We stayed at the Kairaba hotel on our first visit to the Gambia during the Easter holidays. I am a teacher and we were keen to avoid the usual tourist traps that would be full of screaming kids. After an uncomfortable flight (Astraeus airline from Manchester are to be avoided!!!) we touched down. The first thing you have to do is pay the tourist tax of £10 (payable in sterling, you won't be able to change your money until you get to Gambia but don't worry as everyone takes/wants £'s and $'s). I'd advise using one of the airport baggage handlers as they ward off the bumsters (Gambians offering their help for a price) who wait between the airport and the coaches. The transfer to the hotel was quick and we were given cold drinks enroute which was a nice touch. It was on the trip from the airport that we realised we really were in Africa, the scenery was stunning and gave us our first glimpse into what life is like for the Gambians.
On arrival at the hotel, a smartly dressed porter took our bags while we checked in. This took no time at all (under 15 min) and the manageress brought us a cocktail made from some
of the local juices to drink while we waited. The rooms are arranged in little blocks (houses), ours was on the ground floor with a terrace outside with views of the beautiful gardens and the sea beyond. The room was always impeccably cleaned and we had absolutely no complaints about it. There was a marble bathroom with power shower, air conditioning, satellite tv and a minibar. The breakfast buffet was good and plentiful. The pancakes and omelettes a particular treat if you are feeling hungry.
The first night we ate in the hotel at the pool restaurant. There was a fresh (and I mean fresh!) seafood buffet which was really nice, especially, if you like huge prawns, caught that morning! There was a local band playing and we had a really good evening. This brings me onto my only real gripe. I don't mind paying a little extra in a hotel when compared to prices outside, but I don't expect drinks to be three times the price! A JulBrew (the local beer, which is as good as any you'd find back home) costs the equivalent of 60 pence in a bar on the Kololi strip while the hotel prices were similar to those in England. There was a similar discrepancy in the food prices. You can get around this by buying Julbrew at the supermarket and then drinking the bottles from the minibar, replacing them as you go! Cheeky, I know, but these bottles cost only 30 pence! (wouldn't you do the same???).
There were some great things to do and visit in the area. We went to a monkey reserve, where we fed the monkeys, then the very next day we saw one sat on our terrace! We also enjoyed bartering at Serrekunda market. We got a tourist taxi there and the driver stayed with us acting as a translator and making sure we didn't get lost. Our highlight was a quad biking safari into the local villages. A little scary at times, particularly the moment when I hit a stone and was too scared to turn to correct the steering and instead went careering into a ditch, to the horror of my boyfriend but the to amusement of everyone else! We stopped in one of the farming villages, where we saw the Gambian crops. The local children came to greet us and asked for our empty plastic bottles. The guide said that they would fill these with juices from their crops and sell them at the market. This was a humbling experience but it is important to remember that these people are not starving, they live good and happy lives. It just makes you realise how much we have!
Back to the hotel, the pool is clean and safe. You could turn up at any time of day and get a sunbed by the pool! This was because if towels were left on sun loungers for more than about 30 mins, the pool attendants would come and remove them to make way for people who were actually there. The sea was rough the whole time we were there, my boyfriend and I both used to be lifeguards and even we were not confident about going in. I hear that at other times of year it is safe enough to swim and the hotel has surfboards and bodyboards to borrow. (the Atlantic waves are 6ft and the water is too chilly for jellyfish which is an advantage over Spain!) The weather was brilliant. It's hot during the day (30-35 °C), which is why the pool seems cold at first (it's not actually cold at all and once you've been in for a few moments you realise how refreshing it), and then in the evening the temperature drops and you sometimes need to think about carrying a jumper.
Outside the hotel was the Kololi strip, where there are plenty of restaurants, the food is good (and cheap, less that £15 for a meal for two with lots of drinks) and lots of the bars have entertainment on in the evening. A few bands had live music and dancing until well after we had left. What was particularly nice here was the mix of tourists and locals, all having a good time together, from families, to businesspeople to hotels staff on their night off.
The hotel is a 5*, and while you cannot compare this with an English 5*, it's a very good standard though and much better than the Sennegambia next door (we sneaked in to compare!). The service is good if not all that swift. The Gambians run on GMT, that is, Gambian Maybe Time! We found that the Gambians are very relaxed and friendly people. Perhaps a little scary was the fact that all of the hotel staff knew and remembered our names, even staff that we had barely met. On the last night, the maid had decorated our beds, with the linen in fan shapes, complete with chocolates and an array of flowers from the gardens!
You could let the bumsters spoil you holiday, and we know that for some people who were not expecting them, it did. We found that if you are polite, but insistent then they will leave you alone. When you realise that the average wage is only £30 /month you can see why they try it on.
Gambia is a wonderful country, the weather is beautiful as is the scenery and the wildlife. For the time being it remains unspoilt. I fear that it could go the way of most other tourist destinations, so go before it's too late!
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I've been rather put off the idea of the Gambia by reports of pestering from persistent locals, but this puts it in perspective. Glad I'm not the only person who restocks minibars from the supermarket; if hotels don't like it they shouldn't overcharge so much. Good review. Duncan
baby_uk 31.08.2005 19:59
A very interesting read, although not one of the places I would choose to visit
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