Balafon Resort in Banjul

This hotel is a big joke nothing is true but they take money for that they not deliver

Fine 3-star hotel. Good and pleasant staff, not pushy and very polite Of course with the necessary African flaws. But you can see through that just fine. Right on the beach and a good pool. Breakfast is basic. You can get a fresh omelet or pancake. The adjacent beach club does provide loud music on weekends. But if you like to go out this is easy to reach via the beach.

Great hotel. Beautiful wonderful staff and food and private pools. Some of the negative reviews are from pampered, whiny Westerners. There is security everywhere. Unsafe? Who is a threat, no gun violence and mass slaughters here as in US. Yes, there is soap. If not go buy a bar. There is good water pressure and hot. Do you not notice there is not much water and no inrastructire? This is a desperately poor country. People at hotel do not even make enough money for taxi fare everyday. Talk to them and learn about their lives. Yes there are stray dogs and cats. All poor countries have them. Puerto Rico has 100k stray dogs. There are people here as elsewhere trying to relieve the suffering. Why not help them? Sit and stuff your face while animals and people go hungry. Pathetic. Build quality in developing countries is not first world. No door to bathroom? Not untypical. Rooms are cool. Do you not know that there is no first world power plant?Most people have no AC and could not afford the bill anyway Cannott see from BR anyway.. Did you not know that a hotel like this w lush flora is an oasis for birds and other fauna in an area where nature no longer exists? I avoid people like you here. Ignorant and uncaring. Go back home and stay at Days Inn.

We had a wonderful time at Balafon Beach Hotel. We were there for work and were given a wonderful reception by the staff. In particular the hotel manager Momodou Jallow. The professionalism was excellent and meant we could both work and relax in a beautiful environment. This was my 2nd stay and I will return again. I highly recommend this hotel. Simon.

The staff is very friendly and made guest services priority. Upon arrival we were provided two complimentary bottles of water and the bellman helped us with iur bags to our room. Anytime we beeded anything they always did their best to make that happen.The room and the building could use some TLC. For being part of the Tamala hotel family, the quality standard is far from the same. Someone spray painted "Hotel for Sale" all over the building. I felt like we were about to be evicted or living in an abandoned building. The cleanliness of the room was well below subpar. Although the housekeepers do their best, the standards and practices are limiting. I had to clean the bedposts because there looked like dried blood on the headboard. A previous guest left a blunt in one of the table decorations and it remained there until the day before we checked out. Even after I reported it to guest services. I had to ask that the bathroom be cleaned with bleach because of the overwhelming smell of mold. I purchased my own bottle and used it daily. The bathroom window has no screen and is the only ventilation for the place to prevent mildew and mold. The ants run rampant across the floor. One day we left our towels on the floor to be changed only to return and the same towels were picked off the floor and hanging up. We had to ask for certain things that should be standard housekeeping practices like changing the linen of weekly guests on a schedule, proving soap and tissue paper, and cleaning the entire bathroom and the floors.Next the water, electricity, and internet are intermittent. They were constantly going off. I know some things cant be avoided, but if one property is not having the same issue in the same vacinity, then that should be investigated and not passed off as "thats just the way it is". We only stayed here or even knew about this place because of a YouTube interview with one of the owners. From there we fell in love with the private bungalow style beach hotel. I am disappointed that there isnt the same standard of quality and best practices in place for the Balafon as there is for Tamala. Even if Balafon is sold as your lower end property, the quality standard should remain the same. I felt like i made a bad choice. If not for the staff being so kind and accomodating, we would have left.The restaurant had breakfast every morning and Ablie made my pancakes and omlette with a smile everyday. The restaraunt manager was very attentive to the guests and has a wonderful personality. The staff is the gem of this place, from the poolman to waitstaff, everyone made us feel welcome and wanted us to feel at home. They deserve to work for an establishment that takes pride in high quality guest services from the front to yhe back of the house and everywhere in between.

A wonderful place for a vacation. A wonderful customer service and friendly staff at the restaurant. Boring menu, need to work on that an add more dishes. Congrats

