Palm Beach Hotel
, Kotu
Palm Beach Hotel reviews
4 readers found this review helpful
Palm Beach Hotel, Kotu Stream, The Gambia
16th-30th August 2011
The hotel is set in a beautiful beachfront location next to Kotu stream and wetlands. Most of the staff a very kind and helpful, but that's about the only good thing we have to say about this hotel.
After spending two weeks here, we would not recommend it to anyone. I'm pretty certain that if this hotel was in Europe it would have been condemned and closed years ago.
On our first evening, the shower controller fell off, promptly followed by the both of the shower screens, the florescent light had bare wires hanging out of it and this was topped off by there being no hot water. When we tried to leave the room we found that the door lock was jammed and we ended up having to climb out of the window to alert reception to our problems.
This was just the start... The facilities here are outdated, inadequate and extremely unsafe in some cases. The management (a rasta called Bax and a moody Dutch woman) have no customer service skills and have no interest in maintaining any standards. Lighting around the grounds is limited and unreliable and the are live electric cables all over the place. The A/C is also unreliable even though you pay extra for it, as you do if you want a fridge or any other basic facility.
Whilst we were there another English lady ended up having 32 stitches in her ankle! Her apartment door shattered when she closed it (not made of safety glass). The management complained about her because she made a mess and got blood on the floor. The first aid box was locked in a safe and the person with the key was out. Eventually a taxi was organised to take her to hospital and she was expected to pay for this herself. The management showed no interest in her well-being, but presented her with a bill for some water they had given her.
The people who own and run this place should be ashamed of themselves. NEVER again!
- Holiday Date:Aug 2011
- Good For: Beach
- Board Basis:Breakfast Included
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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1 reader found this review helpful
This proved to be the best holiday experience of my life. Having read the reviews prior to committing to booking at this hotel, I was in essence, relieved that the hotel was not as bad as some of the comments I read. The room I initially stayed in had water leaking from one of the pipes in the bedroom so I requested to change my room which was granted the following day to a much pleasanter room.
The Indian management were more preoccupied with efficiency and economic savings by compromising in providing insufficient breakfast. The food often ran out and whatever remaining food was left was served either luke warm or cold.
The overall hygiene of the hotel was fairly good although lacking in repair and painting. Most of my seven days stay I only had the luxury of two clean towels. I quickly learn not to complain once I realise that the female staff often laboured over a tub by washing linen by hand.
The staff as a whole were so warm and friendly and this credited my holiday experience tremendously. Both staff around the hotel complex and at the beach restaurant Kunte Kinteh aimed to please without necessarily wanting or expecting anything in return. I learned so much about Gambian culture and custom through engaging with staff and local people outside the complex.
If you have an open mind and realise that this is a two star hotel in a developing country and determine to make your holiday a success then its worth considering. If not, then there are greater choices elsewhere in the Gambia.
My holiday was absolutely fantastic that no five star hotel can guarantee. Its what you make of your holiday that really counts!!!!!
This holiday most definitely exceeded my expectations
- Holiday Date:Feb 2011
- Advice: sufficient breakfast, better standard rooms and hotel refurbishment.
- Good For: Beach
- Board Basis:Breakfast Included
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
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7 readers found this review helpful
my partner and I have not long returned from the palm beach, and let's just say I can't wait to go again, we're thinking november. All we wanted was a holiday to get away from the terrible weather we were having, we wanted to sit by a beach all day and go and find a nice restarurant in the evening, so this hotel was perfect. There was no racing to get a sunbed, everyone was so helpful and very very friendly. We went bed and breakfast, there's no point going half board as there's a few restaurants on the beach. Breakfast is pretty basic and the rooms are basic also, but you only need a room to change, shower and sleep in! so for what it was it was perfect. I've recommended Gambia to so many people. My partner and I plan on visiting twice a year from now on. It was less than a 6 hour flight to get there. You don't feel like a cow in a cattle mart like in spain or turkey as the hotel is small, it was so relaxing. I met a few people who were complaning about the whole holiday to me whilst we were there but my partner told me to ignore them, as they were all comparing their previous holidays which were 4 and 5 star holidays to this 2 star. If your open minded (and not a snob) then you'll thouroughly enjoy this holiday, i really really loved it and can't wait to go again. Also I hardly saw a mosquito, I mean not 1, but still use insect repellant, better safe than sorry.
- Holiday Date:Mar 2010
- Advice: tranquil holiday, no rushing, hotel not overly busy, just great
- Good For: Beach
- Board Basis:Breakfast Included
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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3 readers found this review helpful
Hotel leaves a lot to be desired,but it it was clean, the food was very limited,and badly prepared,payed for half board but only ate there once.The staff were very friendly and helpful.
Just outside the hotel is a couple of beach bars,kunta kintas , and raymonds both very good but you have to go to the BBQ at Raymonds on wednesdays fantastic.
