Centre SONGHAI, Porto Novo,. proche Cotonou | Hotel

January 8th, 2020 by Backroad Vagrants

Gotta love African randomness! They asked for 3k for parking lot camping for two, so we just said yes.
Otherwise as described. Highly recommend the tour! Good to see a place unveiling the potential of a post-post-colonial Africa!

December 24th, 2019 by emmabtimmins

We came here for cheap accommodation and to experience a positive and innovative agriculture project, we found neither.

When we arrived with our backpacks at 9 pm after traveling all day, we were informed that there were no 5-6,000 franc rooms left. We had to pay 13,000 (nearly 30 canadian dollars) for our room. It had a/c but that’s it. We paid 5,000 the previous night for a room that was just as nice in Ouidah. The room was nice and comfortable but absolutely nothing special. We (2 people) ate a vegan dinner for under 3,000 francs together which was nice. Breakfast was also cheap and tasty (1,500 each) and they brought us extra bread and coffee for free.

At around 10:45AM we met a guide for a tour of the facilities, and this is where the disappointment really kicked in. *They only have French guides btw.* Yes, this place grows almost everything it needs, yes they compost and encourage recycling, yes they have a cool bio-fuel and bio-gas thing going on, but otherwise it’s just a factory farm! There are all kinds of animals packed into small, dirty spaces to be exploited. This includes a heard of ostriches that are just there to be gawked at. We actually saw an employee frightening the ostriches by charging at them with a shovel from outside their small cage. Not cool. There were people roughly swinging around hands full of upside down birds all over the property. Even if you don’t care about animal well being, this place is nothing special. It is just a money grab. We planned to stay for a few days, but after everything we saw we were not interested in supporting the operation further.
Not to mention, the wifi does not work.
I’m surprised that so many people liked this place, we were so let down by it. Really people, it’s just an industrial farm. We are all ashamed of the factory farms in the West, why do tourists like this?? What spell are y’all under?
I could see why it might be interesting to those who don’t know anything at all about farming and agriculture, in that case, you will learn a lot. But as someone who does, this is nothing special and falsely advertised.

December 6th, 2019 by geoffreythisis

We paid 2000CFA per night to camp/park in their carpark near the hotel (2 people in a Campervan). For this we were able to use the showers and toilets in the dorm block.

Option to use the pool for an additional 500CFA per person per day.

WiFi available near restaurant for 150CFa per hour (note: terrible connection when it was working at all!)

We took the tour 500CFA each and it was well worth this (probably worth significantly more!) - fascinating! Our guide, Oliver, spoke good English.

April 5th, 2019 by goinghometoafrica.com

An amazing set up as an sustainable centre, take the 500CFA tour it is very interesting. They are not really set up for camping but were prepared to let me and a big rig park up near their hotel and swimming pool for 3000CFA. Use of dorm ablutions, swimming pool 500CFA per day, WiFi (not very good) 500 CFA per day. Variety of restaurants on site, shop selling produce, copy/print phone credit shop all onsite. Staff very pleasant and a good place to stop before crossing.

January 11th, 2019 by byctour

Eco village créé par un père franciscain.
très intéressant, à visiter. (plusieurs visites quotidiennes)
Avec chambres, restaurant, vente des produits de la ferme.
Parking sécurisé
Possibilité de stationner pour les véhicules autonomes
Prix très raisonnables