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Kololi Beach, Kololi, Gambia
of people enjoy staying here
233 Opinions
My partner and I go every November and stay at the Holiday Beach Club. With it being right in the centre of the main area - Senegambia - it's ideal.
This November '06 we are going over to get married - we still stay at this hotel as it's friendly clean and right on the beach. All the family are coming so we will be showing them the sites too.
We ( 4 girlfriends) have just had a brilliant week at the Holiday Beach Club - we were not sure what to expect, but have to say it was a little gem...yes, it is basic, but - clean towels every day, clean sheets regularly - even the day before we left..and to be fair that is more than some 5* around the world I've encountered...the staff make the hotel what it is...they cannot do enough for you and all with smiles - from the gardener with fresh flowers each morning to the entertainments team at the end of the day...thanks! Not planning to recommend this hotel to anyone as I'd like to keep it just the way it is...quiet, friendly and unspoilt...
By the way...the English 3 pin plugs threw us...we packed all adaptors under the sun and didn't need any!
We stayed at the Holiday Beach Club for a two week stay at the begining of November and we were very impressed with the cleanliness, service and location!
The rooms are totally cleaned daily by friendly maids and although we were staying in a non air con room, you are able to hire a good fan for the duration of your stay (which we would definatly recommend). The rooms are basic but have everything you need and remember you are in Africa and living much more comfoartably than the staff and locals!
The grounds are beautifully maintained by the dedicated staff and the gardener even puts fresh flowers on your balcony every morning!
About 5 oclock you get visited by the monkeys who come onto the balcony with their young in seach of nuts or bananas, these are fun to watch and i think they enjoy watching us just as much!
When we arrived a travel rep warned us about going up to the main street, but having ventured straight out there you realise you are amongst lots of tourists, and it is safe. There are a large range of restaurants and bars-our particuar favourite was African Queen and try the Yassa there-very nice! Ali Baba gardens is definatly the place to watch a live band and we enjoyed mixing with the locals there! For a special treat-my birhtday we went to Scala which is fantastic service and food!
We decided not to book trips throught the tour companies as money just goes straight in their pockets! We did a range of ways-Using Official Tour Guides gives you the best experience and we went in a jeep with a driver and an official tour guide (Balla-was excellent!) and we certainly went places no coach trip could have gone and he gave us a very personal tour which was definatly a highlight of the trip. We also went on the James Island trip with Tillys Tours-this was also a very good trip and well worth doing it by boat rather than road as we saw dolphins both ways!! There is also the GTS-Gambian Tourist Support this is located to the right as you leave the hotel-they also have a bar and restaurant which is nice to escape the hussle of the main street....of course all trips ect booked though these also goes to help schools sponcer children-a very good cause! We also got tourist taxis which give you a set rate before setting off and also act as a personal tour guide too! (We used Dr Lamin-very good!)So think before booking with a English tour company.........you will get a more personlise and cheaper tour if you look elsewhere!
The beaches are beautiful and although not always safe for swimming they display flags and have lifeguards in front of the hotels. When walking along the beach you do get approached to go into beach bars or to buy things but they are just honest people trying to make a living. After a couple of days they get used to your faces and dont pester you as much, so dont let it put you off walking along the beaches as they are lovely.
Overall we feel that we made the most of been in Africa, visiting the markets, schools, beaches, Banjul, Juffera, Serenkunda, Lamin Lodge and more........it was a cultural experience as well as a holiday and by day two everybody knows your name! So if you are looking for somewhere that gives you more than just a sunbathing holiday visit the Gambia and stay at Holiday beach club....dont join the Kariaba crowd who are living like royalty and not seeing anything of this beautiful county.
Nick from Essex England.
I went to the Holiday Beach club in jan 2006 and loved every minute of the holiday. The people were great, the hotel was brilliant, with bars restaurants all close by.
I enjoyed the holiday so much I have booked the same holiday again for the 20th January this year. I am going with another two people and I am so excited.
And to top it all the weather was fantasic and didn't see a cloud in the two weeks I was there.
Great holiday choice if you are thinking of going there.
was very clean the cleaning ladies are great,hotel staff lovely but the rooms we had were less than i had hoped for,having stayed in the sunset beach hotel in kotu b4 i had hoped for the same standered.will prob return to gambia but not this hotel,
Most reviews are reasonably accurate. Thoroughly enjoyed Christmas in Gambia. But got a room at the back of resort where the bed is hard, pillow harder and hot water regularly ran out. Stayed here 10 years ago in room at front which was much better. Many people asked to be moved.
