The best available hotels & places to stay near Banjul Division

December 7, 2022 Deane Carmody

Discover the best hotels in Banjul Division including Cape Point Hotel, Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort, Senegambia Beach Hotel, Sunprime Tamala Beach Resort, African Princess Beach Hotel, Sunset Beach Hotel, Palma Rima Hotel, Balafon Beach Resort, Kololi Beach Resort, Holiday Beach Club Hotel.
Things to do in Banjul Division

1. Cape Point Hotel

Kofi Anan Street, Bakau 2294 SK Gambia
Excellent
18%
Good
41%
Satisfactory
19%
Poor
14%
Terrible
8%
Overall Ratings

3.5 based on 85 reviews

Cape Point Hotel

A popular and lively hotel, Cape Point Hotel is situated at the sandy beach of Cape Point with a brightly-coloured African setting. Its excellent amenities mean this hotel is ideal for either a relaxing or an active beach holiday. Although the facilities allow you to eat in if you wish, the hotel has an attractive restaurant offering a high standard of cuisine.

In love with Cape Point

Reviewed By -Leonardo_Durrant-

The best hotel I've ever experienced! Period! Food, always incredible! The people felt like family over how much they took care or me and treated me! The view of the beach was breathtaking! Please go down there if you haven't already and have the time of your life

2. Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort

Kofi Annan Street, Cape Point, Bakau Gambia
Excellent
34%
Good
47%
Satisfactory
14%
Poor
4%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 1171 reviews

Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort

Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort is an excellent choice for travelers visiting Bakau, offering a family-friendly environment alongside many helpful amenities designed to enhance your stay. Ocean Bay Hotel is a family-friendly hotel offering a flat screen TV, air conditioning, and a minibar in the rooms, and it is easy to stay connected during your stay as free wifi is offered to guests. The hotel features room service and a concierge. Plus, guests can enjoy a pool and free breakfast, which have made this a popular choice among travelers visiting Bakau. For guests with a vehicle, free parking is available. While you’re here, be sure to check out Calypso Bar and Restaurant, one of the restaurants in Bakau with tapas on the menu, which is a short distance from Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort. Enjoy your stay in Bakau!

An amazing holiday

Reviewed By StevenHigham26

We stayed at the Ocean Bay Hotel for 10 nights in April. I have to say it was one of the best holidays ever. The hotel is set in beautiful gardens with direct access into a wide sandy beach. What really makes this hotel special are the employees. Everyone goes out of their way to help and are all friendly and efficient. The service offered is second to none. The rooms were clean and quiet with excellent air con. We stayed on an all inclusive basis and the food was plentiful and of a good quality. Already looking forward to a return trip.

3. Senegambia Beach Hotel

Kololi, Serekunda Gambia
Excellent
31%
Good
47%
Satisfactory
15%
Poor
4%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 1672 reviews

Senegambia Beach Hotel

Finding an ideal family-friendly hotel in Serekunda does not have to be difficult. Welcome to Senegambia Beach Hotel, a nice option for travelers like you. Senegambia Beach Hotel is a family-friendly hotel offering air conditioning in the rooms, and it is easy to stay connected during your stay as free internet access is offered to guests. The hotel features a concierge. Plus, guests can enjoy a pool and free breakfast, which have made this a popular choice among travelers visiting Serekunda. For guests with a vehicle, free parking is available. While staying in Serekunda, you can check out a popular French restaurant like La Parisienne, which is serving up some great dishes. Senegambia Beach Hotel looks forward to welcoming you on your visit to Serekunda.

Amazing place to stay!

Reviewed By JMTN5

Firstly a big thank you to all the staff at Senegambia Beach Hotel for the warm greeting that you get at the reception upon arrival which continued till the day I checked out (Special thank you to Kanye and Simba for always seeing to my every request). This hotel is in the heart of Senegambia and hot spot for nightly entertainment / restaurants / mini Art & Craft Market which are only seconds away from the entrance. The hotel is surrounded with rich lush garden with exotic birds and monkeys floating about. Rooms are spacious and cleaned daily, breakfast is buffet good but limited on the amount of fresh juices avaliable (orange juice is not freshly pressed) and hot beverages (mainly selection of tea or lack of herbal teas) but you do get to try the Gambian breakfast selection which was pretty good. Reception area is very calm and relaxing full of Art work which you can view. There is a currency exchange bureau within the hotel so no need foe concern on going out to change your currency. There is nightly entertainment imside the hotel ( selective days) and restaurant on site which is a bonus if you don't want to go out of site to eat. Outside the hotel there are plenty to do and see and you will get your usual locals trying to sell you things whilst walking along the beach, if you're not interested please make sure this is relayed to them firmly as they can be persistent and continue asking. Will definitely be back again...Thank you Senegambia Beach Hotel for a pleasant stay.