- Holiday Date:Feb 2010
- Advice: loved kotu,hotel have doubts
- Good For: Beach
- Board Basis:Breakfast Included
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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13 readers found this review helpful
My husband and i have just returned from this hotel in Gambia. Once you have got over the shock of how basic everything is over there ( could only flush loo by lifting lid on cistern and pulling ! ) then it is fine ! The staff are very friendly and are not all after tips as you may think at first they just want to chat , find out about your life back home and make sure you enjoy your time there. The food here was ok but we are never ones to stay and eat at the hotel so we went to other resturants nearby. I would recommend Saliors, the food here was brilliant and although a 15 min walk on the dark roads is not the best way to get there the local taxis will take you there, wait for you for a couple of hours ,then take you home again for the princely sum of about 200 dalasis which is approx £7 ! We had one meal at one of the bigger ' posh ' hotels nearby and it was the worst meal and service we experienced of the whole holiday! I would love to go again and would still rather go back to the ' basics ' of palm beach than any of the other places i saw.
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
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7 readers found this review helpful
we went as a family party of 7 the hotel was fab the pool area was lovely but only a certain area had sun all day staff were very friendly and accomododating polite helpful and pleasent i would class this as a 2 star plus but the food was of excellant quality always freshly cooked and fabulously tasting dont rely on entertainment but there is plenty going on outside the hotel. try and get a reliable local guide from the hotel if you want excursions rather than with tour operator as it is chaeper and you are not tied to a timetable. the animation team were fab and would accompany you out in the evenings so you wouldnt get hassled, found you the cheapest taxis and did not expect any payment. the towels were not sufficient so you need to take extra and the only bad point was the toilets were not clean, purchase cleaning things and do it yourself. the food was very limited but of high standard. we are definately going back but on a bed and breakfast basis so we can eat out more.
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
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We booked this holiday last minute and have never been to The Gambia before. We were slightly apprehensive as some reviews are very harsh.
We enjoyed every second!
-Cleanliness- The hotel is kept absolutely spotless at all times- which in Africa isn't the easiest!
-The room- Basic but so clean and functional. We stayed in block A which is close to the entertainment and often includes African drumming so if you want a peaceful night try to stay in block C were it is very quiet. However for us this was great as we wanted to be involved or were often out in the evenings.The room has a little balcony which we sat on every evening before the nights activities.
-The Food- Excellent, butter chicken wrap on the beach..you cant go wrong!It is more expensive than restaurants outside the hotel but the service is always with a smile!
-The Pool- is small but never to busy however the music during the daytime has something to be desired its very Poppy and not at all our thing we would have much preferred reggae which we believed to be more appropriate! However we spent our sunbathing time at..
-The beach!-a very short walk from the hotel with excellent waiter service and again excellent food. There is a restaurant called Kunte Kinteh, the PillPill Prawns are an absolute must! they are delicious. Unfortunately the rest of there menu does not follow the same standard but the Prawns are a great lunch dish as they are small portion for just 100 Dalasi.The sea is lovely for a cool off swim and a walk up the beach brings you to the lively Senna Gambia which is the main tourist spot, for us this wasnt as interesting as the rest of the country however there are many restaurants and bars to choose from along the strip we visited Ali Babas (Not the big one the smaller one with live music) The music was excellent, food was delicious and again cheap prices. If you walk a bit further up the beach you come to the Monkey park this is lovely and very cheap- don't forget to take peanuts though!The saying 'greedy little monkey' doesn't come from nowhere!There are ladies on the beach selling fruit, take our advice and if you like fruit commit to one lady for the entirety of your stay otherwise they all end up fighting over you as the did us!
-Transport-Please be aware that not all cabs are particularly safe or comfortable. The green cabs are best but most expensive. Our guide, the hotels plumber sorted our transport out for us and it was relatively cheap and extremely comfortable compared with others!
-The staff are wonderful, they cannot do enough to help you. Gambians generally are very friendly and the country is beautiful. We have become friends with Ebrima the hotels plumber, he went way beyond and above to share his beautiful country with us, he welcomed us and expected nothing in return. We are thrilled to have met such a genuine person.
The only bad point of the holiday for us was caused by British guests! there was a group of people using foul language who were highly inebriated at breakfast time- we managed to stay well clear of them though as we liked different things and had a different routine!They were rude to the staff and we felt let our country down especially as the English are supposedly renowned for their good manners!
We have fallen in love with Gambia as a holiday destination but also as a country. The people are inspiring. There is so little crime because everyone is so peaceful towards one another. Please do not think though that this means bumsters wont hassle you! they will but they will also leave you alone once you are firm, don't say maybe later they will remember!Never pay the first price as its usually tripple what they expect if not more! Gambians have a great sense of humour they respond better if you smile even when your saying no thank you!
Finally, if you are interested in The Gambias culture this is a wonderful holiday we would definitely recommend seeking out Ebriham the plumber as you can trust him maybe you'll meet his family in their village as we did and be blown away by their hospitality and friendliness. If so take a bag of sweets for the kids they love them but they also have excellent manners and take one each saying thank you with a shy smile.
But if you're after a quiet one on the beach this is also an excellent hotel to stay at the waiters will make sure you have your favourite sun-bed and provide a friendly service too!