Sunbeach Hotel Reviews

Our first time in The Gambia although we are fairly seasoned holidaymakers to other parts of the world. Gambia was chosen for the guarantee of sunshine and warmth in January - not always the case in January in even e.g., the Caribbean!

The 6-hour flight (from Bristol) was slightly delayed, but we were kept informed. No entertainment on the plane, which we were aware of when booking; not a problem for us, but some travellers hadn't realised this, and missed it. Reasonable leg-room for economy, and a good standard of flight service throughout.

Arrival at Banjul Airport was straightforward, and luggage available within minutes. A five pound per person tourist tax is payable on arrival. The carousel is a bit of a scrum, and we took others' advice (elsewhere among these reviews) to use a porter to transport our bags with us through immigration and customs to the coach. A one-pound coin tip per bag is the norm, and another one-pound per bag for the coach loaders. We were greeted just outside the coach with a cold drink and a palm-frond fan - all part of The Gambia Experience service. The coach was away from the airport inside ten minutes or so, and we were last of three drop-off points, the total journey being about 40 minutes.

Check-in at the Sunbeach was quick and efficient, and again we were welcomed with a cold drink at the reception desk. We were left to locate our own room (with some directions) which at least allowed us to get our bearings. Luggage arrived after about 10 minutes - again another couple of pound coins.

THE HOTEL

Sunbeach Hotel is last in a string of three hotels along a wide sandy beach - actually the start of the Gambia River estuary - on Cape Point. The other side of the headland (behind the hotel, on the Atlantic shore)is rocky, but has a narrow strip of sand wide enough to walk at low tide. The hotel grounds are deceptively spacious with two groups of five or six single-storey room blocks, each group having a pool area open from dawn till dusk. Both pools were cleaned daily and well-managed, and there was no shortage of space or sun-beds at any time apart from a Sunday when the more affluent locals come for lunch, and the only time when the pool was hectic with youngsters and children.

For some reason, the pools are always icy cold despite the air temperature on most days being in the high twenties. Sun-bed mattresses and beach towels, all very clean, are available free of charge on both the hotel's beach area and around the pools. After a couple of days, the beach/pool attendants will recognise you, offer to ";reserve"; your favourite spot each morning; it's customary to tip them at the end of your stay rather than on a daily basis.

The rooms were clean, spacious and comfortable, with fresh towels daily and bedding changed every three days. No shortage of hot water in the good-sized shower. A hair dryer is provided, but no kettle/tea-making facilities. Television (mainly CNN/BBC News 24/DW, and some films in English) and a shaky central DVD fil service is in the room, as well as a safe-deposit box, again free of charge. A refrigerated mini-bar is also in each room. Tipping of the room service maid is customary - about 250 dalassis (about five pounds)- at the end of your stay.

We encountered very few bugs and creatures within the hotel and, unusually for me, I didn't get one mosquito bite. One ";quality"; aspect about the hotel was that if you happened to hear a mosquito in your room in the night, you were urged to ring reception who would come immediately with a spray, and deal with it. We had to do this only once. All the rooms are sprayed for mosquitos when daily cleaning is done.

We noticed that all the sunbed frames were washed and sprayed with insecticide every night, and although there were ants about, they never seemed to climb a sunbed during the day!

The poolside towel stand also has a good free paperback library mainly stocked with books left by previous guests. The majority of books are in German, but the staff try to keep German and English books on separate shelves, not always successfully!

FOOD, BARS, and ENTERTAINMENT

We were on a bed and breakfast basis but chose to have dinner every night in the hotel.

The range and availability of the buffet-style breakfast was excellent with something for all tastes, and good tea and coffee.

Only two of the three hotel restaurants in the brochure were open - a fixed-price buffet including a carvery, and an a la carte restaurant. The buffet (about 12 pounds per head) was a good choice if you like quantity and three or four courses.

The a la carte restaurant was disappointing if you were looking for quality, although only about five pounds for a main course. Steak and chips and the pizzas were a good bet, but the service (unique in the hotel to this restaurant!) was offhand and mediocre. Disappointingly, what little fish there was available in this restaurant was poor. A reasonable wine list was available (in the case of both restaurants) - just the list! Many wines on the list were unavailable, but what there was was (usually) French and not bad value (for a hotel) at about eight pounds a bottle.

