separate nook for the toilet and shower.

I ended up not eating dinner and sticking with my own snacks that I brought from home because most of what I was interested in on the Royal Senchi’s menu wasn’t available. There is a note that lets you know that some items may not be available, but it’s annoying when you don’t know what, especially because the menu contains simple items like Ghanaian food, wraps and sandwiches. I had more luck at breakfast, which was buffet style, with eggs and a fruit salad, plus a good number of other typical English and American style breakfast options.

Rest and relaxation are the name of the game at the Royal Senchi. I woke up the next morning feeling as refreshed as never before, and I was sad to go. I wish I could have stayed a little longer and experienced kayaking and canoeing on the lake, and the spa. Maybe next time.