Sunset Beach Hotel

Just had 2 weeks at this wonderful hotel. Our room 214 was clean and tidy although a little dated, the whole block is due to be refurbed in April. All the staff were friendly, polite and helpful. The hotel grounds are kept immaculate, the food was varied and delicious chef would often ask if everything was to our liking. Evening entertainment every night quite enjoyable. Access to the beach was a little difficult because the sand on the beach had shifted and the creek water changed direction but it was rectified during our second week. It was our first time in The Gambia yes we will return.

We have recently returned from the Sunset Beach Hotel after spending two weeks there. It is a lovely small hotel and the staff are amazing- they are always smiling and help in any way they can. The food was excellent- very tasty and plenty of variety. The menu was not repeated in the second week. The salad bar was wonderful- lovely and fresh and plenty of choice. There was soup every lunchtime and at dinner - always tasty and delicious. The bread was my downfall- lovely crusty bread at every meal! The chef would come around and talk to us and ask if we enjoyed our food. The Pool staff were always helpful and cleaned the loungers every morning, they were more than willing to bring you an umbrella and to move it if necessary. The waiters were great at serving drinks by the pool and made lovely refreshing, fresh lime sodas for us. Milton the entertainments manager came around and chatted- the entertainer team also would come round to talk.If you wanted to join in there were things going . Our room was clean and had a nice garden area. The bathroom was a little tired and could do with a revamp- however the shower was good and there was always hot water. It is best to bring your own shampoo and shower gel. Only two small bottles of shampoo were in the room. Also bring teabags as they were not topped up. We always bring our own anyway so was not a problem. The beach is beautiful- the access from the hotel became a little tricky due to the tides. This happens at different times of year- an act of nature and can’t be helped.The staff put out sandbags to enable you to cross the stream or you could walk past the fruit sellers and access the beach that way. If you wanted to sit on the beach the staff would take chairs out for you(and even drinks!) We loved walking along the beach in both directions, morning and evening. A glorious sunset from the hotel too. We watched the local fishermen bringing in their boats and their catch. There are various sellers that set up stalls in the pool area. We became friendly with one of the artists- I don’t know his name but he does some beautiful paintings. We in fact bought two. He is very interesting to talk to. He would be grateful for paint brushes if anyone could take some out. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and are looking forward to returning next year. It is a great place to stay and Gambia is a lovely country.

This was my first trip to The Gambia and staying at Sunset Beach was just fantastic. It is everything that it is advertised to be. The hotel and gardens are beautiful, well maintained and the staff were the friendliest that I’ve ever known. Chatting with you by name and always keen to know what my experience of The Gambia was, especially interested in the excursions that I took and what I thought of them. The pool side staff were extremely attentive. All the staff just wanted to make sure that everything was perfect. The food was excellent. Always served hot and full of flavour with plenty of choice. I stayed in a bungalow that was just lovely. Full of character with plenty of space. The evening entertainment was varied and great! Always a lovely way to end each day. It was really nice how they had a selection of local crafts people visit the hotel each day demonstrating and working on their craft with the opportunity to select some very unique souvenirs to take home. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about my stay and I can appreciate why so many of the guests are frequent and returning visitors. I will be coming back and I happily recommend Sunset Beach Hotel.

