I had heard about Stop Over Motel and given its location - on the way to the 'International Airport', I thought it would be a decent place to stay. I arrived at the Motel around 10pm, accompanied by my brothers and sister. I was delighted to hear that the Motel had vacancies on the night because I was begining to think the unthinkable - traveling through Lagos at night - I was not looking forward to that.

The receptionist was polite and patiently explained that they had different types of rooms, standard, executive etc. The cost, between 13-16000 Naira was reasonable, I thought - I soon changed my mind. I asked to see the rooms before booking in as I have a habit of checking out the bathrooms of any hotel I'm going to stay in. It was apparent that the hotel had just had a lick of white matt paint as the smell was still lingering. The doors did not appear to be strong enough to withstand a kick - the last refuge would be the room ofcourse should things turn nasty. Overlooking this, I peered into the toilet; I was not impressed, to say the least. There were cracks in places, rust and limescale around the taps and shower.I imagined Bat sized Cockroaches crawing out at night to get a piece of me. I wasn't going to have this, so I took the risk and my luggage of ofcourse, got back into the taxi that dropped us off - good thing I asked the driver to wait! - off we went to another hotel that I had once used - 'Blue Nest'. It was cheaper, neater and friendlier.

I recently returned from a trip to Lagos, Nigeria. Stop Over Motel has the solution for the problem of identifying a real cab driver from a hustler or thief when you are "Johnny Just Come" (the expression that describes a person just arriving to Nigeria at the airport.) Just call the motel, and they will send out one of their drivers, who has a set fee for delivery to the front door of the hotel. Just order the car, and ask for the driver to hold a sign with your name to identify him. These same drivers are available at set prices (it was a relief not to have to haggle over the ridiculous prices some drivers request in the city) to take you anywhere in the surrounding areas that you wish to travel. Considering the fact that the driving there is very congested, and that I did not know where to find the goods or locations I desired to visit, those drivers were a God send. And all I had to do was go to the front desk and ask.
If you are concerned with security, the two iron gates, attended by the hotel workers, keep undesirables away from the hotel lobby. There are also security cameras throughout the hotel, connected to monitors that are manned 24hours.
The hotel has it's own elegant restaurant, with very attentive waiters and waitresses. The food is a delicious variety of African and American dishes, and the hours are very convienient for those who want to eat very early, or very late. Room service is also an option, if you would rather relax in your room and have it delivered to you.
The hotel also provides a bar, equipt with hot snacks and a television, so that you can sit at the bar, or relax in the comfortable chairs and sip on your drink of choice.
The rooms can be ordered in standard size or suites. They are not fancy rooms, but they are clean, comfortable, and mosquito-free. A bellboy checks out the room for you, to make sure that everything is alright, as he carries in your bags for you. The rooms have working showers (no, all places in Lagos do not.) with hot water.
Best of all, there are powerful generators that kick in immediately when the power outages that are characteristic of Nigeria, occur.
The price is reasonable. A standard room is around $75 or 10,000naira, plus a deposit of $25 or 3,000 naira for your first night, and the deposit is returned to you upon departure.
What are you waiting for? The Stop Over Motel is a must stop for you.