Right up front; we had a wonderful time and plan to go back several times in the future. The location was wonderful (20 minutes to Samone/Saly if you drive around the lagoon on dirt roads and about 20 Mins to Popenguine as well.) The beach is deserted and really lets you feel like you are in a secluded place. There is a small restaurant down the road as well if you get tired of eating at the house and the neighbors are all very nice and make you feel like you are part of the beach community there. The house was very nice and could not be beat for the price. The style was very welcoming and we really enjoyed it. The staff were also extremely nice people. We came with kids and dogs and the staff were exceptionally nice to both our kids and our dog (although they were terrified of the dog, which made it a little uncomfortable as we were always worried about them being scared of the dog — they were troopers, though, and did their best to not show their absolute terror)!.
Perusing through the guest book, it seems that the clientele is all French/Senegalese. Given this, I am going to offer some observations that speak more to the American clients who, I hope, will try this house out. Here are some of our observations (both good and bad):
Positives:
—The owners are EXTREMELY good at communication and very welcoming. They really seem to want to make the experience pleasurable. They speak perfect English as well, which made booking very easy. We exchanged probably 10-15 emails over our weeklong stay, which really made me feel that they were just a call away.
—The location is great if you are looking for a bit of a respite and want to be away from people. It is literally at the end of a small dirt road (after you just traveled 20 mins on dirt roads to get there) and 100’ from the ocean. I could not imagine a better location in this part of Senegal.
—The house offers a lot of small details (kids room, record and CD player, ping pong, outdoor fridge, Flat screen and DVD player, etc) that really make the place welcoming.
—There are some really cool little beach shack restaurants on the lagoon which are a lot of fun and the Caban Pecheur just down the road is a really cool little place that makes great seafood.
—For the price, the food is good, but it is not great. There is not much of it, either. If you are a big eater, bring some of your own food. For example, they ran out of milk and coffee on the first day, so we bought our own. Also, make sure to bring your own alcohol, beer, sodas, etc. Finally, if you want ice, bring some with you as they have 3 ice trays (but a huge freezer which you could put an ice bag in).
—The house cleaner (Fathou) and the young man who arranges activities were really the most amazingly sweet people and deserve a special shout-out.
Cons:
—You cannot lock the sliding glass door to the house. While the area seems very calm and I doubt there is much crime, the average American does not want to stay in a house/hotel where they cannot lock the doors. There is a night guard, but since we did not know him personally, I would have felt much better if we could have locked the doors.
—The propane tank in the kitchen leaks gas and so whenever it is on, there is a smell of propane in the house.
—It is near a lagoon, so there are a TON of mosquitoes. This is to be expected, but it is worth noting.
—The photographs on the website are professionally done and really make the place look larger than it is (especially the living room). This is NOT a complaint, rather just an observation so people will not be let down when walking into the main house.
—The staff, in their effort to be helpful, are right on top of you all of the time. Especially the cook. The living room is in the same room as the kitchen so he is just there all of the time. When the weather is great, you are outside and don't notice, but if you want yo kick back and watch a movie, expect to have an audience with you.
—The beds are creaky and very hard. If you like this, then it is no problem, but we had a very hard time sleeping.
—If you are looking for nightlife, then this is not the right place for you. You should rent a house in Saly.
Pro Tips:
—Bring your own blankets and pillows as you may not like what they have.
—bring a cooler with drinks and anything special you want to eat (snacks, steaks, burgers, etc)
—Bring a iPad with movies OR DVDs if you want to watch something at night (they have a DVD player and an HD TV if you want to hook your IPad to it).
—If you use a GPS to get there, make sure you turn right at the “Caban Pecheur” sign about 500 meters before you get to the house. If not, you will follow the GPS track to the backside of the house.
Bottom Line: This was a WONDERFUL little place which simply cannot be beat for the price. We plan to go back several times and are so happy that we found it. We definitely recommend it for families or groups of friends looking for a nice beach vacation that is well off of the beaten path!
Toutes les réservations sont effectuées directement auprès du propriétaire 