Kotu, Badala Park Hotel Reviews

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i have read many reviews that have been placed on here and see a mixed feeling.

As i have stayed at Badala Park Hotel for 3 weeks at a time over a 6 year period, about 4 months in total i believe i know it well.

firstly you either went to badala park or are considering going there because you are on a budget and we all know you dont get the hilton hotel for a few quid a night, you book budget you get budget.

having said that you can pay much more in the gambia and get no better, i have spoken to so many people who were on hoilday at the same time and though badala was as good if not better and there is no doubt that if its beach you want its probably the the best in the gambia, the sun loungers at the beach are free and there will be a bar porter ready to bring drinks and snacks if you require straight to you sunbed, a tip at the end of the day of around 50p will keep them happy. you can also take advantage of many juice stall the will squeeze you a drink from fresh fruit.

back to the hotel. well yes rooms are basic, no tv or stereo,but most are of a good size unless you are in one around the pool area which i dont advise if you want a little quiet before 11-12 pm. i find j block to be best for me and always go for upper floor, get to know your room cleaner and tell them to look after you and you will treat them on the day you leave, around 2 quid, will be one of the best things you do, you will soon see flowers layed apon your bed and other little things.

food at the hotel not outstanding but not too bad, but a taxi to senigambia strip will give you and abundance of night life and enough resteraunts to eat from for a month. i see people talking about taxis, yellow, green, well it dont matter what they are you dont have to pay more for the green ones than a yellow one just dont get one from the taxi rank because then the price will be fixed by the rank. get yourself out of the main gate and go right to the juction here you can tell them what you will pay, 20 delassi will get you to senigambia, if they refuse the offer keep walking and they will change there mind within 10 ft.

if you do make a local friend or seek a or someone to take you around remeber that thats all they can do, they will not be able to get rid of any bumsters that aproach you else they will get in trouble. my advise is to get your self out and about on your own, you wont be at any risk at all, they are just trying to make a few bob and have no intention of harming you, gambia has a vey very low crime rate and most of the bumsters are just ouside your hotel area, go beyond this and you will be fine and left alone apart from the odd one at serrikunda market. so remeber you can go about quite freely and enjoy the whole holiday if you try. dont ignore the bumsters that wont work, just say no ta mate have a good day and dont stop walking, dont matter if you do but as soon as you stop walking you have invited them to talk. like i said they are no harm and most are quite nice people.

the main rule is to get down on the beach get a little tan and then your free to go, you skin is no longer snow white so they dont see you as a new commer and belive that you have been there long enough to know your way.

there will be no doubt that someone will stop you but thats just part of the learning prosses and im sure they will be nice. dont use locals to book your taxis or trips, they say they can save you pounds and the can compaired to tour operators prices but you can do even better as the price they give you will include a split with the driver and on top of that you have someone with you all day.

barter on every thing you do or buy and dont be shy else you will pay well over the odds, a good statring bid would be a quater of the asking price not half, from that you will have fun working to a reasonable price that your happy with.

do get out into the local comunity and into the villages, we had some of our best days here, cooking with the locals and dancing with the children at there compounds, its nice to take something with you but they will happy to feed you for free aswell even though they are extremly poor.

walk to the local supermarket. turn left out the gate and go straight for about half a mile passing the old bridge over the river and passed the other hotels. there is also a money exchange there who you can barter with and get much more that you will at the hotel, dont change you money up on the street with locals its just not worth the shortfall risk.

dont let anyone put a free gift of beeds round your neck, or they will expect a free gift back lol.

ok now dont let any of this put you of that is not the intention because you can have a holiday to truly remember in the gambia with loads of fun for next to nothing and with such lovley people and that they are. most visitors return, i know that as i see them each year. the weather is second to none, the people great, beach at badala very good, night life in senegambia good.

from the beach walk to the monkey park, you will love feeding the roaming monkeys from your had as they come and stand in front of you.

try the crocadlie park, ever thought of stroking a live croc that is not contained but just lounging around, dont worry they say hes a veggie ha ha .

ho by the way if you want to take my advise on the room placement just ask at the recepton desk, you will already have been located a room but they are happy to change that for a nice cold coke at the most.

safe box in room is payable at desk in reception, not cheap but DO use it and dont skimp on that.

take your sun oil with you very expensive over there, a bottle for each week your there.

DO get jabed up at ya doctors before going, i have meet people who dont and im not sure why as its free with your doctor and maleria is tablets will need a prescription, that all you will pay for, you will need enough to cover your hoilday plus one week before and 4 weeks after. i find tesco always comes out at the best price for these, but do get the note from you doc and not just any of the shelf .

BRINDLEY3246's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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On arriving at Banjul airport we read some reviews and we were very worried about the so called bumpsters in the airport ( There are No Bumpsteres - They are the porters ) yes they want to help you with your case to the coach but you just say NO politely and they will leave you alone.
But all I can say we did not know what we were worried about because we had no hasstle at all.
We stopped at the Badala Park Hotel for 14 nights Friday 27th February to Friday 13th March.
This hotel is basic bu ...

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I think Badala Park Hotel, Kotu, is a shabby hotel, poor sheets for bedding, beds basic (very), seedy, a hotel for budget clients, we checked out after 4 days of a 14 day holiday and went to the superior Senegambia Beach Hotel. Glad we checked out, didn't like the atmosphere here, too budget for us, and no excuses for the awful breakfasts. Only good point was the staff were polite.

Crystl Meth's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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Clean and basic - don't come here expecting luxury and you won't be disappointed! Staff mostly friendly and helpful, with a few exceptions. Breakfast basic but nice enough, other food and drinks a bit over-priced but ok.