Here for a week with 21yr old son on AI basis. Sunset beach hotel is a great friendly place to stay. It’s imperfectly perfect, a comfortable and very pleasant stay where I felt safe and happy. Staff are A1, will do what they can to make your stay as comfortable as possible, and can’t do enough. Aisha gets a special mention as she is just lovely, ensures she gets to know you, plays games and teaches Wolof! All staff are of the same lovely level, everyone all the way through to managerial. Most professional too and were quick to sort out an issue with the visiting entertainment staff one evening. Well handled Milton. The place is clean, well looked after. Security on site - one an ex military chap who is lovely to talk to. They ensure you are okay and again look after you well. Pool side beds- speak to the pool man in order to secure a sunbed. They have a system there so just run with it :D Food- so very tasty, varied enough to not feel repetitive. Tea and coffee to hand all day long. Bar drinks good in that there was a real variation including milkshakes and cocktails. Red wine was quite drinkable. No tummy bugs to report and did have ice in drinks too. All good there. Access to beach- natural causes have the creek going around the circumference of the hotel meaning no easy direct access to beach. But you can still get across okay from one point- staff will point you to where. Was a shame but not the end of the world and as I say still accessible. Evening entertainment was 8-10pm every night, mix of karaoke, bands, traditional African drums and dance. Activities- aquarobics, putting game, boules, darts, pool, foosball and other things. However don’t wait to be called or announced you need to speak to Aisha or Richard or anyone else to see what’s taking place and that you want to do it. And they will :D Weather- it certainly wasn’t in the 30’s as my weather report had- more like 23-25 which was nice to be fair. The evening the temperature does drop and if a wind increases this feel. Would recommend a couple of cardis:D People- great fellow tourists. This is a small enough and cosy place you can get to know your fellow travellers well (as much or as little as you want). Many guests here are repeat customers as they love it. Which speaks volumes. People from UK, Netherlands, Russia, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, and others. A real blend and pleasantly so. Trips- many available. One that’s not advertised in house is Janjanbureh 2 x day trip- this is on TUI app and I would highly recommend it. Get to see Gambia in depth. Folks outside- yes there is the usual hassle of come by from me, so come with your patience in tact. A local market down the road has clothes, wooden items, magnets and other bits. Dominoes bar there too. Aisha- she tailors clothes to fit so seek her out if you want something new just for you. Very reliable and trustworthy. She found me on the beach, is known at the hotel too, and her stall is the

Our first time at this hotel and it won't be our last. Read all the reviews prior to booking and, thankfully, were not put off by a few, very negative ones! The positives hugely outweighed the one or two minor observations, not 'complaints', that I would be happy to share. The staff are its biggest plus and cannot do enough for you. They will do their utmost to ensure that your stay with them is as enjoyable as possible. The food is excellent, with a daily changing menu of soup, meat, fish and vegetarian options, with a very good salad bar - and the baguettes are TOO GOOD - a major waistline threat! The local spirits are not as distinctive as branded products (no surprise) but the local draught beer is a real thirst quencher. The red and white wines are perfectly acceptable but the rose wasn't to my taste. The pools are 'refreshingly cool' for a Scot to escape the heat; a soft Southerner might find them a wee bit cold - about the local sea temperature?! The hotel's rooms are being refurbished on a rolling basis. Our bungalow bathroom was a bit tired but the room itself was fine and the AC worked and there was plenty of hot water but best to bring your own shampoo/bodywash. We were with The Gambia Experience which made it clear that the Kotu stream, alongside the hotel and great for birdwatchers, did alter its course seasonally; but TIU did not warn its holidaymakers. When we were there, the stream had done its usual seasonal, tidally driven right turn to run in front of the hotel. The local Bird Rangers attempted to dig a relief channel to lower the water level in the lagoon for the benefit of feeding waders - to little effect. However, we accessed the beach, every morning and evening, for a stroll/hike/swim without difficulty. A small detour, through the local, on beach, vendor's market gave easy access to the beach proper adding a mere 50 metres to our stroll. Ultimately, this hotel will do its very best to make your holiday a pleasure. Did they succeed? We went for a fortnight. As retirees, we are going back next year for A MONTH!

A wonderful place on the corner of the beach. The rooms are spacious and well equiped and located in the grounds which are planted with trees, bushes and flowers helping to create a private garden outside each "cottage" The resturants serves a selection of Gambian and international dishes which would cover the majority of individuals, however the staff are happy to cater for individual requests. The management team are professional and helpful and lead by example, the staff are very happy and are always smiling and chatting, lovely lovely people. Evening entertainment runs from 8pm till 10pm and the bands, groups and singers are first class A true relaxing holiday location.