The two bars (lobby and poolside) were open from about 10 a.m. until about 11 p.m (although were were never able to stay awake long enough to see the latter end!). All the drinks were reasonably priced for a hotel - about the same as you would expect to pay in a pub the UK, and at the poolside bar, orders were taken from and brought to your sunbed. Tipping of the small change from your round is the norm whether at the bar, or from your sunbed.

Drinks (including water) bought from supermakets outside the hotel are considerably cheaper, apart from spirits which are only marginally cheaper than the UK.

Organised entertainment during the day (why is it always called ";animation"; these days?) included beach volley-ball and water polo - when there were enough residents who could be bothered! Evening entertainment was a bit mixed, mainly local groups doing reggae versions of western pop. The occasional god-awful karaoke evening (which we chose to miss) was a bit intrusive even in our romm about 100 yards away, and seemed to go on long after midnight, mainly with English voices!

ORGANISED TRIPS ETC

We went on only one - Birds and Breakfast - which at 25 pounds a head (plus a bit of tipping) for a long half-day was good value. Most of the other trips on offer were full days, and reported by those who went on them to be good. Be aware that the roads are not brilliant, and that coach-travelling can be uncomfortable for any length of time!

The hotel has a fairly basic water-sports centre, mainly a few sail-boards and fishing trips.

Others in the hotel went on trips organised by locals outside the hotel which appeared to be cheaper, but see below!

OUTSIDE THE HOTEL

First, the warning given in other reviews about ";bumsters";. As soon as you leave the hotel, you will be hassled by ";bumsters"; who will offer to act as your guide, sell you trips, ask you for a donation to something or other, sign their ";visitors' book, show you the local school, etc., etc. An organised group of these locates itself right outside the hotel entrance, claiming to be an official hotel trip stand. It isn't. Even walking to the local supermarket - about 200 yards - or on the beach away from the hotel's designated area, you will be picked up by someone offering to walk with you, show you the way etc., etc. The general experience of those who chose to use them - despite warnings from the hotel reps and staff - was that they were soundly ripped off and/or emotionally blackmailed into giving large sums of money on the grounds that the half-hour sightseeing walk they expected turned out to be a five-hour trek.

The standard question from bumsters is ";first time in Gambia?";. Your standard answer - whatever the situation - should be ";no - we've been here many times, and we know where we're going, thankyou";.

Having said that bumsters are a problem, they are not intimidating (as in some other countries), and a polite but firm refusal (or usually two or three!) will usually persuade them to leave you alone. After a few days, when you are obviously not a new arrival, they will be less persistent. Away from the general hotel area, bumsters are fewer and less persistent, except at the Bakau fisherman's dock, an area which is best avoided in my opinion.

We encountered very little outright begging. Little kids if you come across them appreciate sweets and pens, or the odd dalassi coin.

The ";village"; of Bakau, about a ten-minute walk inland from the hotel is an experience not to be missed. Essentially it is one ";main road"; running along the Atalantic coastline of Cape Point, lined on the landward side with hundreds of stalls, although only of three types. Those selling carvings and tourist tat, those selling canned drinks, and those selling (excellent) fruit and vegetables. The carvings and tat stands expect you to haggle them down to fifty percent of their asking price, fruit and veg stands not. The local fisherman sell from one stand on the seaward side of the main road. Excellent fresh quality but no use if you're staying in a hotel!

Entering the village itself - actually a typical third world corrrugated iron and open sewer ";township"; located behind the stalls on the main road can seem intimidating, but is well worth it if you have a strong stomach. We found absolutely no hassling there, and by and large we were either greeted with a ";hello";, or ignored. Bear in mind that it is very easy to get lost in the maze of alleyways which form the village but, being laid out on a grid pattern, it's usually straightforward to get a bearing back to the main road. The interior of the village has a number of local market areas, mainly covered, and ";black hole of Calcutta"; -like, and these are not for the faint-hearted!

Taxis - almost always green - are universally what would be MOT failures in the UK, but cheap and plentiful. It's usual for your driver to take you wherever you want to go, and wait for you. Up to two hours waiting is included in the charge. Fixed charges for most locations are displayed on notice boards outside the hotels. The only time we used one was for a trip into Banjul City about 10 miles from the hotel - another experience not to be missed. The three hours or so, including 90 minutes in Banjul cost 20 pounds, which the driver preferred in sterling. Good value in my view.

For those who enjoy long walks outside the hotel, there was little of interest apart from Bakau village, within reasonable striking distance.

For those who prefer to eat outside the hotel, the Calypso bar is a short walk along the bach, but it's best in the evenings to take a taxi to nearby restaurants - most cuisines are available.

