The trip began with a shared taxi pick up to take me to Gatwick South terminal
I forgot how nice that it to be picked up and is stress free and worth the extra cost. I had one piece of luggage weighing 16 kilos and I hand baggage within the size stipulated but I omitted to weigh it (first mistake) My hand luggage held my laptop and chargers for phone, cameras etc. But not too much else and never a problem in the past. However, Monarch has a 5 kilos limit and I was over. I moved to one side and tried to move some of the contents to my main luggage to realise that my hand luggage case empty weighed 4 kilos and they insisted on £15 per extra kilo and they were enforcing it; so beware, airlines in the recession will try any way to make extra revenue so stick to the baggage or expect to pay the consequences. Airlines do vary, best airlines for hand baggage are BA who allow 23 kilos as long as you can lift above head plus a second handbag or laptop and Easyjet have no weight limit as long as you stick to the size stipulated and just 1 piece of hand luggage. On the return, I had no problem with my hand luggage at all! I love the Gambian people and their relaxed attitude! Our flight out was half an hour late on the outbound flight and half an hour early on the return. A meal was included on the flight which was reasonable too. The staff were helpful and legroom not too bad.
On arrival in Banjul, we were handed a hand fan and bottle of water and the weather was approx. 35 degrees centigrade and very humid. We are in between seasons at present so it is the hottest time with the most humidity and the best time to travel is November to March when the temperature drops to 30 degrees approximately and the humidity drops too with a pleasant breeze generally.
After a short transfer, we arrived at the Sheraton Hotel where we were to stay for the duration of our trip. The standard of this hotel did not come up to the usual Sheraton standard and I would give it 3.5 star not 4 star and I consider the hotel is in need of general renovation which we are assured is due to commence soon. Air conditioning units were not particularly efficient in some of the rooms (had to move from my first floor room) but half of the group were happy with theirs so it appears to be inconsistent - I have a note of those rooms for future clients. Some of the rooms lights were not working, locks on some doors not working, and the safe in the room I was moved to, did not work. I did think the downstairs rooms were better than the upstairs rooms with steps down to seating area and the rooms were spread out in blocks of 2 or 3 throughout the hotel grounds. Public rooms are also not air conditioned so generally hot and stuffy and pool ladders wobbly with some steps missing. If however work is completed to a satisfactory standard, this could be a very nice hotel.
I would say that the food was generally of a high standard and the staff were very friendly and helpful. This hotel is the only one in the Gambia so far that offers all inclusive (stated times only) It is positioned on a beach - no sunbeds (the beach widens away from the hotel) but not private and you see many locals using the beach to walk their dogs for exercise mostly in the mornings. The position is quite remote and the nearest village is Brufut (not visited) so not walking distance to shops hence maybe the decision to offer all inclusive. Ideal for those wanting a hotel based holiday and excursions can be arranged from here as with other hotels. Photos yet to be downloaded from phone for this Hotel. Lead in price £1019 all inclusive, also 10 & 14 nts available
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| A local Gambian greengrocer! |
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| Pool at Sheraton Hotel - a nice spot by main bar |
Day 2 we travelled to the Omakan Hotel in Sukuta which is a beautiful friendly hotel which has been renovated and owned by a Belgian gentleman, called Peter (from music background). It is set 4km from the coast but in the heart of a Gambian community but Peter is able to offer you tailor made tours to experience real Gambia. There are 15 suites and 2 presidential suites. There does not appear to be air conditioning, only ceiling fans but walls seemed thick enough to keep the rooms fairly cool and whilst viewing did not appear to be stuffy. A friendly and intimate hotel for those wanting that and a perfect add on or relaxing holiday in the heart of Gambian community. A lovely hotel. Lead in price 7 nts £898 B&B or 3nts £199 B&B also 10 nts available
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| A suite at the Omakan |
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| pool between restaurant and suites |
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| Relaxing reception area |
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| Dining room at Omakan |
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| Central area right of restaurant, left of presidential suites |
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| Entrance to presidential suites |
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| Nearby market (2nd largest in Gambia open 7am-7pm) |
We then travelled on to the Ngala Lodge, Bakau/Fajara which would appeal to adults with no children as they do not allow families and also do not have TVs in rooms. The area of Fajara is very upmarket with neighbours such as the former President of Gambia and various Embassies. This hotel with just 18 suites offers half board or a la carte service and has a small beach and swimming pool. There are a variety of rooms ( I liked those in the older part of the hotel but there are also suites with private jacuzzis and the odd themed room like the Rolling Stones suite. Good airconditioning throughout. I would enjoy staying at this hotel. Lead in price £978 B&B for 1 week. 10 & 14 nts available. Quite a quirky hotel run by a European gentleman with a great sense of humour and love of art.
