Est. 2016
Private members’ club
GRA, Benin City
512 members
Open daily, 7am to midnight
A quieter room in a busy city.
Goldleaf is a house for people who build things in Edo: a restaurant, a pool under the mango trees, a library with desks, eight bedrooms and a programme of evenings worth leaving home for. Membership is by application and capped at 600.
Membership
512 of 600
88 places open this year. Example figures.
01
The house
Three floors and a garden on Sapele Road, built in the 1960s as a family home and restored over two years by Edo craftspeople.
6
Spaces for members, from breakfast to the last nightcap
25 m
Metres of pool under the mango trees
8
Bedrooms for members and their guests
140
Evenings in the programme last year
02
Spaces
Six spaces across three floors and a garden. Each has its own page.
- 01The Long RoomRestaurant and bar, 60 seatedLevel 1
- 02Terrace and poolA 25 metre pool under the mango treesGarden
- 03The libraryQuiet reading, desks and two meeting roomsLevel 2
- 04WellnessGym, studio, steam room and treatmentsGarden wing
- 05RoomsEight bedrooms for members and their guestsLevel 3
- 06Private hireDinners, meetings and celebrationsAcross the house
03
Membership
Five ways to belong. Annual subscriptions, example rates. A joining fee is paid once, on acceptance.
- 01
Individual
One member, with up to three guests a visit.
₦2,400,000 a year - 02
Couple
Two members in one household.
₦3,600,000 a year - 03
Under 35
Full membership at a reduced rate until your 35th birthday.
₦1,200,000 a year - 04
Corporate
Four named nominees from one organisation, changeable once a year.
₦9,000,000 a year - 05
Overseas
For members living outside Nigeria, up to 30 visits a year.
₦900,000 a year
04
This month
A few evenings from the programme. Members reserve places here or in the app.
20Fri Nov
Music
Jazz on the lawn
7pm to 10pm · Free for members · 34 places left
24Tue Nov
Talks
In conversation: collecting Benin bronzes today
6.30pm · Free for members · 12 places left
26Thu Nov
Dining
Chef’s table supper, eight courses
7.30pm · ₦85,000 a place · 6 places left
It is the only place in the city where I can have a meeting, a swim and a proper conversation without once looking at my watch.
05
How to join
From application to welcome evening in about six weeks.
- 01
Apply online
Five short steps and a ₦150,000 application fee, paid through Receivly.
Ten minutes - 02
Proposer and seconder
Two members support your application. No sponsors? Join an introduction evening.
Optional - 03
Meet the membership secretary
A coffee in the drawing room, not an interview.
Week 2 to 3 - 04
Committee decision
The committee meets on the first Tuesday of each month.
Week 4 to 6 - 05
Welcome evening
Your card, a tour and dinner with the committee.
Week 6
There is a chair for you.
Applications are reviewed in order. Places for 2026 are limited to 88.