Review originally posted on Berry Dakara
Over the weekend, Cakes and I were in Abuja to attend a friend’s wedding. The last time I was in Abuja was at the beginning of my NYSC year in 2011, and I stayed in hotels recommended by my former employers. This time around, I perused the couple’s wedding website in search of their recommended hotels – it’s usually best to do so, so that you can be near family and friends of the couple. Plus you can hitch rides with some of them if you’re car-less. Anyways, the first choice was Transcorp Hilton, and the next was The Nordic Villa. Being the kind of person that I am, I immediately went to their websites, while also looking up reviews online. Transcorp seemed like a good option but way beyond my budget, so I looked to The Nordic Villa.
On TripAdvisor (which I highly recommend for travel planning) the Nordic Villa is currently rated #2 out of 60 hotels in Abuja! I was already excited!!! The reviews were mostly good, and so I called them. Unfortunately, their standard rooms were all booked for my dates, but the person on the phone suggested I try their sister hotel, The Nordic Residence (which is #3 on the list on Trip Advisor). I asked about the location and was informed that they were just a street apart. I went to their website, read their reviews on Trip Advisor, and gave them a call to make inquiries. Before I go on, let me just say this: “GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE IN NIGERIA EXISTS!!!”
The gentleman I spoke to said their standard rooms were sold out for my dates. I was crushed, and said I would call him back. I decided to ask a few contacts about the hotel, but none of them had heard of it. While I tried to find somewhere else, the guy from The Nordic Residence called me back! He said that since I had called earlier, he wanted to confirm if I wanted to book a room. I told him a standard room was what I really wanted, and he said that since it wasn’t available, I could try their other options. He mentioned the prices of the Deluxe Room, and a Deluxe Balcony Room. I casually said, “Ah ah now, I like balconies… can’t you give me a discount for the balcony room?” To my surprise, he said he would ask his manager and call me back. Less than 5 minutes later, I had my room booked! They sent a confirmation email and I looked forward to seeing the hotel.
Cakes and I decided to arrange for one of their cars to pick us up at the airport, but the driver had a flat tire by the time we landed, and we chose to take an airport taxi service to the hotel (that one is even another story – the girl at the counter said it would cost N5000, and when we got in the car, the driver said it was N6000 – that “Am I not the one driving?” Luckily for him, we were already moving, otherwise I would have asked him not to bother anymore). Anyways, when we got to the hotel, it was just so serene and calm (just like Abuja in a nutshell). The compound is very secure and quiet.
We walked in, and the man at the reception (he was the one I spoke to) was warm and welcoming. We were given water and orange juice, and shown to our room. One of my biggest fears was having a hard mattress, because in Nigeria, these rock-hard orthowhatever mattresses are all over the place. But the bed was soft and cushy. The balcony ended up being a shared one, but there was nobody in the opposite room, so we had it to ourselves.
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| It’s a lot bigger than it looks. My camera was simply being uncooperative. |
After the wedding, it was nice coming back to a quiet, cozy room and we quickly knocked off to sleep. I should mention there were 2 separate full size blankets, instead of one big one to share. What if I wanted to cuddle with Cakes?!?!? Fashi, after the wedding, I just wanted an easy sleep and that’s exactly what I got – no fighting for blanket! We had ordered our breakfast the night before, and it came right on time in the morning. I was VERY happy that the milk provided was not powdered milk! I don’t like it at all, because God created milk as a liquid!!! We were both full after our breakfast and chilled for a little bit, before taking photos as we checked out.
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| Lol, mistake on their breakfast menu options. |
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| This breakfast was good enough for me to burst out in song – see my Instagram page :p |
All in all, we really enjoyed our stay at The Nordic Residence. My only gripe would be that there’s no pool or restaurant – however, they can take you to a nearby spot to swim and use the gym; plus they order food for you if you want it. We got a sandwich and fries. Also, it would be nice if the jacuzzi bathtub worked properly – we could use only the shower option.
Other than that, I would 100% stay here again – no questions asked.
Major thanks to the hotel staff. Y’all are doing a great job!!!
very nice @Berry. will check out this hotel when I finally visit abuja!
I love the review!!!!