Balafon Beach Resort
Djeliba Plaza, Kololi, Serekunda Gambia
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$87
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$78
Fully refundable before 04/08/23
$87
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$68
Fully refundable before 04/07/23
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About
#5 of 17 hotels in Kololi
Location
4.5
Cleanliness
4.2
Service
4.1
Value
3.9
Balafon Beach Resort is an adults only hotel offering a unqiue blend of traditional and modern architecture: Traditional styled African huts with thatched roofs which at the same time offer a modern appeal.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Free breakfast
Beach
Airport transportation
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun terrace
Wifi
Hot tub
Outdoor pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast buffet
Sun umbrellas
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Room features
Air conditioning
Safe
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Great View
Charming
Location
70Somewhat walkable
Grade: 70 out of 100
72Restaurantswithin 0.75 miles
4Attractionswithin 0.75 miles
Contact
Djeliba Plaza, Kololi, Serekunda Gambia
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240Reviews27Q+A32Room tips
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We are returning from our 4th visit to The Gambia and this is definitely the hotel we have stayed in! The hotel staff are the loveliest people and go above and beyond to please you. A special thank you to Cindy, who has only been at the hotel for a matter of weeks and is going out of her way to please the guests! The rooms are really spacious, the only downside to them is they are dark but apart from that everything is soo on. Thank you all so much for making our holiday so memorable. Hope to visit again soon xx
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Victor Soares, General Manager at Balafon Beach Resort
Responded 1 week ago
Thank you for your very supportive review. This does help us to excel in our services. We await your 5th visit.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hotel's Favorite
Second visit here, fantastic for a laid back break. Huge rustic rooms, with great room service, and great service throughout the hotel, many thanks to Yaya Cham for making sure we always feel most welcome. Great simple menu to eat in, and a great range of local restaurants. The beach is just fantastic, and really well policed, so you can interact with local traders without feeling swamped, and marvel at local life come the evening. Good for long walks in both directions, with everyone very friendly, helping you feel completely safe. Good range of local trips available within easy reach, from the monkey forest to markets and fishing villages, ask for Santana out the front, he is excellent, knowledgeable and utterly trustworthy. We will be back for winter sun as regularly as we can. Although the temperature is in the 30s, the beach breeze makes everything so comfortable. We rarely return anywhere, but this feels like home!…
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
We go to The Gambia once or twice a year and always stay here. Beautiful hotel directly at the beach. Staf is friendly and kind. We were welcomed by Fatou at the reception. She is relaxt , kind and has a good sence of humor. Amadou Salo is in charge of housekeeping and has always time for a chat or answer a question. If you want to go to The Gambia then stay here. You wil not be disappointed. Kind regards from Karsten and Roy.,
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Victor Soares, General Manager at Balafon Beach Resort
Responded 1 week ago
A big Thank You. Your review is very much true in a few lines. Please do visit us soon.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ignore all negative reviews! You won’t find a better hotel! The Gambia is still suffering from the devastating affects of Covid! Yes, the rooms need a bit of attention, but any problems we had were sorted pretty quickly! They are doing rooms up one by one! The rooms are big, the shower was hot, the toilet worked. The grounds & pools were immaculate! Bar needs more cocktails, but bottled beers good & cold. Nice food served there. Lots of choice at breakfast, good egg station, but no bacon or pork sausages (but it is predominantly Muslim country)! Beach couldn’t be closer, nice white, fine sand! Nearly every country has beach ‘traders’, they are just trying to get a few delassies to live on. Just say ‘no thanks’. They aren’t allowed to approach onto the hotel beach area, which is always patrolled by the hotel security! All the hotel staff were so friendly and helpful. A must is, take an early stroll before breakfast, around the little river! Lots of different birds, including pied & blue Kingfishers, egrets, herons, wading birds at beach end, weaver birds plus small fish & we saw a small monitor lizard! If you need a taxi, use Donny Osman, (Roots), across the road. He also takes you on excursions, trips and shows you things that normal trips don’t take you to! He was brilliant and always laughing. Just remember, The Gambia is slowly recovering, go with the flow and enjoy the country & lovely smiling people!…
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
Response from Victor Soares, General Manager at Balafon Beach Resort
Responded 2 weeks ago
You really expressed it right. Thank you for putting this across. We are surely doing a lot each day to improve better and better. Please do recommend us to your friends. Thank you again.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
+1
We stayed at The Balafon for 10 nights for my partner’s 30th. It wasn’t his first time in Gambia (although he hadn’t stayed here before) but it was mine. I didn’t know what to expect but I was very pleased to have stayed here. The location is amazing, literally on the beach and the beach is so beautiful. The hotel itself was gorgeous. The staff were so helpful and friendly. The breakfast was amazing, plenty of choice. All of the food served at the hotel was beyond my expectations. Very nice and reasonably priced. Cleaners come every day to the room and provide clean towels when asked. There is a taxi service just outside the hotel and the cost of a taxi onto the strip is only 200D. You can walk as it’s not far at all but it is worth the money to get a taxi, especially in the heat! We didn’t do the excursions through TUI as we met a tour guide at the Monkey park (Sam Saidy) and the prices were much more reasonable.…
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Victor Soares, General Manager at Balafon Beach Resort
