Coves worth the detour

Lagos in one loud postcard — horse riders on the sand, jollof smoke in the air and beach clubs that don’t stop until the sun does.

The polished, family-friendly flagship of the Lagos beach scene, with beach bars, volleyball courts and the best sunset skyline in the city.

The Victoria Island crowd's after-work beach — walking distance from the office towers, with cocktail huts and a sand-side DJ every Friday.

Long empty sand, cheap thatched huts and the closest thing to a village beach within reach of Lagos.

A private lagoon-and-ocean resort where you canoe through mangroves, ride camels on the sand and forget you are still in Lagos state.

Lagos's boat-only weekend escape — a barrier-island strip of private beach houses reached only by speedboat across the lagoon.

The sheltered, swimmable Lagos beach — a fishing village bay where the water is actually calm enough to swim and surfers ride the outer breaks.

The scruffy, no-frills beach hangout of the Ajah crowd — huts on the sand, live band Sundays and prices half of what Landmark charges.

The rawest, most local Lekki beach — no gate, no bars, just fishermen, joggers and a shoreline that has been slowly eaten by the Atlantic.

A boat-in resort on Snake Island with a pool overlooking the Atlantic, quad bikes on the sand and none of the mainland traffic.