Gambia

[Fourniceight]

Sportsman is opposite Gaya. 100 m. from Senegambia junction going toward the turntable.

[Kim Wheather]

Steve,

I will arrive to The Gambia the 7th February 2007. It will be my first time in The Gambia.

I haven't been in Boabab Resort, but only communicated with hotelstaff by e-mails.

When I look in the map, Bijilo is a little bit far away (compared with Katu and Kololi). Of course I could get wrong. I haven't been in The Gambia before.

After my arrival, I will inform about http://www.sundownersgambianvillas.co.uk where I stay. It is situated in the Manjai area and it is just a 5 minute drive to the Senegambia area.

[Member #4364]

Fourniceeight,

Again; is it The Sportsman, opposite the craftmarket?

Kurdish,

Baobab Resort is not so far from the action and the shared taxis are really cheap; plse apartmentinfo of the Baobab; quiet, water and electricity working; a few international channels like BBC or CNN?

Cheers

[Kim Wheather]

Here are some pictures (captured by Google Earth).

Best regards,

KW.

[Kim Wheather]

I would like to share recently achieved information about girl-friendly hotels (without "joiner fee"): Well, actually such a hotel exists in The Gambia, but it's not so close to the Senegambia-area. (And of course you have to make a very clear deal with the staff before you arrive to the hotel. I recommend my fellow mongers a very useful site: http://gambiagateway.atspace.com/hotels/index.html .You can just find e-mails of many different hotels and send e-mails to the hotel staff whether the hotel is girl-friendly or not. By the term "girl-friendly" I mean of course "girl-friendly without extra charge". I can imagine all hotels are "girl-friendly" as long as you pay 1500 Dalasi -Jesus! It's almost 44 Euros!- or more for 1 girl you bring to the hotel. And it doesn't matter you booked a double room or not. Pay it or leave it! But leave it!).

After sending and getting e-mail from Baobab Holiday Residence (http://www.baobab.gm), I got a very clear answer from the staff: The staff will be happy to welcome my lovers to visit me in my room if the visitor is not a problem lady and has an ID and be limited only to my room, not to try other guests or disturbe the tranquelity of other clients in the hotel. It's fair enough. And the price for a room 35 Euros (10% discount if you stay longer, but you can try to get more discount). The only minus about this hotel is it's situated in Bijilo, and you need a taxi all the time. (http://www.fallingrain.com/world/GA/5/Bijilo.html).

However, I booked a room for 2 weeks at http://www.sundownersgambianvillas.co.uk after I made a very clear deal with the owner, who is a British lady. No extra charge for my women (but the owner has some rules I have to follow: 1) respect to the other guests.
2) the girls must not be around the compound in the day as other guests book here for the peace and quiet. 3) they must be quiet when arriving and leaving very discretly. 4) only 1 woman at a time. These rules are very fair to me. I prefer also 1 woman at a time, too).

At http://www.sundownersgambianvillas.co.uk I stay for 2 weeks. The price is 320 British Pound. (I think it would be almost impossible to find something cheaper with the same quality). Any body has got experience with Sundowners?

For your orientation I add some links to some maps of Banjul area. I hope it would be useful:

http://gambiagateway.atspace.com/hotels/map1.html
http://www.gambiatouristsupport.com/DirXMap1.htm
http://www.gambiatouristsupport.com/DirXMap2.htm
http://www.gambiatouristsupport.com/DirXMap3.htm
http://www.gambiatouristsupport.com/feedbk23.htm

Best regards,

KW

EDITOR'S NOTE: I certainly hope that the author or somebody else will post a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please Click Here for more information.

[Kim Wheather]

I will be in The Gambia very soon.

I try to find out whether there is a girl-friendly hotel or not. I send many e-mails to many hotels in Banjul. Most of them don't reply, when I ask whether the hotel is girl-friendly or not. Only 2 of them replied me. And the answer is simple "no", because they claim to be "respectable hotels". (One reply is from reservations@sunsetbeachhotel.gm and I could see in the reply, that my e-mail is forwarded from info@sunsetbeachhotel.gm, and a person named by Buna request somebody from reservation unit to answer my e-mail with the following sentence: "Please answer to this sex maniac". Such a professionalism!)

Any way, I will appreciate current information about girl-friendly hotel specially in Serregambia area. I promise to give more information about the above issue and current situation in Banjul.

Best regards,

KW.

[Fourniceight]

Sportsman has same facilities as a hotel incl. air con which a lot of hotels here don't have.

[Bloke]

Thanks Fourniceight,
I appreciate your insight but I still find it hard to understand how any hotel can justify charging extra if you have booked a double room in the first place. I have never had trouble in other parts of the world with a double room except one time in an all inclusive in Kenya but I guess all inclusives have different rules. I will look into your advice or might even email the Sarges direct and ask them straight up!

[Member #4364]

Tafbel/Sarges is not girlfriendly. You have to book a double. Sportsman; at
the mainroad opposite the craft market? Facilities?

Thx

[Fourniceight]

Bloke,

Sarge's Hotel is very close to the action at Senegambia, but I'm not sure about the girl friendliness. I know that girls have been taken there in the past, but that was when it was under the previous management, and known as Tafbel. You will probably find that most hotels allow guests at a price. If you want somewhere to stay near Senegambia, try phoning Derek at the Sportsman. He has rooms to let at around 600 dalasis per night, and there's no problem with girlfriends. It's situated in a quiet area 100 metres from Senegambia and he does the best breakfasts in Gambia. His numbers are #220 7711218 (best) or #220 9712306.

[Bloke]

I am considering maybe going to the Gambia for a short break in May. I have never been before, though I am a regular visitor to Ghana (see my reports there). As I will only have a few days I think it might be nice to make a change from Accra. I have read some reports here and it seems that some of the hotels can be fairly anal when it comes to having girls stay overnight. Any advice as to where to stay where girls are welcome (of course I will book a double...standard procedure wherever one goes!), I read the Sarges/Tafbel hotel is recommended, are they cool about guests? Is this hotel in a good spot for bars and clubs?

[Freshc]

Very nicely put Fourniceight! I totally agree.

[Fourniceight]

Van Velen,

If your friends have expressed an opinion and have told you that, then I would assume they have been to The Gambia. However, anyone who has been to LOS and Gambia will tell you the two are worlds apart. I will assume that they haven't been near the place. Africa is Africa and LOS is LOS.

[Van Velen]

I heard from friends that Gambia is the Thailand of Africa. Is there any truth in this statement and if not what country (in Africa) would be more deserving of this title?

[Fourniceight]

Sorry Bear Foxtrot, I did have her phone number but can't find it now. She is to be found at Fantasy Bar or Time Out in the Kololi area most days/nights.