Sunset Beach Hotel

We stayed for 11 nights in March on All Inclusive. We booked via TUI and were in the bungalows. These are showing a bit of wear but were kept clean and the beds were comfortable. In the bathrooms there was soap and two small bottles of shower gel/shampoo. There was tea and coffee and a kettle provided. The pool area was quite small but the attendants were super helpful and always found beds for us. The pool was quite cold but we got used to it. The entertainment team were not very pushy which could be good but that sometimes meant not all the activities ended up happening. The food and drinks were mostly good, not exceptional. The hot food was varied , but could be hotter. Towards the end of the holiday the gin and wine they used seemed to change and it wasn't quite as nice. We didn't find access to the beach much of an issue but we had red flags a lot of the days we were there. Highly recommend taking a canoe tour down the river with Lamin (Gambia/Senegal Birding). A few points against TUI (which I haven't included in my score for the hotel): If you want to book excursions locally they do not accept MasterCard. We were told that there was a shower room for our late flight home but this didn't seem to be available.

This hotel only has 3 stars and that is probably the correct grade for it, however the staff make up for any short cummings to ensure your stay is the best it could be, special thanks to Sana our bar and restraunte waiter, nothing was to much trouble for him. First of all we were told by our doctors what vaccinations we needed, only one was available on the NHS we had to pay for yellow fever and malaria tablets, total cost over £200 for my wife and I. We were told that due to our age (over 60) yellow fever was not advisable due to possible side effects, but we could not get into Gambia without a certificate, so we both had the vaccination. At no point were we told you could get an age related exemption certificate for free and as it turned out we did not even need the certificate to get into Gambia. (if you intend to travel to Senegal to go on safari you will need the yellow fever certificate to get into Senegal). The Malaria tablets were also unnessary as it was the dry season (October - April) and the insects that spread malaria are not active, they become active in the wet season only (May to September) Our accommodation was a bungalow, a novel change, it was very clean but was getting a bit rough around the edges, consisted of twin beds and bed side lockers, a walldrobe with about 18 inches of hanging space so my clothes had to stay in the case, TV above a dressing table with 4 chanels which the reception was that bad they were unwatchable anyway, managed to get BBC World news for a couple of hours only during our 10 day stay, very hit and miss, but not the end of the world, we are on holiday in the gambia, not there to watch TV. The rooms were cleaned every day and towels and bedding was changed when you requested it. The resort itself is quite small with only one restraunte, one small swimming pool and a todler pool. Sun beds around the pool area were always availoable with probabley 30% never being used at all, service around the pool / bar area is excellent. The hotel is right on the beach, but this is a public beach and there is the fact that there is a small river running between the hotel and the beach itself, it is full of old buildres rubble and rubbish prevents easy access to the beach as you have to wade through the river and its contents. I believe there are two types of travelers, those that visit a country and get to experience every thing it has to offer, good and bad and those that only leave the resort once to get back on the coach for the airport, thankfully my wife and I fall into the first category and thoroughly enjoyed everything The Gambia and Senegal had to offer, yes ferries are very busy and they do occasioinaly break down, you may have to get out of your taxi and push it for a bit but its all about the experience, soak it up and enjoy life. If you do get out and about you will witness extreme poverty with partly built houses, mud roads, litter every where, kids in bear feet using rags rolled into a ball

my second trip to this wonderful hotel. we only had a week. The creek in front of the hotel was not a problem at all maybe ankle depth at high tide, you could access the beach without having to go through any water at the fruit sellers which is only a short walk at the end of the hotel. (maybe 25/30 steps from the pool) we had a bungalow room right on the beach front very quaint plenty of room, very clean and comfortable. The hotel are doing some renovation work, have to say I didn't notice or hear any noise from it, in fact i was unaware of it until the last day when it was pointed out to me. The beach was a delight at both low and high tide always seemed to look different. Yes there are beach sellers but a polite "no" and they will leave you alone. The food was always good and plentiful with plenty of choice, the barracuda was delicious. The staff from the reception security restaurant and bars were all so attentive and couldn't do enough for you, they made our stay relaxing and stress free, which is the reason we went and the reason we WILL return. A very special mention to our waiter around the pool Aruna Kondeh he was amazing, his friends too, so kind. The evening entertainment was good too as was the evening staff always there to help, never much waiting around for drinks or seating. We did the trip up the creek in the little canoe, with the bird watching people outside the hotel, was so peaceful maybe a little difficult to get in and out of, but they help you. they are so knowledgeable we also went on a walk with them to see some owls and a pig farm. Cost £30 for both of us lasted 2 hours or just over, felt very safe. I felt the airport tax paid both on entry and again on exit could mount up for a family, we paid in £s, we got change of 600 dalassi but i did have to ask. Would I go back to the Sunset beach??? In a heartbeat, Thankyou to you all

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.

Worst overpriced hotel poor customer service extremely poor quality food payed D2500 and starving still as food was reheated rock hard staff rude and useless 😑 would not go there again and would advise anyone to think twice as food is poor standard

We booked a junior suite & on arrival we were taken to our room. It was smelly, dark, tatty & small- def not a suite. The door wouldn’t open/close properly. We refused to stay in it. Reception staff didn’t care. There was no one to help us. After a while the man on reception told us we could look at a ‘delux’ room & if we liked it we would have to pay an extra £600!! This room was nice but to be honest not ‘delux’ - it was a standard anyone should expect. That said we felt we had no other option so paid the extra money. We did manage to relax & enjoy our holiday- hotel staff were lovely but sometimes not enough attention to customers in the bar/restaurant area. Not enough seating in the restaurant when busy & nowhere to sit whilst waiting for a table. Food was acceptable. We would go back to The Gambia but def wouldn’t stay in this hotel again.