Kairaba Beach Hotel

Gambia , Gambia
SERREKUNDA, Pmb Serrekunda
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50 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jan 2026

Andrew

After booking i contacted the hotel and arranged our room. It was perfect, quiet cool and with a beautiful sea view. The bed was comfy and we slept well. The gardens and pool are beautiful. I have known this hotel for over 20 years and its fortune has varied. It now seems on the up again and i will deffinatly book again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jan 2026

Asya

The staff was amazing. I got a room with a garden view and turned into a bird watcher. It was so beautiful. Breakfast had an omelette station. Nice pool. Access to the beach just a few minutes walk. I will return.

10/10

Exceptional

30 Oct 2025

Christy

Great

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jul 2025

Abdouleh

I had a wonderful experience at the Kairaba Hotel in Gambia. The location is perfect, right on the beach and close to the vibrant Senegambia Strip. The gardens are beautiful and full of life, with peacocks and monkeys adding a unique touch. The staff are incredibly friendly and always ready to help, making me feel truly welcome. The pool area is relaxing, and the atmosphere overall is peaceful and enjoyable. If you want a place to unwind and enjoy Gambia’s beauty, Kairaba Hotel is a great choice!”

Business Friends

6/10

Pleasant

13 Jul 2025

Momodou

Kairaba is a great property. The location is excellent. On the one side you have the Atlantic Ocean and its beach and at the other end you have the famous Senegambia strip. However, this once icon of Gambia's hotel seem to have lost its mojo. Service is ok. Rooms are fine, maintenance, well, things work. But the place jyst doesn't have its spark no more.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

19 Jun 2025

Verified traveler

For the price, its ok

Self

8/10

Excellent

25 Jan 2025

Scott

Attentive and professional staff in a beautiful location

Business Friends

4/10

Poor

12 Jan 2025

Momodou

Service levels have really plometted at this property. The AC in our room was not working snd it took 2 trips to reception before our room was switched after midnight. We were 2 guests but the first room we had had one towel and one bottle of water. Breakfast was below average and service is generally below expectation for what was once Gambia's flagship hotel. Sad!

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

05 Jan 2025

Neil

Very tired and poor standard

The hotel is incredibly tired. The pricing well above its standards. It’s from the 1980s. Very dusty, everything looks dusty and worn out. Needs a massive make over. Hardy anyone there. Not surprise when you can stop at hotels nearby for the same money but a much higher standard.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 Dec 2024

Yankuba

Great and supportive staff. Nice and safe environment.

8/10

Excellent

08 Dec 2024

Kevon

A beautiful location. I upgraded to an ocean view room and did not regret it. Gorgeous grounds. Lots of birds, butterflies and even the odd monkey or two from time to time.

Very quiet and peaceful

Will definitely return.

The only negative was breakfast. Beans, mushrooms and fried potatoes everyday. Thank goodness they had an egg station so i was able to mix things up a bit.

Business Self

4/10

Poor

01 Dec 2024

Mohammad

I had high expectations for this hotel, considering the price we paid and its five-star rating, but unfortunately, it fell far short of expectations. The room we initially booked was in poor condition—no hot water, no iron, dim lighting, and the electricity would cut off multiple times a day for a few minutes. Hoping for a better experience, we decided to upgrade to a more expensive room, but it made no difference as the same issues persisted.

The breakfast was another letdown. The selection was very limited and repetitive, with the same options every day. On several occasions, the eggs were undercooked, and food would run out quickly, leaving us with even fewer choices.

This hotel does not meet the standards of a five-star establishment; in fact, it barely compares to a three-star. I would not recommend staying here, as it’s simply not worth the money or the frustration.

Business_and_leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

21 Oct 2024

Scott

Attentive staff, lovely setting, good food

4/10

Poor

22 Feb 2024

Verified traveler

No value for money

Clean Environment and nice sea view.
Helpful and happy face workers.

