Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort

Amazing staff very helpful

Just Ok breakfast

The location is great and the conduciveness of the environment, very close to nature. The rooms and the entire environment is clean. However, the breakfast buffet was the same meal for the four days I ate, there should be other varieties.

Just returned from a two week stay and The Gambia exceeded our expectations.
The hotel was beautiful, rooms well equipped and clean. Our cleaner was so sweet and left our room spotless daily. The grounds are so well maintained, so many palm trees making for shady cover and look like a tropical oasis. The food was delicious, fresh , local cuisine, no issues at all. If you’re looking for processed crap like chips burgers nuggets etc then it’s not for you. We enjoyed embracing the culinary delights of Gambia , well done to the chefs. The waiting staff were so friendly, special thanks to Lamin and Tony who greeted us daily with a smile, they both really went above and beyond to make us feel special and welcome.

Spa was great and definitely worth a visit. Very fairly priced , don’t miss out, get booked in and treat yourself.

Wildlife in the grounds was amazing, especially the family of Green Monkeys who visited regularly, causing a little mischief occasionally. Great to watch and have them so up close. We also saw Hornbills, birds of prey , lizards and the beach dogs who were so tame and just wanted a belly rub.

Met some great people who we’ll stay friends with now we are home. We were sad to leave. Everyone is so smiley and so nice, the nicest people we’ve ever come across in our travels.
We will definitely be back. Ocean bay and the Gambia are 100% worth a visit . Thank you so much for two amazing weeks.

A well run hotel with the full range of amenities that you would expect from a hotel of thus type. The pre stay communication was first class with any questions that I had being answered fully and helpfully. The room was well appointed and functional. Our maid, Mary, was friendly and professional. All the staff were very helpful. The breakfasts were very good with a really top class omelette maker at your service. Draft beer in the bar Is served fresh and cold. Shame the beach bar closes at 6. Evening meals were my only disappointment with my pork in the main restaurant and my fish in The Buddha being overcooked to a state of toughness.
Shop opposite for water and snacks. The highlight for me was the superbly designed and maintained grounds. Monkeys, Egrets and Hornbills visited daily. Constant watering and maintenance gave the gardens a top class finish.

Enjoyed our last minute change of holiday destination, thanks Donny.
Hotel was fabulous, a great welcome at the reception on arrival.
The rooms were spacious and clean , beds oh my so comfortable, I slept until after 9am everyday.
Grounds were immaculate, Gardner working hard daily to keep them looking so good.
The beach - beautiful, plenty of comfortable sun loungers and parasols available.
Lobbie in the lobby was full of local info and went out of her way to help.
All staff - bar, waiters, entertainment were helpful , polite and so welcoming.
We will definitely be returning.

Only downside were the “guides “ outside , using that title loosely and that’s absolutely nothing to do with the hotel- who wanted to escort you whenever you set foot outside.

Positive - Hotel was amazing, I called it an Oasis. The grounds are beautifully manicured and the wildlife within it is breathtaking. The room was spotless and the cleaning staff came every day and thoroughly cleaned everything. The pool bar staff and entertainments staff were great and couldn't do enough for you. The food was good and with lots of choice for every palet. Don't expect processed english food like chicken nuggets though. All food is prepped using fresh ingredients. if your looking for a relaxing winter/spring break this is perfect.
Negative - Restaurant waiting staff.....DO NOT tell them you are alone, one in particular would not leave me alone, he hounded me to be a guide to sightsee he was a pain and got to the stage were I would leave as soon as I'd eaten. He ruined the experience, even when I told him I didn't want to go out. As soon as you get off the plane you will be hounded for money. $20 to get in per person, $20 to get out. You can give them £s or Euros as well. Even the bus driver wanted money to put the bag on the bus. Hotel staff do take bags off you when you arrive. don't be nervous, they don't demand money. Payment cards are virtually useless, although there is a cash machine within the hotel grounds. Do not go outside the hotel grounds unless you are ready to be bombarded by people trying to sell you everything, even on the beach. If it hadn't been for that 1 restaurent waiting staff member I would consider going again for a break. It was a beautiful hotel with 99.9% amazing staff.

Can not speak highly enough of all the lovely staff at this hotel, they really made our holiday amazing, especially Omar the pool assistant , who went out his way each day to look after all the guests.
The food was great, rooms comfortable and clean . We can not fault the hotel at all, we will be returning .

So one minute your looking forward to chasing the Northen Lights.

And then because of a medical situation onboard our ship, we pivoted. And some.

