Our friends in The Gambia

07 September 2011 - Let's Talk Magazine - Derek James

Our friends in the Gambia
More winter sunshine hotspots are offering big and bold 5* all inclusive deals in large hotels but in the smallest mainland African country, small really is beautiful. Derek James reports from The Gambia.
There was a time when many people who visited The Gambia spent most of the time lying on the beach or around the pool with the occasional wander to the bar and the odd excursion into the “bush.” Local culture came from a visit to the hotel by dancers and musicians and a trip to the local market to stock up on African souvenirs. That’s fine but some of you may think that is a crying shame because outside the hotel there is a country which could change your life. Many visitors who did venture outside, meet and make friends with Gambians and discover their way of life, found their own lives taking on a new course. Yes of course there is poverty – this is Africa – but there is also laughter, lots of it, and Gambians are among the most friendly and welcoming people in the world.

The granddaddy of tourism to the Smiling Coast of West Africa is The Gambia Experience which has been sending people there for almost a quarter of a century. They have the biggest and best resort team, led so well by Joyce Stavroulakis, and offer more hotels than any other operator.

Earlier this year I visited the country to take a look at two new resorts on offer for the first time this season and called in at an old favourite. Three very different places to stay which illustrate how this country is reaching out to holidaymakers looking for more than just sun this winter. It may be a little land but it has a big heart.

NGALA LODGE
“Stop!” I said.
The taxi driver, who told me he knew “every inch of my land,” screeched to a halt.
He had been bowling along the coastal highway running towards Cape Point and had driven straight past the modest entrance to Ngala Lodge. It’s not often you get one over on a taxi driver, especially a Gambian one in his own country. “Just checking you knew where it was,” he laughed as we turned around. To be fair this isn’t a glitzy hotel with a flash entrance. It’s a colonial mansion which has been turned into a wonderfulplace to stay – and if you want to relax in stunning surroundings then this is the place for you. There is nowhere else quite like it. A smile and a handshake awaits you at reception and from then on, until the day of departure, they will look after your every need.
Most of the staff have been at the lodge for a long time and many of the guests who return every year, have become a good friends. Staying here is more like being a guest of a wealthy friend rather than staying in a hotel. It is discreet, intimate with a warm and welcoming atmosphere in a perfect position overlooking the mighty Atlantic Ocean. By day you can enjoy the gardens, the pool, or the beach and at night sit on your large balcony enjoying a drink and listening to the waves roll in. There are only 18 rooms. You can stay in one of the suites in the main lodge or in upgraded Manor or Atlantic rooms, with gardens and Jacuzzis. The working town of Bakau, a great place to visit and not spoilt by tourism, is
within walking distance. Oh, and I forget to say the restaurant at Ngala, overlooking the ocean, is one of
the best in the country. View the menus on www.Gambia.co.uk/ngalarestaurant

SITANUNKU LODGE
“Take the wheel,” said Marcel as the speed boat almost flew through the waters of the mighty River Gambia. I hadn’t got the heart to tell him I hadn’t even got a driving licence and hadn’t been behind the wheel of a car for more than 30 happy years. But I took the wheel and as we twisted and turned around the arteries of this great African river with the water spraying our faces, I was really stating to enjoy myself. I was on our way back to “civilisation” from an all-too-short visit to the Sitanunku Lodge, the first tourist lodge on the North Bank of the river most of tourism has turned its back on. The most many tourists see of this river is a day trip, such as Roots, but now you can stay in one of the five lodges built by Marcel and his team overlooking the river near Dog Island. This is thoughtful eco-friendly tourism involving the local community and it provides many of them with much needed work. The lodges themselves are a joy to stay in and you have the river on your doorstep. You can canoe or fish, go bird-watching or explore the local village. And there is a plunge pool with fabulousviews next to the bar and restaurant where the freshly cooked food is delicious.
Leave Gatwick in the morning and by early evening you could be sitting outside your lodge. It’s that close. Just an hour’s journey by road and boat from Banjul Airport, less than six hours from Gatwick. And it is extremely good value…for a holiday like no other head for Sitanunku.

OMAKAN HOTEL
Most tourist hotels overlook a beach which is fine if that is what you are looking for…but the Omakan, being offered for the first time by The Gambia Experience, is very different. As a guest here you will be surrounded by the real Africa well away from the coastal area packed with tourists. So much thought and care has gone into designing this small, first class hotel, which offers magnificent rooms and facilities. Once again the welcome by owner Peter and his staff is as warm as the weather. They will meet you at the airport and take you straight to the Omakan, in Sukuta, a place they are all so proud of. It is made up of 15 beautiful suites clustered around a swimming pool. It oozes style and sophistication. You will be staying a couple of miles inland but all around are the sights and sounds of Africa and the staff and the locals are only too pleased to show you their country, their customs and traditions. Be warned – it’s a way of life you could fall in love with and you know what that
means: you’ll be back.

FACTFILE
The Gambia Experience offers year round flights to the Gambia, with twice weekly departures from Gatwick during the winter enabling popular 10 and 11 night holidays – ideal for twin centre stays.
Prices for a seven night holiday staying at the luxury boutique hotel, Ngala Lodge cost from £982pp, based on two sharing an air-conditioned room on bed & breakfast, inclusive of flights and inflight meals, hotel transfers and airport taxes.
Prices for a three night add-on stay at Sitanunku Lodge will cost from £295pp or, for a three night add-on-stay at Omakan Hotel – prices cost from £199pp.
Both three night add-on packages include half board accommodation and hotel transfers. The company also offers other hotels to suit all tastes and pockets in The Gambia and neighbouring Senegal.
Visit www.gambia.co.uk or call 0845 330 4567.