Laughing Goat Ghana (Serenity Haven Lodge) — Restaurant in Western Region

We had originally booked here for two nights, but after scoping out the place and determining that it unfortunately did not meet our needs, we stayed just the one night.||Our needs — which included Wi-Fi because we had to check in for flights and organize health paperwork for our destinations — may of course be different to others, and this guesthouse may work wonderfully for them :)||The location itself is serene, the rooms and property are very clean, the decorations are simple, and the yard is very pretty. However, as others have already commented, it can be difficult to find/get to the place. You must literally go right through the middle of a school — and during school hours it proves difficult! You also have to walk the final 200m or so to the front gate (no huge issue, just something of which to be aware).||Note also that the property is not on the beach and that breakfast is not included in the price.||Some additional comments which strengthened our decision to stay just the one night:||- the windows to the rooms didn’t lock — although there are bars on the windows, one could stick a hand through and grab items if they really wanted|- lighting in the room was poor|- our toilet wouldn’t flush properly|- there was no top sheet on the bed — only a fitted sheet and a blanket (that may or may not have been washed)|- there is no air-con in the rooms, only fans — the fan was strong but it really only swirled around the hot air|- the shower had very poor pressure (really only a few drips) and it didn’t drain at all — I ended up having a “bath” (or at least my feet did) as I was showering|- we got eaten alive by mozzies whilst eating dinner — make sure to lather up in bug spray!||These things aside — which may be fine for other people — this was the busiest guesthouse we stayed at in Ghana! The other guests were lovely and friendly.||We ordered dinner during our stay — note that it took a long time to serve (over an hour), but all our meals (a bean burger and spicy lentils) were great! Our Ghanaian friend, however, didn’t think his burger was spicy enough, lol.||As I said, I’m sure this guesthouse works well for some — it simply (and unfortunately) didn’t meet our needs...

We stayed at the Laughing Goat in Busua for seven night at the end of January 2019. |We had a great week, and this is a good place to stay for a very fair (almost cheap) price. ||Hotel|Rooms are clean and fan worked well. The water pressure had some issues sometimes and the toilet could only flush every 10th minute (#ghana), but when we told the staff, they were happy to help. |Garden is nice and good for a chill and a beer. Rooftop is windy and has a little glimpse of the ocean. Could be decorated a little smarter and cosier and bar is not functioning, so one has to go down and order in the restaurant/garden bar. ||Location|The hotel is a few minutes walk away from the beach. Be prepared to walk through typical Ghanaian (semi-slum) housing areas to get to the beach - we got used to it though. |You can’t drive directly to the hotel, which wasn’t stated clearly on the booking/homepage unfortunately (or we didn’t inform ourselves properly before arrival). Therefore be prepared to 50 metres walk from parking at the school to get to the hotel (through Ghanaian housing area).||Restaurant & Bar|Food is great for the prices you pay. Typically it took 30 minutes to get served, which in Ghana can feel quite quickly. Service of the bar and restaurant is very friendly and helpful, but a little too relaxed in a Ghanaian way. But fair according to the prices. |No problem that it’s vegetarian/vegan menu. Tastes were great! ||Surf & Yoga|We surfed five times, twice with lessons. The surf instructors were cool guys and very helpful. Sometimes they were a little hard to locate, when we wanted to get the surf boards to go surfing on our own, but it all worked out. |Yoga lesson (once) on the windy roof worked well and the instructor was good. ||Here you can feel welcome like a friend and have a cheap...

Objective opinion: The rooms are very plain. No fridge, ac, water kettle, nothing. Not even an art piece on the wall. Since there is no hot water heater, there should at least be a kettle and a bucket to fetch hot water.

The room also wasn't entirely clean. There was sand in the sheets. Not to mention, the towel looked very old and used.

The rest of the environment was calm and serene. The rooftop area was especially cool.

The host lady was also very dull and was always frowning her face. We could've caught her on an off day, but a friendly smile and tone of voice can make a huge difference

Personally: Little things like complementary soaps and a small coffee bar can greatly improve the whole environment and vibe of a room. I would even pay more knowing those amenities were provided. I would also pay more simply to have hot running water. I don't understand why hotels won't install a hot water heaters then increase the price a little bit. It will definitely pay for itself in no time and increase business. It is also important to have white towels so you can be bleaching them and keeping them as fresh...