Sunset Beach Hotel Reviews

there were 8 in our party and what a great time we had we went on 4 trips the lazy day was the best roots was very interesting monkey park and crocs was great but the most fun was the quad bikes the best way to see the real gambia is to go with the tour guide the ones in brown ask for dan d man he made the hole lot a realy great time my wife andi never go back to the same place again but we go to gambia and the sunset beach again this dec trust me you will not get a more relaxing holiday like this well worth the jabs
ps the people are most friendly you ever meet

We sat here reading these pages before our trip. most of what is said is true, however not as severe as intoned.
yes, you get a bit of hassle, and we remember reading that if your polite, but firm, they will go away. it really wasnt a problem.
We had read of the need for a guide. Nonsense, you just get a great taxi driver, just ask for peaceful. he's a great guy, a good ambasador for his country, and a masive smile. Eating out was no different to eating out in the med resorts.

The sunset beach does a great breakfast buffet, which you can eat overlooking the beach and the splashing waves, warm at 8am.
nightlife in kotu is mainly based around the evening meal, which is usually accompanied with fine ethnic entrtainment.
we felt we had really ventured out on the 2nd evening, taking a taxi to cape point. on the way we all secretly thought, where the hell is this taxi taking us,we seemed to arrive in the middle of nowhere and had a really great night and all then fell in love with the gambia.
its worth the jabs and the tablets, its warm and sunny, the sunset beach is a great location.
Jodie ((16) and Conor (6) both loved the place and we all four cant wait to go back

we usually go to Goa at this time of year but thought we would try the Gambia because of the shorter flight, and living in Devon we can fly from Bristol, so less time driving to the airport.However we were not told at the time of booking that on the return flight we flew to East Midlands 1st then back down to Bristol, making a 6 hour flight into an 8 hour one!

Anyway the hotel was good, room clean and ours looked out over the beach. We like to sit outside our room late evening and have a drink before going to bed,but got no peace, staff wander round sit down and start talking to you, all very nice the 1st couple of times but after that we just went in our room for some peace.Also for the last 5 days the the trainee room boy kept knocking on our door morning and afternoon asking when we were leaving, he was after a tip of course and thats ok but it became very annoying. we didnt want to complain in case he got the sack as he was only about 18. So you need to be firm in the begining and not get to friendly.The bumsters r very annoying it was our 1st time there and after a while we told lies and said it was our 3rd time, but even this didnt allways work. They keep following you telling you they just want to walk with you and be your friend, no problems man!!

The best place to eat that we found is Ali Babas just past the Badala beach hotel, its newly opened so the prices are good.We found things more expensive than we thought they would be, so the visa got punished!main meals in the hotel were about 300 to 350 dalasi which is about 6.50 to 7.00 the local bottled beer was 50 dalasi about 1.10 a small glass of red wine was 75 dalasi about 1.60.Outside was cheaper but not a lot unless you got a taxi to serengambia which costs about 400 dalasi there and back about 8.50.Beware if you run up a visa bill in the hotel, they convert it to pounds at a lower exchange rate, charge you commision and vat! When you haggle the advice is to get the goods for half the original asking price, i think the Gambians have read this lol cause they are asking very high starting prices! A lady tried to sell me a necklace which was a piece of leather with 3 shells on it for 9.00, i told her i could buy the same thing at home for 1.00 so i wouldnt buy it for any more, i didnt really want it anyway,but you guessed it, i bought it and for 1.00!

The weather was good, although we did have a few cloudy days and the mornings and the evenings were a bit chilly, you do need a jumper.All in all it was a good holiday but we would rather go to Goa things are much cheaper and there are no bumsters! And its 14 days of uninterupted sunshine.

The Sunset beach hotel is got to be one of the best, we stayed bed and breakfast, breakfast was all you could want and more. the rooms had a frige so can keep drinks cold cleaning service was very good. local eating places were good and so cheap.

We arived in Gambia on the 27th jan 04 and were very anxious, i came onto this isite before we went and i have to say alot of infomation but not all became useful and it was good to go a little prepared. So to cut things shortand simple the airport was fine very quick process yes you had to be on the ball and watch for your bags being pulled off and taken away through security but i would advise it as you dont get stopped and for only 25 dalasi 50p tip.
We got to the hotel which was a very fast check in with hotel staff all ready and waiting for you to arive and for them to briskly take your luggage and show you the room.

We quickly made a friend on our 1st night who became our tour guide for the whole 2 weeks and we would def recommend. hes name is Matarr Camara and he works the late afternoon shift till 11pm working as a cleaner. he was very helpful very trust worthy very patient and never expected any think, and also got us some great crafts at great prices. the staff at this hotel are very friendly and treat you like a king and queen and work so hard. from 7am till 11pm+ please can i add that these workers only get £20 a month which as you will be aware thats very poor. please tip and be generous.

The bumpsters are what worried us the 1st week it was fine we put up with it in a way it was nice to be having people wanting to be so friendly and the lengths they go to... just to make 50p or a £1. if you are not interested just say no thanks and never promise them or say you will be back because that will come looking and not forget what you said. oh and by the way they have excellent memories. i would advise you take time to listen to what they have to say the 1st week as you may find them offering you some good bargins. By the 2nd week it was getting a bit tedious as we heard the same thing day in and day out but once you have the tan they move on to the new tourists. just tell them youve heard it all for a week now.

Some of the places to eat were better than back home we enjoyed Lugis Italian resturant and Al Basha and we had Al a carte at the coconut residence for my 21st birthday for some think special it cost about £40 for 2 starters 2 main and a dessert with drinks. not bad food very good 1st class and the service but a bit boring.
so once we found our nice resturants we just kept going back and having some think different from the menu.
The food at the hotel was good. breakfast a bit boring by the 2nd week but nice lunch very nice good menu but we didnt enjoy the buffet food at the evening.
The rooms were lovely we had one of the bungalows. it had every think you needed and was very cosy clean set in the tropical gardens.

Thankfully neither me or my hubbie were ill while we were there, we made sure we had all the jabs and the malaria tabs, and made sure we ate at all the quality resturants, never on the beach.
kotu beach was nice and enjoyable to walk along and have a horse ride.

The entertainment was a bit boring at the hotel if only they had a pool table and a disco things like that you would be much more entertained, the hotel entertainment was good but by the 2nd week it was all repeated.

The weather was excellent could not of asked for it hotter. just 1 day of cloud out of the 14 nights.
We went on all the trips but used our tour guide to take us and we found a jeep to hire £20 for the car and the driver for the whole day. you can do all the trips at a good price with a local but the prices the tour operator was asking was far too overpriced for what they actually are.

The gambians are very nice people, and love the english people especially. the gambia was a good experience.... and we would go again especially at the same time to beat the winter blues. and we would book the sunset beach hotel as it was a great location staff nice very helpful surroundings excellent could not fault it very clean.
make sure you go out and about and experiemce the real Gambia dont stay at the hotel unless you just go to relax only. holiday for all ages but not really for babies and very young children.

we give the hotel 5 out of 5.