We booked a room with a private pool at Balafon Hotel for our Honeymoon for 8 nights with breakfast.The communication with the Hotel before our stay was very good. We ordered an airport pickup which was uncomplicated and also our room was beautifully decorated as a welcome for our honeymoon.Overall the people in the hotel were really kind and very friendly. The private pool was cleaned daily and also our room was cleaned on regular basis. The room itself was very spacious and we felt comfortable there. It just didn’t have a door for the bathroom, with which we got used after the first days.The workers in the hotel do their very best to make the guests happy and always greet with a friendly smile on their face.Also because of the day and night security service you feel very safe in the hotel.What was outstanding was the service at the restaurant, it was just awesome.The waiters are very attentive and even the restaurant manager himself is serving the customers needs and always gives the guests the feeling that his only job is to make you happy.The food was also very good, the breakfast buffet has a good variety of choices and the BBQ night on Friday was a nice special, especially due to the live band. But we can recommend the a la carte food for lunch and dinner aswell.Also an example of the good service: The toiletflush was not 100% working. Without us saying anything, the room service and a worker knocked on our door to fix it.Also we’re are grateful that we were able to stay in our room up to 3pm on our last day, even though the room usually should be left by 12 o’clock.From our site there are just minor things that we feel could be improved.It would have been nice if the costs of the airport shuttle would have been communicated to us before the arrival so that we would have been aware and prepared for it.The reception always helped us, when we had questions and also solved a problem at the beginning.But somehow we would have wished to be welcomed with more excitement and a smile on their face, because that’s the first impression you get of the hotel. Just to show us that they are happy to see us and that we are not bothering them.Because sometimes you have the feeling that you’re bothering them with your request.Also when we checked out and walked through the hotel area every worker who saw us gave us a warm smile and wished us a safe journey.Only the man at the reception took our room card and just checked us out. I didn’t even remember if we had eyecontact, which was a bit sad.We would have wished a warm goodbye for a good last impression.Things to be aware of:Just be aware that the balafon hotel is at the end of an about 500m long road.At night it seems a bit scary, but it’s actually not. There is a police checkpoint at the beginning of the street and also police is doing everything to make tourists feel safe.Even though it is very safe, we would not recommend going there alone as a woman at night.But that’s also just a minor point.All in all we can definitely recommend the Balafon Beach Hotel and we would come here again.The whole hotel area is very clean, the workers in the hotel give you a nice feeling everything they meet you and the food is nice.So all in all we would rate as a 4.5 out of 5.Thank you for the great stay Balafon Team.

Very nice hotel at the Senegambia beach. Spacious rooms and reasonably priced. Nice and calm pool. Breakfast could be a bit better but personnel tries its best.

The best place to stay. We got the best room possible. Sea views, 1st floor and thats all. Basically amazing. Thanks Balafon staff for make it amazing.

Spent 2 weeks at Balafon, rooms very tired, in need of refurbishment.Staff were great, nothing too much trouble, location great right on the beach

Very disappointed with the hotel food posing

We had someone steal 4000D from us here..Rooms had mold in the wardrobes

The hotel is in a good location right on the beach , with a few bars and restaurants outside . The grounds of the hotel are really pretty& well kept The gardeners work really hard. The bedrooms are in great need of some TLC very tired had a few issues with t.v & Wi-Fi needThe staff are really nice smiling sincere people.I would like to say a big thank you Ormar ( guest relation officer)and Amadou (Housekeeping Supervisor)who both went the extra mile to make our stay more comfortable they a credit to the hotel .Thank you

Definitely not 4 star.Rooms are awful,reception staff were rude,no nice welcome.Food was not good.But great beach location.

Great hotel,breakfast is nice,very helpful

Lovely staff so polite and helpful

When you arrive at the hotel do not be confused by the use of two names (Balafon/Djembeas the hotel is linked and owns not just these resorts but also the Tamala and one other. Due to lock down the family hotel Djembe is closed and so you will find some of their named products being shared across the complex which assist them in ensuring guests can continue to enjoy their stay.You have to remember that the Gambia struggles with a consistent electricity and weak WIFI network or supply and once you know this you can prepare for your trip by buying a sim at the airport or from a local merchant for a unlocked mifi device or phone for example to give you a better connection to social media or the internet.Yes there are lots of WIFI points around the hotel and we had to also consider that these hotels and locations have been without tourism and partially closed down for a long time, so they are just getting back into the swing of things with general repairs and upkeep so do not expect wifi points to be connected fully, especially if the electricity drops out.Based on this prepare for your trip, take a torch, an unlocked phone or mifi device and some patience and you will have the best trip ever.The staff here are amazing and so helpful and will go all out to help you as long as you are considerate and polite and they are more than happy to receive positive feedback and suggestions. We made a few to the hotel management and customer services manager who instantly took on board our comments and did everything they could to help us.The rooms are cleaned well and if you have any issues your room allocated person will again do their best to satisfy your needs, we asked for the room to be sprayed with anti mosquito spray and the very next day it was perfect and very clean.Washing facilities are not as they are back home, water was however really hot in the shower and sink and yes water pressure relies allot on gravity but it is there and although slow running you need a wash not to be able to jet wash your car.Pools are cleaned and maintained daily and very good and the beach is excellent with again staff willing to answer and provide for your every wish.Food is excellent and even here the staff and their new Tunisian cook are willing to do a little extra for you, for example the menu offered grilled chicken sandwiches, and we asked if they could change this to grilled chicken and chips, which was done quickly. We then found out they did amazing vanilla ice-cream and suggested the hotel also advertise this on their menu. So if you fancy something else, my suggestion is just ask. The presentation is very good and again show some patience here as the service might be slow at times depending on the amount of customers and availability of electricity, but you will get excellent service.Drinks and food are both cheap and they have most of what you would desire on offer in good portions.Traders and begging, most of the beach resorts including Belefon/Djembe have security staff either end of their beach area to ensure beach traders and beggars do not disturb guests. You will instantly recognise an invisible line between where you can sunbath and the public passing of traders. Traders will be polite and wave to guests to try and capture your attention and sometimes they some really nice articles for sale, although you will often only see them holding up a piece of paper or card with their wears on them. Do not be put off, they are all pleasant and understand what "no" means and again remember this is how they make their living so please be polite and respectful. You may even find that the blue booths to the right of the beach have really fresh and good drinks, smoothies and huge plates of fresh fruit for really silly money such as 150D or just over £2 for a large fresh juice made to your desire.Going out - lots to see and do and just a short walk from the hotel, lots of shops, banks, cafes and restaurants

