Benin - West Africa - page 101

Musée da Silva MUSEUM
( 20 21 50 71; Ave Liotard; admission CFA2000; 9am-6pm) This wonderfully eclectic museum is
housed in a beautiful 1870 Afro-Brazilian house.
Sleeping & Eating
Centre Songhai HOTEL $
( 20 24 68 81; www.songhai.org ; Rte de Pobè; r with fan CFA5500-7500, with air-con CFA12,500-15,500, ste
CFA30,000-50,000; ) Built to accommodate its numerous visitors, the 70 rooms at
Centre Songhai are spartan but clean. Fan rooms have a shower cubicle but shared toilets;
the more-expensive air-con rooms have a private bathroom (with hot water) but are still
very good value. The centre has two good restaurants: a cheap African maquis (mains
CFA1200) and a more upmarket restaurant (mains CFA2500 to CFA3500). There's also an
internet cafe (CFA250 per hour).
Le Palais BUNGALOW $$
( 20 21 40 90; www.cthlepalais.com ; Blvd Lagunaire; bungalows CFA30,000-41,800; ) Poised on
the edge of the lagoon, this is an unexpected oasis: well-furnished, comfy bungalows with
all mod cons, neat garden, good views and a restaurant-bar. Service is a bit lackadaisical,
though.
Java Promo AFRICAN, FRENCH $
( 66 96 68 78; Pl du Gouvernement; meals CFA1000-3500; breakfast, lunch & dinner daily) No one seems
to remember a time before Java Promo. Hidden behind the aquamarine shutters of a crum-
bling colonial building and shielded from the sun by a big paillote , this is a popular haunt
for an omelette at brekkie or rustic European meals for lunch.
JPN AFRICAN $
(mains CFA1500-2500; breakfast, lunch & dinner daily; ) Here the setting is the real draw, with
an Eden-like garden replete with big trees, which puts you in the mood for a cold beer or a
braised chicken as soon as you sit down. Free wi-fi. It's inside the Jardin des Plantes et de
la Nature, right in the centre of town.
Information
Porto Novo has several banks with Visa ATMs and internet cafes.