You would agree with me that the cost of living in Nigeria is traveling faster than the speed of light. The hilarious, yet dark aspect of it is that everything is affected. The food you eat, shelter, subscription, and it extends even to the pricing of hotels and short-stay apartments. Solo travelers constantly have issues figuring out where to stay, especially when on an emergency trip. The synergy between you and I as Nigerians is the habit of being calculative. We sure want the best offer for the best price. In this article, is my camping experience, how getting a short-stay apartment saved me some money?
Background Story
It was the ember period last year; I decided to visit somewhere in Lagos that is far away from home. I wanted to stay 4 days, and I didn’t have enough to get a standard hotel for myself. I did check around for possible hotels with subsidized prices that fit my budget.
Getting a hotel for 5,000 naira or less in areas like that is more like subscribing to a few days of torture. It is either the air conditioning isn’t effective, or the tap doesn’t have water.
This is an imagery that keeps playing in my head whenever I hear people share their hotel experience with such a budget. I didn’t know what moves to make until a friend suggested I book an apartment online. I logged on, checked out available apartments, and made a 20,000 payment for 4 days. The beauty of this is that I got an apartment, not a room.
It was a parlor, a room with a working air-conditioner, water, soap, detergent, iron, electric jar, and other basic amenities. I saved myself freedom, shared the fee with a friend, and we stayed together having two different beds in the room. It was a home experience. I was able to save some money without compromising on benefits.
How do the online bookings work?
The world has gone digital; you can be in your pajamas and have a car shipped, cleared, and driven to your doorstep. The same is how finding an apartment on a budget is easy. However, it is not, for as many that don’t know the secret. It took three simple steps to get myself a booking.
1. Step one: I logged on to the website [hostel.ng]
Hostel.ng is a platform that has centralized different apartments that are open for short stays for travelers across Nigeria and extending to the borders of Africa. That means you’re very likely to find a room that suits your taste and budget.
2. Step Two: I created a personal account to have access to making bookings.
Creating an account is necessary to ensure you access the rooms on the platform.
3. Step Three: I picked a choice room and paid with my card
Selecting a choice of room is easy. I searched based on the best place for me in Lagos and I simply made a payment with my card.
Who do I reach out to for assistance?
Here is a quick gist that helped solidify my trust in the platform. After making the payment, I got a notification, but I needed to be sure I was in the right hands.
I sent a quick message to them on Instagram, and I got replies faster to navigate through the process I didn’t fully understand.
Having gotten a room at a price that fit my budget and didn’t compromise my experience was a big deal that made my journey worth every pinch of experience. The comfort that came from this didn’t rest on the shoulders of the reasonable price alone; it also rested on the online customer service that was available to assist if need be.
Conclusion
Each day I went out for the reason I came camping, I had the fullest and roughest days sometimes, and when I was back in the apartment, it did feel like home. I wish to talk more about the details of my camping experience, but while you await that in later contents, log on to hostel.ng to get a personal account for yourself.
