2 week stay
Just arrived back from a 2 week stay at the Holiday Beach Cub this was our third visit to Gambia but our first time at the Holiday Beach Club.
I was a little apprehensive as it is classed as a 2 star hotel, but I had no need to worry,
It passed our 4 point check list
1) Is it clean? Our room 105 was kept spotless by our wonderful cleaning lady Fatima, with clean towels every day.
2) Comfortable bed? Our room had 2 double beds which were really comfortable,and the bedding was changed every other day.
3) Good shower? The shower was great and the water always hot.
4) Good location? The entrance to the Hotel is right on the strip where all the restaurants are on one side and right on the beach on the other.
So it passed all 4 points on our check list.
Of course it didn’t have everything a 4 star hotel has but so long as you are aware of this it’s not a problem, no pool towels, no toiletries in bathroom, only a couple of plugs in the room, no tv or coffee making facilities.
The staff make up for all this they are all fantastic and can’t do enough for you, from security on the main gate with Cede and Sainie, to the breakfast and beach bar girls Dadou and Kaddy, the WiFi man Lamin and the reception man Alagie, and not forgetting our wonderful lifeguard Abdoulie Ndene who helped make our stay extra special , so much so that we have already booked to go back again on 3rd February 2020.
The Manager was always in attendance to ensure the smooth running of everything.
Almost forgot to mention the wonderful gardens and pool.
Thank you everyone, see you next year.

Two weeks in the sun
My wife and I have just recently returned from 2 weeks at the Holiday Beach Hotel. This was our first trip to The Gambia and had such a good time at the Hotel, that we have booked to come back again next March but this time for 4 weeks. We stayed in the standard accommodation, which was very impressive, but this time we have chosen to stay in a superior room, due to the length of stay. The superior room are slightly larger. We stayed in room 108 which was directly opposite the swimming pool, with the gardens in the middle. The gardens are absolutely beautiful with a lot of time and effort going into their upkeep. The bar and restaurant are very reasonably priced, although the food can be quite slow arriving on occasions. If you like your premiership football then the bar is the place to be be, with all live games shown and FA Cup games on BBC. If you fancy going out for a drink or a meal then just out of the main gate is a wonderland of bars and eateries.
We took lots of colouring books which we we divided into 4 pages and put them into plastic inserts along with 4 or 5 pencil crayons along with lollipops and gave them out to the children on the main drag. Watching their little faces light up was incredible. The people don't have a lot but they always have a smile. So if you can spare anything, they will be very great full.
We would like to say a big thank you to all of the staff and gardeners who do a terrific job and a special thank you to our cleaner Fatima, and God willing will see you all next year

Lovely hotel
Having visited The Gambia many times before, never this accommodation, I booked this Hotel as it was such a good deal. We were so pleasantly surprised. The whole package was wonderful. Rooms-spacious, clean and hot water every day. Pool area- superbly maintained & clean, plenty of sunbeds. Grounds-immaculately tended by the gardening staff. Restaurant-basic but sufficient breakfasts. Lunchtime snacks reasonably priced and of very good quality. Beer- as always cold & plentiful.
We had such a good time, for the first time ever, we have booked to return again next year to the same place. Thank you to all staff for a wonderful holiday.

Wedding Celebrations and honeymoon here!!
Lamin Jarbang and Arnab Banerjee (Managers) were absolutely amazing throughout our stay. They catered for our every need. I will go through the stay step by step, and include my wedding reception details that I had here.
On arrival was pleasantly surprised by tranquil and beautiful scenery. Staff all helped us to our room. The rooms are basic, but clean. The cleaners work so hard to make your room look tidy every day. The beds are very comfortable, and the patio overlooked beautiful gardens with a glimpse of the pool.
Breakfast was basic, but enough to satisfy you. There was a continental table with cheese on, some cornflakes, pancakes, eggs and sausages. There was bread and chocolate spread for the children. Fruit juices were freely available along with tea and coffee. The staff at the front and in the kitchen made the experience better with their lovely smiles and excellent service.

