Royam Hôtel Saly Sénégal

We had a pleasant stay here despite the fact that the window in the toilet stall of our bathroom wouldn’t close and there was a gap under the door that let in some rather large insects at night. With grounds as lush and vibrant as these, you do expect some critters but it would be nice if the rooms were better insulated so palmetto bugs couldn’t slip in. Mainly, however, I’ve docked a star because the lack of vegetarian options was appalling. The set menu included with the room did not include a vegetarian main, and the whole carte had only 2 or 3 vegetarian mains on the whole thing (you’re out of luck if you’re not excited for a 3 fromage pizza or bad pasta or are vegan). I got the spaghetti with tomato basil sauce (all other sauce options had meat) and it was something you’d expect off the kid’s menu at a roadside diner—limp, unseasoned pasta and sauce from a jar just poured on and a handful of Emmental cheese on the side. After our first dinner here, we ate only in the town because the options of things to eat was both scarce and prepared with a clear lack of regard, despite the fact that we’d already paid for it with our room. The ocean washed up a lot of trash, which the hotel did a pretty good job of raking away from the sand, though we were dodging plastic bags and other debris in the water. Overall, we appreciated the air-conditioning in the room, the hot shower, the live music, and the beach and poolside bar with their fresh, tasty cocktails.

I would never recommend, neither book again in this hotel. Unprofessional behaviour. They did a last minute cancellation leaving my family in the middle of the street without accommodation. I would blacklist this hotel completely. Never responded to the phone, unpolite. Horrible in a word

Very friendly staff, some furniture needs to be refurbished (handles missing, not closing properly). Food quality is mediocre, pool water super warm. A few older gentlemen with comfort ladies... But overall a pleasant stay. The beach is clean, rooms big and comfortable (we had the superior ocean view) superior, yes, definately, ocean view no because you actually barely see the ocean, however you're right on the beach... There is touristic entertainment in the evenings which gets loud.

We 'd managed to get one of the larger rooms for two of us and it was plenty big for our needs. We spent every day out anyhow so it was only for sleeping and showering. The room was cleaned spotlessly and prepped perfectly each day. The food was REALLY good in terms of variety, quality and hygiene. Not as good as an individually cooked meal in a restaurant perhaps BUT an awful lot better quality than most tourist hotels. Flavoursome, good ingredients and freshly prepared. The head chef was out walking through the restaurant floor each day. The beach is amazing (very clean, beautiful sand . The Atlantic sea is pleasantly cold and beautifully blue. The staff keep the local vendors at a mutually beneficial distance and both parties respect the established boundaries without any friction (I hope it stays that way . There have been a few reviews that mention the lack of spoken English. The Lingua Franca of Senegal is ....French. If you speak NO French at all then you might struggle BUT Google translate works well and I found that speaking French out of actual necessity to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the holiday. When you try to speak GCSE French in France, most French people will simply turn the conversation back to English because THEIR English is better than YOUR French and it 's easier. But in Senegal, I found that I was MUCH more inclined to attempt to communicate in my terrible grammar but enormous enthusiasm. The patience of the staff throughout the hotel was boundless as we communicated and they welcomed the chance to pick up a few English words phrases. I absolutely loved it! To the management If you set up a Whatsapp front desk group for guests to join, they can ask questions in text for more accurate communications to check excursion bookings etc. A beach bar group and numbered loungers would allow guests to place orders from their sunbeds for delivery by the bar staff. Both can use the Whatsapp translate facility by non French speakers as well as by staff for multilingual replies. Just a suggestion : I 'd happily make a reurn visit and hopefully will. Merci bien Royam!! A bientot pommes de terre (En Englais laters tayters

Modern hotel/resort. Pool, bar and restaurant plus next to the beach with its own beach bar/restaurant. Would recommend as a first stay in Senegal where it serves as an excellent home base .