Sunset Beach Hotel

Absolutely wonderful property, dining, and swimming.

Where do I begin! Upon arriving at the Sunset Beach Hotel, I was greeted politely by Alpha, who kindly checked me in and showed me to my room. I found him to be very helpful and supportive throughout my stay. My room was fantastic, very clean, the bed was comfortable, the shower was hot, and I was provided with enough towels.

The currency exchanger, Omar, and the shop guy, Mohammed, provided excellent customer service and conversations. I learned so much about Gambia in a short amount of time, and never felt rushed to stop conversing with them.

The food and non-alcoholic beverages was fantastic (I don't drink alcohol so very happy with Wonja ,baobab, and the sunset cocktail), different variety daily, very clean, and the service was 10/10. I am unsure of all the staff names because all of them were exceptional, very accommodating, and welcoming: Mariama, Sonny, and the tall chefs who made the best scrambled eggs. I ate outside the hotel and developed a bad stomach pain, and treatment from the UK was not working, and I was unable to eat. I spoke to Ibrahim, who suggested Baobab and made me some. I went back to my room and slept, and when I woke up, I was able to do cartwheels, lol (wishful thinking), but Ibrahim saved my holiday. Thank you!!

I am unable to swim, so unable to comment on the pool, however, it was very clean and well looked after daily. Kotu beach is close by, and it has been a pleasure conversing with the locals, fresh juice, horse riding, fishing and you catch a great sunset. The hotel is situated close to all you need Serrukaunda Market, Senegambia Strip and so on.

Last but not least, the maintenance team and security: Bob, The General, Morrow, Alex, the gardener, I am so forgetful with names but they are outstanding and ensure that all the guests are comfortable, safe, have all that they need, pleasant, always have a smile on their face and greets you with the upmost respect and made my stay memorable. Thank you team for all you did during my 1 week stay, you all made me want to stay longer.

My review can continue, but in a shortness I will be coming back to this hotel because the service and staff are exceptional and made me enjoy my time in Gambia. Bless you all abundantly!!

We booked a junior suite & on arrival we were taken to our room. It was smelly, dark, tatty & small- def not a suite. The door wouldn’t open/close properly. We refused to stay in it. Reception staff didn’t care. There was no one to help us. After a while the man on reception told us we could look at a ‘delux’ room & if we liked it we would have to pay an extra £600!! This room was nice but to be honest not ‘delux’ - it was a standard anyone should expect. That said we felt we had no other option so paid the extra money.
We did manage to relax & enjoy our holiday- hotel staff were lovely but sometimes not enough attention to customers in the bar/restaurant area. Not enough seating in the restaurant when busy & nowhere to sit whilst waiting for a table. Food was acceptable.
We would go back to The Gambia but def wouldn’t stay in this hotel again.

Nice, basic hotel. Good food and pleasent staff. Could do with dedicated outside smoking areas as I hate eating next to smokers. Evening entertainment good but too loud and stops conversation. Gardens and pool kept really well. Daytime music is often of a strange choice and could be lower volume and more chilled. Bar staff could do with putting their mobiles down and dealing with customers. The beach is wasted, no sun loungers or parasols. Weather in April was perfect. Overall,I had a lovely stay.

Myself and a family member went. The staff are very helpful and would go out of their way to make sure we had what we wanted, just had to ask and it was granted. Modu the reception Management Staff was exceptional, can't say the same for some of the other reception staff though. Securtlity, Bar and Restaurant staff were fantastic even the Room Cleaners. Fact is I really enjoyed my time and would consider there again. Thank you for hosting us.

What a lovely hotel. We booked last minute and didn't pay a fortune for our first AL holiday. Having never been AL before we didn't know what to expect but it was fabulous. Stayed in a bungalow so did miss having a balcony but tbh we spent most of the time around the pool and restaurant. The room was clean and comfortable. Cleaned everyday. The staff we so helpful and attentive. The food was varied, plentiful. and hot and catered for all tastes. The drinks were fine and no sooner were you getting to the bottom of your glass when hey presto another one appeared. The entertainment was entertaining!
We enjoyed it so much we booked to go back next year.

