No Sex Please We're British...True or False

Advantages: Economical package tours, all that you would expect from Africa
Disadvantages: Not that many attractions and may get boring after a time

...always gone there individually. The Gambia has so much to offer all year round from its unsophisticated charm, miles of deserted palm-fringed beaches, tropical gardens and nature reserves to quality hotels, craft markets, interesting excursions and some of the most friendliest people on earth Even if you were to go individually i.e. not as part of a package tour, you would still get a lovely 4 Star hotel for around £25.00 – £30.00 a night. Make sure that you book your hotel well in advance especially during peak season. There are many interesting places to visit in and around Banjul and some of these are: Paradise Beach – This is a three hour drive from Banjul and the drive is a pretty bumpy one. This is as the name implies, a paradise beach and consists of miles and miles of barely touched white sand and picture...

vinodgm 11.10.2001 · Read review
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Review of Banjul (Gambia)

Happy days in Banjul

Advantages: Quiet location
Disadvantages: No nightlife outside hotel

...Having decided on The Gambia for our winter sun holiday, we chose the Corinthia Atlantic Hotel in Banjul for its location away from the more crowded beach resorts along the Atlantic coast in spite of some rather negative reviews we had read. First impression was one of drab brown, beige and dark corridors and a similarly dated room with cigarette burned curtains sagging from missing curtain hooks, brown bedspreads and brown floor tiles. Everywhere was dark from too small energy saving light bulbs. The bathroom was rather dated, and evidently the Gambians are not great at tiling and grouting. However, having said that, the overall atmosphere at the hotel was friendly and easygoing, it was spotlessly clean, and after a day we never noticed any of it again. The staff was so extremely friendly and smiling and did everything possible to...

viggono2 21.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Corinthia Atlantic Hotel, Banjul

My guide to The Gambia

Advantages: Surf, sunshine, great people
Disadvantages: Mosquitos

..., Manchester and Glasgow). We stayed in a 3 star hotel on a Bed and Breakfast basis, which cost us approx £520.00 for the fortnight. I think this is very reasonable for a two week holiday. Almost everyone I spoke to before we went, assumed that The Gambia was going to be very expensive. At this point I would say, that I wouldn't recommend anyone thinking of travelling to The Gambia, to go on an all-inclusive basis, which many of the hotels are now offering. As a rule, you can eat out for cheaper and of a better quality. You land at Banjul International Airport, which it quite an experience in itself. You need to remember to have at the ready, one crisp £5 note per person, which is your airport tax. Its a small airport but it is filled with hussle and bussle. Tthere were locals very eager to take your case from the baggage carousel through...

kez17 14.03.2004 (27.09.2004) · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

THE GAMBIA - memories that stick.

Advantages: Holidays to suit everyone.
Disadvantages: Cost.

...by the Africans, and was an amusement to me. Having got our bags loaded into a bus that looked like it had seen better days, we were escorted to our hotel, and the lady bus driver gave us a description of life in the Gambia. What she was really saying was "chill out folks. Life here is slow". Arriving at the hotel, we were amazed by the temperature. It was the kind of weather to be wearing shorts at 11 at night. We put the kids to bed, and were pleased to note that there was a club for children for activities during the day, and so would have some time alone. The choice of things to do in the Gambia are amazing, and we took a trip into the Bush, and travelled by boat through the mangroves. There was a man on the boat that cooked for us, and it was basically bananas with a hot sticky coat of something that ressembled toffee. They...

thingywhatsit 14.02.2004 (01.03.2004) · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

The Gambia Experience

Advantages: Beautiful scenery, cheap food.
Disadvantages: Some hassle from locals although most tend to be really nice

...For years I have wanted to visit the Gambia but my husband was reluctant to go as the people had a bad reputation for harassing tourists. We had read on the internet that, in some areas, it wasn’t advisable to leave your hotel. This made me a bit wary as well because, when I visit a country I like to explore it, meet the locals and try the various foods. I decided to give Gambia Experience a call. They have been specialising in the Gambia for years and have recently started flying out of Glasgow, which made it even more appealing to me. The girl I spoke to was more than happy to advise me on the liveliest areas to stay in – we didn’t want to eat in the hotel all the time and were keen to visit an area with lots of bars and restaurants within walking distance. We were advised to stay in the Kololi area so we...

rustifer 21.04.2004 · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

Gambia 'The Smiling Coast'

Advantages: Sunshine, Mid-haul flight, Everyone happy and helpful
Disadvantages: Friendship is not free!