10 days of time free. What do you do 3 days before you were due to depart?

The answer is of course very simple. Do something which you’ve always wanted to do and that is look for the “best last minute deal” and just go anywhere. That “anywhere” was Gambia, courtesy of really cheap Tui package out of Manchester.

On paper it ticked all the boxes. Nowhere near the Gulf States. Good weather (late 20s C). A 6/7 hour flight in the same time zone so no Jet lag. And the most important thing for a Yorkshireman CHEAP. I mean a week for just £575 including flights, transfers and bed and breakfast in a “4 T” hotel, what could possibly go wrong – especially as the very same holiday a week later was unbelievably way north of a grand for exactly the same product.

Enough dear readers of the background, you want to know about the OB I guess?

Well, we arrived at night. And despite travelling hundreds of times to hundreds of places I still hate arriving in the dark. I need light to work out where and what I am doing despite only a 30 min transfer from Banjul international.

The OB next morning looked and felt like a time warp Caribbean property. All you needed was Wham blaring from the speakers, neon coloured Spandex leggings and women wandering around the pool with shoulder pads. I loved the 80s so I was immediately at home. Think simple bedrooms, bulging buffets and lobster coloured Brit bellies in severe need of camomile lotion.

It was exactly as expected in my head. This NO shiny Egyptian Resort place. No this an old lady hotel in an area which used to be much busier, but now takes second place in some people’s eyes to the predominance of new “Strip” hotels, that IMO, having seen them, lack soul and charm.

We were staying on a Bed and Breakfast basis a really good shout as it turned out. The hotel offers AI – that’s All Inclusive, not Artificial Intelligence – but frankly don’t do it for a couple of good reasons. The first is, local restaurants are dying and they need YOUR custom. Nearby are some real crackers, namely The Calypso Bar, The Blue Monkey and Zaika (Indian). Very good food and cheap – this the second reason to stay Bed and Breakfast, not AI.

Breakfast was good. Plentiful if not lacking a little in imagination. But the omelettes, cooked to order were excellent and the cold meats and cheeses very passable. If you like coffee, don’t drink it here as it was something akin to the oil the Gulf states used to produce. Thick, tarry sludge that costs a fortune. Moan over.

The rooms are set in blocks. The bed areas recently refurbished the bathroom tired and dated, BUT clean and tidy and frankly that’s all that matters. As war raged in the Middle East, the reassuring tones of Clive Myrie on BBC News brought comfort and solace in what is a crazy world right now.

The main communal pool was popular. Along with the Brits securing their loungers most mornings with towels, there were a few Belgians, Dutch, German and Poles. Tui Charters and Gambia Experience the main provider of business. Entertainment at night was good if not a little cheesy. Highlight of course was yours truly on the Karaoke murdering Summer Nights with a delightful lady from East Sussex who was severely let down by my inability to hit Top C at the end. Sorry.

Out front, the beach facing the Atlantic at the end of the peninsula – next stop west, Venezuela giving you an idea of latitude. The beach ain’t no Maldives, but it is passable with a half mile strip walkable amongst the scavenging vultures tucking into fish heads. The odd hawker will ask you to go the fruit bar or buy a Barry Manilow Album, but a polite, but firm “no thanks” normally does the trick.

What else to say?
1. Use the Orange T Shirt Boys across the road for any trip you do, be it a ride out to the Monkey/Croc Park, a ride down to the fishing villages in the south or a day trip to Senegal. Find King SULAYMAN - +220 727 27 87 - he’ll see you right. Interesting top tip. Don’t worry if you do not have Yellow fever jab certificate (we had from years ago) as you can, for a few $s buy you all the Vax docs you will need on the Senegalese border – trust me!

2. Biggest moan?? The MUSIC. PROBABLY the worst thing about OB is the loud music played at all times from the main stage. Wrong genre, played on old speakers with the bass still ringing in my ears 2 days after returning to the UK. MANAGEMENT look at your demographics. No Imagine Dragons and Maneskin please. Most of your punters are 70 so change the tunes, dial it down as this would be the reason I won’t come back. Unless you provide noise cancelling earphones as part of your package.

3. Go to the Buddha Restaurant. This is the “upmarket” onsite fine dining option open 3 times a week. We rocked up on a Saturday night expecting the 75 cover restaurant to be heaving. It wasn’t sadly. 4 tables and 4 bemused UK couples wondering what they were in for, In fact, they were in for a real treat of Asian cuisine, reasonably priced and very tasty. Just a shame about the zero atmosphere and the occasional spat between the Head Waiter and young excellent waiter – they just didn’t get on.

