Balafon Beach Resort (adults Only)

Gambia , Gambia
Serekunda, Djeliba Plaza; Kololi
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50 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

05 Nov 2025

Omar

This is the second time we've stayed at the Balafon Beach resort. The staff is so welcoming and kind and always treat us like family..always

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

17 Sep 2025

makisa

I don’t know what to say here , the hotel was okay , the room and appliance need a serious update, everything is old and smell . We had to ask them to spray our rooms so I can sleep . The staff at the restaurant were very nice . The food was great. Transportation is terrible, limited access. We had to walk to the road several times to catch cab .

Partner

8/10

Excellent

31 Jul 2025

Gary

Nice accommodations. Attentive staff.

Leisure Friends

6/10

Pleasant

05 May 2025

Corrine

Balafon experience

Cleaning staff were lovely. Very friendly. There was one restaurant staff, who.was rude and unfriendly. Ordered chicken n chips for lunch. The chicken came out cold. When asked for it to be warmed up, they refried the chips n heated up the chicken. Meal wasnt that great. Great place to stay for exploring the city. There was no entertainment, so spent evenings out of the complex. There was a few blackouts but electricity came back promptly. The room were spacious but gloomy. Gambia is beautiful country to visit and will definitely visit again. Different hotel though.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Apr 2025

Jason

Wonderful experience.

8/10

Excellent

20 Apr 2025

Great stay

Everything was ok apart from been a room with limited entertainment i.e the atv was not functioning properly.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

07 Apr 2025

DeAndrea

Preparing for our wedding

Checking in was pretty easy. Got to the room, and it was clean. The couch cushions could use some fluffing. That's no big deal. My husband wanted to watch football, and the TV would NOT come on at all. As we were heading out we we stopped by the front desk, and we are informing the young lady, and her response was I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't be quiet. Not a very nice response, and besides we didn't turn the TV on before she left the room. We were told NONE of the TVs worked because they were all in Chinese. Well the TV in the sports bar worked. Supposedly the tech was working on them. 2 nights and 3 days and the TV didn't even come on. Views from our room were great. The cleaning and restaurant staff were very kind and welcoming.

Partner

4/10

Poor

15 Feb 2025

Robert

We had one of the pool rooms for a month and the key card would never open the door on a number of times and we were all ways having to get someone to come and open the safe and when they did it would take up to 40 minutes to come be aware there is no Television in rooms the rooms badly need a refurbishment fridge door hanging off our room was one of the most expensive ones breakfast was ment to start at seven but there was never anything out and had to wait for the lady to come to cook the eggs I know this is Gambia but these our basic things . Also found the beach boys spent most of the day chatting to the young single girls,and finally people were just coming off the beach and the boys were letting them when there was signs saying guests only

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Feb 2025

Kamau

Flawless

Great time, from check-in, to kitchen staff, to cleaners, to entertainment, great value and lovely staff. Really enjoyed our time. Recommend the premier room pool view!!

Closeness to beach is so ideal too, great for relaxation or a stroll to enjoy the sunset.

Nice walk 15 min walk to Tropics Mall and shout out Vibrations cafe for a healthy vegan option outside of the great food provided at Balafon.
Would definitely come again.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

21 Oct 2024

diane

Not to clean grddn mkjlded walls kutside..black mould all over shower floor; wLls stzined from air ck dionef more care needs putting into this hotdl has lkvely location

Business_and_leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

18 Oct 2024

Doris

Hotel in die Jahre gekommen was leider von der Geschäftsleitung ignoriert wird . Trotz allem war es ein schöner Urlaub

2/10

Poor

24 Sep 2024

Tonya

Bad run down hotel

I was not impressed. The pictures online indicate leisure and comfort, which is not what we had. The air in room was not cold. Very old air condition units. We were put in a room, where it didn't get cool, and switched to another room that had us up half the night, due to cool air not working. The TV never worked. The kitchen manager was rude, after staff worker explaining to me the process of taking breakfast to sick husband. The outside and parking not kept up, potholes with mud puddles in parking lot. I was ready to checkout the 1st day, but hotel would not refund money. Safe to say We will not be staying here again.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Sep 2024

Tysheena

Quiet, inviting, immediately accessible to the beach. Extremely friendly staff.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