This area (in the evenings ) is full of middle aged/older men and women from Europe, mainly British being "escorted" by local young men and women. Those of you with young children or a little prudish may like to consider a different resort as there were some people we met who felt this amounted to a form of prostitution.
Where to begin.. well we booked a week (through First Choice) in a superior room for around £239 each. The superior rooms offer a lounge/kitchenette room as well as bedroom which has two double beds, and a shower room too. It was all very clean, and the bedlinen was changes every other day. We paid to use a safe in the hotel reception (about £10 a week i think) after overhearing other people saying they had some things go missing in their room. We never had any problems though.
The breakfast was fine - fresh baguettes, chees, ham, lots of delicious fresh fruit, cereals, and also hot food if you wanted it.
Being upon the beach, its a great location, and the beach has lots of sunbeds and parasols. There is also a hotel beach bar. You can walk along the beach to the monkey park, as well as to teh main resort area, where there are more hotels and its busier.
the hotel restaurant in the evening do lovely food - slightly more expensive than the resort restaurants, but far better quality. Great fresh fish, and african dishes like chicken yassa or domoda. About £4 or £5 for a main course.
The staff we found to be very friendly - always taking the time to chat to you, and will go out of their way to help you.
Its a very peaceful location - you wake up to the sounds of birds and monkeys rather than people and traffic, which is always nice when youre on holiday!
We are going to go again definitely - either in April or next January. Great value for money, great location and lots to see and do.
i really enjoyed staying in gambia,hotel was great rooms were simple but very clean, we had clean bed sheets / towels every other day.pool was nice and big and cleaned every morning.
i stayed here with my family and we booked 2 rooms for the 4 of us both were great.
breakfast at the hotel was good aswell with a great variety of food ranging from half bannanas to bacon etc ....
the evening meal was also good but a little more pricey.. we tened to go out in the evenings as there is great restaurants near by. one i would recommend is paridiso (it does amazing pasta dishes)
the staff at the hotel were very welcoming.. always helping us in any way possible armstrong(was waiter when we went but now has been promoted to entertainment manager) was very friendly. we enjoyed watching a crab race along side of the pool !! not something you see everyday.!>!
once again i just want to say i really enjoyed gambia and would recommend it to everyone ! x-x-x lamorna aged 14 x-x-x
Gambia-The Holiday Beach Club-Kololi
Just got back ,having been there before we knew what to expect, lovely friendly staff, and a very good location. We had a great welcome when we got off of the coach. Ok the rooms are not brilliant but they are cleaned every day the staff do work hard and very long hours for very little pay. There are other hotels there at Kololi of higher standard which of course you pay for, but they are very busy most of the holiday makers there seem to stay in and around their hotel grounds. The Holiday Beach was fully booked when we were there but it wasnt crowed. We went on a couple of tours last time and this time with Bobby he is a tour guide at the Holiday Beach Club he is a excellent guide and a lovely genuine person, tip him well he deserves it.
Thanks for reading this.
we booked through first choice for our first visit to the gambia, we arrived on 26th jan weather was great, hotel is as discribed a 2 star with no frills but rooms are spacious with two comfy large beds , the bath rooms are in need of a little tlc but they serve their purpose plenty hot water etc. The resort itself could be a bit dissapointing if like many brits you like to have your evening meal and then go walking as it is quite small and there is no seafront promenade etc,that said there are plenty nice retaurants and all very well priced, we paid approx £15 each night for the two of us including local drinks. Ther are many trips to book but i would suggest if you are going to do trips try enlisting the services of a local guide, this makes your day much more personal and it also helps the guide make a reasonable living. We met the manager of the monkey park Sulayman Jobe and he took us on several trips at a fraction of the tour company cost ,he also took us to a small local school and his compound! these people have so little but are the most genuine friendly people you could wish to meet. If you are going soon call in to the monkey park and ask for him he will not let you down and you will have a great time and maybe see a bit of real gambia. Finally back to the hotel all of the staff do their best to make sure you have a great time(a little tip goes along way) Hi to bilo our cleaner and captain the gardener and also to thomas and donna our neighbours we had a hoot. john and catriona (fife)
Cheapest in Kololi
Q: malaria "what are the best precautions to avoid mosquitoes in your room. considering a two week break in January. Do we need medication..."
A: "You are asking us amateurs here on VT for medical advice. This is not a good plan. I would suggest you ask a doctor who deals with travel medicine for specific advice. ..."
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Address: Kololi Beach, Kololi, Gambia
