Hotels Near Zam Zam 1 in Dakar

We chose this hotel due to reviews here and the location in Dakar. Having traveled in various African countries it sounded like a good deal. We arrived after busy working days in Senegal (for my wife) and Burkina Faso (for me) in the Oceanic. So we needed some calm and quiet and thought - since the hotel is away from the main streets - this would be alright. It was a Thursday night during the Football World Cup 2022 - we would have expected some noise, but since all the games had ended at 21:00 - the night should be calm and quiet. We had some food outside and arrived for the night at about 23:00 with a tremendous noise. - ”oh, it's just the neighbours, they will stop at midnight” - that's what we were told at the reception - this happens every Thursday - apparently. Now if you check my pictures - you can see there is absolutely no noise canceling in the rooms - neither the door, nor the window keeps even a whisper outside - but especially no bass from a 200.000W Karaoke machine. So - incredible noise until about 00:15 - then slowly but steadily the noise went ... We were told this only happens on Thursday - so we left Dakar on Saturday for a tour and decided to give the hotel another go for two nights on our return to Dakar before we headed back home. Big mistake. We arrived back on a Tuesday about a week later. After a long trip all through Senegal - again - for some quiet winding down. And then it started - Tuesday night - Metallica in your room - I am serious - even if I raised my computer volume or the TV volume to the max - no way it could be louder than the noise that entered from the neighbours. Incredible. 22.00 - the receptionist went over to the restaurant and asked them to turn the music down - result: the music volume in the room went down from Metallica, let's say to Johnny Hallyday. So I went down again at 23.00 and asked the reception to go over there again, to call the owner, the police or to find us another room. Now the nigh**are starts. The receptionist was repectless and told me to find a new hotel - if I am not happy with my room and the noise. He will not call the police - and the owner already called the neighbours - everyone helpless - as we found out. I stayed at the reception until 00.15 - the music was still going strong - we were offered nothing - they were helpless and the receptionist rude (he never came back to say he was sorry, neither did the owner encourage that - since we met him again the following night - he barely looked at me). The next morning the owner of the hotel came to explain to us, that there is a political issue and that he can not do anything about the noise. The police will not do anything (that is what he was telling us) that's why he will never call them. Well - if you never try, you never know, as Coldplay said. He told us that they had an agreement, that there will only be noise on Thursdays - we saw how that agreement worked out... And what an agreement that is - I guess that should be

I have been to this hotel a few times. The last experience was the worst. I came to this hotel from long way and despite availability, reception asked 80 usd extra for 2 people for 1 or 2 hours earlier check in which i have never came across with something like this considering my big hotel experience. The only good receptionist was Mr ABASSY, he is so sacrificing worker. Safety box was not working and to change the room he came by himself to help me. Also when i was restaurant the waiter insisted to pay at the table but Mr Abassy accepted to put in room bill and we paid for befor check out. The workers there are not aware that they are selling service… Strange attitudes… food at breakfast buffet finished but they dont follow well to bring new food again. waiting waiting… the hotel group must chech these things otherwise customers will move to other hotels i believe… Je suis allé dans cet hôtel plusieurs fois. La dernière expérience a été la pire. Je suis venu dans cet hôtel de loin et malgré la disponibilité, la réception a demandé 80 USD de plus pour 2 personnes pour 1 ou 2 heures d'enregistrement plus tôt, ce que je n'ai jamais rencontré quelque chose comme ça compte tenu de mon expérience dans un grand hôtel. Le seul bon réceptionniste était M. ABASY, il se sacrifie tellement. Le coffre-fort ne fonctionnait pas et pour changer de chambre, il est venu seul m'aider. De plus, quand j'étais au restaurant, le serveur a insisté pour payer à table mais M. Abassy a accepté de mettre la facture de la chambre et nous avons payé avant le départ. Les travailleurs là-bas ne savent pas qu'ils vendent du service… Des attitudes étranges… la nourriture au buffet du petit-déjeuner est terminée mais ils ne suivent pas bien pour apporter à nouveau de la nouvelle nourriture. attendre attendre… le groupe hôtelier doit vérifier ces choses sinon les clients déménageront vers d'autres hôtels je crois…

Ibis is much better than the local hotel at the same price, sharing a small courtyard and a garden with Novotel. Can choose the sea view room, very quiet, recommended.

I had a problem with my visa when arriving at the airport so I was not able to left the customs/airport and I informed the hotel, and they refused to help me to cancel the reservation which was just for 1 night due to connecting flights. Then no support for the customers so will not consider this hotel for other occassiobs

The reception building is above the ground, the guest rooms are below the ground, and the sea view room is developed on the cliff. There are airport buses that run every 2 hours. But it's not free. One bus costs 20,000 West African CFA francs, and the other 35,000. We leave at 5 o'clock and drive to the international airport for one hour. I don't know how much it costs to get to the airport. Turn right out of the gate 100 meters and there is a shopping center with a market operation inside, and there are boxed lunches and grilled chicken for sale.

This is the second time staying at this hotel , it’s a good clean place to stay with a certain charm . I think it’s run by a French family. Convenient location and a nice restaurant on the roof for dinners, I highly recommend this place

Lovely hotel and facilities are wonderful. Rooms very comfortable with great beds and good showers. Nice amenities too... robes, slippers, etc. One disappointment was the inconsistency in the service we received. For instance, went to the restaurant in the hotel. No one stopped by our table for about 20 minutes, and finally we flagged someone and ordered drinks to start. 40 minutes later, we still had not gotten our drinks - so we left the restaurant and instead went upstairs to the lounge. Service was excellent there. Another example, the pool is open until 8 p.m., but found it impossible to get a towel at 5:30 p.m. Just a bit disappointing for a 5-star resort.

Great location, very clean and professional. Employees are also super friendly. I would suggest to the managers to developp a ”culture” of tips (ei; puting an envelopp in the rooms so clients can show their appréciation of the cleaning, add the option for tips in the interac machines used at the restaurant on the fort floor,etc.) so the employees get increased working conditions.

I was skeptical at first after reading the bad reviews/comments. But this hotel surprised me! I stayed on the 3rd floor, in one of the renovated rooms. Shower was great, (after i figured out how to close the door!). Toilets are equipped with a bidet, hairdryer, iron and toiletries available (shower gel, shampoo, lotion - not the greatest quality though). Though there is a language barrier, the staff are friendly, and super helpful. Few minor issues: (1) Intermittent wifi connectivity on the 3rd floor (consider purchasing an esim, I purchased from Airalo). (2) ATM did not work for a few days. (3) traffic is a nightmare. Regarding the traffic (seems like a general dakar issue), Blaise Diagne International Airport, is about 60km away, however the trip to the hotel took 2+ hours. Plan activities and travel with this in mind!