Breakfast was terrible.
TV stations are poor.
Water closet in bad condition
Floor flow is frequently interrupted.
You wait for pressing iron
Overall, there is no value for money

Business

6/10

Pleasant

18 Nov 2023

Wolfgang

The 5*-quality is still noticable, but ...

Officially the Kairaba is still rated as a 5* hotel, the only one as far as we know in Gambia. And this is still visible with respect to the quality of the room furniture and the installation and the way the staff deals with wishes (addressed at the reception) or problems (e.g. a problem with water leakage in the toilet got immediately fixed by an experienced craftsmen after we told the room service about it and she had called her colleague). However, the hotel has been closed for 3 years due to Corona and the owner now plans to sell it. That's why they did not do a lot of promotion and had very few guests (<20? certainly not more than 50). And this had influence on the services, which were adapted (small breakfast buffet, reduces choice). Only the prices for drinks at the pool bar stayed at the original 5*-level

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Dec 2022

Mohammed

👍

2/10

Poor

14 Feb 2020

Tariq

Non cooperative staff. Toilet gutters were blocked. TV not working, no towels, toilets not cleaned. Do not recommend the place. Check in took one hour. No apology given either

Leisure Family

2/10

Poor

27 Jan 2020

Bhavesh

Not 5 star

The hotel staff didn't pickup any of my calls or emails on the day of arrival so that I could inform them I'll be 1 day late.
On arrival I was told as I didn't turn up they gave away my room and also they were demanding payment.They were able to provide me a room but it was not part of the main complex. It seems to be a local apartment block.
The bed was awful.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

27 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Location was great. However the facilities need a complete overhaul. Basic necessities such as iron, tissue were not available. It definitely is a 3 star facility and doesn’t merit a five star recognition .

Leisure Friends

6/10

Pleasant

26 Jan 2020

Check in was terribly slow. Although I booked superior rooms they gave me a standard room facing an apartment complex with no view, dark and dreary. Of course when I asked for a credit they just looked at me. The entire property is due for a remodel, very 1970s. They advertise wifi In the rooms but it’s only available in the lobby or pool area. On the upside the pool and bar was nice and close to the beach. Food at the Ala Carte Restaurant was good and a fun local band. The staff was great.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

06 Jan 2020

Pamela

Good and bad.

The location is great with the beach and nearby restaurants,and the staff are very friendly and helpful. The evening food in the restaurant is a buffet and to be avoided,and the food at the poolside is basic.It is the best and most expensive hotel in Gambia.A beer is nearly 4 times dearer than the bars outside.

Business

2/10

Poor

04 Jan 2020

Jay

The property was in a very busy, tourist driven area, which is a plus in the sense of availability of shops, restaurants and transportation. However the staff in the hotel and the area were very apprehensive towards being hospitable to us. We were not allowed to pay with card transaction and urged to pull out cash, which we obliged. In addition to that when trying to explore the hotel grounds we were stopped, and questioned as to why we were on the hotel property and asked to provide identification and proof of booking at the hotel. It was extremely unsettling and unwelcoming, We checked out of the hotel afterwards as it no longer felt like a place of comfort, in addition to the wifi not working and the tv not working. The room was also not very clean, had a leak from the ceiling, and what appeared to be dried blood on the bathroom window curtain. I'm certain this hotel will be more than comforting for the average visitor however it was not remotely the kind of place i can stay in nor spend the nearly $230 per night.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2020

robbie

The gardens were excellent as was the access to the beach

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Dependable

I truly enjoyed my stay. The staff was overwhelmingly friendly and did not hesitate to meet my needs. One day I unfortunately left my personal items unsecured including my wallet and passport, the room attendant (Oroline Nyafuny) immediately contacted the house keeping manager (Buba Badjie) who made sure my items were safe, to include all my cash. When I came back there was a note telling me to speak to the security supervisor (Laminators Bajang) who inventoried my items and properly handed them back. Their professionalism was above standard and I felt that my safety and security was a priority.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Mar 2019

Carla

Great experience

It was a great hotel and their food is fresh and fantanstic!

