Sun Beach Hotel, The Gambia

Posted on by Fee Hudson

The Gambia has long been a popular holiday destination for those coming from the UK despite not being the first place you think of when you are looking for a package holiday destination. Sun Beach hotel is a long established hotel that sits at the tip of Cape Point with sea views on both sides. It is a small hotel with friendly staff and everything you could need for a break in the sun. We stayed here as part of our 10 night visit to The Gambia and Senegal with The Gambia Experience.

The Sun Beach hotel sign. A large concrete sign with the words Sun Beach Hotel & Resort, behind the words are a semi circle painted in red and yellow like a sun set and the silhouette of two palm trees. the sign is set in a flower bed with trees behind it.

The hotel

Accommodation is laid out in one story blocks set amongst the hotel’s gardens. As the sea is on both sides of the hotel, many of them have a sea view.

Accommodation is set around the pool area which is next to the main building, bar, pool bar and restaurant, so everything is close and easy to access.

The hotel has its own beach area with umbrellas, sunbeds and beach volleyball.

We had a room in block 3 with a double bed and a single. The room had a small table and chairs, a fridge, TV, wardrobe and drawer storage. Outside there is a small patio with table and chairs.

A view of the bedroom from the door showing two beds pushed together to make a double and a single. The beds are made with white sheets and a brown throw and cushion. the floor is terracotta tiles, the walls white and there is a wardrobe on the back wall and a desk on the right.
the bathroom which is decorated with peach and cream tiles showing the toilet on the right and the glass door to the walk in shower cubicle on the left.
The desk area in the bedroom with a yellow chair, small mirror on the wall and a wall mounted TV.

Food

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served buffet style in the main restaurant. Breakfast 7-10am, lunch 12-2:30pm and dinner 7-10pm.

In addition to the there is fruit served at the pool at 3pm, afternoon tea at 4pm (this was a selection of small cakes, sandwiches and hot drinks) and ice cream at 5pm.

The food was a mix of more traditional Gambian food and more western dishes so there was always a good selection of choice. Each meal came with a selection of meat dishes, rice, pasta or potatoes and vegetables. Every meal had a full salad bar and there was also a live cooking station. Drinks are served by the waiting staff who were are very friendly and helpful.

As a vegetarian there was always something to eat although not necessarily a specific vegetarian dish. The salad bar had lots of choice and there were various vegetable dishes throughout the week.

The pool bar and hotel bar serve drinks all day and there was waiter serve around the pool although this depended on how busy the pool bar was.

There are also food options within a short walk of the hotel if you fancy trying something different and eating in a local restaurant.

The salad bar with dishes of various salad items in large white bowls sitting on a bed of ice.
A large square cake iced with the wording 'Happy New Year, Enjoy your stay with us'. The cake is decorated with pink and white icing and kiwi and orange slices. There is a small piece of cake missing from the bottom left corner.
The fruit buffet with large trays of various melons on a bed of ice.

Entertainment

The hotel has an entertainment team who put on various activities during the day. They worked so hard and I did feel sorry for them as most people just wanted to sit around the pool and not join in with sports. A few evenings a week there is evening entertainment by the pool bar.

The pool table on a stone patio with a roof canopy over it for shade. behind you can see a white building, the beach and palm trees.
A sign post with signs for 'House 3', 'House 2, 1' and 'La Cucina'. Behind is a low yellow building and gardens and trees.
The pool area at night with the sun beds lined up around the pool and palm trees in the back ground. The pool is lit from below the water.

Around the hotel

Cape Point is a quieter area than the Senegambia Strip but there are still things to do. Outside the gates of the hotel are the official tour guides who will arrange day trips or even an over night trip for you to the main tourist attractions. If you fancy a trip to the Crocodile Pool or the Monkey Park then this is a great way to do it.

A short walk away there are various cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops selling beautifully crafted baskets, clothes and wooden items.

Family friendly

The hotel has a small splash pool suitable for younger guests. The main pool is 2 metres at its deepest point and has a shallower area which is 0.5 metres.

I have seen a kids club advertised at the hotel but we didn’t see any mention of this and at 11, Pip is too old for us to have needed it. There weren’t many kids around in the hotel, possibly because The Gambia is still experiencing a lull in tourism after Covid.

However the staff took great care of us and always made a fuss of Pip and she really enjoyed the hotel and the activities while we were in The Gambia.

A double wooden swing with the sea behind and palm trees on either side.
An 11 year old girl wearing a black bikini sits on the side of the pool facing away from the camera. At the other side of the pool are some sunbeams and palm trees.
The children's splash pool with a small toddler size slide in to the pool. Behind is a low yellow building and palm trees.

Internet

The hotel has wifi although we found it to be quite patchy at times, there were areas of the hotel or times of the day that the internet was better than others.

Safety

The hotel is enclosed with security on the main gate, however the area feels very safe.

Tipping

Be prepared to tip throughout your holiday, staff reply heavily on tips. There is a tip box in the restaurant for tips for the general staff and we left a tip at the end of our stay in our room for housekeeping. We also tipped staff who went above and beyond to look out for us. Somewhere between 100-200 Dalasi is appropriate for a one off tip.

Sunset over the sea with greenery in the foreground and boats in the distance.

Our thoughts

The hotel wasn’t at full capacity which I think was the after effects of Covid. Also due to the love tourist numbers some parts of the hotel are a little tired looking, they were spotlessly clean and comfortable but some areas weren’t being used or needed a bit of love. We still really enjoyed the hotel though and The Gambia. Our main aim for the holiday was some relaxation time and we definitely achieved that, it was lovely not to have to compete for sunbeds or queue for dinner.

The staff were all friendly and helpful and the hotel grounds and views are beautiful. It was a great base for seeing some of The Gambia and we would definitely return.

We visited in December 2023 when Pip was 11.

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