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Cape Point Beach

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Yundum International Airport

Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort

Bakau

Last autumn holiday I went to Gambia with my mother, sister and 2 children and we stayed for a week at Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort.
We really had a great week. We were warmly welcomed with a drink and check-in went smoothly. It is a beautiful hotel with a beautiful garden. The hotel rooms were really spacious. I slept in 1 room with my two children and an extra bed was put in for us and we could store all the suitcases and we still had room to walk and for the children to play.
Room was cleaned well every day, hotel staff was great!! Everyone in the hotel was super friendly and attentive.

Animation team was great too. They all did their best to ensure that the tourists had a good time.

I can recommend Ocean Bay to everyone and we hope to go back soon.

A wonderful holiday

This was my 3rd time at the Ocean Bay Hotel - twice for work and once for work/holiday with family and friends. While everything other travelers have mentioned is true (rooms are a bit dated but clean, menu options are limited), the Ocean Bay Hotel is a fantastic place to stay. First, the beach outside is massive and beautiful. It comes to life at about 5 pm with packs of footballers, fitness buffs, and families/friends out for a walk. It's a wonderful slice of life. The pool at the hotel is gorgeous and large. Our teenagers enjoyed afternoons of swimming, mocktails and marco polo, The manager, Tamsir, is readily available if needed and even helped me scramble for a covid test back in 2021 and arranged a perfect driver and guide for group this time. Lobi (sp?), the guest relationship manager helped us with s number of last minute requests. Our teens loved dining at the hotel restaurant and ordered the set menu (about $20 pp) most nights. The highlight of their meals, however, was service from Mariama. They even said they couldn't consider another hotel bc they would miss Mariama too much! The hotel also has an iconic beach restaurant next to it - Calypso. Our friends heralded Calypso's pina colada as the freshest they ever had. Our boys loved the burgers and the fish and chips at Calypso. Our trip was made phenomenal by the driver and guide Solomon - recommended by the hotel manager. We were a group of 8 and Solomon provided a well air conditioned van for 7 days of volunteering and tourism. Solomon worked with our partner organization to understand where we needed to go each day. Moreover, he took a genuine interest in ensuring that we had everything we needed and had an amazing time. Every restaurant he recommended was 100000% perfect for our group. No request was too odd (we were determined to get scorpions jerseys). On our final day, Solomon arranged for us to go to the crocodile pool, see the vultures, and go to the monkey park before have lunch and chill time at paradise beach and dinner at ngala lodge. All throughout - Solomon shared his life wisdom.  When booking at the Ocean Bay, it may be helpful to be specific about the kind of view and location you would like as the hotel is spread across multiple blocks. Some are closer to the restaurant and amenities like the pool whereas others are farther away but closer to the beach. 

Love the Ocean Bay 

Amazing one week stay in March 2023. As others have rightly pointed out, the staff here make this place, probably the friendliest people you'll ever meet (that's all gambians, not just the staff) and will make you feel safe and at home from day one.

We had a lazy week and spent most of the time around the pool enjoying the drinks and enjoying the amazing weather. Went to the crocodile pool with Jebel from tour guides across the road, what an experience! Loved it. Also popped into a local school on the walk back and met the amazing teacher and kids which was great. Also went Calypso next door, only had some drinks but beer is reasonable, cocktails little pricey but as you can see crocs and birds from your seat well worth it. I'd recommend going here before visiting the crocodile park as once you've been upclose and personal with the crocodiles you may not be as amazed spotting them, haha.

Food & Drinks - fantastic for us, small choice but I prefer this at a buffet as otherwise end up with plate of mismatched food. We're not veggie but appeared to be lots of options. Plenty of salad, vegetables, meat, fish and sides.

Pool area - gorgeous pool with lots of sunbeds around. Helpful staff will bring you will cushions and towels.

Rooms - as others have said they are a little tired compared to European / US but very clean and the room attendants would always check things are OK with you when you see them (don't often get that)

Beach - we had a walk along the beach a few times but didn't really laze there. Can be intimidating as the juice guys and gals will come talk to you but do t worry, they just tell you what they offer and introduce themselves. Fresh juice on a hot day for £1 - £2 is a welcome treat!

Staff - as most people have said, staff make this hotel and holiday what it is. They are fantastic! Special mention to Mary & Salou around the pool but everybody was great and I don't remember all of the names. 

Cons: people coming up to you can be off putting but they just want to make a living and tell you what they do. Go speak to people on the beach and outside the hotel early on and say hello they're very friendly.

