Review of Nemasu Eco-lodge 3*

The ecolodge is in an Idyllic location right on a fabulous beach. The bed is really comfortable, but the lodge is definitely not sound proof! You will hear crashing waves etc all night! There is no glass in the windows but there are wooden shutters which block some but not all of the light. For the amount we were paying I felt that the bed linen and towels were rather tatty. We chose to book Nemasu as it was the only place in the area with Wi-Fi however it didn’t work for most of our stay which was very frustrating and when it did work it was very slow. The staff did their very best to help me and even offered to drive me to different lodges in the area but after phoning them it was discovered that the internet wasn’t working in the whole area, so it was totally beyond their control. If you are dependent on Wi-Fi I would suggest buying a SIM card so that you can access the data, which is what I should have done. Breakfast was one of the best I have ever eaten! Lovely fresh bread with locally made peanut butter (which is available to purchase) eggs any way you choose and then fresh fruit! We didn’t need anything else to eat until our evening meal! The restaurant provides excellent food and is reasonably priced. I suggest you bring dry shampoo as there was only a trickle of cold water, which we didn’t really understand as they use that fabulous Gambian sunshine for solar power. Perhaps they need to instal larger tanks? I can highly recommend the bird watching safari into Senegal! We chose to cycle which was difficult on the sandy tracks and also because I was given a man’s bike which was much to big for my 5ft 3in frame! I had to sort of fall off every time we stopped but I wasn’t going to let it beat me. In fact we found out later that when the guide found out he was taking a couple (in their very late 50’s) he topped his phone up with credit as he usually has to call a car to pick guests up who are struggling! Don’t let this put you off though as you could always opt for a car to start with, but I don’t feel that you would get the most from the trip. I honestly wouldn’t bother with the option of the art gallery and reptile farm (which is an extra 300D per person) and is really just a small zoo with a few snakes and a very sad looking crocodile! The boat trip and the guided walk in Senegal were fabulous though and very good value for money. One of the best trips of our time in The Gambia!