Sunset Beach Hotel

“Sunset Beach is feeling like home.”

This trip was our 10th in The Gambia and also the 10th in Sunset Beach. It is a fantastic hotel, where you soon get the feeling of home. Every time we arrive, we are warmly welcomed by the team and know we are in for another wonderful holiday. This year too, we had our bungalow, right by the pool. … more

This trip was our 10th in The Gambia and also the 10th in Sunset Beach. It is a fantastic hotel, where you soon get the feeling of home. Every time we arrive, we are warmly welcomed by the team and know we are in for another wonderful holiday. This year too, we had our bungalow, right by the pool. The rooms are fine, everything you need is there and these days there is even a kettle to make a cup of coffee or tea. There are 2 bottles of water on arrival, which you can refill at any time, so you always have fresh and cool water. Our beds by the pool, were already provided with the towel in the morning (which we had hung outside to dry during the night) and the sun umbrella was ready. The pool staff made sure throughout the day, that the sun umbrella was moved in time, so you were never actually lying directly in the full sun. In between sipping a delicious cup of coffee, cappucino or enjoying a Sunset sunrise or Lemon crush at the bar. To then head into the pool to cool off a bit. The food at the restaurant was delicious as always. A lovely full breakfast in the morning with everything you needed and in the afternoon and evening always a variety of Gambian cuisine or just chicken, meat or fish, with vegetables, salad, rice or potatoes.The kitchen team Lamin T., Amadou, Mariama and all other staff provided this delicious food. And thanks to Aruna, Lamin and all the bar / restaurant staff, we were not short of drinks either, whether in the restaurant or by the pool they took care of us. The housekeeping people made sure our room was clean every day, towels were changed when we indicated it and a freshly picked bouquet made sure everything was finished. The maintenance people took care of replacing our air conditioning this year even before we noticed it was not working properly, top! Walking around the grounds of Sunset Beach, you can see gardeners in action everywhere to make sure the grass stays green and there are flowering plants and trees everywhere to make it a beautiful environment. Also thanks to Modou and the Reception team who did there best to granted all our requests, it was another wonderful stay. Here's to number 11 in 2025 Thank you team Sunset Beach for all the wonderful stays with you.

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“A good hotel in beautiful Gambia”

This was my first visit to The Gambia but many people we spoke to return year after year and I can see why! Beautiful country, so much wildlife and the people are incredibly friendly. We chose Sunset beach hotel for the all inclusive option as it was our first visit so we didn’t know what to expe… more

This was my first visit to The Gambia but many people we spoke to return year after year and I can see why! Beautiful country, so much wildlife and the people are incredibly friendly. We chose Sunset beach hotel for the all inclusive option as it was our first visit so we didn’t know what to expect. The hotel had good and bad points but I did have to keep reminding myself that it is only a three star hotel. The hotel is a nice, quaint, small hotel. Good location on the beach. We had a bungalow by the beach front which was pleasant but a little dated. I found my bed very uncomfortable, they don’t have mattress toppers so ended up with a few extra duvet covers under the sheets. They could really do with some new mattresses! Other than that the room was fine. The air conditioning was nice and cold. Housekeeping do a good job of cleaning the room every day, they change the towels when indicated that you want them to. One thing to note is that you only get one beach towel for the week unless you pay to change it. There is no hairdryer in the room but you can borrow one from reception, my advice would be take your own. There is a kettle in the room for tea and coffee, there is a small fridge if you wanted to get your own milk or drinks. There is a little table and chairs outside each room in the well kept garden area. All of the staff were really friendly and welcoming, the pool attendants were super attentive. When we had been out and wanted a sun bed by the pool in the afternoon the pool attendants always found us beds. There was really no need for people to reserve sun beds and not use all day which is what they were doing. The bar staff were also very good at the pool. We had to order a drink at the bar to take in to the restaurant as it was hard to get served a drink with your meal inside. Although there wasn’t a massive food selection, what was available was lovely. Great flavour and you can tell the chefs take pride in the dishes they prepare. You’ll always be able to find something enjoyable. However, the drinks were really disappointing. Some cocktails were actually undrinkable. Even the soft drinks were cheap and naff. The only decent drinks were the milkshakes as they were made with Icecream. My partner thought the beer was ok. When you arrive there are two small bottles of water in your room but that’s all you get. So you either have to refill from the bar or restaurant, take a glass back to your room or buy your own from reception or the supermarket. Not my idea of all inclusive. We went to one of the fresh juice sellers on the beach almost every day, Maxi Prince’s juice bar. As you walk on to the beach he can be found on the right in the middle of the juice sellers/fruit ladies stalls. His fresh juice was amazing and he was such a nice genuine man, we sat and chatted with him for ages. He works very hard and now both hotels either side are all inclusive they don’t get many customers which is a real shame. Definitely pay him a visit it’s well worth a couple of quid for freshly squeezed juice and he will really look after you. Kotu creak runs alongside the hotel, you can wade through at low tide if you want to walk left out of the hotel. We had pleasant walks both directions. The hotel organised a beach walk up to the craft market on our first day, it was good to go out with someone from the hotel for the first time to get your bearings. You do get hassled on the beach with sellers but you just have to be polite if you’re not interested. We purchased some wooden animal calved key rings for a seller called Lamin. We asked if he can do custom made items which he did. We sent him some pictures of our pet guinea pigs and he made us a life size wooden calved one in a couple of days. It was fantastic and we were very impressed. At the front of the hotel you’ll find the bird watchers association. They do a good variety of trips depending on your needs. We used Mustapha Manneh and found him extremely knowledgeable. The main reason for our trip to The Gambia was for birding and we saw some cracking birds. We done three trips with Mustapha. Fantastic experience! There are green tourists taxis also out there front of the hotel or the hotel itself can organise a taxi for you. We used the green taxi to go to the monkey park which is only a short distance away. The driver waited two hours for us. If you just go for the monkeys then two hours is plenty, probably too long actually. We got a guide inside for the two hours for more birding. His name was Masanneh Sanyang and again he was extremely knowledgeable and we saw a huge variety of birds. The hotel has evening entertainment every night starting around 8pm. We watched a couple of the cultural shows but it was a bit repetitive. There is a TV in the bar area and they will put the football on if the team you support is playing. The entertainment team will ask who you support and know when the matches are on for you. The day time entertainment is your usual Aqua aerobics, mini golf and pool. We were out every day so didn’t do much at the hotel. On our last day our pick up wasn’t until 5pm and we could only have a late check out until 3pm. Some people got a later checkout, some couldn’t get one at all. The hotel wasn’t busy but we were told the room was allocated so nothing they could do. I asked if there was a shower room etc but I didn’t get an answer, they seemed very uninterested which was a shame that was how the holiday ended. I think people returned to this hotel for the staff as they really are attentive and take time to get to know you. I would definitely return to The Gambia as it’s the best place we have been for birding. Would I stay at Sunset beach again? Maybe. If the price was right for what you get. As I say it’s a three star hotel. It has potential to be amazing. I am just not sure I’d bother with the all inclusive in The Gambia.

