Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort

I liked staying here. Very scenic, unrushed and the staff are friendly and attentive. My room was spacious and quiet. With firm bed and pillows I was able to get a decent sleep. The hotel is next to Cape Point Beach so it was nice to go out and interact with the locals. The hot water wasn't that hot though. All in all I would stay here again if back in The Gambia.

I need to find better

Third visit to The Gambia and third hotel we have tried. A very nice hotel and we enjoyed our stay but the experience is spoiled by its over- use of plastic which is unusual in this day and age. Thousands of small plastic water bottles issued every day: get water dispensers for guests to refill bottle (if a problem as not all guests AI, put behind bar) Every cocktail gets 1 or 2 plastic straws and a plastic stirrer: use paper straws, wood stirrers. Tiny plastic shower and shampoo bottles: put dispensers on wall and refill, cheaper for hotel and a lot more environmentally friendly. We had a seaview ground floor room which was spacious, clean and comfy. Plenty of storage in bedroom, hostess tray, fridge, free safe etc, furnished terrace. The bathroom was badly designed: a corner shower which involved partly climbing over the toilet to access, absolutely no storage for wash bags and no hooks. Would not be difficult to retro fit these. The shower was always hot but the shower head was not secure and kept falling forward; reported but nothing done. The dining area had inside and outside areas, generally too hot for lunch outside as no shade but more tables moved out in the evening if you asked to be outside. A good selection of food at all meals but we did find things weren't always topped up when emptied. We also found all dishes to be quite spicy compared with the other 2 hotels we stayed at. Service was good and tables cleared efficiently. You can order coffee at the table after the meal which was nice. In the evening the entertainment was visible from the dining area. We didn't use the pool, preferring to go to the beach, but there didn't seem to be many sunbeds for size of hotel. The beach and sea are lovely. Plenty of sunbeds and shade and the lovely beach boys bring beds and towels (please remember to tip everytime). There is a beach bar for drinks and snacks. There are 3 delightful beach dogs who come and sit very politely when you arrive to see if you have any food. Please give them a fuss and feed them; they take the food very gently and wait their turn: no arguing or fighting. They also appreciate a tub of water if none has been left for them. The grounds of the hotel are landscaped and well kept with a variety of birds and an occasional monkey. The spa is excellent value, get your pedicure and toe nails varnished the day you arrive for 750 dalasi. The staff are all very friendly and work hard, they need tips so they can pay bills all year as the season is only 6 months so please tip daily and generously. They all go back to their villages after their shift so need cash daily. Thankyou to all staff for ensuring that we had a very enjoyable and relaxing week.

We had originally booked another hotel with the tour operator but in the last month of departure the reviews went terrible. So we arrived at Ocean Bay in the early hrs and from the very arrival the staff were so friendly and for the 2 weeks we were here all the staff were so friendly and helpful. The room we had was clean towels replaced daily, bedding replaced every other day. It was reasonably quiet when we were here so plenty of beds by the pool or by the beach. Towels and mattresses are placed by the pool staff. The food is good. this is the only place I have had proper bacon in the morning and not the streaky stuff. Evening meals are also good and plenty of fish. Barbecue once a week and again the food was to a high standard. food hygiene, all salads and cold food is covered in clingfilm just to help although there aren't many flies. It's worth noting that every evening there is one British pudding, bread and butter, apple crumble, apple pie etc with custard, which I think is nice. Cash is king! Delasi is only available in country. The alcoholic drinks on the all inclusive package are okish, but you can always buy beers or wines and spirits. There is a cash machine outside which works on most days, or if you have euros or pounds there is a "Mr Fix it" outside which has a good exchange rate. We used the spa a few times. Mrs had her nails done and loved the service. I had a massage and my feet sorted. Remember, this is an extremely poor country and outside the hotel is an experience that many may not wish to experience. Tips for staff are optional but you always do help . Please feel free to message if any more info is required.

Great hotel 🤩 Rooms are very clean & comfortable nice decor fridge in room good size wardrobe. The staff are all really friendly & helpful. Nice breakfast lots of choice Beautifully kept gardens & pool area. There are tour guides outside the hotel I recommend using them (G boy) was a fantastic guide with so much knowledge of the area he looked after us all week

Just back from 2 weeks at Ocean Bay, The Gambia. Booked with Gambia Experience and the arrangements they control were faultless. Local rep was good and transit through Banjul airport was greatly improved since last time. Food was plentiful and varied, much as expected. Anyone wanting eg camomile or green teas needs to take their own teabags as they seem not to exist locally. Staff were excellent although the hotel needs to look at staffing levels. At breakfast and dinner peaks waiters were run off their feet and unable to cope with demand. But unfailingly cheerful. Plenty of sunbeds and shades. The animation team worked hard to provide activities in and around the pool and there was entertainment on the stage each evening. De-luxe seaview rooms were clean and spacious, as it said on the tin. But… We had hot water after 5pm and before 10am on only a handful of our 14 days. 4 visits to reception achieved nothing – not even a communication. I find this totally unacceptable, even budget hotels – and this was not budget pricing – provide all-day hot water. Someone needs to get their act together – here are 2 couples unlikely to risk this hotel again.