Arrived back to more snow on Friday!
Bit of a shock after temperatures in the 30s' in the Gambia!
Here goes with my review:
Had a great holiday, our criteria when booking this was - hot winter sunshine, good beach, not too long a flight and reasonably priced. It met all of these and more!
The flight was just over 6 hours. We were a bit disappointed that it felt a little cool when we arrived, however it was early evening and subsequently the daytime temperatures were great. We did need light jackets or cardigans some evenings.
We were impressed with the communal areas of the Kombo when we arrived, the pool area and garden was very nice, the restaurants all looked good too, and the location right on Kotu beach was fantastic! We booked a suite as it wasn't that much more expensive than a basic room and we'd read a few negative comments on the rooms, however the suite did not really meet our expectations. We'd also read that suites had been refurbished - but not ours! It was very dated,tatty and shabby, the bathroom was in need of a refit, and all the windows were very dirty. The balcony was also covered in dust. Had we been going for more than a week we would have asked for better accommodation, because I suspect it exists there. Having said that, it wasn't so bad that we couldn't put up with it for a week. Sheets and towels were clean although a little jaded and we did have all the facilities we needed - safe, fridge, tea making facilities and hair dryer, and everything worked. I will also put a review of the Kombo in Hotel Review section.
It was wonderful getting up in the morning walking a few yards to the beautiful sandy beach - which we overlooked from our room. The beach was endless, you could walk in either direction to different resorts or the monkey park which we did. On our first day we were bothered by 'Bumsters', young Gambians who will give you any old story to try to get some money out of you, and it did get very annoying. However they are not nasty, and they did leave us alone after a couple of days, when they see you have a tan, and we obviously learnt the right approach!
The restaurants were brilliant, not sophisticated but really nice atmosphere, often with live entertainment and fabulous food, and very good wine. Lots of fish and seafood which we love, and many spicy meat dishes. Due to the exchange rate it was not that cheap, but still reasonable. We found enough restaurants just outside the Kombo for every night, we liked them all - Boss Lady, Captains Table, Ali Baba's, Sailor, Paradise. It was nice to come back to the excellent entertainment laid on at the hotel, mostly African dancing and bands.
The guide who took us round the monkey park - which was very good, also took us bird-watching.He took us to some rice-fields and mangrove swamps, then a nature reserve he showed us about 50 different birds which we would never have seen, and took photos of them with our camera through his telescope.
We also went to the Crocodile Pool by taxi from the hotel, which was worth a visit for a morning. There is a small museum there, and you also get to stroke a crocodile.
Our only regret was that we should have done a trip down the river, but in a week there just wasn't the time to completely chill out for a few days, and do all the sights.
As long as you are not expecting 5 star luxury we would definitely recommend it for a winter break, but would probably try to ascertain what sort of room we were getting beforehand.
sounds like a great week 
Pity the hotel room wasn't up to expectations.
Pity the hotel room wasn't up to expectations.
hi alfie-enjoyed your report.can you give me an idea of prices,e.g. meal,beer and wine? we usually go to goa but dont think we can make it this season so gambia seems like a good alternative.also who did you book with?
thanks
thanks
Hi Bushbaby,
We go to Gambia in a couple of weeks and had also considered Goa as we have a current Indian VISA. However, as we had three weeks in Goa in Nov/Dec we were a little wary of returning so soon and just doing a repeat holiday which can be tedious. We have already been to Gambia a year ago so we know what to expect. It's was a bit more expensive than Goa then so I expect it will still be, and Goa has gone up 10-15% this year. We have decided to hedge our bets and have booked half board in the Sunset Beach Hotel which we stayed in last time.We have a very good package with Monarch Holidays ( Cosmos) and we are flying with Thomas Cook.
The Sunset Beach is on a par with the better 3* hotels in Goa, The Kombo looks nice from the road too. We prefered Kotu to Kololi but there are more bars and eating places in the latter.
Looking at current Goa package deal prices ( which I think are high) we decided Gambia was a no brainer for us, especially only going for 2 weeks. The beaches are better, the sun will be hotter (!), the level of hotel better for the same price as the cheapest holidays to Goa, 6 hour flight, no jet lag are the first pluses that come to mind.
There are some negatives....the food isn't quite as interesting although if you are prepared to get a taxi there are a wide range of eating places you can visit, the locals will probably be a little more "in your face" but they are not too bad as long as you let the whole thing wash over you . Polite but firm is the way to deal with them.
Incidentally Thomson also has the Sunset Beach on their list too. Check it out, you will not be disappointed.