In summary: We gambled on Gambia and won a week of sunshine, omelettes, vultures, vintage 80s vibes and karaoke trauma. The Ocean Beach is a charming old-timer with a big heart, a bigger breakfast and speakers loud enough to wake up the dead. Great value, great people, great weather. BUT for the love of all things holy, someone please confiscate the bass settings before my eardrums apply for asylum. Would I return? Only if they swap Imagine Dragons for something more age appropriate… like the Shipping Forecast. iykyk.

The entertainment team have made our holiday extra special what a lovely place to be very relaxing xx

I am disappointed with my stay at this hotel. Despite it being a quiet season, the management showed zero flexibility when I requested to move my check-in date by just one day.

When I finally arrived, exhausted after a long journey, things only got worse. I paid extra for a "Sea View" room, only to find that the view is mostly blocked by another building. To top it off, the air conditioning is faulty—it shuts down every 10 minutes, making it impossible to rest in the heat.

When I asked to switch rooms, I was told there was no one to help and that I would have to wait until the morning to "maybe" speak with a manager. For the price paid and the "extra" charges for the view, this is unacceptable. Poor service and even poorer maintenance. Avoid.

We loved the Ocean Bay Hotel, my wife and I stayed for a week on the Bed & Breakfast option.

The first thing to mention is the cleanliness and beauty of the hotel grounds. They are immaculate, beautiful trees and flowers, filled with birds. Green monkeys turned up one morning and ran through the hotel, stealing bananas, so cute!

It's also a great location, right on the beach with its powder-like sand. You have restaurants nearby - Calypso is the best with the crocodile pool, we also like Gibbis on the Beach, Zaika Indian Restaurant and New One of the Road - I can't recommend enough eating out, the value for money is amazing (meal for 2 with drinks would be less than £30) and you're helping locals.

Our room (Deluxe) was spacious, a little dated perhaps but very functional and well furnished. Our balcony was large. It would have benefited from an airer or something to dry our clothes outside, but we had a nice side view of the beach and sea.

A TIP for the hotel room if coming from the UK, you need the two-pin European adaptors. We brought an extension cable and plugged our devices into that.

The pool was an excellent size, it was unheated which was refreshing in the heat of the day but meant you didn't stay in for very long.

Staff throughout the hotel were outstanding, attentive, friendly and very helpful for anything you needed.

Noise levels were fine as any entertainment stopped shortly after 10pm and there were no noisy guests!

Food at breakfast was good, some lovely bread in particular, we tended to go for the fresh fruit and cereals. We often had lunch at the hotel and this was great value for money with decent choice.

A quick word on the surrounding area, there are lovely craft shops and money exchange places. You will be approached by people as you step out of the hotel - you have to accept it that this is normal. It's all friendly but you need to be firm if you don't want their help, remember that Gambia is not a wealthy country, so a small tip of 100-200 dalasi (£1-2) is often welcomed. There are the tour guides in orange T shirts opposite the hotel, they are official, we went with JJ who took us on a couple of memorable private trips (Monkey Forest and Kuntah Kinteh island) and he was great, felt safe and it was amazing to mix with locals, visit their markets and even a house where we had lunch. You also have taxi drivers outside the hotel and then you have some others who want to help and will walk with you, chatting. They can be insistent but a quick donation or spending a couple of quid in a shop will go a long way.

There's an ATM just outside the hotel - cash is king, card machines are unreliable generally, so take as much cash out as you're comfortable with.

It was the first time in Gambia and it won't be the last, what a wonderful experience!

Quite,calm,near beach

Beware, despite searching the internet will tell you that the plug sockets are 3 pin like the UK, this resort uses 2 pin plug sockets. Adapters are available at reception for a £5 deposit, wh8vh is returnedat check out. Problem sorted!

Tout

Hotel rooms are clean with towels changed every day and bedding every 2 days.
If B & B as we were, worth noting only 2 bottles of water at start of holiday were free but only cost approx £3 to buy 6 large bottles from adjacent shop.
We sun bathed on beach where Ebrima & his crew would provide loungers with cushions, table and towels to where ever you wanted them (many thanks to all their efforts) - don't forget to tip them as not only are they low paid but you will get even better service.
Drinks are inexpensive with waiter service on beach.
Local ladies on the beach sell plates of fresh mixed fruit which are very good - cost approx £3 for a medium plate which was enough for 2 to share.
Buddha restaurant was very good but only open open 3 days a week so used Calypso Bar & Restaurant on the beach - only a short walk away.