Lodge Dalaal Diam — Hotel in Arrondissement de Sindia

Beautiful place but you have to be persistent to get basic amenities…consider what your requirements are before coming here. If you don’t need electricity, fans or hot water (or if you don’t mind arguing over it ten times a day), the place is really nice, but if you have higher expectations, we wouldn’t really recommend it||The location is stunning, right on the edge of the lagoon (in the middle of ‘nowhere’). The apartments/house is beautiful with colorful flowers in the garden. But please be aware that the ‘eco’ in this eco lodge in this case stands for economizing (at the guests’ expense) rather than ecology. There are no solar panels, solar water heaters, etc. (only a wind generator which doesn’t really produce much as there is little wind ever) and the owners are very reluctant to put the generator on for more than 1 hour a day. We had to persist (many conversations over 2 days) to get amenities working to an acceptable level. Don’t expect electricity (including basic things like fans or a bathroom light at night), hot water or wifi to be working. Also don’t expect to be able to use the indoor kids pool in the house, more than 1 roll of toilet paper for the week, house cleaning or routine emptying of garbage or storage in the house. ||The house has a decent kitchen with gas stove/oven, sink and good sized fridge. We had to request a gas bottle but then it worked fine (bring your own lighter). The fridge is only allowed to be put on when the generator is on (which we had to request many ,many times to receive). There are a few pans and plates/utensils but if you plan to cook, bring what you require. ||The open plan layout of the house is really nice for a family. There are 2 bedrooms separated from the main area by curtains. There is a lounge area with a tv. They advertised sat tv but the connector to the sat dish was broken. There are loads of DVDs (but only for adults, nothing for kids). However, unless you are willing to have ongoing 2 day argument about electricity, don’t plan on watching TV - we were told that we should limit any tv watching if we wanted our lights to work in the evening.||There is a small kids indoor pool area although we had to ask quite a few times to have it filled. We were told that they are an eco lodge and don’t fill it but we didn’t understand why you would build a house with a pool and advertise it as a key feature if you didn’t intend to use it. They finally filled it and the kids loved it. Just beware that the tiles in the pool are super slippery.||There is a dining area with a table and 2 chairs but after asking we did receive 2 more. It opens onto a little terrace where you can sit (if you bring the dining chairs). There is also a little fish pond outside which the kids loved but you can’t swim in it (as the pictures on the website show).||There is a second bathroom but there was audio visual equipment stocked on a desk in the toilet, making it unusable.||The main bedroom has a double bed with mosquito net and fan. Fine for sleeping but the mattress is really bad and bed a bit short (even if you aren’t tall) and the built in storage cabinets were completely filled with the owners stuff.||The kids bedroom is great. 2 beds built on the top with mosquito net /fan and a double bed with net on the bottom (good mattress) and fan. Sleeps 4 people. Again all storage cabinets were packed with the owner’s stuff.||The bathroom is a good size with good counter space. There are towels. The shower has little shower pressure and if you are lucky, you will be able to request hot water. It takes about 30min for it to warm up but then it is great. The storage area in the bathroom again was cluttered with the owners stuff.||A few minutes walk from the house there is the main pool/eating area. There is a big screened in room which has the intention of being a restaurant but only houses a few tables and a bar that looks like it has never been used. It is a real shame because it is a lovely spot overlooking the lagoon. There is a pool outside which is great for cooling off and letting the kids play in. But note that the water is very shallow (only up to an adult’s knees). There are 2 nice sun loungers (but that is it!).||The lady who cooks is a really good cook and very sweet. It is a request only service and you need to select something from the menu on the website the day before for all meals so she can buy fresh food at the market. Meals are really good size and good priced (3-6 euros for fish/meat/chicken dishes). There is also some beer and wine but they run out really quick. If you want the lady will also bring you food from the market if you need something. For dinner she will bring the food to the house mid-day for you to heat up at night.||The mosquitos are really bad in the area so be prepared. ||Although we had to continually request things, the local caretaker did finally accommodate us (owners were not on site and we were told they are away for most of the summer). We had a really nice time but it took 2 days to get to an acceptable level, losing valuable holiday time. It was a bit of a shame as the place really has great potential but just isn’t maintained or have any level of ‘required guest service.’||You can take walk around the lagoon but other than that there isn’t much to do (which is part of why it is relaxing). The small local town is about a 20+ min walk through dusty garbage ridden area. Somone is best accessible by taxi (+-10 min).||There is no signage on the main road to get here. There is one entrance in Somone and one by the turn off by the Exotic Animal park (before Somone). As you get closer there are a few signs.||As a last note, I do want to comment on the owners. They seem like very friendly people but were not in town when we stayed there. When there were issues, we were put in touch with the wife of the owner who tried to help a bit but it didn’t allow us to use the house as it was advertised. The owner did email us after our visit, noting again that the electrical capacity of the house depends on their production (generator and wind alternator)….but what consume a lot is the fridge, tv, of course fans. Even if you don’t use the fridge, and only use a few hours of fans and tv, the battery will switch off. The solution in that case was to make the generator, one hour working. But again, this only will give you enough power to use the fans and maybe one light for a few more hours. ||||Bottom line…If your expectations are set before arriving, and/or you agree with the owner up front how much the generator should be on, your visit should work...

