Sailors Lounge
BY NATHANIEL AKHIGBE
Frankly, almost every sectors depend on agriculture for survival. Though often not acknowledged, the successes of several sectors would not have been possible without agriculture. And for the hospitality industry, there is really no hospitality without agriculture. Words that are synonyms of “hospitality” are welcome, “friendliness”, “warmth”, “kindness”, “generosity”, “cordiality” and “openness”. And these are what the hospitality sector’s key players like hotels, bars, and tourism promise to deliver to their customers. But all these mean nothing to a man or a woman who is hungry and has no hope of eating anytime soon. So, the power of true hostility in the real sense of the word lies in the aroma from the kitchen. A 5 Stars hotel without the requisite farm produce and skilled chefs soon finds its customers “jumping ship”. Such is the power of agriculture and the farmers, as far as the hospitality sector is concerned.
Sailing with the Sailors
Now, Sailors Lounge is a place you should endeavour to visit when you come to Nigeria. It does not matter whether you are black or white, male or female, Bishop or Imam, Pastor or Alfa, civil servant and employee, politician or a business owner, you will always get the value for your money. The elders and the young ones find a home here. And suppose you are the type who appreciates the impact of sea nature on the human spirit and intellect, or you desire a sailor’s baptismal experience. In that case, this is a place for the immersion of your soul and the revival of your mind.
An encounter with the Sailing Spirit Sailors Lounge actually begins as you drive into the parking lots. And then, as you stepped out of the car and lift up your head, your eye beholds an elevated wooding structure, a story building like what is common in Finland and elsewhere across the Mediterranean. As you move closer to the stairway, beneath the structure you behold the view of the Lagoon, which immediately awakens your sense of divinity and curiosity.
fulfilling a vision to provide a sailing experience for customers, Sailors Lounge is home of an abundance of food, including seafood: dynamite prawns, grilled fillet of fish, grilled cat and croaker fish, grilled Nigeria tiger prawns, crabs, calamari, mussels and lobster, served on a bed of fried rice, accompanied with pepper sauce and lime butter; chicken dishes, pasta dishes, pepper soup, meat dishes and the list goes on and on. It’s the same thing with drinks. All manners of drinks are abundantly available.
Regular customers know their best spot to sit. As a new customer, once you have taken prefer position, depending on your state of mind and what your mission is, and your orders taken by the cute and smartly dressed attendants, you are then set for the imaginary journey of your life, as you await your meal.
At the Sailors, located at Plot 1, Block 12, Admiralty Road, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, man’s vision found expression in the creation of God. Owner, Mr. Eyitayo Fakehinde, turned Sailors Lounge from an irritating and eyesore waterfront, full of rubbles and pebbles, into a world-class hospitality arena where customers can experience a peculiar adventure. Welcome on board!
Available at the Sailors are three key food arenas, any of which can suit your mission at a given time. The first is the Sailor’s Bar (indoor), inside the wooden medium house. Here ancient meets modernity and the past agrees with the present. The wooden wall and floor provide an olden colonial elite environment. The couches and gadgets speak the reality of the present. The giant television screen screams bold and high-resolution sporting images. What you do here is completely up to you: you can either meet new friends or have a dialogue with yourself over that matter while enjoying your meal, and arrive at a decision.
The second arena is the Captain’s Cabin, an outdoor, but adjacent to the indoor. This area which is more like a lane, designed for peculiar sitting and conversation, makes those on the ground look up to those here while giving them an edge to view the Lagoon and cities across, even as the breeze frequently carries the aroma of local and foreign species across the nose.
The most adventurous is the Captain’s Deck, the first floating bar in Nigeria. The Deck is explicitly designed to capture the experience of floating atop the ocean. It’s deliberately built on the Lagoon to provoke an experience of a Yacht moving on the high sea. Like the traditional ship, it takes courage to descend for the adventure to begin. And once sited with a choice meal and drink, anything can take place here, relaxation of the body and mind, healthy meditation amid conversation and laughter of other customers, the pleasure of meal and drinks, spiritual awareness, appreciation of nature and most importantly, a loving discovery of God in creation. And when done with your enjoyment of your labour, you ascend out of the Captain’s Deck, with a sense of satisfaction and value for money spent.