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“Great with potential to be excellent”

We really enjoyed our trip to Sunset Beach in Gambia. We found there were pros and cons to the resort overall. The pros far outweigh the cons. The food, whilst choice was limited, was always of an exceptional quality. The soups were a real fave, along with jollof rice and the roast chicken served … more

We really enjoyed our trip to Sunset Beach in Gambia. We found there were pros and cons to the resort overall. The pros far outweigh the cons. The food, whilst choice was limited, was always of an exceptional quality. The soups were a real fave, along with jollof rice and the roast chicken served on Monday night. The chefs did a great job in making sure that everything was tasty and fresh. Every day there was something new to try. If you're a picky eater, however, you may struggle some days. The attendants at the pool are exceptional, making sure you're comfortable and moving the umbrella around to ensure you're shaded if you'd like to be, and making sure you have the full sun should you wish. The pool itself, whilst small, is perfect for the hotel and it's size. Nice and warm (when you get used to it!) and enjoyable to spend time in The gardens surrounding the hotel grounds are beautiful, with gardeners tending to them daily and ensuring that the plants are kept neat and tidy. Bananas grow in the grounds, which we noticed the local monkeys liked!! The reception helped us get in contact with a local tour guide, Alex, and we had a wonderful day seeing Banjul. The safety and security of the hotel is wonderful. Guards sit at all entrances, and ensure that no one gets in that shouldn't. They do a great job and I never felt unsafe, even at night. What shines most with the hotel, though, is the wonderful staff. A special mention to Aruna and Lamin (Lamin who works 4-12) at the bar. Those 2 made sure we always had our drinks, and even set our dinner table with drinks before we even got there! We truly enjoyed speaking with them and learning about Gambian culture and way of life. The hotel is set right on the beach front, so we had a lovely view of the sea and could always hear the waves. The room attendants did the bed nicely every day with flowers from the garden to decorate. The entertainment had something for everyone. Whilst we weren't interested in the bands/karaoke we really enjoyed the local cultural groups performing traditional African drumming, dancing and theatre acts. The hotel and staff did everything they could at all times to make the holiday truly special. Onto the cons, we felt that the rooms were extremely dated. The bathroom in the small bungalows were tiny and really uncomfortable to use, especially the shower. We also found they weren't the cleanest on arrival. Plug sockets are limited and only some work, with a mix of different outlets (don't rely on 3 pin plugs, bring a EU adaptor that has the small plug). There is no where for someone to get ready and apply makeup. The WiFi only really works by the pool and bar areas, it's very very poor in the rooms. Beach towels are supplied but if you want to change them there is a 50 dalasi fee, which felt slightly unreasonable as the towels were very dirty after a week of constant use. The air conditioning in the room made us feel unwell most nights. The food choice was very limited, and we'd advise the hotel to steer clear of options like beef casserole and shepards pie - too hot for that in 34°c! I'd have liked to have seen more pasta, bone free chicken (this was most craved for me, as many of the chicken options looked great but myself and 2 other members of my party didn't try it because we don't like bone in chicken) , more local food and maybe some pizza for lunch, or sandwiches. This could be achieved with more options along the salad bar such as cured and dried meats. This was also likely the fault of Tui, but we were informed the construction taking place was just moving furniture and painting, however it was constant drilling, sawing and hammering Mon-Fri. This is not the fault of the hotel, as tui missold the situation, but one to be aware of and something we will take up with tui. Overall, it was a really wonderful holiday and we would like to return some day!

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“Lovely relaxing holiday”

We had a lovely holiday. The hotel is relatively small. The staff were lovely and the food was great. Lovely pool and right on the beach. We were given a bungalow overlooking the pool but we could also see and hear the sea. We met lots of lovely people staying at the hotel. The staff could not do e… more

We had a lovely holiday. The hotel is relatively small. The staff were lovely and the food was great. Lovely pool and right on the beach. We were given a bungalow overlooking the pool but we could also see and hear the sea. We met lots of lovely people staying at the hotel. The staff could not do enough for us. From the cooks and bar staff to the pool attendants and the cleaners and gardeners. The only downside for us was the fact that we couldn't keep our room on the day we left. The reception staff were not particularly helpful. Which was a shame as, up until then, all the staff had been very kind..... my husband did a kayak trip up the river, bird watching and we both did the lazy river trip through TUI. That was interesting but maybe not worth the £120 it cost for us both. However, all in all, a lovely holiday at a reasonable price, and well worthwhile.

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