Leo's Beach Hotel & Restaurant - Adults Only

I felt looked after from the moment I arrived. The staff were friendly and attentive, and the food was the best I had in Banjul, with fresh specials every day. I even came back before flying home.

The pool and garden make a lovely place to relax with a book or a cocktail, and there's a short path through the greenery to the beach. The restaurant and bar are right on site, with tasty food and refreshing drinks, so it's easy to unwind here and enjoy a bit of Swiss hospitality in West Africa. Leo’s Beach Hotel is a small resort near Banjul, with just six rooms. Austrian couple Nina and Alois moved to The Gambia in 2009 after leaving their publishing careers, and opened the hotel in 2013. Each spotless room looks out over the pool and lush garden, and you can see Alois' careful attention to detail in them.

The garden was a highlight for me as a birder, with lots of birds around. We stayed for a week on our first trip to The Gambia, and had a wonderful time. The room was well equipped, the food was delicious, and the service was friendly and efficient. I'd absolutely recommend this place.

We booked directly with the hotel, arranged our flights through the Gambia Experience, and the hotel took care of the airport transfers. After our lovely two weeks here, we've already booked for next year. It was such a peaceful stay. The quiet was broken only by birds in the beautifully kept garden and waves washing onto the beach while we relaxed in the 32 degree sunshine. There are plenty of sun beds and deck chairs, and towels are provided. The pool and garden are for residents only, and children aren't allowed, which helps keep the place calm and intimate. The restaurant is open to non-residents, but was never busy while we were there, and the staff were attentive. Nina and Alois, the Austrian owners, live at the hotel and were always around to help. The Gambian staff were just as lovely, ready to bring a drink or help in the restaurant. The whole hotel has a boutique feel, with fascinating African art and thoughtful design throughout. The clean lines of the buildings carry through to the pool, patios and garden, and even the chairs and bar stools look carefully chosen. We had half board. Breakfast was continental, with hot options such as eggs available to buy. Dinner was a starter, main course and dessert chosen from the menu. The food was very good, with Mediterranean and Gambian dishes, and no buffet. As a wheelchair user, I stayed in the ground-floor suite. There was a small step at the entrance, so they added a little ramp to make access easier. The room was spacious enough for my wheelchair, and the wet room was also accessible. They provided a plastic shower chair, which helped a lot. The only difficulty was the step down to the pool and garden. We managed to carry the chair down, and staff always helped when they were nearby. The suite also has its own patio with a table, chairs and two sun beds. The suite had everything we needed, including air conditioning and ceiling fans for getting out of the heat. There were two large double beds that could be separated into singles, plus a lounge with a TV, fridge and mini bar, HiFi system with speakers, safe, plenty of wardrobe and drawer space, hairdryer, table, chairs and a big comfortable sofa. The ceilings were higher than in a standard room, and full-height patio doors in both the bedroom and lounge had mosquito netting if we wanted to leave them open. The bathroom was well appointed, with double sinks, a toilet and a large shower. WiFi was free across the hotel and generally pretty good, though it dropped out now and then. It was a lovely way to enjoy Gambian sunshine and get away from the British autumn and winter.