Jakesville 57, a beach resort and farm tucked away in Delta State is a beautiful blend of the ultra-modern and the rawness of nature. It is one of the best places to holiday in the Niger Delta region.
By Emuejevoke Onojaine
As the car slowed down to a halt, I jerked my head out of sleep and rubbed my eyes. It had been a grueling week and I needed an escape. For a weekend getaway, a junior partner had suggested this not-much known place in Delta State. I had never heard of it. I did a bit of research and what I read piqued my interest. Presently, the uniformed security official in his polished boots smiled and waved me in. “Welcome to Jakesville 57 River Beach Resort and Farm,” he said.
Some people believe that Jakesville 57 River Beach Resort and Farm is located in Ughelli town but no, not really. The location of the resort and Ughelli proper are not even in the same local government area. Jakesville 57 River Beach Resort and Farm is located at Utude Road, Ovwodokpokpor, Olomu. Ovwodokpokpor is one of the 14 villages that make up Olomu Kingdom, one of the largest kingdoms in Urhobo land.
In the course of my reading, I discovered that the kingdom was founded after a Benin prince, named Igboze who had a conflict with his father, the Oba. The prince fled the bronze city in order to save his life. After traveling for a while, he came upon the present-day Olomu, Delta area, married wives from among the original inhabitants, and began a family.
It was an interesting journey, undoubtedly. And now, pulling up at the majestic gate, I had a feeling that I would enjoy my own adventure.
I got my bag out and an attendant rushed to my side, helping me in. Her name was Gemma but for some weird reason, my brain called her ‘German’. She was small, neat, and polite.
“I hope your trip here wasn’t too stressful?” she asked.
“I slept most of the way,” I chuckled. “But thanks for asking.”
“Please, let me show you to your room.”
There were three types of accommodation— all named after precious stones. The emerald suites, the Sapphire, and the Ruby lodge with graded rates.
The Emerald suites had 30 rooms. You had access to the basic stuff like TV, WiFi, air conditioning, and room service. The rooms were regular-sized and furnished in a way that you could either lounge in bed all day or get some work done on a nice, sturdy mahogany table. I was impressed by the degree of thoughtfulness put into creating the workspace. You had access to a barber service, mini bar, free slippers, gym service, and a phone accessories store. The décor was ultra-modern and there were actually potted plants as opposed to aerosol air fresheners.
“Someone is very conscious of their environment,” I said.
“At Jakesville57,” Gemma smiled, “We take climate change seriously.”
I wanted to point out that the real threats to the ozone layer were not individuals with negligible carbon footprints. But I held my peace. Gemma was there to do her job and not to engage me in an intellectual debate.
The first thing I did when I entered was to check the bathroom. I had had some particularly nasty experiences with faulty plumbing in the past. This bathroom worked just fine: it had a sparkling tub, a pristine WC, and an adequate supply of tissue paper.
Outside, colorful birds chirped and the evening breeze with that unmistakable dryness of Harmattan caressed my face. Good thing I remembered my lip gloss! Out of curiosity, I wanted to check the other facilities, and Gemma offered to give me a tour.
The Sapphire suites were simply exquisite. They offered pretty much the same things as the Emerald but raised to power two and more personalized. I saw the kingside bed in one of the rooms— that thing was big enough to take four people!
“Can I switch rooms?” I said abruptly. To be honest, I didn’t know I was going to say that.
“Of course,” Gemma answered and smiled sweetly. “It’s a simple upgrade. Plus, you are in luck, Sapphire has only four rooms and three of them are taken.”
“Can we go see the Ruby Lodge?” I asked.
“Unfortunately, no.” She was smiling coyly.
“Why not?”
“It’s currently occupied. A team from XYZ Tech is having a retreat.”
I had read about this startup on Twitter. I was quite impressed that they came all the way from Lagos to Delta for their retreat. Apparently, a short way off, there were two halls with the capacity of taking up to 100 guests each. The halls were equipped with fully functioning air-conditioning systems and even though these techies were supposed to be unwinding, they made use of the place to discuss strategies.
“I shall run the bath for you,” Gemma said and she promptly disappeared, leaving me staring at the stunning Ruby Lodge. She returned shortly with my bag and smiled.
“Should that be all, I’ll take my leave. If there’s anything you need please call.”
Her sweet disposition, the efficiency, the hospitality; the whole thing certainly made me feel special. Jakesville River Beach Resort and Farms was obviously a place where they aim to pamper visitors. I soaked my aching feet in the hot water and let my sore muscles relax.
Crossing Jakesville 57 beach, water no get enemy
By morning, I would go and check out the river beach. The brochure said it was a branch of the great River Niger. An absolutely majestic, beautiful, and calm water body. I’ll confess I was a bit of a wuss, and I was quite content watching others enjoy their thrilling boat rides. But one of the boatmen, an Urhobo named Kevwe, kept waving for me to climb into his boat. “Water no get enemy,” he laughed.
The ride was quite exciting and most importantly, safe. Passengers on the boat were mandated to wear life jackets in case of any mishap. “Not that they were common,” Kevwe said. At 20°C, the weather was quite cool. The Harmattan made the horizon foggy but did not gravely affect our visibility.
After the ride, I wandered off to find the manager. I wanted to get a closer look at the farms. He was not in, but Gemma entertained my questions and explained how the rice, pineapple, and fish farms created opportunities in the agricultural sector and actually enhanced the lives of local farmers.
By the poolside, a DJ played assorted genres of music. Again, it was not blaring so loudly from the speakers that it disturbed the guests. I was quite impressed by the policies put in place to regulate noise pollution.
So far, I had not seen anything I did not like. Well, apart from the telecoms network, which was spotty at times; it is just as well, I thought to myself. I did not really want to take any calls. I was here to recharge and reset my mind for the new week. Jakesville57 was a beautiful blend of the ultra-modern and the rawness of nature. The serenity and calmness evoked such inner peace, I wondered how it was even legal to leave such beauty for the world of chaos.
The sun rising in the west was a reminder of how everything (no matter how beautiful) must come to an end. Sunday morning, I had a light breakfast of toast and tea.
As the car came around, I waved to Gemma and all the other wonderful staff members. Jakesville57 was definitely a place worth visiting again, and again. And I recommend it to Nigerians looking for a unique tourist destination.
- Emuejevoke Onojaine is a lawyer, writer, and avid reader. She is based in Ughelli, Delta State. The article was originally published by Four Points Communications in NCDMB’s Local Content Digest
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
