Kombo Beach Hotel Review

Overall Rating

Proximity to the relatively quiet beach.

No fridge in room (unless you pay £3 per night).

Overall, we were very pleased with our last minute (booked 36 hours before leaving) holiday.

The hotel is undergoing refurbishment at the moment, but it was not disruptive or obtrusive, though you should expect to find piles of floor tiles, new air conditioning units and bits of wood stored in corridors. There are four blocks of accommodation situated one behind the other, blocks 2 & 3 seemed the best located - we were in block 4. No problem with this, but it seems to be the last to be redecorated in the communal areas. Our room was freshly painted with a brand new bathroom - but remember, don't expect European standards! It was clean, and the housekeeping staff were very friendly, and they were conveniently located in the block if you ever need help.

We were in a standard room on the ground floor of the Kombo Beach Hotel in the Gambia. I believe that the more expensive rooms were all located above ground floor. If you can stretch to this then I would recommend it, as we had an item of clothing stolen from the patio outside our room one evening. Standard rooms do not have phones, fridges or TV's, but they do have very efficient (new) air conditioning units, and you will need it!! A fridge costs £3 per night, and using the safe is also extra per night. We did neither, keeping our money in our suitcase (hard shell case with security code locking system), and the air conditioning kept our bottles of water coolish. And we were glad not to have a TV - plus the frequent power cuts (between 2 - 5 every evening, but never for more than 5 - 10 minutes duration) might be disruptive if you'd just got into a film!

The hotel facilities are good, and the nightly entertainment is very good, with local bands and dance/drumming troops every night until about 11pm - not late, but possibly a bit noisy for the people located in the first block of rooms, which are next to the main hotel and pool area.

We were half board, and we found the food quality to be very good; slight disappointment that there wasn't much Gambian food on offer at the nightly buffet though. Every night the food has a different 'theme' e.g. Mediterranean, 'English' (yes, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, fish and chips or Lancashire hot pot!!). We ate in the Brasserie on the terrace overlooking the ocean on English night - and it was lovely. If you are half board you get an allowance toward meals in the other two restaurants - the Brasserie or Rive Gauche, and both offer good quality food, and not too pricey but very European in flavour.

Drinks at the hotel are expensive compared to the bars located just outside the hotel, but they are still cheaper than at home - decent bottle of wine around £7 - £8, and not bad local beer at £1 per bottle. Buy water from the little shop just outside the hotel entrance - 120 d (about £2.20) for 6 bottles, compared to 55 (just over £1) for one bottle in the hotel.

The hotel is well located, right on the beach in a quiet spot away from the main road. It is well served by a small number of local bars, restaurants and shops, plus a craft market where you can barter for wood carvings and batiks etc without having to go into Banjul. It's about a 5 minute taxi ride from the Senegambia area where the Kairaba and Senegambia hotels are located. They are more expensive hotels, but having seen them I preferred the location of the Kombo Beach, as it was quieter.

We didn't get hassled at all, which was a surprise, as we were expecting persistent hassle from 'bumsters', from the information we'd found on The Gambia, but the hotel employs people to keep them at bay on the beach, and there really aren't many at the hotel gates - just a polite no thanks and keep walking if you don't want to meet a 'friend' worked fine for us. If you do want to socialise with the 'bumsters' and other locals it seemed pretty safe, and plenty of people at the hotel spent lots of time chatting with the hawkers on the beach, or meeting up with Gambian friends they'd made on previous stays. It is not too in your face, and it does not feel at all threatening. You will want fruit from the fruit ladies on the beach - beautifully fresh and delicious.

Overall, we had a fantastic holiday. Interesting local culture - make sure you get out of the hotel if you can, and we can recommend the 4 wheel drive trip (takes in a local school) and the Makasutu Forest excursion (a troop of wild baboons and being paddled up the river in a canoe). Both excursions were enjoyable and eye opening.

The Kombo Beach Hotel is good value, has decent quality public areas, good food (especially the pancakes at breakfast), reasonable quality 'standard' rooms and friendly staff who are determined to make sure you get the best out of your holiday.

PS Don't forget you'll need to take Malaria tablets.