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| He obviously drew the short straw to pruning this palm tree! |
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| The gardens were lovely all with sea views and easy to find a nice quiet area for reading |
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| Small beach at Ngala when tide is out |
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| They are proud to have an English chef serving excellent food at their restaurant with sea views |
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| one of 18 suites available both with efficient airconditioning |
We then travelled on to Coco Ocean Resort & Spa in Bijilo which was my favourite hotel. I like a hotel to offer a range of facilities and this is one of the largest viewed with 85 rooms and offers a range of room types, gym (some equipment not working), a good choice of restaurants (one Thai), the best beach so far, a large spa offering all types of treatments with massages ranging from £30 so well priced and will take outside reservations. Golf buggys are available to take you to and from your rooms if required. Lead in prices £1035 B&B. 10 & 14 nights available. Air conditioning very good throughout. This hotel has a large amount of repeat customers.
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| Deluxe room (junior suite is standard and slightly smaller than this - all rooms with ceiling fan and aircon) |
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| Part sea view from balcony |
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| Stairs down from Reception to Restaurants and beach |
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| Golf buggies used to take you to your room if required |
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| Penthouse suite |
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| View from penthouse suite balcony |
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| one of seating area |
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| One of restaurants to chose from |
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| Lovely pool area |
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| Lovely sandy beach at hotel |
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| This restaurant becomes Thai in the evening and has superb sea views by beach |
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| A couple enjoying a massage at the superb spa |
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| Individual cabanas next to beach to offer shade when required |
We then moved on to the Kairaba, Kololi which is ideal for those wanting to have a choice of restaurants and nightlife within walking distance of the hotel. Next to the Senegambia Hotel and on the beach, this hotel is a little lacking in character but the rooms were clean, the gardens very pleasant and a nice pool area. Good air conditioning throughout and lead in price £838 B&B 7 nts. 10 and 14 nts available.
Good choice of restaurants and more to do at this hotel. Disappointing that the best sea view rooms looked through barbed wire to sea!
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| Air conditioned reception area |
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| Standard twin (one of 150 rooms) |
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| Premium suite |
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| Pool area at Kairaba |
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| Pleasant beach area at Kairaba |
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| Well maintained gardens at Kairaba |
There is a good choice of restaurants at Kololi and a few discoteques. We ate at Jojos below and the food was a good standard at a reasonable price and on to the a nightclub on the strip which consists of 2 streets
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| Jojos restaurant |
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| Monkeys seen on the way to our catamaran trip but I understand they can also be seen at the Kairaba and Senegambia Hotel |
On day 3 we travelled on catamaran (approx 2 hours) to the Sitanunku Lodge on the north bank of the River Gambia - mostly eco and opened in 2011 with 5 open air, en suite lodges with fan with 24hour security and either river or ocean view located 5 kms from Sitanunku village. Complimentary use of canoes for trips to nearby Dog Island, open air restaurant, sit out around campfire in evening, plunge pool. A perfect escape or add on as extension to holiday elsewhere. Lead in price £1144 half board (food was very good as had lunch here) or 3 nts from £295. 10 nts available. They are extending to offer a further 5 cabins and another small pool.
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| River view lodge and garden |
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| Individual lodge |
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| Port of departure/arrival for catamaran with small gift shop |
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| We climb across boat and join our catamaran |
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| Dual showers in cabin at Sitanumku |
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| Cabins are reasonable size with mesh windows for good air flow |
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| View to dog island |
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| Outdoor bar/restaurant |
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| Outdoor seating area at restaurant |
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| Roadside animal market |
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| Who needs transport or trolley! |
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| Just a small prawn they say! |
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| Visit to a local school was interesting - they are crying out for sponsors |
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| Some of the lovely school children we met |
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| We had the last night as cocktail party and fine dining at the Sheraton Hotel\- great evening, food and champagne |
In Conclusion, Gambia is a great value holiday with weather in the winter around 30 degrees, not connected to the euro so cost of living is low and we get a lot for our pound against the local dalasi (for the smokers out there, cigarettes cost just £5 for Marlborough or £7 for Benson and Hedges for 200!) , good choice of excursions, great for birdwatching with some 540 species of birds. Although injections are recommended, they do protect you for several years and the best malaria tablets to take are malarone which you only take 1-2 days before travel, whilst away and just 1 week later. It is a very interesting place to visit; the people are extremely friendly and welcoming and make the holiday a most pleasant one. The food was great throughout and nobody in the group had any sort of tummy problems during our stay. Seafood heaven for those who enjoy a spot of seafood. Thank you all at The Gambia Experience for a most memorable and enjoyable trip, everything ran smoothly, and thank you to Gilli for being the perfect host and to Baba, our driver who was most informative and fun.