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If your going to get a taxi they have green ones which are the tourist one which are more expensive and yellow ones that are proper cheap! BUT make sure you agree a price with them before you go anywhere! the market in Banjul is massive, I would suggest that you go with a local, (don't worry after the first couple of hours you would have made loads of mates), I would suggest making a mate with a Gambian that works in the hotel, because they cant afford to lose that job, and will make sure that y ...

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Loved the staff, go down the back and meet with the ladies who do the washing and cleaning - real Gambian hospitality.Don't feel frightened to go out and about, go explore. Find a friend - the terminology bumster is not nice. The friend we made is great and we keep in contact with him, even when we get home. He has never asked us for anything. These people have a hard existence and do need help but it is nice if it comes from the heart and not reluctantly. I would recommend a holiday to Gamb ...

moniquesanyang's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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I would recommend Badala Park Hotel to anyone, it's a lively hotel, very welcoming and has a wonderful atmosphere.

doreen owen's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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Badala Park is cheap and cheerful. We would definitely stay there again. My suggestion to anyone wanting to go to The Gambia is do your homework and read up on it!!! Its brilliant!! Just got back from having read the brochure we new the hotel wasn't 5 star (it couldn't be at these prices!!) BUT even though our room was basic it was clean and we had plenty of hot water. Had we left our key with reception our room would have been cleaned daily - so that was our fault. We found all the staff ver ...

doreen owen's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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My friend and I have just got back from Badala Park, yes it was basic but the brochure said it would be. It was cleaned daily if you left your key at reception ( which we forgot to do ) so much hot water it was even coming out hot from the cold tap. Staff all very friendly and helpful we had no problem from bumsters, infact I think we might have scared them talking so much!! Unfortunately most of the trips we wanted to do were finished for the season - what a good excuse to go back. Couldn't fin ...

teacher1234's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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1. The food was awful. Breakfast cheap and nasty. Pool snacks expensive for what they were. 2. Room - awful, Sheets didn't fit the beds. No mattress covers. 3. Lots of "off duty staff" hanging around hotel, who gathered om pathways in night talking. Would not leave us alone around pool.
Bathrooms - basic, and I mean basic. Our first had only cold water in the basin. Shower broken. Our second had plumbing problems.
This hotel is basic, and I mean basic. We did not feel very safe here. Constantly ...

vanderhyden's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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I had booked a 2 week stay at the Badala park but realised after 2 days what a mistake I had made. The sheets and towels are changed every day. Gambia is very hot but you only get 1 small fan per room, the bumsters are a pain in the neck but can be dealt with just a firm no will do it. I had to cut my stay short and returned home after 1 week being very ill and having to call in a doctor who advised me to return home. The food at the hotel was Ok. As for the entertainment what a joke. I wish t ...

toniboyle's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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I stayed for 1 week at the Badala Park hotel with my Cousin. we had the best time. The hotel was lovely, the rooms are very basic, but they are cleaned everyday, the bedding is changed daily as are the towels. The pool is lovely and there is entertainment every night. The 'A' Team that work at the hotel are amazing guys, they totally made our holiday, they will do anything for you as will the rest of the staff, nothing is too much trouble. So take time out to speak to them, if they ask you to jo ...

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The Badala Park Hotel is a good base for your trips, which you can book outside the back gate and are cheaper than with the tour operator. Outside the front gate are enough Gambian locals who will rush to you to sell you things at the first chance so beware, however if you tell them a 'direct no' then you will be left alone but the minute you give them your attention you are stuck with them for the fortnight!

zoemoomin's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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I went on a family holiday including my partner, we all had an amazing time and would all go back. The hotel was quite poor and the food in the hotel was shocking but the hotel staff were so nice and friendly. They couldn't do enough for you, which in my eyes is what counts as I don't go all that way to sit in my hotel room. There are a lot of bumsters about and you'll find that once you give them attention, they won't leave you alone for the rest of your holiday but if you just tell them from t ...

jrelancashire's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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Badala Park is a basic hotel but is OK for people who aren't too picky! Some of the staff, though friendly, only want work or money from you. However, if you stay there one person I recommend you to meet is Jimmy who does security, from Sierra Leone, as he is a genuine and friendly Christian guy who can give you some good advice on Gambia and Gambians. Enjoy your trip!

I found that one of the best ways to see the real and less commercial Gambia, was to rent a green tourist taxi. I was a littl ...

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I have just returned from a holiday at the hotel and found the service appalling, the waiters we received service from was poor, local people were coming and going all day long in and out of the complex. Two rooms were broken into over the two weeks I spent there. The area is a fantastic place but with the local con men pestering us every time we left the hotel I would not recommend to anyone.

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My family and I have been to Badala Park in the Gambia for the past 2 years, and we would certainly go again. Basic rooms, but very clean, and the food in all the eating places is of a good standard.

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We thought that our stay at Badala Park was very good, we met some great people. (we were a group of 20 students).The food was great you have to try beef benachin and chicken yassa. You also have to try and beat the house team at water polo (mind you they do cheat)

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We've been to the Badala Park Hotel in The Gambia twice now, once in January 2004, and again in April 2005. Although there are more luxurious hotels to be found, we've found the Badala a welcome base for a Gambian holiday.

The staff are friendly and can't do enough to help you. The pool is clean, and the surrounding area has plenty of comfortable loungers and parasols for shade. The bar serves a wide range of drinks and food all day. There is local entertainment every night, and a superb BB ...

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Badala Park Hotel is simply the best place to stay in Gambia! Yes the accomodation is basic, but this is Gambia, remebering that essentially it is still a third world country. If you want deluxe-Gambia isn't the place to be (Try Dubai!).
Badala Park has a wonderful location, close to the beach, mini-markets, craft markets and tourist hotspots such as Bakau, the nature reserve and monkey park, Serrenkunda and local villiages.
The best thing about the hotel for us (and we have been there several ...