Worst overpriced hotel poor customer service extremely poor quality food payed D2500 and starving still as food was reheated rock hard staff rude and useless 😑 would not go there again and would advise anyone to think twice as food is poor standard

We stayed for 11 nights in March on All Inclusive. We booked via TUI and were in the bungalows. These are showing a bit of wear but were kept clean and the beds were comfortable. In the bathrooms there was soap and two small bottles of shower gel/shampoo. There was tea and coffee and a kettle provided.
The pool area was quite small but the attendants were super helpful and always found beds for us. The pool was quite cold but we got used to it.
The entertainment team were not very pushy which could be good but that sometimes meant not all the activities ended up happening.
The food and drinks were mostly good, not exceptional. The hot food was varied , but could be hotter. Towards the end of the holiday the gin and wine they used seemed to change and it wasn't quite as nice.
We didn't find access to the beach much of an issue but we had red flags a lot of the days we were there.
Highly recommend taking a canoe tour down the river with Lamin (Gambia/Senegal Birding).
A few points against TUI (which I haven't included in my score for the hotel):
If you want to book excursions locally they do not accept MasterCard.
We were told that there was a shower room for our late flight home but this didn't seem to be available.

This hotel only has 3 stars and that is probably the correct grade for it, however the staff make up for any short cummings to ensure your stay is the best it could be, special thanks to Sana our bar and restraunte waiter, nothing was to much trouble for him.

First of all we were told by our doctors what vaccinations we needed, only one was available on the NHS we had to pay for yellow fever and malaria tablets, total cost over £200 for my wife and I. We were told that due to our age (over 60) yellow fever was not advisable due to possible side effects, but we could not get into Gambia without a certificate, so we both had the vaccination. At no point were we told you could get an age related exemption certificate for free and as it turned out we did not even need the certificate to get into Gambia. (if you intend to travel to Senegal to go on safari you will need the yellow fever certificate to get into Senegal). The Malaria tablets were also unnessary as it was the dry season (October - April) and the insects that spread malaria are not active, they become active in the wet season only (May to September)

Our accommodation was a bungalow, a novel change, it was very clean but was getting a bit rough around the edges, consisted of twin beds and bed side lockers, a walldrobe with about 18 inches of hanging space so my clothes had to stay in the case, TV above a dressing table with 4 chanels which the reception was that bad they were unwatchable anyway, managed to get BBC World news for a couple of hours only during our 10 day stay, very hit and miss, but not the end of the world, we are on holiday in the gambia, not there to watch TV. The rooms were cleaned every day and towels and bedding was changed when you requested it.

The resort itself is quite small with only one restraunte, one small swimming pool and a todler pool. Sun beds around the pool area were always availoable with probabley 30% never being used at all, service around the pool / bar area is excellent. The hotel is right on the beach, but this is a public beach and there is the fact that there is a small river running between the hotel and the beach itself, it is full of old buildres rubble and rubbish prevents easy access to the beach as you have to wade through the river and its contents.

I believe there are two types of travelers, those that visit a country and get to experience every thing it has to offer, good and bad and those that only leave the resort once to get back on the coach for the airport, thankfully my wife and I fall into the first category and thoroughly enjoyed everything The Gambia and Senegal had to offer, yes ferries are very busy and they do occasioinaly break down, you may have to get out of your taxi and push it for a bit but its all about the experience, soak it up and enjoy life. If you do get out and about you will witness extreme poverty with partly built houses, mud roads, litter every where, kids in bear feet using rags rolled into a ball and tied up to make a football, but all with the biggest smiles on their faces, others trying to sell you fruit, biscuits, nuts and cakes, give a little and it helps a lot.

