Senegambia Beach Hotel Kololi

Give gambia a chance

after reading some peoples problems,regarding the senegambia hotel.i must say a few words.ive stayed at this hotel 10 times in the last few years.remembering the gambia is a third world country.i am sure some people do not do much research when it comes to booking holidays.yes the electricity can be erractic.the bumsters alittle off putting,but don,t be put off by what some people have wrote.

i,ve nothing except warmth to everyone.the staff at the hotel are great,alittle laid back,prehaps alittle slow ,but remember its gambian time.like all countrys the star rating on hotels is unlike that known in uk.for the short peroid we are on holiday,we could all put up with it.the food is excellant.and i would always recommend that people going to the gambia stay here.one of the freindly hotels around the country.looking forward to staying there again early next year.

if not sure just do some research before booking.

Awful

Stayed here for the first week of my honeymoon. When i seen the place i actually cried, i was inconsolable. u might think 3* is acceptable here, but over there is a different world. Nice staff, had to stay 1 week before getting out to another hotel. Beautiful surroundings, beach, gardens etc, but rooms were horrendous (can't describe). Nice staff though?? Sorry!!

Fantastic holiday went in march going back in november.

Fantastic holiday first time in the Gambia but it was the best holiday i have had. i went in March 2005 and going back in Navember 2005. the people are so frirndly they can't do enough for you and very helpful. i recommend the hotel to people as it was great and in a good location.

Loved laying by the ool

The first three days in the gambia were awful, i felt really invaded especially coming from london were everyone minds there own business. the gambia and senegambia hotel were extremley friendly. all the staff at the senegambia were great to spend time with, we went dancing with the guys from the ool and were invited to meet everyone and their family. as two single women travelling we were bombarded as soon as we left the hotel, we learnt how to deal with the hassling bumsters.

overall the gambia is fantastic, the culture difference is extreme, my friend and i are going this year for 6 months to undertake voluntary work.

senegambia is the touristy part of the gambia and great place to stay, looking forward to my return

Great gardens, poor staff

Let's discuss the good part first: The gardens are as somptuous as can

be, teeming with gorgeous birds. The rooms are plain but ok, the beach,

though somewhat eroded, is still really pleasant. Most of the staff are goodnatured, smiling people.

We had been told that the hotel personnel were not as good as they used to be, but it goes beyond that: Senegambia Beach Hotel has a serious staff training issue.

A few examples?

How about getting asked up to 4 times in a single minute if you want to

have lunch, sometimes by the same waiter, I promise I do not exaggerate...

Or this (authentic) conversation:

Waiter:

"Would you like to order something?"

Customer: (reads from pricelist)

"Yes a tomato juice please"

Waiter:

"There is no tomato juice"

Walks away. Leaving the customer openmouthed.

During our stay, the staff of the Golfshop somehow discovered the song "Hey, big Spender" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. They really loved it: for two full days the song was played in a loop, over and over without interruption, at full blast over the hotel grounds. Customers were shaking their heads in bewilderment; management was invisible.

Cleaning is at best superficial, empty bottles lay next to the paths in

the gardens for the whole duration of our stay, without anyone bothering to remove them. More serious, a piece of soiled bandage remained stuck to the side of the pool for a week without any cleaning staff bothering to remove it.

Although the grounds are huge, do not expect any privacy. We tried

enjoying the little terrace of our room, but we gave up. Every single

staff member walking by would walk up to us and start a very joyful

conversation, in most cases leading towards a commercial proposition. Some of them outright begging for cash. Money is at the centre of almost every relation with the staff: tip too little one day, and you may find that you're not eligible for the service the next.

The problem of the "bumsters" surrounding tourist resorts in the Gambia

is well known. It's an unpleasant harrassment that tourists have to live

with. It's essential that within the grounds of their hotel visitors

should be able to feel sheltered from this pressure. At the Senegambia

beach the contrary is beginning to happen. The staff are copying the

practices they see on the outside.

Best spots in the neighborhood: dinner at Ali Baba just down the road, tasty food, nice service; and 10 mins walk away Bijilo forest, the only piece of primeval forest left along the coast of Gambia, beautiful trees, monkeys, birds galore.

