Backpacking In Guinea🇬🇳: My Stay At Hotel Du Golfe, Miniere, Conakry

After getting an online evisa for Guinea in December 2023, it was time to fly in. My visa was confirmed on Monday 18th December 2023. On that same ill-fated day, there was a fatal oil explosion in Conakry, Guinea. Ouch.

 

As the news filtered onto my feed about this oil explosion, I became aware that the next day, I was flying here. Would it be safe? What would happen in Conakry? Was the airport even open? Would the visa be blocked? The answers would come, but first my flight was delayed by 8 hours in Rome, Italy which meant I had missed my connection by two hours (Air Tunis at it again), then a 24 minute mad dash through Tunis Carthage Airport (no time to dwell on country 100! from 2015), then a brief stop in Dakar, Senegal and bang…I was actually in Guinea and being given my visa for country 221!!

It had been a crazy adventure to get there and for sure another chapter in one of my book series to come. Well it was too late for the Backpacking Centurion series, and may even have missed my This Is The Next Century series, but maybe the one after that. Anyway, I had contacted the trendy looking Hotel Du Golfe in advance to arrange an airport pick up. I knew I’d be arriving late on Tuesday 19th December 2023, but in the end I didn’t realise how late. Plus, on arrival in Conakry Airport, we had to waken the visa girl up to get our visas! To be honest, it was lucky I had arranged this with the Hotel Du Golfe. For a few reasons – this hotel was open and miles from the oil explosion, being at Miniere. Two of the other hotels I considered were very close to the explosion, and I wouldn’t have been allowed to stay there or get near the exclusion zone. Also, in the dark of night, in a new country, alone, it was safe secure and happy to be getting an airport pick-up.

The airport at Conakry was odd though. First I got my visa and through to the baggage check. No bags for me, so past customs and bag scan. Then, you’re out into the airport and no guests are here. It is because they are not allowed in. Normally you are surrounded by taxi drivers and pieces of paper waiting on passengers. Here, calm, nothing. Then another exit where a police officer again checked my visa and I walk  over a bridge with still no clear meeting point. It felt like I was walking alone into a car park in the darkness and nobody would be there. Then I saw my driver, Osne!! He was waiting in the car park with a sign with my name on it!

Then I am taken on the short 15 minute drive to the incredible Hotel Du Golfe! Named of course because of the gulf, the water, nothing to do with Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, David Feherty, Darren Clarke and Ronan Rafferty hitting birdies or condors! I arrived on reception and was welcomed with smiles and aplomb! I’m in room 128!!

Now that I was checked in, I grabbed a local beer – a Guiluxe (just under $1 US Dollar, 8,000 Guinea Francs) and relaxed.

Here are the five coolest things about my stay here at the Hotel Du Golfe in Miniere, Conakry, Guinea.

1.The Breakfast

I was actually pretty hungry on arrival at night, so grabbed 2 beers then went to sleep with an early rise alarm for my breakfast.

2.The Neighburhood

I loved this local area, my neighbourhood is called Miniere – down near the sea but in amongst locals living their normal lives – shops, markets, a Mosque, a few local bars and cafes. I made Etoile Du Miniere my local pub for 3 nights. I got motorbikes further afield to the Atlantic Ocean, Tidem beach, the trendy Kipe district, the church and football stadium, the market and to Boulbinet (where I boarded to Kassa).

3.The Cosy Room, Ensuite and Wi-Fi

I was in Room 128. I had a large double bed, a television, a fridge, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and an ensuite.

4.The Staff

The staff here really looked after me and cared for me during my three days.

5.The Calmness

I arrived at the worst possible time, the day after the explosion. The smoke was filling the sky, roads were closed, petrol station queues were manic – it reminded me of backpacking Haiti in 2022. Yet despite all that madness, I was given a face mask and told this time, “wear it because of the pollution in the air, not because of COVID”. There was a calmness in the chaos.

As a result, I loved my stay here, here are a few other posts I have written about Guinea.

Backpacking in Guinea: Touring Conakry The Week of The Explosion
Backpacking in Guinea: Kassa Island
Friday’s Featured Food: Barbecued Chicken
Thirsty Thursdays: 11 Bars and Cafes I Visited In Guinea
How To Get A Guinea Visa Online
Backpacking In Guinea: The Northern Ireland of Africa

Here are the details for booking at room at the Hotel Du Golfe, Conakry, Guinea:
Quartier Minière N°313, Dixinn Conakry, Guinée
Email – [email protected]
Phone +224 627 60 60 09
Website – https://hoteldugolfedeguinee.com/contact/