Car hire appeared to be unobtainable although we didn't try. We saw no evidence anywhere that it was available. Bicycle hire - and The Gambia is almost as flat as Holland - was available at a couple of places in Bakau village, but the bikes looked a little weary.

HOTEL CLIENTELE

While there were a good number of English there, the majority of guests were mainland European - mostly German, Benelux, and Scandawegian. Aside from the local languages and dialects, English is universally spoken by the Gambians.

Apart from karaoke night, the atmosphere in the hotel was generally quiet and good-mannered, and the only bad language we heard anywhere in The Gambia was, of course, from the usual ";English family from hell"; whose stay fortunately finished three days after we arrived.

Since it was outside school holiday time, the age range in the hotel tended to be 30-70 with a very few young children, although the facilities for them seemed ideal, with playhouses, swings etc.

THE HOTEL STAFF

The hotel staff are almost universally polite and friendly, and eager to please. We encountered the very occasional discreet request for monetary help, or their ability to provide trips cheaper than the hotel or tour operator, but they are fobidden from such canvassing. Some will ask if your (good quality!) shoes or trainers are going to be left behind. Many guests left part-bottles of alcohol when they departed; this was of limited use to the mainly Moslem staff, and we were frequently given these - with any suggestion of a tip being turned down!

Unlike many places, staff who were trainees had a badge which clearly said so, so that the occasional lapse could be forgiven.

All staff at all times (with the one exception of the a la carte restaurant) were well turned out, polite and cheerful.

CUSTOMS and DRESS

Although The Gambia is predominately a Moslem country, it is definitely a very liberal one, and Moslems and Christians join each others' religious festivals, and mix freely together. There is no requirement for any ";modest"; dress anywhere (apart from the mosques), and topless was almost the norm both in the hotel grounds, and on the beach; unlike some other countries, we saw no gawping from the locals.

Even non-bumster Gambians will say hello as you pass, and all the hotel staff, from gardeners to the manager will wish you good morning.

CLIMATE and WEATHER

The Gambia is almost guaranteed perfect weather during January (and most other months apart from the rainy (our UK summer) season. Generally, the mornings were mildly overcast, but still in the mid to high 20s, and the afternoons sunny, and climbing to the low 30s. Because of its position, the Sunbeach enjoyed a nice breeze throughout the day. The evenings were cooler, and ladies usually needed a light cardigan, but no more. Because of the risk of mosquitos, one is advised to wear trousers and long sleeves in the evening anyway.

As usual when we are on holiday, we both took more clothes than we needed. The odd bit of smalls washing we did usually dried overnight on the patio.

HEALTH

It never ceases to amaze me when fellow travellers boast that they didn't bother with the recommended precautions about vaccinations and malaria precautions. The Gambia has endemic malaria and yellow fever (among other things). Good luck to those who don't take the required precautions.

I had mild ";Banjul belly"; from days 2-4, but I heard no other reports from fellow travellers. Mine could have been a side-effect of the malaria prophylaxis (Malarone), and was quickly cured by the Immodium I took with me. We noted that the ice-making machines in the bars in the hotel were being filled with screw-topped bottled water. Although I would drink tap-water in most countries, I took advice and avoided doing so there.

Sun screen was available in the hotel shop (not really a ";shop"; - more tourist tat) and is necessary. We saw nobody around the hotel or on the beach with bad sunburn or mosquito bites - until we got to the airport! Don't know where they'd been!

CURRENCY and MONEY EXCHANGE

The hotel exchange rate while we were there was 50 dalassis to the pound. You could get 52 at the exchange outside the hotel, and locals would sometimes offer you 60 if you changed 100 pounds sterling. However, we were warned that it was relatively easy for a local to ";miscount"; 600+ notes, or give you almost unusable notes. Generally, the 100 dalassi notes are servicable, but smaller currency notes are falling to pieces.

There appears to be only two coins - a one dalassi somewhat like a UK 50p piece (2p), and a half-dalassi somewhat like our ten pence piece (1p).

We only ever take sterling or dollars on holiday (caught out too often elsewhere with unchangeable travellers cheques!) and both were easy to change. The free safe in the room was helpful for this.

LEAVING

Check-out was at noon, and our pick-up - bang on time - was at 2.30. The hotel was happy to extend the room availability time if you wanted it after noon at no extra charge. There is no communal changing room, but the toilets are spacious is you want to change there.