We really enjoyed the hotel. If you are looking for 5 star luxury then this is not the place for you. That said we could not recommend the Sunset Beach enough. We had a 10 day family stay. It is better than the 3 T's Tui give too.
The room we had was very clean and comfortable. The sound of the waves from the beach was so relaxing.
The pool area was great, no problem with getting sunbeds or sunshades. The pool guys always got what you needed at any time of the day and spotlessly clean.
The cleanliness was reflected all over the complex, the staff worked so hard to ensure this was maintained al all times.
The restaurant was light and well laid out with a sea view, the food was excellent, tasty, varied and lots to choose from. We did have to wait for a dinner table on a couple of occasions due to the larger tables being taken by couples using them, but we had another drink while we waited.
We found that the stream issue was never a problem for us. The beach was fine and we had a great time helping the local fisherman land their nets. We would also recommend Aladdin's juice bar. a perfect juice smoothy for £2. The bird feeding close by was also brilliant and the canoe trip along creek was amazing.
In all a perfect break away for our family, thankyou to everyone involved, the staff are are a credit to the hotel.

3 time at sunset beach hotel , absolutely amazing as always , the accommodation , food , staff just the best . The beach and evening entertainment was great . You couldn’t find a better hospitality hotel . The !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!

my second trip to this wonderful hotel. we only had a week. The creek in front of the hotel was not a problem at all maybe ankle depth at high tide, you could access the beach without having to go through any water at the fruit sellers which is only a short walk at the end of the hotel. (maybe 25/30 steps from the pool) we had a bungalow room right on the beach front very quaint plenty of room, very clean and comfortable.
The hotel are doing some renovation work, have to say I didn't notice or hear any noise from it, in fact i was unaware of it until the last day when it was pointed out to me.
The beach was a delight at both low and high tide always seemed to look different. Yes there are beach sellers but a polite "no" and they will leave you alone.
The food was always good and plentiful with plenty of choice, the barracuda was delicious.
The staff from the reception security restaurant and bars were all so attentive and couldn't do enough for you, they made our stay relaxing and stress free, which is the reason we went and the reason we WILL return. A very special mention to our waiter around the pool Aruna Kondeh he was amazing, his friends too, so kind.
The evening entertainment was good too as was the evening staff always there to help, never much waiting around for drinks or seating.
We did the trip up the creek in the little canoe, with the bird watching people outside the hotel, was so peaceful maybe a little difficult to get in and out of, but they help you. they are so knowledgeable we also went on a walk with them to see some owls and a pig farm. Cost £30 for both of us lasted 2 hours or just over, felt very safe.
I felt the airport tax paid both on entry and again on exit could mount up for a family, we paid in £s, we got change of 600 dalassi but i did have to ask.

Would I go back to the Sunset beach??? In a heartbeat, Thankyou to you all

Just had 2 weeks at this wonderful hotel. Our room 214 was clean and tidy although a little dated, the whole block is due to be refurbed in April.
All the staff were friendly, polite and helpful. The hotel grounds are kept immaculate, the food was varied and delicious chef would often ask if everything was to our liking.
Evening entertainment every night quite enjoyable.
Access to the beach was a little difficult because the sand on the beach had shifted and the creek water changed direction but it was rectified during our second week.
It was our first time in The Gambia yes we will return.

We have recently returned from the Sunset Beach Hotel after spending two weeks there. It is a lovely small hotel and the staff are amazing- they are always smiling and help in any way they can. The food was excellent- very tasty and plenty of variety. The menu was not repeated in the second week. The salad bar was wonderful- lovely and fresh and plenty of choice. There was soup every lunchtime and at dinner - always tasty and delicious. The bread was my downfall- lovely crusty bread at every meal! The chef would come around and talk to us and ask if we enjoyed our food. The Pool staff were always helpful and cleaned the loungers every morning, they were more than willing to bring you an umbrella and to move it if necessary. The waiters were great at serving drinks by the pool and made lovely refreshing, fresh lime sodas for us.
Milton the entertainments manager came around and chatted- the entertainer team also would come round to talk.If you wanted to join in there were things going .
Our room was clean and had a nice garden area. The bathroom was a little tired and could do with a revamp- however the shower was good and there was always hot water. It is best to bring your own shampoo and shower gel. Only two small bottles of shampoo were in the room. Also bring teabags as they were not topped up. We always bring our own anyway so was not a problem.
The beach is beautiful- the access from the hotel became a little tricky due to the tides. This happens at different times of year- an act of nature and can’t be helped.The staff put out sandbags to enable you to cross the stream or you could walk past the fruit sellers and access the beach that way. If you wanted to sit on the beach the staff would take chairs out for you(and even drinks!)
We loved walking along the beach in both directions, morning and evening. A glorious sunset from the hotel too. We watched the local fishermen bringing in their boats and their catch.
There are various sellers that set up stalls in the pool area. We became friendly with one of the artists- I don’t know his name but he does some beautiful paintings. We in fact bought two. He is very interesting to talk to. He would be grateful for paint brushes if anyone could take some out.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and are looking forward to returning next year. It is a great place to stay and Gambia is a lovely country.

