Latest Reviews for Makasutu

We stayed at this luxurious eco-lodge for 3 nights. The first thing the staff tell you as you arrive is ";Welcome to paradise"; and that's a perfect description of this deluxe 5* hotel. We even got a personal welcome from one of the owners, Lawrence. There are only 4 floating lodges, 1 stilted lodge and 3 new jungle lodges - meaning only 16 guests at any one time, meaning this is wonderfully relaxing and peaceful, plus you get a taste of the Real Africa.

We stayed in a floating lodge - what an unforgettable experience. A fantastic 4 poster bed, an outside bathroom, your own canoe and your own guide to take you on whatever trips you like! At night, all you hear is the sounds of birds, the occasional splash of fish in the river, the baboons in the distance, and the creaks of the ropes which keep the lodge from moving too much with the tides. Spotlessly clean and not a mosquito in sight!

As for the resort itself - it is vast, with a huge swimming pool, bar, a restaurant with hatched roofs and an area where you can sit and chat by the fire at night with the other guests (a cocktail bar was also being built). The meals were all wonderful - you chose your menu during the day and the chef was more than happy to change any meal to your liking. Choice of chicken and a fish (red snapper, barracuda etc) each night. And you can choose where to have your meal - the last night we had ours on our balcony of our lodge.

The staff are excellent - really made you feel welcome and always prepared for a chat (which often turned into debates!). They really are interested in what you have to say and the differences in the way British people do things as opposed to African ways. Just don't tip to every member of staff - there are simply too many people. We just left a tip at the end for everyone to share (and a separate tip to Lamin, our guide, and our maid).

As for things to do, as much or as little as you like! Our guide took us on the river by canoe to see the mangroves and birdlife, to 2 local schools (a real eye opener), a medical centre, a local market, various forest walks to see a medicine man, the oyster ladies, baboons in the wild and see how palm wine is collected. We packed so much into each day and yet still found plenty of time to relax. Not a place to stay until the wee hours but with so much to see before breakfast (best time for the wildlife and not too hot!), you wouldn't want too.

The only slight negatives (being really picky) are:
. The price (5* hotel, 5* prices, we paid £100 for the 3 nights which considering it was half board, was more than we were expected. We only had lunch once, 1 bottle of wine, a few local beers, some ice cream, plenty of water etc. (They don't take credit cards but if you arrive with cash like we did, they can change go to a bank to change it for you)
. The staff are ultra attentive - always filling up your glass with wine/water - bit offputting

Overall, thoroughly recommended and we would love to go back next year. We took some amazing photographs and have so many stories to tell our friends.

These eco lodges are quite simply AMAZING. Located in Makasutu - 1000 acres of holy forest owned by a couple of English men, most people visit the forest as a day trip or evening trip from the coast. In a separate part of the forest, and completely secluded are the river lodges, located along a tributary of the Gambia river.

At the current time there are 3 lodges (2 floating and 1 stilted) on the river, so there is a maximum of 6 guests at any one time. You feel like you have the place to yourself, and you want for nothing - the staff are very attentive - which takes a little getting used to! (There are 22 staff for 6 guests.) As well as the 3 lodges, there is a huge restaurant and relaxation area (with sofas and a giant daybed!), and an enormous pool with sunbeds.

THINGS TO DO:
If you want total and utter peace and quiet, combined with the option of exploring the forest on foot or canoe (or on horseback), then this is a great location. Each lodge has its own guide (!) so you can go out for walks, or in your OWN canoe whenever you want, and for as long as you want. Your guide will take you through the forest and point out birds, wildlife, plants and trees. The bird life is amazing - and we are not even birdwatchers in the slighest, but you can't help but be impressed and amazed at the colour, variety and proliferation of bird life. There is not much in the way of wildlife - some baboons, and squirrels and we saw a snake (a harmless one!). The environment is very varied, with plenty to see: we went through palm forests, paddy fields, cultivated areas, a plantation of cashew trees, and more traditional african forest with vines and massive trees and baboons jumping about. We visited the witch doctor, the man collecting palm wine (we had a go at climbing the tree in the traditional style!), the ladies who gather the oysters, and the craft area where batiks, carvings and pottery were for sale - but there was no hassle at all! You can also take trips further afield with your guide, but at additional cost.

MEALS:
The meals are excellent - though there are no menus - you can simply have ";whatever you want";! For dinner the chef will come and have a chat to you about what you want, and we had some excellent fresh fish. At lunchtime the absence of a menu means you have to interrogate the waitress a bit about what is available - but of course since there is no menu there are no prices either, so we only found out at the end that the salads we had for lunch were £6, which I thought was a bit overpriced.

The stay here is half board, and there are no fixed meal times, so essentially you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want! You can have your meals on your verandah, in the restaurant, or overlooking the river. The freedom to choose is wonderful!

ACCOMMODATION:
We stayed in a floating lodge, which has a huge bedroom with a 4 poster bed in the centre, and beautifully furnished. It has a high thatched ceiling and windows all around, with doors opening onto a verandah on the river front, from where you can watch the birds catching fish, fish jumping out of the water, and the local oyster gatherers paddling past in their dugout canoes. At the back of the lodge there is an open air bathroom (but very private), where the water is solar heated and the toilet is an eco-friendly composting toilet.

PRACTICALITIES:
- Take lots of insect repellent - I got bitten by biting flies during the day and they are STILL itching even though I am now home!
- The don't take credit cards, and I don't think you can change money here either, so you will need to take enough cash to cover your stay. Lunches are about £6, water and soft drinks about £1, beer about £2 and bottles of wine from about £10.
- I would recommend that you also budget for tips - just because it is the done thing in Gambia. We didn't tip every day, but at the end gave the manager a lump sum of about £30 to be equally divided between all of the staff, as this seemed fairest.
- Take binoculars. Even if you don't much care for birdwatching (like us) you will probably be impressed.
- The lodges have British style 3 pin sockets, but the power is not very strong (if that's the right word) because it's solar powered (for example, my hair straighteners wouldn't work, but my hairdrier did).
- The lodges have fans, but no A/C, but we found it fine as it cooled down in the evening.
- The solar powered water is hot during the day, but showers first thing in the morning are cold - for obvious reasons.

WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT:
Well, more or less nothing. We loved this place - it was really relaxing, and the trips around Makasutu with the guide were excellent. Because it is a huge private area, there are no bumsters, so you are totally away from the hassle. The only ways I think it could be improved is by having menus to give you some idea of what's available to eat (and how much it is!), and a bit more of an introduction to the place (e.g. telling you meal times aren't fixed, and what kind of things you can do with your guide) when you arrive. This wasn't clear initially, and was slightly confusing.