Good clean, basic hotel with super staff, a lovely ethos and great pool. Bathrooms and rooms could do wth a lick of paint and a bit of maintenance in places, but it was a lovely place to stay close to the beach.

We got back this morning from a week long stay at Safari Garden - our first visit to Africa if you don't count Morocco. We were all blitzed by the country and its people - we think we are pretty good at getting involved with local people wherever we go - but we have never felt as connected as we did here.
The hotel offers a guide service - which you pay for directly to the guide - which transformed our holiday. Modou was perfect for us and our two teenage daughters, offering wise words to us all every day and being available and amenable to any request. I can't describe how kind he was and how considerate - we met amazing people through him and were so overwhelmed by the connection we made with him that all four of us couldn't hold back tears as we headed back home in the airport taxi.
Anyway, Modou apart, the hotel's owners are truly inspirational in what they have achieved at the hotel and with the local people. They make a real effort to give time to all guests as far as we could tell and we had some fascinating chats with Geri and Maurice about the trials and successes they have had over the last eleven years in their quest to provide an honest, sustainable product for visitors and locals alike.
That said the hotel will not suit all sorts by any means. You must be prepared to remember that you are in a third world country and want to experience and learn about the way of life if you want to get the most out of this special place. So to be honest ... the showers do not always work, there are cracks in the walls, towels have seen better days, the rooms are very simple and a little tired - and if those kind of things are the only things that you judge hotels by, you may not be happy here. However if you want to be amongst amazingly friendly people who want to do all they can for you and if you want to know that the management are dedicating their lives to doing the best that they can to support local people in every way they possibly can, and that is important to you, then you are never going to want to stay anywhere else in this country - unless you go to Sandele - an eco lodge with the same management. (See separate review).
The food at Safari is very good - a good variety for a week's stay at least - with special dishes every day. We bought some fish at Bacau fish market one night and the chef cooked it simply but perfectly for us.
So we shall return to The Gambia for certain - and we will return to Safari Garden for certain - although we would definitely ensure that Geri and Maurice are still at the helm. Their vision and support to local people is what was most important to us.

Very disappointed. The rooms were not clean and very unwelcoming. The swimming pool was OK but the pictures on the website do not give a good representation of the tattiness of the place. The restaurant staff were not 'on the ball'. Both mornings we had to request, more than once, for juice which was supposed to be part of the breakfast. We had lunch there on our last day. Unfortunately, virtually everything we requested they did not have. However, the hotel is in a good position for the beach - within easy walking distance. The staff at reception were very helpful.

The Safari Gardens has a slogan "The hotel that gives more than it takes"
which is so true as we married there in March 2009 and had an amazing time.

There is so much i want to say about this quiet pleasant hotel.

The hotel is nicely hidden down a side street which means its very quite and peaceful.
You are a 5-8 min walk from a quite Fajara beech and local restaurants.
The hotel is well maintained and presented. they have a pool with a bar and seating/lounge area.
The hotel is very much Safari in its theme of decor through the hotel which creates a very relaxed atmosphere.
The Staff are very friendly and helpful. The Hotel owners who we absolutely treasure went out of there way to make our wedding and the time we sent there special.

The food prepared for our wedding was top quality and delicious, i can still taste it now.
I could find 100 great reasons to recommend The Safari Gardens Hotel but will give you just 5 of them today!

Say here if:
You want to be hidden away from the busy tourist area.
you want to be near a nice quite beech
You want a peaceful relaxing atmosphere
You want a wedding/ special celebration with amazing food and hospitality.
You want professional friendly staff who go the extra mile.

We will be staying here again in the near future.