Travelled to sunset beach Gambia Feb 2025, First impression was good Reception staff very friendly. arrived late at night but a meal was ready for us to eat.
The rooms were very basic but clean. and i must say the staff were very friendly always smiling always willing to help. food was average but taste good. many thanks to the entertainment team. Richard and Aisha. would definitely return.

now the bad bit which was not the hotels fault. this was supposed to be a beachfront hotel. a few weeks before we arrived they had a storm which washed a lot of the sand away which made the river move to the back at the hotel, which meant you could not access the beach.

This was my first trip to The Gambia and staying at Sunset Beach was just fantastic. It is everything that it is advertised to be. The hotel and gardens are beautiful, well maintained and the staff were the friendliest that I’ve ever known. Chatting with you by name and always keen to know what my experience of The Gambia was, especially interested in the excursions that I took and what I thought of them. The pool side staff were extremely attentive. All the staff just wanted to make sure that everything was perfect.
The food was excellent. Always served hot and full of flavour with plenty of choice. I stayed in a bungalow that was just lovely. Full of character with plenty of space.
The evening entertainment was varied and great! Always a lovely way to end each day.
It was really nice how they had a selection of local crafts people visit the hotel each day demonstrating and working on their craft with the opportunity to select some very unique souvenirs to take home.
I thoroughly enjoyed everything about my stay and I can appreciate why so many of the guests are frequent and returning visitors. I will be coming back and I happily recommend Sunset Beach Hotel.

5 th visit
Just booked the sixth!!!
Hotel beyond words
Such a lovely location
5 star
Wonderful food,staff and an amazing beach
Sea divine
Beautiful little mosque close by
Walk out of the hotel and there is a craft market and nearby the botanical gardens well worth a visit

I loved every minute of this hotel and Gambia we stayed for 10 nights and had a bungalow overlooking the beach. The bungalow was perfect and spacious, they are a bit dated and I needed some drawers but it didn't spoil the holiday at all. The pool area is lovely and well maintained with the pool guys John the Baptist especially very helpful ,he doesn't allow you to move even to place a towel on a bed! All the staff in fact are exceptionally helpful and so friendly and always go above and beyond to help anyway they can. The birdwatching place was amazing and my husband listed 100 new species in 10 days, a twitchers dream location. The food was always lovely and regular Shepards pie was a surprise! The beach is wild and stunning ,access was tricky due to the creek alongside flowing in front of hotel and got wider each day. Tui failed to notify of this. I still got to Beach a short walk further up and a paddle to cross the gully . Trips we did with local tour guides were amazing and very cheap, loved Albert Market and Taxi driver walked with us showing us around about 3 hours total and only £16 with taxi fare too. I loved Gambia and this hotel, warm hospitable people. There is some pestering on beaches and outside hotel to buy goods but I never felt threatened in any way. Just a no thank you was enough. One thing Id advise don't wave to men on beach I got a full band singing my name shortly after!!!