Check-in at Banjul Airport was a bit lengthy - over an hour in a check-in queue - but not over-strenuous. Airside, the duty-free shops are hardly worth bothering with, and the departure lounge is a bit of a scrum. There is a convenient tatty outside area in the sunshine (for those who want to smoke, or if the lounge is crowded) with ";Luigi's cafe"; (yes - he's Italian!) serving drinks and snacks in a terrace area. Dalassis seem to be his preferred currency, and again prices are about the same as the UK.

The flight back was delayed leaving by about 50 minutes, but arrived nearly on time.

GENERAL

The quality of documentation beforehand from the Tour Operator (The Gambia Experience) was excellent, and the greeting and advice at the welcome meeting from the rep at the hotel useful, and he was not in the least pushy about selling trips. Although we never needed him, he appeared to be in the hotel at the times when he said he would be there.

OVERALL

A cracking hotel in a place with a wonderful climate, and a holiday which beats, for instance, the Tenerife experience hands down for only a couple of hours more flying time, and at a similar cost for the same quality.

The ";four star"; Sunbeach Hotel is probably equivalent to a good three star European hotel, and a damn sight better than most of the high-rise coastal strip 3/4 star hotels in Spain etc.

Value for money? Yes. Probably, with a bit of devilling, we could have got a flight only and the same accommodation - the hotel was under-occupied - a bit cheaper, but on balance, why bother when transfers etc., were so well organised?

Downside? You need to accept that outside the hotel, you're in a third world country with all the sights, sounds and smells entailed.

I suspect that if your ideal holiday is booze, birds (non-feathered), and discos, or active watersports, paintballing, and off-roading, you'll be disappointed. There's not a lot for active teenagers to do, but from my (out-of date!) experience, if you've got young kids, the hotel seems to be a very safe environment, and the local staff seem to dote on young kids in the same way as you might have experienced in e.g., Greece, and things like kids' pools and swings are available in the grounds.

Twitchers - and I confess to being a half-hearted one - will be in their element! Aside from that, the wild-life is relatively tame aside from termites. There are claims that you can be taken to see lions in the wild, but conversation with the locals suggest that this is a scam trip, and very rarely results in a sighting. There is a ";crocodile pool"; in Bakau to which all the bumsters want to take you. We didn't go.

Would we go back again? Yes. But having poked about while we were there in some of the other hotels in The Gambia Experience's catalogue, and others not, I supect we struck lucky in arbitrarily choosing the Sunbeach Hotel. But perhaps that's just accustomisation; most of the people in the airport and on the plane on the way back seemed pleased with wherever they were.

We travelled out in trepidation and came back trying to work out how soon we could go back!!!

Flight from Gatwick was on time and comfortable (Monarch airlines). On arrival at Banjul I would suggest that you let one of the many porters take your bags, ours managed to walk us straight past the security checks and the queues. take a few pound coins as tips until you can change some money. Outside the airport there was free bottles of water and fans for the ladies. The air conditioned coach took us straight to the Sunbeach, where we were welcomed with a cold drink and friendly staff.

The room was clean, cool, and has a safe and minibar. Our room faced the sea and we had the sound of Atlantic waves to send us to sleep.

Food in the hotel we thought was excellent we went BandB as we had had bad experiences of half board on previous holidays, but if we went here again would definitely go HB. If you are hungry eat in the buffet restaurant as there is a vast choice and you can go up as many times as you like, if only peckish eat at La Cucina the open air Italian where a large pizza is only a few pounds.

There are several retaurants within walking distance and we would highly recommend The Italian Connection about 10 mins walk but worth it, the food was fabulous.

We didn't have a bad meal in the whole two weeks.

We befriended one of the bell boys who offered to be our guide - he took us out in a taxi to all the places the official trips went but at half the price and we went when we wanted and came back when we had had enough. He also made sure we always had a taxi if we needed it and we were never hassled when he was with us. I would highly recommend him (Lamin Kinteh) but do be aware that if he takes you to the markets he will take a commission from the seller for anything you buy!!, but it's only a few quid and his help is well worth it.

Weather was beautiful and you have a choice of private beach or two pools all with waiters getting you food or drink without you having to move.

For lunch I would recommend the Calypso bar about 500 yds down the beach it's considerably cheaper than the hotel.

The service in the hotel is brilliant, one night we counted 10 staff in the bar with only 6 customers!!!

Neither of us suffered from ";Banjul belly"; but there is s resident nurse in the Hotel and a Dr can be there 24/7 within 30 mins.