Responded 2 weeks ago
Thank you for your very supportive feedback. We are working to make it even better each day. Waiting to see you again. Do recommend us to your near and dear ones.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Not a 4 star hotel more a 2 but the staff are lovely and go out of there way to help you… our room was kept clean by the very polite and lovely young man called Omar he went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable and had all that we needed…the hotel is having a few improvements done which it needs as the hotel needs a bit of TLC to ensure people return…
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled with friends
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: it can get a bit cool at night
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Victor Soares, General Manager at Balafon Beach Resort
Responded 2 weeks ago
Thank you for your feedback. We are working on a number of improvements. It hasn't been easy getting out of the pandemic. Thank you again.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We have been regulars for years now and came to the Balafon Beach Resort Hotel once again. The five of us arrived, after a room change everyone was satisfied. The staff is consistently friendly but approaches the work with African tranquillity. The breakfast buffet was ok. The beach would be even more beautiful if it were cleaned more often after the flood and otherwise a little more cared for. Mr. Amadou Sanno was our contact person for problems, which he solved excellently. Salif from the house cleaning kept just like another housekeeper, our rooms excellently clean, both constantly provided fresh clean shower towels. Thank you again. The room reservation for the end of the year has already been made. Here I would like to thank all the staff at the reception, who, as always, served us competently and very nicely. Thanks also to the manager Mr. Momodou Jallow for the nice stay at your hotel. Family Reinhard/Weidmann/Nowacka…
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Victor Soares, General Manager at Balafon Beach Resort
Responded 3 weeks ago
Thank you for your valued support and detailed comment. This does help us to strive better. We surely look forward to your next stay.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Just returned from a two week holiday at the Balafon Beach Resort which I can recommend. The hotel could do with some updating for sure but the room was nice and large and much the same condition as many other hotels that I have stayed at in Africa. 4 star in Africa is not 4 star as we know it in Europe and having accepted that you can have a great holiday at the Balafon. The swim up room was cleaned every day and unlike many hotels the shower was generally hot! The hotel layout had an African village feel to it which was great. The staff were friendly especially those on the beach where there was always sun beds available although you would be wise to position them away from the beach front in order to avoid hassle from the locals trying to sell their goods. We decided to eat at the hotel restaurant where the food was superb with lots of choice from the main menu.…
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Date of stay: February 2023
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: A room with sea views are best
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Victor Soares, General Manager at Balafon Beach Resort
Responded 3 weeks ago
A pleasure reading your feedback. Thank you for putting this across. We are changing a lot each day. Been hard on us with the pandemic taking all away from us.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
+1
We booked at Balafon Beach Resort for 2 weeks in February. There are no signs to the hotel and none at the main entrance, so our driver got lost. There are no telephones in the rooms for emergencies ,ordering food from the restaurant or call the receptionists ,you have to walk through Djembe ( closed at the moment ) to talk to receptionists. They provided 1 key for us. The door on the patio doesn’t have a handle & we had a hard time opening it from outside. The bathroom has no door and it is about 5 feet away. It has the Best Location and great lawns & pools ,the Best of all at Balafon is the Restaurant staff : Famara Sanneh . Sarjo Jarjou. Kawsu Joof, Nyankuba Dampha & the breakfast Pancake / Omlette cooks. The laundry service needs major training . My pants got ruined by mixing up colors .Balafon in our opinion has a bad management structure & needs to make improvements before too late.…
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled on business
Room Tip: There no signs to either DJembe ( closed ) or Balafon. Rooms don’t have phones & it is a good...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Victor Soares, General Manager at Balafon Beach Resort
Responded 3 weeks ago
Thank you for your feedback. Trust we can address the issues and stand tall. Do visit us again.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
+1
How excited we were to get away for some winter sunshine and relaxation. We kept watching the Facebook stories, looking at photos and reviews before our trip and couldn't wait to arrive. Upon arriving at the airport and paying £20 each tax in cash, our bags were snatched away from us before we had time to blink, and we were told to hurry up. We assumed this was the driver of our transport and we followed behind. We needed to change our money at the airport and was led to a small group of woman whom we discovered later had short changed us by the equivalent of £60. So please do not change your money at the airport. Its not safe, and you will be tricked in to thinking you have a good deal. Change your money at the hotel they have a good exchange rate and will count out the money infront of you slowly and calmly so you are not hoodwinked. We were understandably tired after travelling and we were taken to our room. The light was very dim but we could still see that the room was not 4* or 5* there were cobwebs in the corners, the bedside tables where covered in a sticky residue and there was a mint sweet that had been spat on to the floor in the corner. I had to wipe surfaces with wetwipes and clean the sweet from the floor before getting on bed. I thought after a good night sleep things might look better in the morning. We slept very well, the bed was comfortable and the mosquito nets although they didn't quite meet up properly, gave us a sense of security. Every morning we were woken up by dogs barking on the beach and our room was quite a distance from the beach, although we had a view of it. We decided that we