4. Sunprime Tamala Beach Resort

Kotu Beach, Serrekunda, Kotu Gambia
Excellent
41%
Good
30%
Satisfactory
14%
Poor
8%
Terrible
6%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 235 reviews

Sunprime Tamala Beach Resort

Sunprime Tamala Beach is a adults only hotel located on the Atlantic coast of Gambia directly by Kotu Beach. The hotel is the ideal choice for those seeking a relaxing and self-indulgent holiday in a child-free environment. The interiors throughout the hotel is modern with nature inspired materials and an African touch. The tranquil pool area at the hotel have plenty of sun loungers and a combined bar and beach club. On the golden sandy beach, below the hotel you can spend your days under a parasol on a sun lounger. At the hotel there is a nice restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating. There is also a lounge bar. There are several activities to partake in if you want an active holiday. Join in on any of the hotels fitness classes, such as calming yoga or lively water aerobics or workout in the gym. If you want to pamper yourself, you can visit the spa in the wellness area for a relaxing treatment. There are a few beach bars and restaurants close by the hotel a small local center 500 meters from the hotel with some local and international restaurants. If you want a bigger selection of restaurants and shopping the city center of Senegambia is on a walking distance. Here you also find the local market which is a colorful place to pick up local handcrafts. To experience the local life and nature of Gambia we offer great excursions.

Totally mis sold holiday. Worst hotel we have stayed in!!

Reviewed By Shaun W

We arrived at the hotel Tamala Hotel on 27th March 2022 and should have stayed there until 10 April 2022. However due to the issues we have detailed below we booked our flights to come home early at our own cost on 30th March 2022. The Tamala Hotel was misleadingly described by TUI to be 4 star all Inclusive hotel however we experienced the following problems, the food was very poor quality and repetitive, the rooms and toilet were dirty, there was mould around the shower, rust on the tiles on the bathroom floor, the balcony did not meet health and safety standards, no smoke alarm, bare wires exposed on the balcony, air conditioning unit was leaking dirty water on to the floor, seating area on the balcony was dirty with ripped cushions, towels were not changed daily, at times there was no running water to wash or shower, given one bottle of water to last two weeks, no toilet paper, the door to our room has been damaged so was difficult to lock, a light fitting was not securely fastened to the ceiling. Also when ordering drinks at the bar dirty glasses were washed in cold water and dried with a serviette then fresh drinks poured into glasses for other guests to use. This is not hygienic in the current climate with the risk of Covid infection high at present. The information in respect of food and drink stated “at lunch and dinner you can pick from an international a la carte menu”. The holiday was booked as all inclusive and no where does it mention you have to pay for the a la carte menu. The information also “stated a snack bar is on hand for lighter bites to eat throughout the day” This was not available and not all drinks were included in the all inclusive package for example diet coke and Hoergaarden beer. We complained to the TUI representative Pete on our first day of arrival who said your 4 star rating was Gambian standards which is wrong as TUI standards should be the same for every hotel they offer. Pete said he would note our concerns and request to see if we could change hotel to The African Princess as it was the same 4 star rating however he failed to mention it was not all inclusive so we would have had further costs in respect of food and drink. We viewed the hotel and on face value it looked far better and cleaner than Tamala and possibly deserved a 4 Star rating. Pete said the African Princess hotel was soulless.

5. African Princess Beach Hotel

Kotu Beach, Kotu Gambia
Excellent
56%
Good
28%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
6%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 123 reviews

African Princess Beach Hotel

African Princess Beach hotel is located directly on Kotu Beach, in The Gambia, West Africa. Africa’s smallest mainland country is known for its lush forests, superb beaches and its namesake river that coolly runs through it, but it is not on everyone’s radar when it comes to a beach holiday.

Very nice hotel.

Reviewed By magnusb423

We had a lovely stay here, for 10 days in March. The hotel we very nice, and the staff were very helpful and friendly. Would definitely recommend staying here. Having the swim up to room was great, and is in a great location, right in front of a nice sandy beach.

