FUNKE OSAE-BROWN

Bolu and his wife, Bola desire a romantic getaway where they can spend an exclusive weekend together. They wanted a place in the Lagos metropolis since they just returned from Dubai a couple of months ago. And so, a friend told them about getting a travel company to assist them with their weekend package.

Grand Express Tours (GET) is one of the few travel companies in the country that is at the forefront of promoting local tourism. Bolaji Mustapha, GET, managing director, tells me they have been building different packages to suit different consumers’ needs. Hence as she sits behind her desk that sunny Thursday January afternoon at their head office on Salvation Road, Opebi, she was busy sorting out packages for her clients.

“We offer travel packages for business and leisure. We have just introduced an online porter that is user-friendly. It is an easy platform where our customers can book their packages. They can also use their card to pay online.”

According to Mustapha, customers can build their own packages online without having to call GET to do so for them. It affords them the opportunity to change any content on their package they are not satisfied with.

“Customers can build their own package that is why we encourage our customers to use our online platform. We want them to use the online platform, pre-trip, during and after their trips,” she explains.

Mustapha says one of the packages they had for Valentine was a weekend getaway at the famous Epe Resort, a stylish blend of contemporary and traditional design, with 40 rooms, consisting of 10 chalets of four rooms each, nestled in the lush green hillside of a tropical forest and bordering the Lekki Lagoon.

She explains that the resort showcases the cream of Nigerian culture while delivering the ultimate in personalised service, excellent cuisine, social style and business reliability. The abundance of decorative stonewalls with a blend of rich dark wood interiors create a look of elegance and luxury in the wonderfully spacious rooms with patios overlooking the sprawling gardens, ideal for all occasions, a romantic break, family vacation or corporate getaway.

Matched only by the scenic beauty which graces Epe Resort, dining is a celebration of the senses and skilled chefs, demanding only the freshest ingredients, crafting exquisite dishes. The culinary journey introduces a variety of traditional and international dishes with a focus on the resort’s daily fish special, fresh from Epe’s famous fish market. In addition she says clients can order a picnic basket packed with the chef’s delights and go and discover the fantastic sights of Epe and surrounds.

Epe Resort is just one of the many travel packages GET has for trips within and outside the country.

“We are a one stop travel company,” Mustapha adds. “We do several packages to different destinations across the world. However, we are trying to do build a local package like a day tour to Epe. We also hope to have a city tour bus that will make this more interesting. We did a Valentine package to Epe and Dubai. We could not really concentrate on local package because of the elections.”

Mustapha says GET’s packages are affordable as they ensure that every client is satisfied no matter how small his budget is. “We usually encourage our clients to always include holiday expenditure in their budget. We do family package or parents who want to take their children on holiday. We also do packages for school tours. It is good to plan holiday ahead. Clients are likely to buy expensive packages if they don’t plan ahead. For instance, we usually advise that clients start planning for their holiday from January, the beginning of the year. We do packages for corporate too.”

Mustapha says the personal touch, excellence and luxury are words that stand GET out of the pack. “I love sourcing for comfortable hotels. I put that into consideration when sourcing for accommodation for my customers. If the client has a low budget, I believe he deserves comfort.”