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Jabi Lake Park

Jabi Lake Park is located next to Jabi Lake in the west of Abuja on the opposite side to Jabi Lake Mall.

The park is open 24/7 but it is not advisable to go at night since there is no security. It is busiest on weekends, especially in the mornings, when hundreds of people visit the park for exercise or just to relax.

Aside from just having a leisurely walk around the park, the following activities are on offer:

Fitness – there are a range of fitness instructors who work in the park. Some have more equipment than others, and some are probably more experienced than others. I have been training with King Victor, or teaches boxing and personal training, and I highly recommend him. You can contact him here: https://www.instagram.com/de_kingsfitness/?hl=en
Rowing / Canoeing / Kayaking – the Nigeria Rowing Federation opened a Canoe Training Centre in February 2022 and they have a range of boats that you can take out on the lake. However, you have to be member to use their facilities, which costs 100,000 per year.
Football – there are plenty of groups playing football in the park but I don’t know how you join them.
Massage – there are plenty of masseuses offering their services in the park, just approach one and ask for more information. Alternatively, King Victor can recommend you one.
Roller skating – this is mainly aimed at Children and the equipment is not all the newest, but it’s available and looks fun.

There are also plenty of shops and small cafes inside the park.

Jabi Boat Club – No Longer Ideal for Families

Jabi boat club (website, Instagram), which according to TripAdvisor is Abuja’s fourth most popular “thing to do” , describes itself as a “family entertainment center” offering “state of the art water based sporting facilities”. In reality, it is a really beautiful location which used to be an upmarket family location but is now more of a nightclub/bar.

The boat club is located inside the Nera Hotel and there are no signs (that I saw) so you need to know where you’re going. Once inside the Nera Hotel, there’s a nice private car park.

The boat club itself looks like more of a nightclub so I initially thought we were in the wrong place. We continued walking down the path to a swimming pool at the end but were told that the nightclub-looking building was actually the boat club.

The location itself is really nice. There’s a sandy beach of sorts leading down to the lake, which of course provides a picturesque backdrop. The main bar/restaurant is a two/storey beach-bar-style building, which gives a chilled out and friendly vibe. The wooden deco feels a little bit hippy and one can imagine that Bob Marley or Jack Johnson were once popular choices here.

However, the ambiance of the place is unfortunately spoiled (in my humble and old farty opinion) by the incessant alcohol advertising throughout. The tinny metal chairs are all provided by Budweiser, as is much of the rest of the decorations.

Most disspointingly, however, is that most of the “state of the art water based sporting facilities” are no longer working. The canoes/kayaks were apparently not a thing anymore and the two jet skis are no longer functioning. The only water activity available was the large boats for hire, for which the prices are as follows:

15 minutes – 25,000 naira
30 minutes – 45,000 naira
60 minutes – 90,000 naira

In summary, it seems as if the Jabi Boat Club was designed to be a great place for expats to hang out with their families but has instead turned its focus towards the young party-goers market. I certainly can’t blame them and I’d love to head down for a party, but it’s a shame it’s also not a nicer place to take the kids.

Four Guys – Best Restaurant in Abuja so far!

I only arrived in Abuja 4 weeks ago so perhaps there is better yet to come but Four Guys is the best restaurant that I’ve been to in Abuja so far.

When we arrived we were skeptical because of the location. The restaurant is located in one of the many shopping centres around Abuja and the large glass windows (nice!) look out only onto a car park. On entry, however, the atmosphere takes over and the ambient lighting and light music provide a fantastic vibe which is simultaneously jazzy and romantic.

The restaurant serves Japanese, Chinese, and Italian cuisine which might seem an odd mix at first, but is quite typical for restaurants such as this. The menu was wildly interesting from tomato bruschetta to beetroot Gyoza and so we decided to just order small disheas, two at a time – mezzé style – until we were full. It was a good choice.

The dim sum were so good that we ordered them three times. My wife is a fish fan and so she ordered the sashimi, hosomaki, and nagiri, which were fantastic if not cheap, whilst I like to rock the rolls and so brought the urumaki to the table. The shrimp dancing rolls were particularly awesome.

Dessert did not disappoint either. The four guys brownie was so great that I think I might go back just for that, and whilst I think a tiramisu is just a tiramisu, my wife’s dainty Italian palate told me that this one was particularly good and she too was as impressed as I was.

We haven’t been to many restaurants in Abuja yet but quite a few in the world and I can safely say that even if Four Guys was located in Lisbon or London, it would still be an excellent choice.

Delis – A Great Little Supermarket in Abuja

As I was driving around today, I stumbled on a great little supermarket called Delis.

Delis Supermarket and Cafe is located on the main drag in Wuse 2 (see location on google maps) and has a really great selection. There are three main sections: as you enter you’ll find vegetables and snacky type things in the main area, as well as some cans etc. Upstairs is the cafe and the delicatessen which sells meats, cheeses, etc, including some pre-made stuff. Downstairs, you’ll find the dry food section with everything from baby milk to BBQ sauce, and they even have Marmite!

Delis have a really good selection for such a small supermarket. Well worth a visit!