29 Aug 2024

Lucas

Lovely place

The internet service was not good, but the staff, food, service and facilities were great

Self

6/10

Pleasant

24 Jul 2024

Shannon

Nice Beach view

The rooms was nice over all but i had to tell them about the AC many times it was very hotand the room leak when it had a hard rain also the water would be off everyday as well as the power

Partner

8/10

Excellent

11 Jul 2024

Stacey

Waiters and waitresses not very professional.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

08 Jun 2024

Fatimah

Lovely resort with amazing staff. Fatu and the rest of the restaurant staff were fantastic, really great customer service. The swim up pool was great. Love the tucked away feel of the place. A nice stay

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jun 2024

pau

Beachside hotel, lovely location with excellent service

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

21 Mar 2024

Heather

All that a really good african experience should be. Lovely ambience from stunning beach views with palm lined sands and plenty of grass covered canapied umbrellas.
The pool was crystal clean everyday and the food in the beach restaurant was amazing quality at really good prices. The breakfast was of high standard with plenty of choice everyday. There was different entertainment every night from african dancers and authentic drum players,to bands playing regiee music. The staff warmth and customer service was the best I have encountered in the 15 years I have been visiting the Gambia. Altogether a fantastic holiday experience

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

07 Mar 2024

Mahamadu

Was great

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

16 Nov 2023

Valeria

My room was directly across from the kitchen and dining area. The noise often woke me in the morning. My room was not well maintained and upon arrival, the mirror had toothpaste spots which made me unsure of the cleanliness of my entire room. I saw a rat on the sidewalk one evening. The property was also not maintained well with broken fences and other repairs needed and a full paint refresh is necessary. The courtyard was not clean and the reception area was not welcoming.

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

21 Oct 2023

Dabington

Don’t stay here !!

Terrible! Total scam . Filthy and unfinished. Please do not include on the hotels.com website. Complete scam !!!

10/10

Exceptional

18 Oct 2023

tykeen

I liked that it was exclusive to the beach and the warmth of the environment and staff.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

12 Oct 2023

Sheila

The size of the room was spacious/layout was good.
But i only stayed in my room 4 nights out of 14, due to it smelling like a public toilet! I brought this to the house keepers attention & she would use detol to disinfect the floor but this would only camouflage the smell before it returned. I did share this information with the night manager on duty on the 08/10 before vacating the hotel.

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

01 Oct 2023

Takunda

Bad internet, bad service, rooms not very clean. The tropical theme is good but Hotel maintenance is way below standard

6/10

Pleasant

18 Sep 2023

Mussa

Customer service is poor in here, house keepers opens up your door without knocking, there’s no sign for “do not disturb”, and staff at the entrance does not welcome you at the check in or even at the checkout you do not get a simple “have a good day” from them.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jul 2023

MOHAMED

Drumming the Balafon Beat.

From our arrival we were warmly greeted by Mam Fatu and Oumar. During our weekly stay, we enjoyed an exceptional service by the entire staff mamaged by Cyndi. The pool was cleaned daily and our room was serviced daily with fresh linen and towels. Cyndi even provided my wife with brand new bucket she needed. Addou Mackhé the night shift attendant helped us get food late night after the restaurant was closed past midnight. Our daily complementary Breakfast was phenomenal. Fatou Bintu made some fabulous omelettes and pancakes. The private beach was very clean and the warn water ocean was perfect. The entire hotel was safe with daily and nightly security staff making there rounds. What i like the most was the atmosphere and the variety of the patrons. Kids are welcome, families and old couples stayed there during our stay. We've encountered European tourists, Americans, Jamaicans and locals as well as neighboorhing citizens from Liberia and Senegal. Overall the Balafon Beach Hotel Resort is a wonderful place to stay long term vacationning.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

22 May 2023

Verified traveler

Ok but won’t book again

The set up of the room makes watching the TV an uncomfortable watch. Cleaners were not consistent which often led to an invasion of ants.

The WiFi was decent most of the time and the private beach is amazing.

Most staff are friendly and welcoming especially the restaurant team.

Hotel could benefit from having some hand wash and daily fresh towels. I’ve stayed apartments where cleaning is done daily therefore would expect the same from a 3 1/2 star hotel.

I’m honestly not sure if I would stay here again but thought my stay was average and ok.