We go to Gambia in a couple of weeks and had also considered Goa as we have a current Indian VISA. However, as we had three weeks in Goa in Nov/Dec we were a little wary of returning so soon and just doing a repeat holiday which can be tedious. We have already been to Gambia a year ago so we know what to expect. It's was a bit more expensive than Goa then so I expect it will still be, and Goa has gone up 10-15% this year. We have decided to hedge our bets and have booked half board in the Sunset Beach Hotel which we stayed in last time.We have a very good package with Monarch Holidays ( Cosmos) and we are flying with Thomas Cook.
The Sunset Beach is on a par with the better 3* hotels in Goa, The Kombo looks nice from the road too. We prefered Kotu to Kololi but there are more bars and eating places in the latter.
Looking at current Goa package deal prices ( which I think are high) we decided Gambia was a no brainer for us, especially only going for 2 weeks. The beaches are better, the sun will be hotter (!), the level of hotel better for the same price as the cheapest holidays to Goa, 6 hour flight, no jet lag are the first pluses that come to mind.
There are some negatives....the food isn't quite as interesting although if you are prepared to get a taxi there are a wide range of eating places you can visit, the locals will probably be a little more "in your face" but they are not too bad as long as you let the whole thing wash over you . Polite but firm is the way to deal with them.
Incidentally Thomson also has the Sunset Beach on their list too. Check it out, you will not be disappointed.
We never skimp on our food on holiday, so were eating meals at lunchtime, not just a sandwich.
I think beer was about £1 for a half pint bottle,wine about £10 to £15 a bottle in a restaurant, lunchtimes we spent between £15 to £20 on a meal and a few drinks, and in the evening probably around £30 to £40 (for 2)
Drinks in the hotel were quite expensive, we only ate in the snack bar and prices were reasonable. People who have been to the Gambia before were saying it was expensive, but I think its because the value of the pound has decreased so much since last year. We did hear prices haven't actually really gone up as such.
Some people we were speaking to who had been to Goa liked it a lot better in the Gambia, they said they found the poverty quite shocking in Goa.
I know the Gambia is very poor, but we didn't see any of the heart-wrenching sites like women with babies and children, obviously homeless and hungry, which we saw a lot of in a trip to Marrakech last year.
The people although not materially rich, seemed very happy.
We went with First Choice who we had no complaints about. Our holiday was cheaper than those with Gambia Experience at the same hotel, and I suspect the better rooms were probably given to them. I suppose its true that sometimes you get what you pay for!
I think beer was about £1 for a half pint bottle,wine about £10 to £15 a bottle in a restaurant, lunchtimes we spent between £15 to £20 on a meal and a few drinks, and in the evening probably around £30 to £40 (for 2)
Drinks in the hotel were quite expensive, we only ate in the snack bar and prices were reasonable. People who have been to the Gambia before were saying it was expensive, but I think its because the value of the pound has decreased so much since last year. We did hear prices haven't actually really gone up as such.
Some people we were speaking to who had been to Goa liked it a lot better in the Gambia, they said they found the poverty quite shocking in Goa.
I know the Gambia is very poor, but we didn't see any of the heart-wrenching sites like women with babies and children, obviously homeless and hungry, which we saw a lot of in a trip to Marrakech last year.
The people although not materially rich, seemed very happy.
We went with First Choice who we had no complaints about. Our holiday was cheaper than those with Gambia Experience at the same hotel, and I suspect the better rooms were probably given to them. I suppose its true that sometimes you get what you pay for!
-
Edited by
Alfie
2009-02-25 17:22:15
Interesting to see some prices Alfie, thanks. Last year we were paying about the same amount for an evening meal but that was for two courses and maybe 4 bottles of beer. I think I recall that both the Kombo and Sunset advertised their evening meals as 400 dalasai, which in £'s was about £23 for 2 without drinks. I expect the price to have risen this year.
I don't think there is much difference between living standards in Gambia and Goa for the average citizen. The biggest difference I noticed was that you didn't see normal Gambian life in the tourist zone as they are not allowed in there unless they have a permit. Hence you hardly see any children at all.
