Palm Beach Hotel

The staff at this hotel were incredibly welcoming and helpful throughout our stay. The rooms were immaculate and very comfortable. We also enjoyed the delicious breakfast each morning and loved the convenient location close to major attractions.

We choose this place to stay for our last 5 days to spend in The Gambia after a one month stay. We decided to take a risk even though there were mixed reviews. The pull for the hotel was mostly due to the private beach, pool and breakfast that is included. Our expectations were not super high at all and we decided let's just go with the flow. On the day of check-in 2025-01-13, we asked the check in counter what time is breakfast, they answered "7.30-10.30", I thought wow that's nice it does not end super early. We woke up and walked to the breakfast and arrived at 10.01 and saw them removing everything from the counters and we thought to ourselves "what is going on I thought breakfast ends at 10.30" we quickly walk up to staff and ask the question and they reply "no, it ends at 10.00" . We were chocked and said "okay your front desk staff said another time, is there anything you can arrange for us in the back? They said "no", then I said okay that's too bad but the crepe ladies were kind enough to give us crepes only, however that is far from a breakfast we want and enough. After this experience as we were leaving breakfast we saw how staff was eating breakfast from newly fried eggs. We thought oh didn't they say the had no food? Anyway, we went to the front desk and asked if there is anything they can do. The lady manager there tried to talk to the breakfast staff but they insisted there is nothing they can do about it. To me I feel the hotel failed to accommodate us, due to a mistake they themselves had made by giving us the wrong time. Maybe we are simply not used to low star rating hotel but were in chock of the experience given our low expectations we already had, this was just too bad.

Just returned from a lovely stay at the Palm Beach for a week over new year with our kids (13 and 9). Accommodation is basic but very clean (room cleaned everyday). We were in rooms 133/134 at one end of the resort but still only a 30 sec walk to pool and reception. Pool area also very clean and sufficient sunbeds with the guys round the pool always on hand to move beds/parasols to make sure you’re happy. We tended to stay round the pool rather than use the hotel area on the beach but that looked very nice. Drinks/food at the hotel were very with waiting staff always around to make sure you have what you need. Food was always very nice and drinks reasonably priced (bottle of lager less than £2) Biggest plus was the staff (and people of Gambia). Everyone so friendly and wanting to ensure you’re having a good time! My son and I having countless games of football on the beach with the locals! We had a few nights out on the ***** which was 10 mins down the road (taxi there and back £7 total) Kunta Kinteh and John Raymond beach bars (just along from the hotel) were both lovely too. Gambia wasn’t somewhere we’d had on our radar but having been we absolutely loved it!

Not the nicest of hotels. Everything needs refurbished! Rooms have very much thin walls so you can hear everything, door lock very flimsy to the point where a hard push would break it, towels not replaced until 2nd last day despite us following instructions to leave them on the floor of if you wanted them replaced, they were just hung out to dry instead! Restaurant is OK, but on our last night we were overcharged with extra items added to the bill and when we pointed it out we were met with a challenging response and it took us a while to get the bill corrected with no apology! We didn't use the pool and weren't in the hotel grounds during the day so can't comment on that, but it was very loud at night, even though our room was as far away from the pool area as possible. The room was clean, but everything is just very, very dated. We only had breakfast one morning, but it wasn't great and we smelled like fried food for the rest of the day despite only having toast and being in for 5 minutes. Would not recommend.

After months deciding we came to The Gambia for our first trip to Africa and it will not be our last trip here not our last visit to Palm Beach. We were delayed and arrived pretty late night / early morning but the hotel re opened the bar for everyone to have a drink and relax after a long day. (How many other hotels would do the same?) The view as your sat around the pool is just lovely. Sun, tall palm trees and the sounds of birds all day is just relaxation. Yes granted the hotel is very basic but the rooms are clean and everything is to the best of its abilities, when your only sleeping and showering in there. Its great! If you want luxury then this isn't for you. For a two star hotel this is more than perfect! The food is good! Breakfast is breakfast, eggs beans etc. and the dinner/evening menu is all main to order (and cost effective) which I thought was miles better than set time buffet style food. The staff and people are lovely! They really make the stay worth while! You are always greeted with a smile and they genuinely like to know how you are doing and how your stay is. Ive never stayed anywhere else where staff will purposely come over for a handshake and a hello! Yes things need a lick of paint and a bit of upgrading but when you want a lovely peaceful holiday with amazing views and a great cost.... Then Palm Beach is one to consider. We will be back! And go out and explore the country!

I stayed at the Palm Beach for two weeks in December and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It is not the most luxurious or new - if you want those, expect to pay accordingly - but it is attractive, perfectly located by the (wonderful) beach and near Kotu Bridge for birdwatching, and generally great for general relaxation in the winter sun. (And how many places have you been where you see newly arrived guests go round hugging the staff? It happens all the time here.) The staff are absolutely lovely, particularly the waiter Babu. The warmth is genuine, they appreciate tourists coming to Gambia and they are not just holding out their hands for tips. It's pretty stress-free. Food is hit and miss, but mostly hit; the menu changed in my time there and the simple Gambian dishes were all rather more-ish. Don't take half board, though: this has been calculated at a price that is next to impossible to spend once the exclusions are factored in and the only desserts are ice cream bars on a stick. Paying as you go is cheaper, even if you eat nowhere else. If you want to pick nits, you can: the Wifi is patchy (but then why would you come to Gambia just to go on that?), service can be slow (but this is Africa), you would tire of the breakfast before long and as for the ents - well lets just say you had better like Bob Marley songs. But this would all be petty niggling. The Palm Beach is a fairly priced, beautifully located place staffed by lovely people who truly want to make your holiday enjoyable. Take it for what it is and you'll love it.