would make the best of this holiday and keep a positive attitude dispite the rocky begining. The first morning we went down for breakfast and there seemed to be plenty of choice, I had a bowl of museli with warm milk and some fruit, which I really enjoyed. Sadly the next morning when I went to the muesli again, I could clearly see transparent brownish ants in the bowl and felt horrified that I'd eaten this the day before so I opted for an omelette instead. Breakfast time was better before 9am, after 9am there was no clean cutlery out, the tables were not wiped down between one couple leaving the breakfast table and others arriving, and we even noticed food on the floors in the restaurant at times from the night before which ofcourse would be why there is ants and flys everywhere. On my first day an older man serving at breakfast asked me how I was, and I replied with ' good thank you' ' how are you?' He proceeded to tell me how sad he was because he couldn't find a good woman and he was very lonely. I was horrified that this man was coming on to me while I was dishing baked beans on to my plate and my husband was sitting 10 feet away. When I told him what had happened he could not believe it. There are 2 guys making omlettes and pancakes every morning in the same place, and when a young girl walks in to the restaurant they both stare at her and make comments to each other. This is unacceptable as there are many couples and families here with teenage girls that are being perved on by the staff. The beach area where everyone sits always has a few dogs and cats hanging around which wasn't a problem for us. The problem was the amount of hassel we received whilst sunbathing. So many people selling things, offering you massages, juice drinks, clothes, fruit, birdboxes, artwork, rides on horses. And one day in particular a woman came right to our sunbed begging for money and intimidating us saying she had children at home and had no food in the cupboards. The same day 2 lads were walking between the sunbeds with new born puppies, I don't know if the intention was to sell them or take photos with them but it was unacceptable when you are trying to relax on holiday. Not to mention the cruelty to the puppies being used like this to make money in 35- 40 degree heat. The beach was constantly busy with people trying to get your attention and get money from you. It's such a shame. I brought fruit most days from the ladies selling fruit, but once you buy from them it's like you've entered in to a contract for the duration of your holiday. They will stand and call your name until you go to them. If you try to ignore them they ask other people to get your attention. We had a fishing trip on the creek near the gambia river, and we went with Aladin at rivergambiatours. We felt safe with him and found him to be a genuine nice guy. We paid around 5k delassi for half day fishing trip and was picked up from the hotel at 8.30am and brought back at 2pm roughly. The boat trip was very enjoyable and peaceful. They mostly caught ladyfish and catfish. Aladin is very flexible with meeting your requirements. He will adapt the day to give you exactly what you need. He does all kinds of trips and also overnight trips fishing and safari. Find him at rivergambiatours. We also found a great restaurant just outside the balafon, called justice, we loved the food here and ate here 6 days out of 7 of our trip because the tables were clean, the food was well presented and tasted good, the guys working here were friendly and justice himself was a really nice guy. They also have a TV here and have the football showing when there's games on. The food and drink are priced reasonable and we are glad we found this place. Overall, we made the best of our trip, but the balafon needs more attention to detail. Our room was tired and not cleaned to a satisfactory standard. They are easy things to fix, paint the walls with a fresh lick of paint, wash the curtains, deepclean rooms before guests arrive. Also think about why you have ants in your muesli, are you storing it correctly? Someone should check regularly that the food isn't contaminated. Why aren't the floors swept and moped every night or morning in the main restaurant? Why aren't tables wiped after each person has finished? You have plenty of staff around and these are simple basic things that should be a priority in any restaurant. My advice to the manager is to go and stay in other 4 or 5* resorts in other countries so you can get a better idea of the service you should be providing your guests. The beach security need to do more to prevent your guests being hasseled on the beach. We have worked hard and saved our hard earned money to go on holiday, and chosen your resort, respect your guests more by insuring they do not get tormented constantly by locals on the beach during their stay. We could not walk to the waters edge without being hasseled. The belafon could be such a wonderful place to stay but you need to make many changes. …
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Don't stay here, find a better hotel for your holiday.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Victor Soares, General Manager at Balafon Beach Resort
Responded 4 weeks ago
We are in line with your thinking. Thank you so much. Assure you we will amend whatever is in our hands.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
PRICE RANGE
$52 - $102 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
GambiaBanjul DivisionSerekundaKololi
NUMBER OF ROOMS
86
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Claim Your ListingBALAFON BEACH RESORT $68 ($̶1̶2̶0̶) - Updated 2023 Prices & Reviews - Gambia/Kololi
Frequently Asked Questions about Balafon Beach Resort
Which popular attractions are close to Balafon Beach Resort?
Nearby attractions include TOP-SHOP Gambia (0.2 miles), Senegambia Craft Market (0.4 miles), and Kings And Queens (0.5 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Balafon Beach Resort?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and a pool.
What food & drink options are available at Balafon Beach Resort?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to Balafon Beach Resort?
Conveniently located restaurants include Sea Shells Bar & Restaurant, Scala Restaurant, and Cassy's Cafe & Restaurant.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Balafon Beach Resort?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does Balafon Beach Resort have airport transportation?
Yes, Balafon Beach Resort offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are there any historical sites close to Balafon Beach Resort?
Many travelers enjoy visiting National Museum (9.9 miles).