4/10

Poor

10 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

A very old 5 star hotel in dire need of renovation to catch up with other 5 star hotels.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

24 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Lovely location & great staff. Beautiful maintained gardens.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

12 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

The gardens were beautiful but the rooms needed a bit of a modernisation

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 Feb 2019

AKINYEMI

Brilliant

Amazing stay. Good room, well tended hotel grounds, and good beach front with lots of meal options. Fantastic staff. Bakary, one of the Security staff was great at answering all our questions. Breakfast also very good and dinner was quite good and not so expensive. And if you love a room with balcony and good sea view, Room 122 is one of the best!
At some point however a cleaner who cleaned the room earlier had taken used towels away forgotten to replace with fresh ones. I noticed this later in the afternoon after a good beachfront stay and i contacted Housekeeping. Two hours later, they were yet to bring the towels and i then contacted Reception. Another two hours and still no response, i went to the reception myself to get the towels. I'm sure this is something that can be easily addressed by Housekeeping.
Other than this, a beautiful stay all through. I will come back with friends and family.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Good location, good hotel, rooms are disappointing

Hotel grounds are great
Breakfast is good. Staff are v friendly and excellent. Rooms are v outdated, need modernising (tv, furniture beds etc). Rooms are a bit disappointing for what you pay and compared to the rest of the hotel.
Great location, lots of activity nearby-food, shops etc.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Enjoyed a lovely place...one to do again

Hotel is great...easy access to the beach...excellent customer service i.e. they’ll go further to make a guest happy. Everything was clean. Especially liked the animals - peacocks and monkeys around. Very relaxing place to be. Only thing is that it got quiet some nights, however the Senegambia strip is only a few mins away for one to have a fun filled night.

Friends

2/10

Poor

25 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

terrible place..rats in every room...could hardly sleep staff were not very helpful.

Business

4/10

Poor

11 Dec 2018

Partha

The property was reasonably ok... the issue is mainly with how the deal happened with expedia. despite paying 100% to expedia before traveling, i was told by the hotel that there is no communication of even a reservation from expedia to them. i wrote an email to expedia and this was not sorted out even at the time of check out. i had to call expedia on my phone incurring steep roaming charges and finally was able to resolve this. this is hardly a professional way of handling things. totally disappointed

8/10

Excellent

18 Nov 2018

Sam

Fantastic

Amazing

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2018

ATUL

wonderful stay

It was a wonderful stay, calm and quite place.

8/10

Excellent

11 Jun 2018

patty

staff in the morning was very nice and accomodating hotel was very clean food was average wish the would change up the menu but all in all i enjoyed my stay very much would i go back to this hotel yes. and i would recommend to friends and family.

8/10

Excellent

02 Apr 2018

Very well located hotel in the heart of Senegambia

The hotel's grounds are extremely lush and a delight to walk through and so in that respect the hotel lives up to its five star rating. There is an outdoor pool, table tennis table and a life sized chess board amongst other activities. The hotel has direct access to the beach. The rooms are located in blocks and I would recommend having a deluxe room with a balcony. WIFI is patchy. Breakfast is buffet style but there is a cooked eggs station offering pancakes as well. The more reasonable prices restaurant is Casa Fernando which is a fish restaurant but there are lots of restaurants and bars on the main road just outside of the hotel. The reception desk seems a bit disjointed as they cancelled a taxi pick up from the airport for my early morning arrival which is something to consider if on the Royal Air Maroc flight. Packages left at reception were not brought up to the room and neither was I notified about them until the sender of the package came to the hotel with me the following day. Messages left for me at the reception desk were not provided to me and I only received them several days later when visiting the reception desk! The staff are very friendly generally and also in the breakfast restaurant and around the grounds. There is also tea time daily at the pool area from 4pm with scones and tea as well as a happy hour from 5pm with a live band. The hotel's bar at the entrance also has a happy hour at 7pm and there is a live band in Casa Fernando as well.