Partner

4/10

Poor

13 Feb 2023

Alexandra

Poor Reception at Front Desk. No doors in the shower. Bad internet service. Tv doesn’t work. No telephones in the rooms, can’t call in case of emergency or room service. No door handles on back door. No clocks to set alarm .Restaurant food & servers are excellent but Never expect a Smile from Restaurant receptionist. The Gambian cooks will go above & beyond eg. Famara Sanneh, Sarjo Jarjou, Kawsu Joof, Yankuba Dampha. Professional Grounds keepers/Pool attendants & our Room cleaners Sainey ,Salif & the sweet lady who joins them.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jan 2023

Kay

Beautiful grounds and rooms, access to beach for walking or swimming plus on site pools.
Major negative is no relationship with taxis; I feel I was gouged every time I tried to take one.

Business_and_leisure Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

11 Jan 2023

Lynn

Dishonest or incompetent?

It is a lottery to stay here.

You can book their best beachfront plunge pool rooms 10 months ahead. You can email to confirm many months ahead.
But if the administration book the same rooms multiple times it is tough.

Rooms would seem to be overbooked and from what I saw randomly assigned to people who booked many months later.

Whether the administration is handled manually it is hard to say.
Whether the overbooking is accidental or intentional is hard to say.
What I can say for definite is that it is not a one off. I overheard exactly the same conversation with another guest.

Coming to any conclusion with the management proved impossible.
When the story constantly changes and memory contested all faith in the managements honesty and integrity was lost.

After 7 days of lies & obfuscation we realised that the non resolution was interfing with our ability to enjoy the holiday and felt that the only option was to leave and look for a property run with integrity.

It is a shame it was a nice location and had potential were it not for the appalling management.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Nov 2022

Reinhilde

The own was excellent
The staff was always friendly, smiling and helpful
The garden on the hotel is beautiful

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jun 2022

Rekitha

The staff was friendly and respectful from the time I arrive to the time I departed. Always a smile on everyone face was amazing. I love it there and wish I didn’t have to leave. The breakfast buffet is the best. I’m a breakfast person. The lunch was nice but the dinner was ok.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jun 2022

Hawah

Wonderful place to stay, amazing staff, delicious food

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

10 Apr 2022

William

Great Choice!

I was very pleased with my stay at Balafon. All the important things were in place. Clean, quiet, good bedding, attentive staff, several pools, on the beach, in-room safe, good breakfast, good restaurant. Also had live music several nights a week. The only thing I would like to see improved is the wi-fi. It's very strong in the lobby, but spotty in the pool/restaurant area where you may spend a lot of time. It comes and goes, perhaps depending on how many people are using it, but it's not too bad. It usually comes back on relatively quickly.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

30 Mar 2022

Sabine

The area is fine. I really didn't like that they don't change your towels regularly and when you do get new towels they get thrown on the shelf. No care at all. The rooms are old and could really use an upgrade

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Mar 2022

Edward

Lovely smaller hotel

Lovely hotel! Right by the beach. Great breakfast with a friendly chef cooking your eggs in the morning!
Walkable to the strip in the day time if you fancied a night out and of very short taxi there/ back.

Only thing I would comment on is the lack of door in the bathroom. A curtain or something would be good at the very least!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

06 Mar 2022

Verified traveler

Things can only get better. 👍

Friendly greeting at reception.
Walking through the hotel parts were unkempt, the main pool was filthy.
I booked this hotel has a late birthday treat for my friend. The room needed cleaning, extra bedding and the tv only showed programmes in Chinese.
We loved the style of the hotel, the staff were very friendly and accommodating.
The area around the restaurant and small pools were clean, the ones I did see.
Breakfast was lovely.
I also stay in the Holiday beach hotel 2**for a few days 💯💝.
I noticed the pandemic has caused disruption with a lot of the hotels, so I do understand.
But for an all inclusive hotel, standards need to be better.
Overall the staff were so lovely, so was able to overlook somethings. 😊
And I felt very safe staying there.

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

27 Feb 2026

Metalltechnik

Alles in die Jahre gekommen

Self

4/10

Poor

05 Feb 2026

THIBAULT

La salle de bain a besoin d'un sérieux rafraîchissement.
Impossible de se reposer le soir à cause du boucan de la musique du restaurant.
La wifi coupe tout le temps, impossible de travailler convenablement.