Amazing Holiday. 5*

This hotel was once delightful & could so easily be again but as everyone has said the rooms are tired & dated. 
Pool are lovely, food good & all the staff are so friendly & helpful. 
Youssef was particularly great. 
Definitely use the guides outside the hotel, they’re great. 
The down side was we only had hot water 3 times in 2 weeks. The rest of the time it was tepid or cold. Did ask at reception if they would do something but nothing happened. 
It was a shame on our last day reception said we owed for a beer (bought for the guide outside & paid for the same day) & we had ordered a meal. As we were AI that was very strange. They did get quite cross & a little bit intimidating as time went on. Fortunately I’d kept the receipt for the beer, just took me while to find it. They accepted it but still kept on about the meal suggesting we’d bought it for someone else. We left them looking into it & eventually they came to us said what they thought was a room number ending in 2 written on the bill was actually a 7 so not our room. 
No real apology & it left a poor impression   As we got on the coach they said sorry for the inconvenience 
As I said earlier the staff at the bars, restaurant, pool, cleaners & gardeners were all fantastic 

First trip to Gambia & ocean bay hotel  

This was our first trip to The Gambia, but it won’t be our last! As previously said the rooms are a bit dated, but ours was spotlessly clean, the beds comfy, & the air con efficient….. certainly everything we needed ( especially as we literally only sleep in our room). The grounds are immaculate, & the lovely gardeners brought us fresh flowers almost every day. 
The pool is well maintained, & the guy who cleans it does an amazing job, as I never spotted a bug, leaf or other in it! There are plenty of comfy sun loungers, & the staff all extremely friendly.
Max, & the entertainment team were brilliant, & his banter with my 17yo son was like watching Ant & Dec at times 🤣
The food was varied, & of a great standard. Lots of choice & a big mention to the pancakes & omelettes at breakfast. 
The all inclusive drinks menu  is a little limited ( no rum!), but there was enough to keep us happy 🤣, & the wine was always cold & plentiful! 
We too used the travel guys out the front of the hotel, & we had an amazing day visiting St James Island with our guide Omar. He arranged for a fabulous guy to talk to us about the slave trade on the island, & his passion & enthusiasm made it extra special. Our 2 teenagers really enjoyed the day, & had their eyes opened to the real Gambia 🇬🇲 
Omar was amazing. He was knowledgeable, professional, but had a friendly, fun personality which made him an absolute pleasure to be around. We would DEFINITELY recommend him! 
I know it’s been said previously, but the staff here are exceptional. Nothing is too much trouble, they are ALL super friendly, helpful, professional & do their best to ensure everyone is happy. I (& my family of husband & 2 teenagers) would all 100% recommend this hotel, & would come back in a flash. 
Thanks for an amazing holiday! 

100% would recommend!!!

This was our first time to talk Gambia. The hotel was a great place to stay. The room was a bit dated. Grounds were kept very very clean. The food was always hot and something to eat every meal. Staff were so good they could not do enough for the guests. There is to many people to thank because they were all great. I will recommend this hotel. We felt welcome from the minute we arrived to the minute we left.Managment were great too.

Great place to go. 

Loved this hotel. Yes, it’s not 5 star but it has lots of character and it has the appeal of the Dominican Republic  20+ years ago before it became more developed. We had a really enjoyable week staying on a B&B basis and eating mainly at the Indian restaurant across the road and Calypso Bar. One evening we took a trip to the monkey park then had dinner nearby at the Senegambia strip  using the tourist taxi from outside the hotel. For a trip to the Fathala Wildlife Reserve in Senegal , rather than pay the high prices Tui charged for this trip, we booked with Samba one of the official Gambia tourist guides that have a stand outside the hotel. I would highly recommend him for this trip as not only was it cheaper but we got to do the trip in a group of four and in a jeep rather than the larger bus used by the Tui group. This meant we could explore off the main track in the wildlife reserve. On another day Samba also took us on a walking trip to Kachikally Crocodile Park and a local school and a walk around the local area, we found that we weren’t hassled whilst we were with him compared to others we spoke to in the hotel who had gone out on their own. I would definitely recommend using the local guides, it is a good way to help the locals. Overall we had a great holiday and I would recommend the hotel.

First trip to the Gambia

This is truly a terrible hotel - staff were miserable inattentive bit that was not as bad as the green swimming pool and filthy rooms.
Food shocking and if your a vegetarian - good luck.
Fortunately were able to move to a much better hotel and holiday saved

Dont go

Firstly I suggest ignoring all negative reviews about this hotel. The staff are what make this place everyone there is so friendly happy and can’t do enough to help. This hotel is a little dated but come in this is the Gambia and is still a very poor country.
But the food here is excellent the drinks are good (all inclusive) and the pool area is great and lots of beds and towels. A very safe area we ventured out lots no hassle. The spa is good to.
A big thanks to all the staff. 100000% recommend and will not hesitate to go back 👍👍

Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort

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