The lagoon in front of me is quiet in the sunshine, save for the rustle of a tropical breeze and the putter of a boat engine making its way towards me. The latter has just departed a jetty on a strip of sand 200 metres away across the water. A low roaring suggests the waves beyond its swaying line of coconut palms are in fine form.
You’d be forgiven for thinking I’m in the Caribbean. But this is the Côte d’Ivoire; a West African nation you might know best for its recent resurgence to World Cup football, and less for its swathes of glorious Atlantic coastline and UNESCO-listed tribal cultures.
But with direct flights from Paris, Brussels and Istanbul to Côte d’Ivoire’s de facto capital Abidjan – one of Africa’s biggest cities – now is the time to put this country on your travel map.
A Caribbean feel
I’m on the coast in beautiful Assinie-Mafia, just an hour-and-a-half east from the modern skyscrapers and energy of Abidjan. It's peaceful here, and arrestingly beautiful. An eclectic collection of hotels, guesthouses, fishing villages and upscale beach clubs line the calm waters of the Aby Lagoon, separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a long strip of picture-perfect golden sand.