Mosquitoes - got bitten once, there are hardly any around the resorts in the dry season.

Water - Would suggest you buy enough bottles for your holiday from the Supermarket as soon as you can, we found them sold out for over a week. Hotel have plenty but at 5 times the price.

Shopping - Loads of market stalls near the hotel, ask for Caroline she made us a beautiful bedspread.

Take some old clothes/shoes that you don't mind leaving behind the locals are very grateful.

";Bumsters"; - hardly any in this area, but I understand other hotels not so lucky. As te Sunbeach has a private beach you don't need to go out at all if you don't want to.

Brilliant holiday, the hotel and staff were excellent coupled with the Gambian weather we will be back again next year.
Tim

We were looking for a quiet, relaxing holiday, so we chose Cape Point, in The Gambia.

On arrival in the Gambia we found the airport to be a very intimidating place. Our bags were snatched from us, by what we presume were airport employees, who were trying to earn themselves a tip; however the passengers were clearly out numbered. We very quickly realised that we would be spending a fortune on tipping when the coach driver wanted a tip for putting our bags on board, and the toilet attendants charged us for soap!!! We found that being very straight with these people helped. We told them that we had no change, and therefore were not going to tip them.

The tour operators were really helpful at the airport, and we soon arrived at our hotel. We were very pleased with of our Choice, and the staff couldn't have been more helpful. As soon as we arrived the hotel employees made conversation, they asked our names and were we were from, and they honestly seemed genuinely interested. As the week passed we notice that all the hotel staff had remembered our names, and gave us a very personal service that we could not fault.

For the first few days of our holiday we chose to stay inside the hotel, as we found the local people outside a little over bearing. We were shocked at the number of locals who were trying to make a living from tourists. We understood that the Gambia had a lot of poverty before we chose to visit, but we found the whole experience very intimidating.

We enjoyed the facilities that the hotel had. The pool was large and very clean, while the staff kindly waited on us hand and foot, with drinks and the best selection of cocktails ever!! The beach was also very clean, as was the sea, and there was always something going on, like volleyball or aqua aerobics and everyone was welcome to join in. On one occasion we were enjoying the gorgeous weather by the pool and ordered some cocktails. We found the drinks were very expensive, despite this we ordered more, as you do on holiday. Later in the week we were looking at the menu when we realised that we had been hugely over charged, by the waiter, and we realised that we had not received the bill for these two rounds!! Always make sure you get the bill.

We went on two organized excursions, one on an open top boat around the mouth of the Gambian River, and the other one was a discovery tour. On the discovery tour we went to see Charlie the friendly crocodile (!!) Arch 22, a batik factory and several markets. Both trips were excellent, and we would recommend them, worth every penny.

Arriving back at the airport was a nightmare. Before the coach had even stopped there were people taking our luggage off. We were lucky because one man had our entire luggage, so were able to take it off him with little fuss, however our case did get damaged, and another couple lost one of their bags. Again in the airport, everyone was out to make a tip, we told these people that we had run out of money yesterday, and they soon left us alone. We do not object to tipping, but this was ridiculous, from leaving our room, to getting on the plane we were asked for 7 tips. Only two of which we agreed were justified and gave.

The Gambia is a gorgeous country, with so much potential. We really enjoyed our stay and the hotel, but we have no intentions to return in the near future.

It was our first trip to The Gambia. We went for a relaxing one week stay and chose the Sunbeach because of its description of being in a quiet resort.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there and intend to return in 2005.

The weather was great, no clouds at all, just sun all day but with a lovely breeze from the sea when sitting around the pool. The hotel is very clean and the staff polite and helpful. The pool is kept clean and you can be the only person using it sometimes. Pool towels are free and no problems getting a sun lounger. In fact always plenty spare. The rooms are spacious with a haidryer, TV, safe and minibar. We emptied this after the first few days, bought some drinks and juices from the local supermarket and stocked it with them which was much cheaper.
The food was of a high standard and there's plenty of choice. The fish was particularly good and the service excellent.

The Gambians are extremely friendly and always give you a smile and greeting. Initially, due to the reports about con merchants and bumsters you may find this unnerving but they really are jusy being friendly. They are a very tactile race and it is customary for friends to greet each other with a handshake and a hug. If you make the effort to get to know them they will treat you in the same way when they greet you.