Loved it for 15 years
We have been staying at this hotel for 15 years now, for two weeks in March and November, absolutely love the hotel and staff, the rooms are very clean and although basic, we only need a shower and a bed, Sarah and the lads at reception are great and then David and malang do a great job keeping the pool clean and providing beds for everyone, my friends at the bars Amidou, Sainey, Dembo, Fatima and all the waiters, the restaurant guys aidy, Lamin, ensa and of course the chefs all do a fantastic job and the food is beautiful, all the gardeners and cleaners are so hard working keeping this place looking amazing too, the new management seem to be going the right way to making this place even better, so just wanted to let you know that you have a great bunch of people working for you and we will see you all in November. Daz, Marie, and Gambian Dave.

Friendliest hotel in Gambia
We absolutely love this hotel - basic but super clean and lovely lovely staff and pool area - wouldn't stay anywhere else - booking again for on 20th stay in this hotel- it's down the track away from the strip and has its own beach and is within walking distance to the many restaurants - Love the bungalows around the pool - all in a lovely setting - can't wait to be back - thank you everyone and miss you all xxxx

Much Needed Break & Sunshine
This is the 3rd time we have been to Holiday beach, staff are all lovely, much more relaxed under new management, good to see. Our cleaner Awa is absolutely first class. Lamin who never stops sweeping and carries your bags. Maria (Sainabou) in the craft shop nearest the hotel office is a really nice person & will make you shorts, t shirts etc, she also has some wonderful gifts to take home and their is no hassle like the craft market.
Entertainment was much better this visit - Abraham is great fun and enjoys his job, all the best ‘crazy boy’ hope i have his name right. Exchange rate better than before, so no need to go onto the strip now, 63 delasi to the £ this time. The meals are better priced and in the main good, however the chicken Yassa upset my tum this visit - it hasn’t before!

9th Stay at HBC and the best one yet!
The management has changed and you can tell, and it has made a huge difference. The prices for food have been lowered on site, and are now in line with other places on the strip and the food is really nice. Breakfast has been improved with the option to have either a boiled egg or an omelette. The rate of exchange is the same at reception as on the strip which means you do not have to carry money around as can change onsite and keep secure in the safety deposit box. All of the staff are much happier and as always are extremely pleasant and friendly. We were able to have a hot shower every day with fully running water which was a first! We would not choose to stay at any other hotel - this feels like home to us, and it might not be to everyone's taste and yes, there are still improvements which could be made, but the small steps taken so far have made a big difference. Renewing the doors in the 300 block should be a priority as they are a bit of a nightmare. Can't wait to return in 2019!

Good value in good location
Room 312 in excellent location right next to beach but a bit noisy early morning as staff arrive for work.. Basic room but all you need and very clean thanks to Kaddi who couldn't do enough to make sure you are happy with the cleaning. New towel every day etc. Really good shower with plenty of hot water and pressure but not sure about wet room idea. There is on going work on the beach to stop the erosion but noise and disruption is minimal. The bar and restaurant are good . Breakfast was adaquate and seems to have improved from earlier reviews. Don't expect a lavish spread but enough to start the day. Didn't use restaurant on an evening so can't comment. Only problem I would say is with reception staff and security who seem more intent on telling you about their hardships to get money out of you than doing their jobs, but that is Gambia. The hotel is well situated for the Strip and Senegambia beach and would recommend.

Great holiday
We returned to the holiday beach again after only having 3 days last year. Not disappointed at all staff are Great, friendly and very helpful. Under New management also and the improvement can be seen, same exchange rate as the strip, breakfast is still very basic but is edible. They also serve food throughout the day and evening which is very reasonable and good. The groundstaff keep the garden area very clean and tidy and lovely Noah the gardener gave me a lovely coconut which was Devine and he also broke it up for me amazing fresh coconut. Lamin the maintenance guy was fantastic and even took time on his day off to go golfing with my partner which by the way he didn't expect to be given money for he made our holiday very memorable The new manager frequently walks round the hotel and is very approachable and friendly and you can see he will make improvements. Thanks for a lovely holiday and will definitely be coming back hopefully later this year or early next year.