10/10

Exceptional

08 Mar 2018

Satish

Old world charm !

Very friendly service and good food . Very nice beach, pool and beautiful landscaping. Highly recommend !

8/10

Excellent

04 Mar 2018

Verified traveler

Nice hotel, great location

Great hotel, great staff except the reception. Bubbling area that never sleeps. Great eating places around the hotel.

8/10

Excellent

24 Feb 2018

kencoo

Hotel Kairaba

Ideal location on the beach and central to bars and restaurants.Clean and maintained and spacious,but a bit pricey, would i book again probably would

8/10

Excellent

12 Feb 2018

John

Trying but not enough !!

This friendly hotel is far from 5 star standards... good beach,friendly staff,poor cuisine... expensive superior rooms .. but overall a nice property!

10/10

Exceptional

30 Nov 2017

Verified traveler

This was for a business meeting that was held at the hotel for 2 days. Unfortunately, I didn't get to use a lot of the facilities because of the work. I am a runner, so managed to run in the mornings before work. One run I did along the beach. The beach in front of the hotel is highly eroded, so at high tide, you have to trudge through soft sand until you get a few hundred meters away, where the beach is not eroded. The other run was along the Senegambia highway. This is a very busy road, but at dawn, it is not so bad, and there is a sandy (compacted) shoulder to run on that felt pretty safe.

The staff are very friendly and helpful. Room service prices didn't seem too bad, and the food for room service was tastier than I recall getting elsewhere.

8/10

Excellent

12 Nov 2017

Muhammad

Internet was not good, location and other facilities are good

10/10

Exceptional

20 Aug 2017

Verified traveler

Nice great ok fine. Ngf7i nvgu bftu h jfr bt5i nhyk bguj.

8/10

Excellent

27 May 2017

Verified traveler

OK off season stay

I stayed here because it was the vehicle of a conference I was attending. No real complaints, other than the lack of choice for where to eat supper as one restaurant was closed during off season .

8/10

Excellent

20 May 2017

Verified traveler

Animals make it different.
Gim is nice.
Shrimps brochette great.

8/10

Excellent

29 May 2016

Mr.G

Close to the beach, clean and secure.

Hotel has a 5 star rating but I would give it a max 4 star. Everything is 5 star except room condition (somewhat old furniture which is started to show It’s age), breakfast buffet (For a 5 star I would expect bigger choice of food to choose from) and lack of mini bar in the room. Fridge is present but without its expected contense. Maybe it is because of end of the season but that can be easily corrected because in room dining is fast and good.

10/10

Exceptional

29 Apr 2016

Kishor

Excellent Hotel with facilities nearby

Everything was great about this hotel. Out of the main gates and you have restaurants, clubs, mini shops especially for buying water. My wife tells me the Spa Anti-stress massage by Janaba Krubally was excellent. You can also book excursions to Senegal safari with local travel agents - Brilliant! Nice restaurants within the hotel. We had a live band for evening dinner. They played my requests. Please tip well for the people of Gambia and Senegal. I saw poverty and felt food to give money to the local people. Visit the market in Gambia and crocodile pool. Visit the safari in Senegal and walk with the lions although it was to hot and they refused to walk which was fine. Food was nice within the hotel too. People are very friendly. Take dollars to exchange at a much higher rate or sterling! Breakfast was also very good. They even packed a breakfast for our early morning safari trip before the breakfast begins. Wi-Fi was good everywhere.

6/10

Pleasant

25 Jan 2016

Lynne

Nice hotel in a popular area

Nice hotel in a popular area of The Gambia. Close to all amenities. Beautiful gardens. Well equipped rooms ( TV, fridge, tea & coffee making facilities, hairdryer) buffet breakfast. Excellent friendly staff. Pool clean.

6/10

Pleasant

02 Aug 2015

Verified traveler

Sadly, it's representative of the entire country these days..

Fairly shabby hotel, past its prime. Terrible coffee.