Lemon Creek Hotel Resort

Yes, the hotel is perhaps 'a little bit tired,' but the well-maintained grounds and wonderful staff certainly more than compensated for any shortcomings in the building. Having said that our room was spacious, had a large balcony, the AC worked, the bathroom was well-lit, there were ample electrical sockets, good wardrobe space and a fridge. The food in the restaurant (breakfast, lunch and dinner) was excellent and a decent range of drinks on offer. Wifi in our room was a bit 'hit and miss' but always seemed to be available in the restaurant area. We will certainly stay at the Lemon Creek again on our next visit to The Gambia!

We booked Lemon Creek Hotel through *********** in June 2023 for 3 weeks room and breakfast for two in November and got a good rate on one of their cheapest rooms. We arrived at 2:00 a.m. due to a scheduled late flight and the reception was open and we were directed to our room with no fuss. The room was about 7m x 5m with glazed doors to a balcony of 5m x 2m. We had a bathroom with toilet, shower, (Tepid, but that's OK in the heat.), basin and vanity unit. The room had 3 tables, a suitcase stand, a settee, large four poster double bed with an excellent mosquito net, 5 speed ceiling fan, wardrobe, safe, kettle, (bring tea or coffee) cups, plates, cutlery, tv, aircon (an extra 5 euro per 12 hour session) and a fair sized fridge that has to be turned down to prevent the beer going lumpy. The balcony had a table, two chairs, a drying rail and a view over the gardens. The room was always kept spotlessly clean with pristine white Linen changed two or three times a week. Breakfast in the restaurant was a buffet choice of: fried boiled or scramble eggs, french bread, butter, cheese, ham, jam, chocolate spread, honey, pancakes, toast and marmalade, bake beans, potatoes, mushrooms, sausage, porridge, cereal, museli, fresh fruit, cakes, fruit juices, tea, instant coffee, milk and sugar. The extensive hotel lunch and dinner menus were comparable in price and quality with those of the Senegambia strip restaurants and we never had a disappointing meal there. The staff were professional, happy, friendly and attentive. The hotel grounds are a wonder. They extend at one end toward the beach via a guarded gate and at the opposite end to the road where taxis wait in the shade. There must be about 300 mature trees on the grounds mostly baobab and palm, interspersed with sloping lawns, paths, flower beds, hedges, the Lemon Creek itself and the swimming pool. This creates an excellent environment for over 50 species of birds, many butterflies , dragonflies and of course the green vervet monkeys, who, don’t worry, kept their distance. All this surrounded the 7 hotel units with 8 rooms each and the restaurant serving the breakfast, lunches and dinners. The greatest resource of the hotel were the staff who at all levels were smiling and welcoming. Nothing was too much bother for any of them. Whether it was an extra napkin at breakfast or a drop of oil for your fishing reel they would be there with a smile and no trace of any expectation of a tip or reward. Our room cleaner was so keen to ensure that our stay was as pleasant as possible. The hotel had a well informed resident Gambian bird guide who calls himself “Best Boy” who for a very reasonable price would organise trips to any of the Gambian birding locations or just walk you through the hotel grounds. Best boy is an excellent bird guide who can identify any of the Gambian species you are likely to encounter and share his knowledge with you. It is clear that for Best Bo

The bed was a dirty mattress with a single sheet. Neithervof the pillows had protectors or pillow cases. It still stank of whoever last slept here. Zero hospitality. The manager was rude and abusive to elderly British guests. The breakfast was nasty. I chose nothing more than a black tea ratger than risk it. The pool was overrun with local families witj kids and toddlers. There is nothing positive here. I videod the manager being abusive to the elderly gursts for their and my own protection. The situation was sinister and threatening. Avoid at all costs!