There are bumsters around and they will tag along beside you when you go out of the hotel. Be firm and tell them to go away and they will. They are not threatening and once you start to get a tan you will find they move onto the newer guests. You have to understand that The Gambians are extremely poor (the average wage is only about £14-20 per month) so any tips you give them are much appreciated.

If you can't handle the bumsters use one of the Official Tour Guides (purple shirts). They have a stand just outside the hotel. They all use nicknames. We used Yaya Ceesay, alias Michael Owen. He looked after us very well and never asked for anything from us. They will take you wherever you want to go and stay with you. The bumsters stay away when they see you have one of them with you.They don't get paid money from the hotel but we always gave them a tip. It was worth it to go out hassle free. They want you to enjoy yout trip to The Gambia because the country relies heavily on tourism and they want you to keep coming back.

We went on a few trips. Don't pay the rep's to visit the crocodile pool. The hotel does a free nature walk that goes there. There is a small entry fee but you do get to be close to Charlie and shake his hand if you dare! The crocs are just basking in the sun-no cages here! but don't worry they are fed every morning so have no interest in you.
We also went on the trip to the school.The children are beautiful so take some books, pencils etc as the parents have to buy all these things.
Roots trip and St James Island trip well worth it too.

The resort is quiet so not suitable for teenagers but Banjul not too far away if you want more excitement. We had no trouble with mosquitos. In fact did not see a one.
All in all, an excellent hotel and a great holiday. We will certainly return.
TIPS
Take old mobile phones, clothes, trainers. The Ganbians will trade for them. Also medicines are expensive out there so paracetamol etc are appreciated.
Take a torch. There is no street lighting in Bakau.
Save small notes and coins for tipping.
Be prepared to haggle. You usually pay about a third to half of the original asking price.

Airport(Arrival)-
When you arrive at the airport you will be asked to fill in an immigration form which you will hand to the immigration officers along with showing them your passports. Then you will be asked for a £5 fee which can be paid in sterling, dalasi, euro or dollars. When you go to collect your cases you will be asked by people in a green uniform that are employed by the government if you need help to carry your cases. I would suggest you do because you are able to collect your cases and pass through the security without any problems. Then they carry your cases to the bus, and once they are loaded they will ask you for a tip of about a £1.

Accomidation-
The first room we had was not quite satisfactory so we rang the manager and ask him if it was possible to change the room and it was changed immedeatly. The room we then had was excellent, and we had no further problems. In the room there was air-conditioning(which is necessary), a hairdryer, a TV (FREE OF CHARGE), a mini bar (prices for all drinks are shown) and a telephone(very expensive and prices are not shown).

Staff-
The staff at the hotel are excellent, very friendly and will do anything to help you. If you need anything you can ask any member of staff and the problem or query will be efficiently solved. The staff may expect a small tip and if you feel they have done a good job you must tip them, because you have to remember they are only getting paid about £10 a month.

Resort-
If you are going to see the culture and the way the people in Gambia live then you should definately find someone to show you around. E.g. Opposite the entrance to the Sun Beach Hotel there are a group of guides(ask for Mr. Sunday, he is the best)who stand waiting for tourists and offer to take them to places like the local craft markets(definately go to stall no.1 and ask for Limin as he sells the better things at the cheapest prices, they will also take you to places like Kichakali where there is a mini museum and where you can see lots of crocs. They will also take you to the capital Banjul and to Abuko Monkey Park, this will cost you a lot less than the hotels trips as you only have to tip them. However if you do not need any help when they ask you just say 'no thank-you' and they will no longer bother you.They are only trying to make a living. When you are buying things at markets don't forget to barter with whoever is selling as they need to make money so they will more than likely be willing to drop the price.

Hasslers-
Do not worry about hasselers because if you are straight with them and say no you don't need there help or no you don't need what they are trying to sell you, but still be friendly and talk to them nicely they will not hassle you any longer.

Fishing-
If you are interested in sea fishing or creek fishing you need to find a man called Pa (Famara Bojang) as he Know's all the best places and the best times to go. He can be located near the fruit market in Bakau and if you ask any body if you know Pa then they will say yes and will be able to direct you.

Schools-
All the schools in Gambia are looking for support from tourist as there schools are nothing like ours in England. They haven't got the equipment or facilities to teach the children and they are in desparate need of the help of the British, Americans and many other countries who are alot richer than them. If you visit one of the local schools it is very useful if you take pens and pencils, crayons, maps, and rulers as they have a large shortage of all this equiptment or you can donate an amount of money, however large or small everything is appriciated.