Ko-Sa Beach Resort, Ghana

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In person Evaluation: 4.70 out of 5

Eco-Tourism Rating: 3.82 out of 5

Ko-Sa definitely has a unique identity among the small resorts along the coast of Ghana. Each of the rooms are colorfully painted with local designs and are very colorful. Team this up with a beautiful site on a beach next to a picturesque village to the west of Elmina and you get a very neat place to stay. The grounds are very clean, along with the beach that is cleaned daily; the beach also is unique with a designated swimming area that sees very little waves or swells because of being blocked off by some rocks naturally. From the beach there is a great view of the village to the East with a distinctive church sticking up in the distance.

Another aspect of Ko-Sa that stands out is the spread out nature of the grounds, with a large grassy area between the beach and the rooms, and between the restaurant and the parking area. If you like to have a break from the sand for your feet this is great since the rooms are not right down in the sand.

The open air restaurant area would be a great place to spend the afternoon in the shade, with some of the fresh fruit juices, that management claims are amazing.

In person Evaluation

Positive Aspects of In person evaluation:

• Staff met us at our vehicle to see how they could help us.

• Good cleanliness, comfort and visual appeal of lobby, restaurant area.

• positive general appeal of property, no garbage around, landscaping nicely maintained.

• Hallways, floors, walls, and doors visually clean and maintained.

• Beach is well maintained and free of garbage.

• No signs of dust on surfaces in rooms.

• Clean linens

• No signs of mold or mildew.

• Good overall impression of cleanliness, comfort and visual appeal.

Aspects of in person evaluation that could use some improvement:

• There are some comments online about less than perfect customer service.

• A few patrons had some cleanliness issues from online reviews.

Eco-tourism Evaluation

Aspects of Ko-Sa Beach Resort that brought up their Green Bug Ecotourism Index:

• Employees are paid a competitive wage, above minimum wage for the region.

• Employees are able to answer visitor’s questions about the environmental policies or practices of the establishment.

• Some contribution is made to conservation through funds or activity.

• Have an established recycling plan.

• Guests going on day trips are encouraged to bring back any waste for proper disposal.

• Human waste is properly disposed of with a septic system and municipal approved pump out.

• Low use of AC systems.

• Guests and staff are encouraged to use ventilation and ceiling fans and not AC.

• Guests and staff are encouraged to turn out lights and other appliances when not in use.

• Drumming and dancing demonstrations are provided in the evening as an environmentally friendly activity.

• Guests and Staff are encouraged to conserve water.

• Temperature of water for hot showers is kept at a conservative level.

• Use environmentally friendly and biodegradable cleaning products.

• Linens are hand washed.

• Native plants are utilized in landscaping.

• Aesthetics blend into surrounding native aesthetics.

• Clay and earthen bricks are used for some of the constructions.

• Employees are provided training about the surrounding environment, including how the establishment is eco-friendly.

Aspects of ko-Sa Beach Resort operations that brought their Green Bug Adventures Index rating down:

• Not 100% locally owned, but still lives in the community.

• Bio-degradable waste and food waste are not composted.

• CFL bulbs are not disposed of properly.

• There are no grey water systems or run off to planters.

• There are no solar panels, wind generator or other alternative form of electricity.

• They have no rainwater collection system.

• Guests are not encouraged to use towels and sheets for more than one night.

• One time use toiletries are provided to guests.

• Pesticides are used in landscaping.

• Food is sometimes packaged in one time use containers or to go containers made of Styrofoam.

• Charcoal of unknown source is used in cooking.