Our first time at this hotel and it won't be our last. Read all the reviews prior to booking and, thankfully, were not put off by a few, very negative ones! The positives hugely outweighed the one or two minor observations, not 'complaints', that I would be happy to share.
The staff are its biggest plus and cannot do enough for you. They will do their utmost to ensure that your stay with them is as enjoyable as possible.
The food is excellent, with a daily changing menu of soup, meat, fish and vegetarian options, with a very good salad bar - and the baguettes are TOO GOOD - a major waistline threat!
The local spirits are not as distinctive as branded products (no surprise) but the local draught beer is a real thirst quencher. The red and white wines are perfectly acceptable but the rose wasn't to my taste.
The pools are 'refreshingly cool' for a Scot to escape the heat; a soft Southerner might find them a wee bit cold - about the local sea temperature?!
The hotel's rooms are being refurbished on a rolling basis. Our bungalow bathroom was a bit tired but the room itself was fine and the AC worked and there was plenty of hot water but best to bring your own shampoo/bodywash.
We were with The Gambia Experience which made it clear that the Kotu stream, alongside the hotel and great for birdwatchers, did alter its course seasonally; but TIU did not warn its holidaymakers. When we were there, the stream had done its usual seasonal, tidally driven right turn to run in front of the hotel.
The local Bird Rangers attempted to dig a relief channel to lower the water level in the lagoon for the benefit of feeding waders - to little effect.
However, we accessed the beach, every morning and evening, for a stroll/hike/swim without difficulty. A small detour, through the local, on beach, vendor's market gave easy access to the beach proper adding a mere 50 metres to our stroll.
Ultimately, this hotel will do its very best to make your holiday a pleasure. Did they succeed?
We went for a fortnight. As retirees, we are going back next year for A MONTH!

Here for a week with 21yr old son on AI basis.

Sunset beach hotel is a great friendly place to stay. It’s imperfectly perfect, a comfortable and very pleasant stay where I felt safe and happy.
Staff are A1, will do what they can to make your stay as comfortable as possible, and can’t do enough.

Aisha gets a special mention as she is just lovely, ensures she gets to know you, plays games and teaches Wolof!
All staff are of the same lovely level, everyone all the way through to managerial. Most professional too and were quick to sort out an issue with the visiting entertainment staff one evening. Well handled Milton.

The place is clean, well looked after.

Security on site - one an ex military chap who is lovely to talk to. They ensure you are okay and again look after you well.

Pool side beds- speak to the pool man in order to secure a sunbed. They have a system there so just run with it :D

Food- so very tasty, varied enough to not feel repetitive. Tea and coffee to hand all day long.

Bar drinks good in that there was a real variation including milkshakes and cocktails. Red wine was quite drinkable.

No tummy bugs to report and did have ice in drinks too. All good there.

Access to beach- natural causes have the creek going around the circumference of the hotel meaning no easy direct access to beach. But you can still get across okay from one point- staff will point you to where.
Was a shame but not the end of the world and as I say still accessible.

Evening entertainment was 8-10pm every night, mix of karaoke, bands, traditional African drums and dance.

Activities- aquarobics, putting game, boules, darts, pool, foosball and other things. However don’t wait to be called or announced you need to speak to Aisha or Richard or anyone else to see what’s taking place and that you want to do it. And they will :D

Weather- it certainly wasn’t in the 30’s as my weather report had- more like 23-25 which was nice to be fair. The evening the temperature does drop and if a wind increases this feel. Would recommend a couple of cardis:D

People- great fellow tourists. This is a small enough and cosy place you can get to know your fellow travellers well (as much or as little as you want). Many guests here are repeat customers as they love it. Which speaks volumes.
People from UK, Netherlands, Russia, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, and others. A real blend and pleasantly so.

Trips- many available. One that’s not advertised in house is Janjanbureh 2 x day trip- this is on TUI app and I would highly recommend it. Get to see Gambia in depth.

Folks outside- yes there is the usual hassle of come by from me, so come with your patience in tact. A local market down the road has clothes, wooden items, magnets and other bits. Dominoes bar there too.

Aisha- she tailors clothes to fit so seek her out if you want something new just for you. Very reliable and trustworthy. She found me on the beach, is known at the hotel too, and her stall is the second market area on right side of hotel on beach.
The first market area I would recommend stall 17a - all call him ‘uncle’ an educated older guy who was just fabulous to talk with and an honest man with prices.

Tips- to staff/others- roughly 100 Dalasis is okay. Defo more if you can for those who do a good job as means a lot to them.

Value for money- absolutely!

Leaving day- we paid 1000 Dalasis to extend check out from 12pm-4pm. Coach picked us up at 5pm for airport (flight 9pm). You can use facilities up until you leave.

Additional - I would say if you have clothing you don’t want, or other items you can spare bring them along if have room in your case. Someone will really appreciate the items and use them. Bras apparently are a much needed item I was told by local lady.