Business

6/10

Pleasant

03 Feb 2026

filip

Prijs bier 350 dal?

10/10

Exceptional

06 Oct 2025

Talaar

Allt var tipptopp

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2025

Nomi

Balafon Beach resort

The stay was super Pleasant and the staff is super friendly. There is a private Beach with guards to make sure all people staying here are safe😀 Nice pool and rooms with aircondition

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

24 Apr 2025

Bianca-Maria

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

20 Apr 2025

Birgit

Leider bin ich nicht so zufrieden. Der Hinweis auf die Regeln des Hotels, keine Getränke oder Lebensmittel außerhalb des Hotels kaufen zu dürfen, war etwas befremdlich. Aber das keine Gäste, auch nicht nach Anmeldung in die Zimmer dürfen ( es handelte sich um meinen Bruder ) hat mich extrem gestört. Die Zimmer waren sehr schön und geräumig, aber sehr dunkel, die Badezimmerfenster sind mit einer Folie angeklebt und dadurch noch dunkler. Hätte es Fliegengitter vor dem Fenster oder der Tür gegeben, wäre ein Lüften möglich gewesen. Die Vielzahl an Katzen, die im Restaurant über die Stühle toben, bei offener Tür in die Zimmer kommen, oder sich auf der zum Trocknen abgelegten Kleidung bequem machen, und leider vom Personal nicht gehindert werden, hat mich gestört, auch wenn ich Tiere sehr gern habe.
Die Zimmerkarte wurde nach jeweils 1 Woche gesperrt, mit der Erklärung ich hätte sie gesperrt, da ich sie zu nah am Handy hatte….was nie der Fall war. Nachdem pünktlich nach 1 Woche die Karte wieder gesperrt war, hätte man von Anfang an darauf hinweisen können, dass die Karten jede Woche neu aktiviert werden müssen.
Das Restaurant enttäuschte mich leider auch, entweder dauerte das Servieren des Mahlzeit 55 Minuten, auch die Tomatensoße der Nudeln, war mir leider deutlich zu scharf.
Die Securitie war sehr freundlich, saß jedoch direkt an meinem Zimmer, dadurch konnte ich sämtliche Gespräche und Funksprüche mithören. Von den restlichen Mitarbeitern fehlte leider oft die Freundlichkeit.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2025

johnny

Fint läge direkt vid stranden. Bra frukostbuffé.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jan 2025

Verified traveler

Nothing but good to say

I have nothing but good to say about this hotel! The facilities are beautiful, rooms spacious and comfortable and direct beach access with lot of sunbeds available.

Staff are attentive and caring. We had an issue with our room (not the hotel’s fault) and they really went out their way to find a solution and ensure we had a pleasant stay. Which we did. Couldn’t be more grateful, will be back!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Jan 2025

Matthias

Der Hotelstrand ist nah und recht gepflegt. Viel freundliches und hilfsbereites Personal. Frühstück typisch afrikanisch sehr eierlastig. Wir fanden es reichhaltig. Wurstfreunde kommen allerdings zu kurz. Zimmerservice sehr gut!

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

07 Jan 2025

Allan

Super ophold. Vanvittigt larmende restaurant.

Rigtigt fint hotel med super beliggenhed. Man skal kunne acceptere at der hver aften er live musik, som spiller VANVITTIGT højt, man kan ikke tale sammen undrr middagen. Vi prøvede at bede dem skrue ned, men det var mærkeligt nok ikke muligt, til trods for at flere gæster spurgte om det samme. Der ligger heldigvis andre restauranter i området, hvor de har forstået europæernes ønsker. Derfor spiste vi kun på hotellets restaurant én gang.
Der mangler parasoller ved poolen, man kan kun ligge direkte i solen.
Resten af opholdet var super fint, rent og pænt, god service og søde medarbejdere. Poolen er spotless ren og fin.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

16 Oct 2024

Gundula

Leider sehr in die Jahre gekommenes Hotel und sehr Renovierungsbedürftig was leider vom Management ignoriert wird. Trotz allem hatte ich eine schöne Zeit da weil der afrikanische Stil dieses Hotel gefällt mir sehr und das es direkt am Strand liegt

Leisure Friends