...I visited The Gambia in April 2008 and must admit I had mixed feelings when I returned. Looking back now, we did have an amazing holiday, but I will admit it was far from a relaxing experience!... however we did come home with some great memories. I had read all the reviews and was prepared for the friendliness of the locals - after all they call it the 'Smiling Coast'. Everyone is friendly, wants to show you around, take you to their home. Even when you have a bit of a tan you will get approached constantly when you are outside your hotel - predominately by the local 'bumsters', who are unemployed young Gambian men eager to earn some money by showing you around and some can be very very pushy. However, we did befriend a local and this in many ways made our holiday a lot more interesting and easier. Accompanied with a well chosen...

flamegirl75 07.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

Definitely not worth four stars!

Advantages: Good swimming pool, rooms very clean, air conditioning
Disadvantages: Location, reception staff, hidden costs.

...The Corinthia Atlantic Hotel in Banjul is advertised as a four star hotel but I would not rate it at above 3 stars. It is located right on the beach as many of the hotels are in Gambia - be aware that this is a man made beach that will apparently disappear into the sea in the next 20 years unless they build a new one! The hotel has over 200 rooms and 4 suites so I can imagine that it can get very busy in the peak season months. We visited in August which is low season - due to it being "wet season". Indeed we were very lucky with the weather it was hot and sunny most days but there were a couple of amazing thunderstorms. We booked our hotel through the Gambia Experience on Expedia as 4* allocated on arrival and here is the first gripe -all 4* allocated on arrival bookings go to the Corinthia Atlantic so there is no chance that...

honey000 25.09.2006 · Read review
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Review of Corinthia Atlantic Hotel, Banjul

The Strand Palace Hotel

Advantages: Central location, clean
Disadvantages: Food, rooms

...We stayed at this hotel in London a little over a month ago now for two nights, we chose this hotel mainly because of the central location and because it was only a ten minuite walk from the show we had booked to go too. Check in was very quick - About ten minuites and the staff at the reception seemed very friendly. My first thoughts on the hotel was that it looked really clean and that it was nicely decorated and it looked modern. I was a little dissapointed with our room as it was very small and basic, our room had a double bed, tea and coffee making facilities, a tv with satellite and a small, basic en suite bathroom with a shower. The views from our room very very poor - A block of offices which made our room dark as they were so close. The hotel has two bars and two resturaunts, the bars were again nicely decorated...

kate44 03.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Strand Palace Hotel, London

Hotel International

Advantages: Location, breakfasts
Disadvantages: Poor rooms

...I recently went on a cultural girlie trip with a friend to Paris. I was left to do all the booking. I was looking for a reasonable hotel, near a metro stop, which included breakfast. I came across the Hotel International on various travel sites and it seemed fairly highly rated so I booked us in for three nights. LOCATION: The hotel is located 6 Rue Auguste Barbier in the 11th Arrondissement. The nearest Metro stop is Garcourt which was a two minute walk away and it was a five minute walk to Republique which gives good links to other lines. It's not really central enough to avoid the Metro and walk to the attractions but it was located so close to a stop that it seemed ideal. PRICE: Prices vary depending on size of room and season. There are singles, doubles and triples available. We paid Euro254 for the whole time...

tartlette83 17.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Hotel International, Paris

sachas hotel

Advantages: good price,great location
Disadvantages: no window

...****Sachas hotel- Manchester**** I booked this hotel last minute as i had a job interview in Manchester and needed somewhere quite cheap ,that was also near the centre. **Location/Getting there** This hotel is located in Tibb street which is a 2 minute walk from Piccadily Gardens or 10 minutes away from Chorlton street bus station.The Train station is a little bit further away say maybe a twenty minute walk but i don't think that this is that bad .You can also get a tram from Piccadily gardens and this goes to quite a few places.You could also get a taxi to the hotel but i am not sure what parking is like if you were to take your own car. **Reception/staff** Since i had never been to Manchester before i phoned and asked the staff for directions -they were very nice and helped me out.When i got there i think i got the same...

katie22008m 04.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of Britannia Sachas Hotel, Manchester