Sunbeach Hotel And Resort

“A jewel in Africa found - The Gambia!”

On arriving, after a very easy journey through the airport and a 50 minute transfer in an air-conditoned bus, we were received with a smile. This made us so feel welcome and confident that our choice was going to be a good one. We'd had our holiday to Thailand cancelled so was hoping that The Gambi… more

On arriving, after a very easy journey through the airport and a 50 minute transfer in an air-conditoned bus, we were received with a smile. This made us so feel welcome and confident that our choice was going to be a good one. We'd had our holiday to Thailand cancelled so was hoping that The Gambia would deliver us the sunshine that we needed. With a simple form to complete, we were shown the direction to our room and a short while after, the Concierge delivered our luggage. We had upgraded to a seaview room (107) which I understand was one of several that had been recently renovated. The decor was very tasteful; we had a king sized bed which was very comfortable; a seating area with a table and a separate bathroom which housed a rain-fall shower. There was also a really, very good hairdryer that I used every evening - it was powerful and worked perfectly. All the usuals were there - bath, hand towels and plenty of toilet roll. The air-conditioning worked well - sometimes too well - we turned it off on occasions as we felt cold. We had a very secure safe which was easy to use. We did have a couple of issues with our room on the first night. The extractor fan in the bathroom was very noisy but once this was reported to the reception, it was sorted. We did experience blips in our electricity supply but these were so short they didn't really bother us. The upgrade is worth doing - the sound of the sea was lovely to listen to when sitting outside on the patio area. These rooms are in blocks and are a short walk to the beach, the pools, beach bar, lobby bar, main buffet restaurant and reception. We experienced no noise whilst in our room and felt extremely safe - the security staff were great! What would personally enhance our experience is tea and coffee making facilities in the room - we love a tea or coffee first thing in the morning. Thank you Jamba for keeping our space lovely and tidy and the gardener who tended to this area in front of our room. The blossom you picked, put in water and onto our patio table was such a lovely touch. TIP: there was plenty of storage space for our clothes but not many hangers; I took plenty of our own which I would suggest! We spent most of our time on the beach because that is what we love. The beach was clean until the high tide brought in some debris - glad to see this was cleaned up. There are stray dogs on the beach but they caused us no harm - simply hid under our sun-beds and nine-out-of-ten times chaperoned us up and down the beach. 😆 We were looked after on the beach by a lovely lady, Amie, who knew exactly when we wanted our water, iced coffee, tea etc. Collecting our towels from behind the beach bar was such a lovely experience. We were treated so well - sun-beds carried out and put under the shade along with the cushions and table. Great and friendly service each and every day! Thank you. We really enjoyed our buffet experience throughout most of our stay. The chefs were always around to explain the dishes and were so friendly and welcoming. My husband loved all the fish dishes and thought the calamari was the tenderest he had ever eaten. There was always so many options - lamb, beef, chicken and pork which could be complemented with various vegetables, rices and potato dishes. As well as a variety of salad options and all the condiments you could wish for. Breakfast had the usual cooked elements and continental options too but plenty of choice for us. Thank you to Marianna (hope I've spelt your name correctly) you have the most beautiful smile - maybe it's got something to do with all those eggs you cook in the morning - perfect everytime! You were the sunshine, in the restaurant, each and every day! 🌝 The only thing that let our experience down when eating breakfast and dinner (we never do lunch) was the lack of service from some of the waiters - water, tea, coffee and wine had to be asked for which is such a shame considering how many guest were there! This did improve, thank you Adamas! You served us well through our second week. We enjoyed teaching simple games on our serviette - hangman, squares and other puzzles which you really enjoyed and then taught to your family. 🌝 The last three days of our holiday, the buffet disappeared and we chose from a menu. Have to say, the food was absolutely delicious - king prawns were amazing; fresh catch of the day outstanding and the soups were full of flavour! All freshly cooked and hot! Creme caramel is my absolute favourite dessert and it did not disappoint. Thank you to each and everyone of you for your outstanding cooking. We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere around the beach bar. The Enyertainment Team, African dancers and various bands were great. We particularly enjoyed the bands with female vocalists - very good indeed! As the hotel was coming to the end of the season, we were able to chat with many members of staff. I'm sure during busier times this would not be possible. We really enjoyed chatting to Mr Sparky - he is such a lovely man with great morals and we had many interesting conversations; he was so comfortable to be around; my husband and I really enjoyed chatting with him. The Entertainment Team's song, which was played and guests got up to dance, has really stuck with me and I can't wait to hear it again! Thank you for entertaining us! We noticed during our stay, that all staff were very well- presented and it was easy to work out whom to approach, depending on our query, because of their different coloured uniforms. This made life so much easier for us. TIPS: - Bottled water available everywhere. - Do engage with the locals and ask them about their lives. We feel we've got more out of our holiday by talking with them. They are all very kind people and are happy to talk about anything and everything especially football! We had such a great conversation with a man fishing on the beach - skills that he has learnt from his Father. - Do experience life along with the locals and go into Senegal to the reserve there. We booked through Tui and we felt very safe. (I will review separately). - Check up-to-date information on vaccinations you may need. - We exchanged Sterling into Delasi at the hotel reception; each different staff member counted the notes out in front of us. You may get better exchange rates outside the hotel but for convenience it worked well for us. - Due to a medical issue, we needed to visit a local ATM to withdraw some extra money. This was located at the sister hotel around 5 minutes walk away - turn left on exiting Sunbeach. Walking up the street, you will be approached by the locals but we normally found we'd already spoken to them. Didn't feel unsafe at all. - There is a very, small market in the hotel grounds every few days - we bought some lovely souvenirs (also in the hotel shop) and it feels great to support their livelihoods. - I gave up smoking a year ago and went to vaping. I started smoking again on this holiday because I couldn't find concrete information about vaping. However, vaping seems to be allowed! I ditched the cigarettes as soon as I got home!!! - Weather was fabulous, hanging around 30 degrees most days with very little cloud. Our special thanks go to the Reception Manager, nurse and doctor who were so supportive in getting the care I needed in a timely fashion. Stressful times made so much easier by these lovely people. Again, thank you so much for looking after me. We left the hotel, along with the other three guests, with a beautiful goodbye as the hotel closed for the season. We had a fabulous stay and the old cliché that some places get under your skin is true of Sunbeach Hotel. We would highly recommend this hotel (and The Gambia) to our family and friends and hope to return early next year, to experience a busier atmosphere. Thank you for making us feel so welcome - Tina and Phil.

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