We passed through Customs and Immigration without hearing any surreptitious whispers of ‘Your boys are here, Ma’ or ‘Happy weekend’. The trolleys stationed near the baggage carousels were there for us to use free of charge, and the wheels rolled smoothly. Overall, the experience was stressless.
Our prearranged transportation was waiting, and we drove on well-marked, ‘pothole-less’ roads all the way to our resort hotel in Saly town. Because check-in time was at 15:00 and we’d arrived at 06:00, we kept our luggage at the reception and headed for the restaurant.
Our package included breakfast and dinner, but since we had not yet checked in, we were to pay for this breakfast out of pocket. It was quite a spread, and we ate voraciously. As there would be no free lunch, I took the liberty of smuggling a little something (six croissants, two apples, three oranges, one banana, four boiled eggs…) into my ample backpack.
To kill more time, we walked around, exploring. There was a large swimming pool, a well-equipped gym, a nicely fragranced spa with a humongous jacuzzi, and a delightful garden. A cobbled walkway led from the garden to the beach where we relaxed on comfortable beach chairs shaded by wide umbrellas. The weather was great, and the ocean was a beautiful sight to behold.
Later, we were taken to our separate rooms, which were situated in a newly constructed wing that was literally floating on water. Right beside the entrance to each room, stood a ladder leading up to the roof, where one could lie on a deck chair and soak up the sun. (That one na for oyibos, sha).
Inside, the room was spacious. Dried flower petals had been spread on the bed in the shape of a smiling face; and apart from the shower in the bathroom, there was a jacuzzi right inside the room!
Since we were very tired, we decided to retire early that first night. So, after a sumptuous dinner, I did the necessary pre-sleep routine, climbed into bed and relaxed as the room rocked me to (a dreamless) sleep.
To be continued…
