Best Saly Portudal Hotels

We are a ‘young’couple in our early 60’s and we booked our stay via RCI. We were allowed to check in a bit earlier however our apartment wasn’t ready. We had to ask for the kitchen door to be unlocked but when it was, there was no equipment in it! Even when it was finally stocked up there was No Kettle,no Washing up liquid,no dish cloth to wipe the surfaces. We had to ask for a bin liner on our first day and then when the bin was emptied it was never replaced. We also had to ask for a scouring pad, Ice tray and oven gloves (but they were useless) There was No Sharp knife! We had to prepare our meals using a bread knife! Have you ever tried to peel a kiwi with a bread knife? There was also No Grater, No Garlic press, No Wine glasses (only 4 small tumblers) , No wooden spoon. We had to ask 4 times for someone to fix the oven. The unit definitely wasn’t set up for self catering. The unit was very shabby, and not well maintained and was definitely not up to the standard that we expect from RCI. The kitchen badly needs refurbishing. There was no carbon monoxide monitor and yet we were cooking on gas. No smoke alarm and the fire extinguisher was outside! We were unlucky with our unit (no 1) as it was right by the reception and had people constantly walking by. The outside space wasn’t at all private. We could constantly hear the staff in reception shouting at each other all day long. There were also no mosquito nets. The biggest problem though was that Neptune is not on the beach! The RCI information states that the beach is on site which is very misleading and should be removed. You actually have to walk through a car park and a taxi rank then 100m down a path! The Gardens were beautiful and well maintained.

Lovely spacious and very clean room, good bedding. The staff is attentive, very welcoming, smiling and warm. The breakfast and dinner buffets are varied and good, there is something for everyone! (especially the dessert buffet -:) We had a very pleasant week.

The hotel is perfectly situated on the beach, there were plenty of loungers and umbrellas available. The hotel staff - with the exception of Reception - were inattentive (bordering on rude) at meal times and at the bar on the beach. This may have been a language barrier issue as the French guests were greeted, seated and served very quickly. Breakfast was self service with plenty of choice with freshly cooked eggs and a friendly chef. Evening meal arrangements changed between al a carte to buffet in certain days which was a little odd as the a la carte meals were obviously prepared earlier and sat waiting to be served as the food was never served hot. The room was clean if a little tired, tea & coffee was replenished daily. The terrace was large but seemed unfinished with metal poles sticking out of the wall. Senegal is not an affluent country and I wasn't expecting luxury but the staff attitude left a lot to be desired and ruined our experience.

I was staying at this hotel through an organization who I was partnering with to build a school in the area. I knew almost nothing about the hotel and was pleasantly surprised when I arrived. It is a lush tropical paradise right on the water. The grounds were covered with flowers and palm trees. There were lizards, birds and butterflies everywhere and it is right in the center of town. The people at the front desk were very warm and friendly (though they mainly speak French). They also have a bar and serve a decent buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner daily at the hotel. On Saturday night they have live music. The rooms were a decent size, though the beds and pillows were a little hard. The bathroom hot water also can get boiling to the touch so you have to be very careful with that. Overall, it was an unexpectedly great experience, aside from the beds and the overly hot water. I would definitely recommend staying here if you are in the area. There is also a great little reserve with zebras, ostriches, rhinos and other animals less than an hour away.

Excellent hotel with just a few minor drawbacks, none of which should put others off staying here. The rooms are dark (I suspect most of them, certainly ours) as they are very long and the glass doors (which serve as windows) are shadowed. The wardrobe is unusable without a ladder (not provided) as the hanging rail is 3 metres up! The shower and spa bath need maintenance, but everything else in the room was perfect. Breakfast is chaotic - no other word for it - which would be forgivable if it was included in the room rate. Coffee, when available (just one filter machine, have to ask them to fill it) comes either as ultra-strong bitter or dishwater, omelettes can take 30 minutes to arrive, availability of other things variable. Dinner quality is good, but takes forever to come - we waited 1h 40m for our main courses! But... the price is good and the rooms and pool areas are fine.

After a release from the hotel, our flight is postponed, we are given a new room, a horrible, dirty sanitary (urine), dirty sheets, broken night light, cobwebs all over the place, atrocious reception staff (Agnès) not to mention her. Dining room manager who speaks to you with disdain, the hotel is no longer what it used to be, discussions with regulars who are saturated and confirm the general deterioration

Hotel Royal Saly provided the perfect ending to our tour of Senegal. The grounds are breathtaking, quiet and relaxing. The stay included 3 meals per day, I have never encountered this in any other hotel. The restaurant comes alive at night with music and dancing, love it. Great staff, great service.