Hemos pasado una noche y un día en este eco lodge en medio de la naturaleza. El entorno es una maravilla, rodeados de vegetación (exuberante en época de lluvias) y a los pies de la laguna de La Somone. Relax total y contacto estrecho con la naturaleza en su pleno esplendor. ||||El lodge es muy bonito, al menos el bungalow que nos tocó, la suite bioclimática Horus. Es un bungalow con salón, una piscina pequeña en el interior (salón acuático le llaman) y dos habitaciones, más un baño completo. También tiene una mesa de comedor y un rincón cocina, pero sin equipar, sólo hay fregadero. Además tiene una pequeña terraza protegida con mosquitera para poder relajarse fuera. La idea de la terraza exterior es muy buena y sobre todo en le época que hemos ido la mosquitera es imprescindible, pero es verdad que la terraza se queda un poco pequeña y con la mosquitera da sensación de estar un poco encerrado, además la mosquitera estaba rota por bastante sitios, punto a mejorar. ||||El equipo que nos atendió, el técnico Sonko, la cocinera Awa e Ibou super amables y simpáticos, nos trataron super bien y nos dieron de comer estupendamente, ninguna queja con ellos, al contrario, da gusto encontrar a gente tan amable y con ganas de agradar y hacer bien su trabajo. ||||Nuestra única pega en este lugar ha sido que nos hemos encontrado el lodge a medio gas, por no decir a cero gas. Hemos estado en temporada baja y éramos los únicos clientes. La sensación era que el lodge no estaba abierto y que nos habían acondicionado el bungalow para poder estar allí, pero el resto de servicios, no estaban en funcionamiento y nadie nos avisó de esto al hacer la reserva (aunque sí que tenemos que decir que el precio tampoco fue el mismo que en temporada alta). La pequeña piscina que tienen estaba disponible, tanto la común, como la que está dentro del bungalow (pero no la del espacio Cocoon). Es verdad que la limpieza de las piscinas no es impecable, pero con esto hay que contar en un lugar sostenible energéticamente y donde los generadores sólo funcionan 4 horas al día. Al hacer la reserva y conociendo el funcionamiento del país, preguntamos si al ser temporada baja tendríamos la piscina y demás disponible y nos dijeron que sí, como así fue finalmente, pero nadie nos avisó de que el restaurante y el bar no estarían abiertos. Nos encontramos en la zona de la piscina con la zona de terraza del bar-restaurante cerrada, nos dijeron que podíamos estar allí, pero aquel lugar parecía abandonado, cojines recogidos, barra del bar cerrada, restaurante cerrado etc... Esto hizo que tanto la cena como el desayuno se nos sirvieran en el mismo bungalow con la consiguiente sensación de estar encerrados demasiado tiempo entre cuatro paredes. Nos imaginábamos desayunar en una terraza con vistas a la laguna, o tomar algo antes de cenar en la terraza disfrutando de las vistas y la naturaleza, pero en vez de esto estuvimos dentro del bungalow pasando bastante calor además. ||||No dudamos de que estando el lodge en pleno rendimiento nuestra experiencia hubiera sido distinta y de hecho creo que le daremos una segunda oportunidad en otra época del año porque el sitio merece la pena, pero el hecho de no estar en pleno funcionamiento y que encima no se nos avisara, estropeó un poco nuesta estancia. ||||Por lo demás, recalcar que al ser un ecolodge, hay agua las 24 horas del día, pero no con mucha presión y además al ser agua de pozos subterráneos y por la zona en la que está, es agua algo salada y en cuanto a la electricidad, funcionan con generadores y baterías, lo cual hace que puedas tener luz por la noche, pero tienes que economizarla bastante si quieres que te duren los ventiladores funcionando toda la noche. En cualquier caso, son cosas completamente entendibles dada la filosofía sostenible y ecológica del luegar y además está así avisado en la web, por lo que por ahí no hubo sorpresas y además compartimos esa filosofía, así que genial. ||||En resumen, precioso lugar, concepto de lodge muy interesante, pero sensación de abandono en...

Hidden gem at the end of the lagoon - tranquil but still access to lots of activities around Somone

If you are looking for a real natural experience and a unique and tranquil place to stay, then this place is perfect! Really off side from noise and lots of people, beautiful nature around (Baobabs, river at the end of the lagoon, birds). The main house with the restaurant has beautiful places to sit inside and outside; the pool is not deep and with salty water, but a nice refreshment. The room was nicely decorated and very cosy and clean, some steps away from the main house. Staff (Celine from far and Ibou on site) was very helpful and kind, helped with all activities we wanted to do, including arrangement of transport from Dakar and to the airport.

Just be aware that you are a bit off side, so you need to plan a bit how to deal with transport, cash money etc. And Wifi connection is only in the main house (which is absolutely fine and "healthy" to not always be connected), just to keep that in mind for...