6. Sunset Beach Hotel

Kotu Stream Road, Kotu Gambia
Excellent
37%
Good
38%
Satisfactory
19%
Poor
4%
Terrible
3%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 511 reviews

Sunset Beach Hotel

Sunset Beach Hotel is set in the heart of the Gambia’s tourism district and positioned along the sandy beach of Kotu! The entire team strives to ensure superior customer satisfaction to all of our clients surrounded by everything from classic three-star elegance to modern-chic comfort. We have 97 rooms in total (81 standard and 16 apartments) that are set within our beautiful gardens. All rooms are fully air-conditioned, fitted with cable TV, mini fridges, telephones and laptop size safes. Take a walk down our very own sunset boulevard, where a variety of tropical plants and flowers will lead you past the rooms and on to our newly renovated and spacious sunset restaurant and lounge overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with breathtaking sunsets. Sipping on a cocktail tiptoeing in tanning pool or hanging over the infinity pool daydreaming away, this is More Than You Bargained for! NOTE: Yearly for 6 months (From November To April), Sunset Beach Hotel is Fully All Inclusive.

Christmas Winter Sun

Reviewed By GraeandGill

Fantastic winter break, much needed. Staff were wonderful, attentive and knowledgeable. Food was plentiful , tasty and well presented Drinks , ok so some spirit weren't available or 'ran out' but so what, have something else, your not paying for it at the bar Rooms, a little dated but had everything you needed, comfortable beds, enough drawer and wardrobe space and a great hot shower Beach traders, polite and left you alone or just wanted to talk . After all they've suffered because of the pandemic as much as any one. Would we return , in a heart beat.

7. Palma Rima Hotel

350 Serrekunda Bertil Harding Highway, Kololi, Serekunda Gambia
Excellent
22%
Good
36%
Satisfactory
25%
Poor
8%
Terrible
9%
Overall Ratings

3.5 based on 523 reviews

Palma Rima Hotel

Palma Rima Hotel an exquisite hotel providing standard hotel servicers that will satisfy you and your family vacation. We offer one the of most comfortable hotel services in the country concerning largest sports and entertainment that will blow your mind for another visit. We are approximately 180meters to the Beach. Our breakfast is a buffet style with a large selection of cold and hot food also lunch and dinner will consist of good selection of international and African dishes. Palma Rima has 92 bungalow rooms located in octagonal-shaped single-storey buildings, and 60 standard rooms arranged in a three-storey building next to the pool area. The bungalow rooms are fitted with two fold-out beds.

5 minutes from the beach

Reviewed By sturob47

A large complex with rooms and bungalows and a very large pool. Been here twice and both times been a little disappointed, now in May 2022 they only had 9 guests in the whole complex so bar and restaurant were inevitably closed, couldn't even buy a bottle of water. A major problem with this place for me is lack of internet in the rooms so forced to go to reception to get a connection .

8. Balafon Beach Resort

Djeliba Plaza, Kololi, Serekunda Gambia
Excellent
41%
Good
29%
Satisfactory
14%
Poor
10%
Terrible
6%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 168 reviews

Balafon Beach Resort

Balafon Beach Resort is an adults only hotel offering a unqiue blend of traditional and modern architecture: Traditional styled African huts with thatched roofs which at the same time offer a modern appeal.

Still recovering after covid. but not 5 star.

Reviewed By DouglasR1318

The hotel rates itself as a 5star, tui rates it a 4star, but 3star would be more honest. Tui have a lot to answer for, they need to do spot checks on hotels to make sure they are up to scratch and before anyone sys covid, i have recently come back from Sti Lanka and was in Mauritius when it opened last October. The area around the Balafon is full of closed down hotels, and this has affected the amount of local restaurants and shops that area available. take note if you are only on B&B, with that in mind the menu for half/full board residents is limited, but the food is good. One moan, if you want a quiet romantic dinner, forget it, evening entertainment is in the restaurant and can be quite loud. also the restaurant allows smoking??? The beach is on the doorstep, you can walk straight from the pool to the sea. plenty of sunbeds and there is a life guard. Plenty of hawkers on the beach, but they will not disturb you if you are sunbathing. Security guards are present. Only problem is the bech area does smell of urine, plenty of dogs and cats around the area. I had a room with its own pool. The room needs a total refurbishmet. There was no sugar or milk with the tea making facilities, i had a towell for the shower room floor for 2 days, never replaced, no toiletries apart from a bar of soap, no saop dish, no where in the shower for flannel, soap or shampoo,, apart from the floor? We were told when we checked in that there was no TV? it never worked for the whole holiday.