I don't think there is much difference between living standards in Gambia and Goa for the average citizen. The biggest difference I noticed was that you didn't see normal Gambian life in the tourist zone as they are not allowed in there unless they have a permit. Hence you hardly see any children at all.
hi davewales - i've seen some of your posts on the goa forum! did you go to the sunset beach last year aswell? i think gambia looks good- as has been pointed out,short flight ,no visas,permanent sun,no jet lag.as for the locals,i found the beach sellers in goa are getting more and more persistent now. when are you going? i'm not sure how long we have left before the season ends.
hi alfie - thanks for the up to date prices-maybe more expensive than goa but still a lot cheaper than the euro zone! can you tell me the best way to take money? we usually use our flexi card and take some t/c and a little cash in case the card gets swallowed.can you get dalasi here or is it a closed currency like india? also have you stayed in any other hotels in gambia?
thanks
hi alfie - thanks for the up to date prices-maybe more expensive than goa but still a lot cheaper than the euro zone! can you tell me the best way to take money? we usually use our flexi card and take some t/c and a little cash in case the card gets swallowed.can you get dalasi here or is it a closed currency like india? also have you stayed in any other hotels in gambia?
thanks
Bushbaby, yes we stayed at the Sunset Beach last January as well so we know what to expect. Liked it a lot. On a par with the Marinha Dourada IMO where we stayed in November. We have opted to go half board for £112 each for two weeks so we know what we are likely to spend. Prefer eating in different places but the breakfast at the Sunset was super so we are confident the evening meals will be too.They put on reasonable evening entertainment too, although after a few days of drumming and dancing it can get a little tedious !
There are a lot of things going for Gambia. The bumsters can be a bit of a pain but by and large they are not too much of a problem. In the evenings you get constantly asked where you are eating as the boys get a commission for taking you to their place. Doesn't cost anything to say yes if they happen to be pushing the one you are off to anyway. If it's not just say "maybe tomorrow".
The biggest "shock" we have just had is that a course of Malarone tablets cost £146 for 2 people for 2 weeks holiday. Ouch !Otherwise the holiday is a cracking deal and it's cost us less to go half board than to go to a pretty grotty Goan hotel with less travel involved and no jet lag either.
As for money, we will take cash and our Nationwide card.The dalasai is a closed currency.
Tip of the day !
Keep some sterling to spend in the duty free on the way home. They don't take dalasai or credit cards but had some cheap prices especially on Larios Gin !
There are a lot of things going for Gambia. The bumsters can be a bit of a pain but by and large they are not too much of a problem. In the evenings you get constantly asked where you are eating as the boys get a commission for taking you to their place. Doesn't cost anything to say yes if they happen to be pushing the one you are off to anyway. If it's not just say "maybe tomorrow".
The biggest "shock" we have just had is that a course of Malarone tablets cost £146 for 2 people for 2 weeks holiday. Ouch !Otherwise the holiday is a cracking deal and it's cost us less to go half board than to go to a pretty grotty Goan hotel with less travel involved and no jet lag either.
As for money, we will take cash and our Nationwide card.The dalasai is a closed currency.
Tip of the day !
Keep some sterling to spend in the duty free on the way home. They don't take dalasai or credit cards but had some cheap prices especially on Larios Gin !
Dave,
I read on one of the threads on this site(cant remember which one!) that when you go to the Gambia again, you are going to take the H/B option. Did you actually do that? If so, did you think you made the right decision.
I am going on my own on 15 May to the African Village Hotel in Bakau(wherever that is!). Cheap deal actually and I have opted for B/B but thought twice when I read what you said.
The other reason is for safety as well. being on my own (62) I don't want to be wandering around at night looking for places to eat. I just hope they vary the menus in the hotel every night!
Pete
I read on one of the threads on this site(cant remember which one!) that when you go to the Gambia again, you are going to take the H/B option. Did you actually do that? If so, did you think you made the right decision.
I am going on my own on 15 May to the African Village Hotel in Bakau(wherever that is!). Cheap deal actually and I have opted for B/B but thought twice when I read what you said.
The other reason is for safety as well. being on my own (62) I don't want to be wandering around at night looking for places to eat. I just hope they vary the menus in the hotel every night!
Pete
Hi Pete,
Yes we took the h/b option and we were pleasantly surprised at how good the food was at the Sunset Beach. The dining room lacked a bit of atmosphere but we were grateful to be indoors as when we were there there was a cold wind blowing most evenings and many eating places are outdoors. We too paid £8 per head which we thought was excellent as you had as much to eat as you wanted from a self service buffet. The downside is that it gets a bit repetitive eating in the same place every night for a fortnight and by choice we would prefer to eat out for a change of scene. When we checked up on local prices they were not as expensive as we had been led to believe and you could probably get a 2 course meal without drinks for £10-12 if you avoid expensive items on the menu. The price of a 330 ml bottle of Julbrew beer in the local supermarket was 35 d, our hotel charged 50d for a pint, the Senegambia 80 d. We took a couple of bottles of gin from duty free which saved a lot as gin in the local supermarket was more expensive than here at home. A can of Schweppes tonic was 25d. A word of warning though... don't try and take more than your duty free limit into the Gambia as they will confiscate it. It's the only airport I have been to that scans you bags on arrival but not on departure ( although they do a visual check when you leave).