Great Hotel
My first time staying here but my dad and mate had stayed before. I loved the hotel and the staff were very friendly. I've made a video on YouTube which shows the hotel and The Gambia in - search hollieingramx. See you again later this year.

First time in Gambia
We have just returned from a 7 night stay at Holiday Beach Club Hotel 27th Dec until 4th Jan; this was out first stay in Gambia. We booked this hotel after reading our fellow trip advisors reviews and we were not disappointed. Weather was hot!! 33 degrees! Upon arriving we were greeted by porters who were happy to take our luggage, we received a warm welcome from reception staff. We were shown to block/room A1 which we found out was the local council block!! We were on the end which meant the room was in full sun all day and the room was sweltering, luckily we hired a fan which was a god send, we even slept with it on. Only downside was there was only 2 electric sockets so I'd recommend taking a small extension lead that would have solved this problem. Yes we had lizards, monkeys and birds disturbing the peace but what do you expect it's Gambia!! We explored the surroundings and it is stunning in fact I did think we had been dropped off at the wrong place, the gardens were maintained to a high standard we thoroughly appreciated how lovely the views of flowers/trees were every day! We chose the beach every day just for the breeze! Sun bed man could be a bit more friendly, and I can relate to some other reviews who comment on some friendly staff but also so unfriendly. I agree with other reviews breakfast was not good, again most staff miserable (they were a few exceptions) and yes us brits were miserable at breakfast too!! Ask for a soft boiled egg and you get solid yolk, bread was soft but we gave it a miss. Ladies please note!! The hotel and most places are sand/dirt tracks and will ruin your shoes. Definitely not a heels and dress place, I took lots of long dresses and heels but could not have worn them. The sand in places is terracotta colour, or shingles, my feet are still stained now! I wish I had known this!! We ate at GTS (out the hotel turn right) cocktails are good value BOGOF 12pm -7pm. There are lots of lovely places to eat you'll not struggle to find something for everyone! Out and about I wish we had been more forceful with "no thank you" to locals initially - but this comes in time. This is a very poor country and you have to respect why some people will ask for money who can blame them. The 'strip' was on New Years Eve very overwhelming and we should have stayed in our hotel (there was free food etc but we were not aware think due to our room being away from main part). Hotels have to do this as it bar lady said it is not safe for tourists to go out . Nothing bad happened it was just very, very busy with local Gambian people and we were told petty thieves/criminals travel just to come to the strip on NYE to steal from us tourists. (We were informed this year was the worst). We ate out every night and struggled to spend £40 a day! Local bottle of beer approx 50p, food relatively cheap too. We thoroughly recommend this hotel, Kololi in Gambia. We are definitely returning next year!

Lovely grounds and staff
Three of us visited over Christmas for two weeks. The grounds are very well kept. Beautiful gardens, beach area and clean pool. The sun beds are wooden with a proper mat on them so much comfier than the horrible plastic ones at some hotels. The rooms were basic but I wasn’t expecting much so it did not bother me. Wardrobe, dressing table (kind of), two double beds (that were surprisingly comfy), bed side table and some balcony chairs. Bathrooms definitely need an update though! The food is alright. Breakfast is disappointing. Slices of baguette, bananas, watermelon, jams and cheese.... everyyyy day. Would be nice to have something different like other types of cheeses, some sliced meats or different fruits. The food menu itself is good though! Reasonable pricing and cooked well. The hotel staff were really nice! Very helpful and couldn’t do enough for you. Everyone said hello on passing and seemed happy to help. The Gambia itself is lovely. Definitely recommend visiting the monkey park, crocodiles, markets etc. Loads of wildlife about and it is a real eye opener Unfortunately the bumsters ruin the experience though as it feels you cannot even pop to the shop without being stopped at least five times. They actually have licences to pest, who’d have thought you can be professional pesterer!