Nice looking hotel and beach we visites but cannot give more information because we dont say there.

Shower had no pressure at all, sink taps no water pressure at all. Over 40 WiFi points and not even 1 is working.. their excuse is their upgrading it. When you confront the reception guy about it, he gets rude. Terrible stay. I left after spending 6 hours there. I travel to the gambia twice a year.. this hotel is for the less wealthier ppl. Full of OAPs whove come for some cheap thrills

So bad and terrible room. Balafon was the worst hotel i ever stay in my life. You cant close the toilette door, no soap, just 1 towel for 2 people. Old and terrible room. The girl in the reception was not nice and we could not pay with card, so we must walk 30 minutes to standard bank to take out money. And walk back. Nobody tell us that card mascine not work. Nobody tell me where breakfast was when I come to hotel and I asked for wifi and the girl in reception not help me.Dont go there, its awful!

"Were working on it"!The internet that was advertised to be available throughout the property... "Were working on it." Actually they are not, and it is only available in a couple of locations on the property. As I was there on business, this was extremely inconveninent and would discourage me from ever staying here again.The power is out for long periods of time.... "Were working on it". The onsite generator eventually did come on, with much applause from guests. With frequent power cuts the norm, one would expect them to be better prepared.All that over-weight flesh on open display... "Were working on it"... Thanks, no thanks...The restaurant was OK - although at least one ordered item was not available, even though it was listed on the menu. The breakfast was good.If you expect to lounge by the pool all day, this may be a good fit for you. If you are wanting to base out of here for work, there are better choices available in the city.

Brilliant place to stay

This is a tourist paradise.

Ok this I would have given it a 4 but the breakfast was bad very bad.Everything else is nice, looks 5 star security is good and friendly and not intrusive.The huts I will call them are nice very nice and add to the feel, liked that alot.Yeah very nice, take a whole lot of repellent you will be fine.Just the brekkie hurt my feelings!!

Given everything, its a nice resort.

Nice

Top...

Nice and well laid out beside the lovely beach.

Absolutely amazing service from polite staff. The beach started at the door to my room! Such a brilliant experience.

Beautiful rooms and location

Nice settings friendly staff

Nice place an well designed love it

Hotel rooms great, pool and beach area great. Breakfast good, snack lunch menu good but dinner lacked anything exciting. Restaurant although covered over it was 50% open and on windy evenings dining was not a pleasant experience. We paid full board but only tried dinner twice. We found better quality restaurants and superior food on the main strip. Would highly recommend Reos Sports Bar near Senna Gambia Hotel. Great roast chicken and exellent steaks.

Loved it there, idyllic location, great hotel, friendly helpful staff, its got the lot...

Nice place well designed, friendly staff, clean and comfortable

Great resort and amazing staff!

Needs a lot of work.staff cannot no enough for you but needs investment

Nice

Very nice and the perfect place for a lazy vacation in the sun!

Lovely

Balafon is an excellent hotel and resort heading to five stars. Since its very new there are still a few flaws which I expect to be resolved before my next review.

Great staff. Kind and friendly. Give them substantial bonuses!

Wonderful day

Nice relax but Berry and breakfast

Very good experience

My second home! Such a lovely, clean and nice hotel. Never want to chose any other hotel than this one. All those people whos working there are very nice and good. Much love to you all!It was here a new chapter in my life started. ❤

First, second and third impression, amazing great and lovely. Still two weeks to go.

Lovely and beautiful

Stayed for 2 weeks @ the Balafon and we will defenitly come back! Excellent and spacy rooms with a good bed. Very nice & helpfull staff. Clean resort with nice pool, comfortable beach beds and good food. Absolutely 5 stars worth.

On the beach nice pools great views clean staff are always there to help highly recommended