By: dayo Adedayo
There are places that whisper their greatness rather than shout it.
The Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort tells a story akin to the most successful souls among us, always silent, always smiling, yet always magnificent.
The last time I stood on this sacred ground, it was but a bustling construction site, a promise under creation. I took photographs that day as if to capture the heartbeat of a dream in its infancy, vowing silently to return. In the span of time between then and now, the name has changed thrice, the ownership has evolved, yet one thing remains immovable: the serenity that wraps the resort like an eternal embrace.
Set upon 174 hectares of verdant earth, the Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort is an architectural masterpiece, a sanctuary of calm.
READ: Africa: State government hands management of Ibom Hotel & Golf Resort to Icon Hotels & Resorts
Its 163 luxurious rooms, world-class conference centre, and international-standard amenities sit gracefully amidst nature’s grandeur, offering a hospitality experience found nowhere else in Nigeria.
From the moment you turn into the long, winding drive from the main gate, you are seized by wonder, as if journeying into a secret world.
It is here, at the end of that awe-filled drive, that Nigeria’s largest and most exquisite resort reveals itself, not in pomp, but in quiet majesty.
The 18-hole golf course stretches like a living tapestry of endurance and beauty, each tee-off daring you to outwit the lush, thick vegetation that rises as your next challenge.
Every stroke here is a dance with nature, every round, a story of triumph against the elements.
But Ibom’s treasures are not limited to the fairways alone.
At the Marina side of the course lies a relic of profound national memory: the ancient boat sent to arrest King Jaja of Opobo, sunk in an act of defiance, killing all aboard, and lost beneath the waters for over a century.
Manufactured in England in 1810, this ghost of history was only recently unearthed, its presence lending the resort a sacred weight few places can claim.
For lovers of nature, Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort offers yet another marvel.
Surrounded by untouched primary forest as far as the eyes can see, it is a bird-watcher’s Eden, alive with the colours and songs of rare and dazzling species.
Beyond the greens and groves, the vast river at the resort’s edge calls out to the wanderer’s heart.
Its waters stretch like a liquid ribbon, ready to carry you to Calabar in just 45 minutes, or even to Cameroon in under an hour, a timeless reminder that the world itself is never too far from this hidden paradise.
Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort is more than a destination.
It is a living poem, a breath of grace, a triumphant monument to patience, endurance, and silent excellence.
And once it holds you in its quiet embrace, you may never wish to leave.
