I stayed in a private residence in Brufut village but used Hibiscus House daily for meals, drinks and use of the Internet. This was my second visit and now know the owner quite well and most of his regular staff. I canot find fault with anything and would highly recommedn the place to anyone visiting Tha Gambia. 10 out of 10 again Oliver, Sue and staff

We would definitely NOT recommend the Hibiscus. Our first impression of the pool and garden were good and we looked forward to spending a week there. However we were disappointed with our room, it was dark, dingy and shabby with a bath mat that should have been burnt! Cleanliness was not a top priority in this resort.

However after our long journey we decided to shower (first removing the mat!), unfortunately there was no water. As we were to learn that being the only guests that week, the water pump was turned off and would continue to be so for the whole of our stay. We had to request that it be turned back on every time we wanted a shower.

Deciding to put this behind us we went to dinner, having ordered we waited an hour for the food, again we would learn this would be the norm as the bar next door shared the same kitchen. Being in a compound and in a ‘residential’ area our choice was severely limited.

Tired we decided to go for a short walk before retiring, only to discover that we were locked in at 9.30pm. Accepting this and hoping things would improve after a good night’s sleep we went to our room, however sleep was elusive, the tranquil holiday that we had hoped for had an open air disco nearby open until 2.30am Thursday, Friday and Saturday with option for Sunday. When the disco finally fell silent the guard dog took over. It should be noted that Morning Prayer starts at 5:30am.

We ventured on a river cruise costing 49 Euros each, arranged and recommended by the accommodation as ‘River memories - a peaceful cruise through the mangroves’, however we found ourselves anchored off Banjul industrial port for over 3 hours with containers being the view and drunk holiday makers throwing drink around.

The taxi offered by the accommodation was a ‘bush taxi’, two pieces fell off when we were in it and the cost of taking us to the Nature park was 2000 dalasi (60 pounds), this did not include entrance fee.

Over the week we proved quite resourceful getting past reception and using the local ‘Gera Gera’ transport of approx 5 dalasi for the same journey.

We could continue…! Sufficient to say that we had looked for a peaceful and clean base to discover Gambia, however we found ourselves in a place that had definitely seen better days and our overriding impression was that either the owners weren’t interested or were powerless to change anything. As stated above we would NOT recommend this place to anyone.

Stayed at Hibiscus house for a week with my boyfriend. We had originally looked at package holidays with the big hotels, but as boyfriend not a fan of big hotels we decided to stay here instead.

Firstly, the hotel is really lovely in terms of the communal areas and the staff are great, so friendly and helpful. The breakfasts are fantastic and the lunch/dinners are good as well (although would recommend going to the blue bar next door, as the meals are almost half the price and same kitchen), the pool area is lovely and the hot tub great!

The room was fine, although the hot water is solar powered and for two nights I had no hot water, which after hot days on the beach and chilly nights was not great.

the main point to note is LOCATION....as mentioned in other reviews, the hotel is in the middle of Brufut village. We walked to Senegambia one day (where a lot of the big hotels are) and were VERY glad not to be staying there - dirty, constantly hassled by the bumsters, loads of screaming kids, very 'brits abroad'.

However, the downside to not being in the main tourist area/on a main road I found are as follows:
- 20min walk+ to the nearest beach. Not a problem in itself, but almost certain to pick up a bumster en route
- no variation in eating out/drinks within walking distance
- big reliance on taxis...this I would say was the major downside of our trip, we estimate that in a week we spent around £150 on taxis. They are very, very expensive - I'd say almost on a par with London prices. The fares are fixed with the hotel and we did go out almost every day, but I felt that £15 - c£30 for return trips to beaches/parks/restraunts was alot and certainly mounted up.

On general points on the gambia.....I would take some small gifts (pens/magazines/unwanted clothes) as we took nothing and kept 'having' to give money. Another point to note is to make sure you have small notes to hand - we never had anything smaller than 100D (about £3) and kept on having to tip that, even for a man playing 1m on a guitar.

On places to recommend - Batakunku beach, so quiet and no hassle at all, highly recommended, Makasutu park although expect to be asked for money every 2mins and Ngala lodge for dinner, which was really lovely.

Overall I enjoyed the holiday and if I was to go back to the Gambia I would definately stay at hibiscus house again. However I think I would consider hiring a car to avoid the stinging taxi fares!

This was out second trip to The Gambia. the first time 7 family members had stayed at The Senegambia - great in its own way but this time there were just the two of us and we wanted something smaller and more personal. Hibiscus House fitted the bill perfectly. There were only a handful of like-minded people there. The staff seemed to outnumber us most of the time and their attentions were welcoming but never OTT. They were always there if you wanted them but they were never intrusive. Access is through a large metal gate which is staffed 24/7 and therefore there is little risk of unwanted outside intrusion.
Meals were great experiences as, although maybe you had to wait longer than you would have had to at The Senegambia, you knew that the food would just have been cooked to your order. And it was delicious! Who cares if you have to wait a little with great company and a bottle or three of Julbrew or one of the bar's own special cocktails?
The compound is constructed around a swimming pool. The 8 rooms are on the periphery and there is a communal library/lounge on one side and the dining area and bar on another. A jacuzzi stands next to the pool. There is no shortage of sun beds either and towels are provided free of charge. The gardens are extensively planted with mature trees and shrubs which attract the local bird life and how delightful it was to watch the comings and goings of colourful little jewels like the firefinches, red-cheeked cordon bleus, the beautiful sunbirds and the african paradise flycatchers which used to come and swoop down to dip their feathers in the pool every afternoon.
Right next door to the Hibiscus is an adjacent bar/restaurant called "The Blue Bar", which seems to be frequented by local ex-pats. The drinks and food they serve here come from the same kitchens as the Hibiscus but are considerably cheaper. A strange set-up! To enjoy a cheaper meal, just step through the gates, turn right and walk for 10 metres and re-enter the Blue Bar. The bar tab is even added to your room bill!
Being New Year when we were there, we even had some evening entertainment courtesy of a real Gambian folk band playing good music using traditional instruments like kora and merimbas. None of that incessant drumming we had to endure last year.
Hibiscus House has an English owner who is very helpful and will recommend local beaches. Perhaps our favourite was Batokunku Beach, a short taxi ride away where you could spend a day in virtual solitude on a palm fringed beach with only the sound of the Atlantic rollers breaking on the shore.
Yes, we can thoroughly recommend Hibiscus House and will certainly return there one day ourselves.