The duty free at Banjul has a litre of Larios Gin at £6. Gordons £9. and they now accept credit cards too.
You have no need to worry about being out at night , it's very safe but you will be approached by runners from the different restaurants asking if they can take you there. They get a commission for each customer. Before making a final decision you need to find out if there are alternatives locally to eating in the hotel. Getting taxis everywhere is expensive. We have decided if we go again we will try to negotiate a half board deal with the hotel for one week and do our own thing the other.
Hope this has been useful to you. There doesn't seem to be much input into this section of the HT forum.
Have a good holiday.cheers Dave
Yes we took the h/b option and we were pleasantly surprised at how good the food was at the Sunset Beach. The dining room lacked a bit of atmosphere but we were grateful to be indoors as when we were there there was a cold wind blowing most evenings and many eating places are outdoors. We too paid £8 per head which we thought was excellent as you had as much to eat as you wanted from a self service buffet. The downside is that it gets a bit repetitive eating in the same place every night for a fortnight and by choice we would prefer to eat out for a change of scene. When we checked up on local prices they were not as expensive as we had been led to believe and you could probably get a 2 course meal without drinks for £10-12 if you avoid expensive items on the menu. The price of a 330 ml bottle of Julbrew beer in the local supermarket was 35 d, our hotel charged 50d for a pint, the Senegambia 80 d. We took a couple of bottles of gin from duty free which saved a lot as gin in the local supermarket was more expensive than here at home. A can of Schweppes tonic was 25d. A word of warning though... don't try and take more than your duty free limit into the Gambia as they will confiscate it. It's the only airport I have been to that scans you bags on arrival but not on departure ( although they do a visual check when you leave).
The duty free at Banjul has a litre of Larios Gin at £6. Gordons £9. and they now accept credit cards too.
You have no need to worry about being out at night , it's very safe but you will be approached by runners from the different restaurants asking if they can take you there. They get a commission for each customer. Before making a final decision you need to find out if there are alternatives locally to eating in the hotel. Getting taxis everywhere is expensive. We have decided if we go again we will try to negotiate a half board deal with the hotel for one week and do our own thing the other.
Hope this has been useful to you. There doesn't seem to be much input into this section of the HT forum.
Have a good holiday.cheers Dave
Hi Dave,
Yes, all very informative and helpful. I don't really know much about the hotel i am going to or the surrounding area. I'll have a look around on this site to see what I can find out.
Thanks for the reassurance about going out on my own. Years ago-- would not have bothered me but try to be a bit more careful these days. I was mugged in Jo'burg once on my own and an attemp was made in Cape Town as well. It is just that I am always reading about these bumpster guys and all the hassle hassle hassle etc.
I was thinking of taking about 6 25cl bottles of wine with me. 4 for £5 in my local Asda. I will stuff that in my checked in bag. Hopefully it will not cause a problem on arrival in Banjul!!
Being as I am on a cheap last minute deal I want to try to avoid a lot of expense as well. I will be quite happy eating a some chicken etc from a stall on the roadside if those are around!!
What are the 'local bars' like? I have been into some of these in other countries and they mostly seemed like dives etc.
cheers.
Pete
Yes, all very informative and helpful. I don't really know much about the hotel i am going to or the surrounding area. I'll have a look around on this site to see what I can find out.
Thanks for the reassurance about going out on my own. Years ago-- would not have bothered me but try to be a bit more careful these days. I was mugged in Jo'burg once on my own and an attemp was made in Cape Town as well. It is just that I am always reading about these bumpster guys and all the hassle hassle hassle etc.
I was thinking of taking about 6 25cl bottles of wine with me. 4 for £5 in my local Asda. I will stuff that in my checked in bag. Hopefully it will not cause a problem on arrival in Banjul!!
Being as I am on a cheap last minute deal I want to try to avoid a lot of expense as well. I will be quite happy eating a some chicken etc from a stall on the roadside if those are around!!
What are the 'local bars' like? I have been into some of these in other countries and they mostly seemed like dives etc.
cheers.
Pete
The bars in the tourist zone a just like any you would expect anywhere else ! Out of the tourist zone there are probably not many around. 85% of the population are Muslim and probably don't drink alcohol.
Gambia is not like South Africa which has a reputation for violence. The bumsters can be a bit annoying, a firm but polite reply to their requests will see them off !
Remember always agree a price first before getting a taxi , going on a trip etc.
cheers Dave
Gambia is not like South Africa which has a reputation for violence. The bumsters can be a bit annoying, a firm but polite reply to their requests will see them off !
Remember always agree a price first before getting a taxi , going on a trip etc.
cheers Dave
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