A little brown water never killed anyone - The Beach Resort

Charlestina Beach Resort, Cape Coast, Ghana.

If you look closely, it's actually Charles (white) & Tina's (Black) Beach Resort, Elmina, Cape Coast, Ghana.

See how clever it is that they put the two names together to make one? Brilliant. Just like the couple they are.

Right off the bat, I'll admit that I really liked this place.

A lot.

From the individual 'cottages,' to the well-maintained grounds, to the food (shout out to the hibiscus juice at breakfast), to the beach access, to the fact that the resort was pretty-well brand new, I liked it.

A lot.

And highly recommend this family-run business to folks looking for a spot to stay in Cape Coast, Ghana.

But, I will admit that my adherence to euro-centric/white ideals of privilege is showing.

One reason I wanted us to stay in these 'higher-end' accommodations, was to impress our group and show them that 'Africa' had it all in terms of a luxurious all-inclusive beach vacation that rivals the (exploited) beaches of Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Yes, I said it.

I wanted to 'show-off'' that Ghana has it too. And then some.

Do I feel guilty that I succumbed to the expectations of (relatively wealthy) tourists?

Hell no.

Do I feel guilty that I fed in to the global tourism phenomenon of taking money out of local and national economies to fill the coffers of MNCs?

Hell no.

FYI: Even though Charles is white, he and Tina have employed most of their (Black) family and folks looking for work in the surrounding area. And yes, I don't actually know where the money goes at the end of the day.

I wanted folks to see a different side of 'Africa' - one that rarely gets shown on our news cycles or social media feeds.

And if that meant I had to shower in a little bit of brown water?

So be it.