9. Kololi Beach Resort

Kololi, Serekunda PMB241 Gambia
Excellent
57%
Good
32%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
0%
Terrible
3%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 205 reviews

Kololi Beach Resort

Set within tropical gardens, located right on the beach, Kololi Beach Resort is the perfect location to explore this unique country. Kololi offers self catering villas and apartments. Each Villa/apartment is fully furnished complete with lounge, dining area and a fully fitted kitchen. Kololi Beach Resort can also offer bed and breakfast, half board and full board options. Each property has its very own furnished terrace or balcony area. The perfect place to watch the sun go down and enjoy the abundance of wildlife, or pre dinner drinks with friends. Everything you will need to enjoy a complete 'get away from it all' holiday is here at Kololi Beach Resort. The Resort has many features including, an 18 hole par 3 Golf Course, a real test for golfers of all standards. Our on site a pro is available for lessons and all equipment is available on site. choice of 3 swimming pools, a private beach area, Club House bar and restaurant along with two further bars, both with free WiFi. A Mini Market is open daily for your daily essentials, gift shop, 24 hour reception and money exchange. Our dedicated excursion team are on hand to make sure you get the best excursions at the right price. They can even organise a private excursion for just you and your guests, making the day that bit more special.

Super location and super friendly amazing staff

Reviewed By Sarah B

This was first visit to The Gambia staying at Kololi Beach Resort. WOW!!! I had the most amazing time! During my stay I ate out at some of the most fabulous restaurants, however the food at Kololi was excellent in terms of taste and presentation. I can be a fussy eater but the incredible waiters remembered every time how I liked my food cooked and the chef always delivered!! I think nearly every member of staff remembered my name and always greeted me with a genuine warm smile. I felt so welcome and the staff could not do enough to make my stay memorable. I would highly recommend this resort and can not wait to return.

10. Holiday Beach Club Hotel

Kololi Beach, Kololi, Serekunda Gambia
Excellent
29%
Good
40%
Satisfactory
18%
Poor
7%
Terrible
6%
Overall Ratings

4 based on 740 reviews

Holiday Beach Club Hotel

Holiday Beach Club Hotel is a simple traditional African hospitality facility of a Two (2) Star rating, situated on the Golden Kololi Beach. The Holiday Beach Club Hotel Complex features 97 rooms consisting of Superior, Pool view, Sea view, Single storey and Garden View rooms. It also has a swimming pool, Main Bar, Beach Bar and Restaurant. Its mission is to provide a simple but modest Gambian hospitality service of excellence, while aiming to make the Gambia a tourist heaven.

Fantastic!!! Don't listen the Negative! Listen to the Positive!