Our third visit.

Our third visit to Senegambia Beach Hotel,this time for three weeks in February, we noticed standards had dropped considerably. We suffered major drain problems. Staff at the hotel are wonderful, as are Gambian people anyway. I am so sad to see that the wonderful beach is once again being eroded after such a short time. We will be returning to the Gambia next year, but maybe to different accomodation.

Wonderful Holiday

We have just returned from an 11 day holiday at the Senegambia hotel and having read a couple of reviews before was a little aprehensive. I had no need to worry at all , we had a fantastic time and probably one of the best holidays ever.

The hotel is lovely and clean and so very friendly, we had upgraded rooms - Jacana rooms - and we have no complaints at all about the standard .... I have been to several hotels of the same class in the Caribbean and the Senegambia was far superior.

The setting is beautiful and the gardens are so peaceful, the hotel was full so had 600 guests and you would never have known that, no feeling of crowds or any lack of space. Plenty of pool activities from a fantastic entertainments staff, but no one hassles you to join in if you say no thanks ... the staff put on a show twice a week and thats great fun, as well as that there is nightly entertainment.

There are three restaurants and all serve excellent food , we would totally recommend both the Flamingo and the Bantaba Inn as an alternative to the main dining room ... lovely little restaurants both with exceptional chefs and fabulous one to one service whereas the main dining room is larger with a buffet service ... a great choice of fabulous food in there too.

The only word of warning - it is not a place for women to go on their own unless totally confident ... the local "bumsters" can be quite intimidating and very very persistent regardless of the age of the ladies !!!! We are two females in our thirties and have both travelled independently to quite a few places and it took us a couple of days to feel comfortable but that was only outside the hotel ... a polite firm no ... with a smile and carry on walking usually does the trick, if not tell them you've been there before and you have friends there ... this is usually enough.

All in all thoroughly recommended and will definitely go again.

Wildlife wonderland

On first arriving we were dissapointed with the room fascilities they were quite basic, but soon found the beds to be very comfortable and the shower worked well. The maid service was excellent,clean sheets every day and the whole hotel was kept very clean.

The hotel staff from the reception to the gardeners were very helpfull and friendly and tried to make our holiday more enjoyable.

We were on a half board basis and thought the food was excellent a wide choice of dishes well presented, hot and well cooked. There are several restaurants and shops within walking distance for those who want a change

The most stunning part of the hotel was the grounds and the wildlife. You can sit on your balcony and see monkeys, monitor lizards (five foot long) and a huge variety of colourfull birds all of which you can approach to take photo's easily. The daily vulture feeding is not to be missed

Overall it was a very enjoyable experience staying at the senegambia and the basic rooms were soon forgotten by all the good points. We would definately stay here again and recommend it to others

Adequate hotel

This hotel itself was fairly good, although the rooms are extremely basic and the electricity supply does go off sometimes when lots of people are using it! So take a torch!! Went beg Oct and still quite rainy. Hotel grounds, pool and animation team excellent. Drawback is when you leave the hotel you will get hassled by locals! If you are girls on your own I wouldn't go. Not the place for a relaxing holiday unless you don't want to leave the hotel. Good option for crashing by the pool and some winter sun. However some of the local guides will take you out for the day for a good price and you will get to see the real African people. Malic took us out ask outside the hotel for him. Overall was a good hol but wouldn't return in a hurry (after getting Banjul belly!!)

Nice people, basic hotel super gardens

First time to Africa, the people were great! The hotel is huge it has fantastic gardens, full of birds, monitor lizards, monkeys and other wonderfull African wildlife.

The hotel bar/restaurant were excellent loads of places to sit and relax. the rooms are very basic, but clean, well kept and secure (the security chap was always walking by.

There is loads to do here without leaving the hotel, wildlife watching, swimming, mini golf, tennis, squash and other stuff.

The hotel is at the end of a street with restaurants and shops (expect hassle outside the hotel - but not inside the grounds).

The staff are very friendly and helpful, the food is good.

Went with the Gambia Experience, great staff.