Reviewed By Daniel C

The Holiday Beach Hotel My Wife and I stayed here for two weeks from 22nd March 2022 to 1st April. Daily peak temp was 35ish What an amazing Hotel!! Lovely friendly staff! The gardens are kept immaculately clean and the cleaners and gardeners always give a cheerful greeting. Not sure why people were moaning about the breakfast: Yes its simple boiled Eggs,sausage,beans Fried egg sausage and veg pasta (this was very scrummy) Omelette, sausage and cake Theres also fresh fruit available, toast, fresh bread choices of jam, butter,chocolate spread Cornflakes and cocopops Fruit juices ( so theres a drink called joajia juice it looks like milk dont have to pay for this on the strip as sometimes they have it available at breakfast) Theres tea,coffee,hot water,milk,sugar You dont have to have just one helping you can go up for more My Wife and i enjoyed the breakfast and there was more than enough to tide us over until lunch. The Rooms: If i remember we were in room 31B which was ground floor. Rooms are kept very clean due to the daily clean including clean towels and beds made. Each room has: Soap x 1 Towels x 2 Loo rolls x2 (which are so lovely and soft)which are replenished each day if needed Also they use UK plug sockets so no need for converters. The beds are lovely and we always had a good nights sleep, waking up to birds chattering and the distant sound of the sea. What isnt in the room: Shampoo/conditioner Iron Hairdryer Safe (can be hired for extra) Fan (can be hired for extra) Safety box (can be hired for extra) Now we didn’t use a safety box we used our Samsonite suitcase thats has a combination lock built into it so we used that. But what i heard from a traveller is that the safety box isn’t in your room its near the reception desk. Restaurant food at the hotel: Is excellent good portions and served with a smile! Example: 2 cheese burgers with chips and salad was £7.02 and again after these we were stuffed. Lamin Sonko the waiter was excellent always ready to help. 1 beer is £1.39 The Swimming pool is a good size. Plenty of sunbeds around the pool. The sundbeds are great and we spent most of our time on the ones near the beach where you will no doubt meet Malik with his cheerful personality. A nice breeze contributes to getting a suntan without burning up to quickly. All the staff are helpful and go out of their way to make sure you are happy and enjoying yourself. Wildlife: Yes there are monkeys that are very cute especially when they want some food. There are also some amazing colourful birds with silver green/purple. So we were told there were two types of monkeys the grey ones with brown tails these are quite grumpy and showed their teeth when you got to close and then the red ones which were more happier or is it the other way round? Entertainment: There is tabletop football and a dartbaord and also a pool table. The entertainment board mentions several different activities but we only saw table tennis being played. The culture show was very repetitive and you can see that it was starting to annoy people. So maybe some different kind of entertainment to spice things up. The Famous Strip: Now i hate going to any shop in the uk and people coming upto me asking me what am i looking for so i was really worrying about being hassled by some locals on the strip asking do i need a taxi do i want to buy this etc but to be honest a nice calm “No Thank You” really does work. Yes i talked to some and yes they walked side by side with you but dont say i will come tomorrow just say MAYBE. We went to a pizzeria to meet up with some Gambians friends and i had the unusual pizza of Banana and Tuna Pizza this was quite nice actually and im going to start having it on pizza at home. (Side point.. we went to a Turkish restaurant back in the uk once and they had chilli con carne with a fried egg on top very very yummy) Went to Scala restaurant my wife had the Lamb Shank and i had the Scala Curry which after eating i was full. So much beef and shrimps! We thought it was reasonably priced. As example: an apéritif of bread and mince/coleslaw 1 long pina colada with double shot of rum, 1 beer, lamb shank which comes with chips and peas, an extra portion of chips and the Scala Curry which comes with rice. Came to the grand total of £33.62. Which is pretty good i think. And what we liked at the Scala is that the restaurant owner understands that you want to eat in peace while enjoying the surroundings, so there are no drums being played in your ear hole as they are kept outside. The owner/head Chef came round to each table making sure everything is good. Shes been there for 34 years!! Which says alot and shes the head chef! Or as the locals say about all wifes/women the Boss Lady :) Opens at 630pm-1130pm and is quite busy. Tipping the baggage men. So i was told that at the airport to tip the baggage men £1 which they seemed happy with. BUT…. giving hotel staff £1 coins as a tip isnt the best way of tipping them as they cant exchange coins easily as they need to save up £5 in coins and then ask a holiday maker to swap the coins to a £5 note then they can go to the exchange with the £5 note. Showers in the room. Water was always hot from 6am even to 7pm we had no problems at all. Wifi: As with all wifi even in the uk routers can only take so many connections. So imagine everyone trying connect to join the same router!! Best we found was is in the reception There is wifi at the pool There is wifi near the table football area And there is wifi on and around the beach bar. Purchasing a sim: Go Out of the hotel gates turn left and continue walking until you get to a cross roads and on the corner on the left is africell. You will need your passport. (See pic for prices) We went to the African Queen. Well we, walked past the African queen as they literally just changed the name to something else. We had beef Donbas it was ok the rice was nice but the meat was quite tough. Would we eat there again more likely not. Sorry. Sunset in Gambia is around 7-718pm If you leave the hotel gates and turn left you will fin a money exchange which is 69 (the hotel is 68 but as they say “every little helps”) Keep going along on the left and you will see a mini market.Its called "Royal Mini Market" Absolutely charming guys Father and Son. They helped us in so many ways. And because the father and son were so nice we straight away trusted in them and they helped us with the taxi instead of being hassled by people asking for a taxi. They are open from 8am till 12pm so hard working but always happy. Just a couple of Tips:- Try Ataaya Tea.. you may have to ask for this. Go straight fr Pocoloco bar on the beach we went here on the night before we left but had a really amazing time. to get there head towards the beach via the hotel turn right and keep walking for maybe 15mins you will see it. Take your own cup with you as lots of holiday makers got cold sores due to what we think is dirty cups Aways ask for a straw when ordering a drink Dont stress about the bumsters Go to the shop called The Royal Market for your daily things. Take a lamp of some kind as there are power cuts But they dont last long If you have many devices to charge maybe bring a extension cord thats has several sockets. We didnt rent a fan, we just left the door ajar and we felt perfectly safe thru the night and we were on the ground level. But this is entirely up to you. If the hotel had better wifi coverage a capabilities more customers would stay at the hotel for entertainment, food and drink instead they go to restaurants where the wifi is pretty good Sooo the BIG question "Will we be returning to the Holiday Beach Club Hotel? A absolutely!!! Hope the review has helped?! I wrote the things down that i wanted to know. Im sure you will have a great time!! When you see Malik say hi from Daniel from Oxford.

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