Hotel Jardin Savana Dakar — Hotel in Dakar

I had the chance to stay at both the Novotel and Jardin Savana during the same week so I was able to do a head to head comparison. See my review of the Novotel for comments. In spite of the more updated rooms and better breakfast at the Novotel, I would stay again at the Jardin Savana because of the access to the outside via the balcony and the nice surroundings. If the owners updated this hotel, it would be a top destination in Dakar. Rooms Pretty room, gorgeous balcony, ocean view. However, room needs updating: paint is scratched, marble floor in bathroom is tired, parts of wooden baseboard are rotten. No hot water for 1st 24 hours! Amenities One 500 ml bottle first day only! No kettle to make coffee or tea; I had to ask twice to have one delivered to my room. 10 TV channels all French. Breakfast Breakfast more typical of a 2-3* hotel; only highlight was an omelette station and that had few vegetable choices. Besides bananas, the only fruit available was a fruit cocktail with watermelon. The Nestlé automatic machine made watered down unacceptable espresso. The regular coffee was served in a large (e.g.,100 cup) percolator that presumably was not changed during the entire breakfast period. Definitely not worth 10,000 CFA francs. Pool Olympic size; great for lengths. However, there was a fair bit of organic material on the bottom and the tiles were old and chipped. Needs updating. Exercise room Small tired-looking room with 40 year old exercise bikes and some weights. Tennis court Torn up; not sure when it will be repaired. Currency exchange at front desk Gouging rates (e.g., 560 CFA francs = 1 U.S.$). Get your money at an ATM. Staff Very nice. I was especially impressed on the last day when I left my camera by the pool. Someone turned it in to the pool staff and they turned it over to me when I came asking for it. It would have been very simple for the staff...

The hotel is a big disappointment.

The welcome experience wasn't the best. There was just one staff member at the reception to handle the check-in process. Obviously, they get overwhelmed and aren't of much use. There's also no one to guide you to your room. In short, there's no welcome experience here.

Now, about the room... Mine was dated and had pretty much everything falling apart. From wooden bits on the flooring to the toilet to sockets and ethernet ports. Furniture on the tiny balcony appeared like it had been sourced from roadside cafe.

The hotel has seen better days and is long overdue some proper renovation.

The food is a sad story. The restaurant didn't look like somewhere one ought to be either at breakfast or the other meals. At breakfast, there's barely any variety and it's not even presented well. The setting is just as bad - random tables where you can snack and there's not much even in the way of cutlery. Seriously, does anyone at this facility have any idea this is supposed to be hospitality? If a dysfunctional African government ran a hotel, this is how I imagine it would look like.

The Wi-Fi is bad. Don't count on it. If you can, get a local SIM, tether to all your devices and go on with your life. Even the Wi-Fi at the airport is better than whatever they have.

The staff can't be bothered and every interaction with them felt like an afterthought on their part. I don't know how much of the burden they have to bear, though as the facility to be feeling the effects of what appears to be bad management. Either that or it's on a downward spiral and what I experienced is the best evidence there is of that happening.

I wouldn't recommend a stay at this hotel under any circumstances. It does not do justice to the...

Superb Olympic size(?) pool., with attendant and scrubby towels. Set in gardens overlooking the sea (and the ugly LPG tanker/power station moored between Dakar and Goree)|Hundreds of kites soaring at dusk.|Two nights at start of tour, one night at the end, Rooms differed. Ground floor room, ,hole in the mosquito mesh, broken hairdryer, cracks in plaster, lighting dim . First floor room ,all worked, not dim, a little larger.|Clean bedding, comfortable beds. WiFi worked in rooms. |Breakfast :Bean to cup coffee machine, dates(one day only) salad ,real cheese, ubiquitous French style pastries, bread and (L'horreur!) La vache qui rit cheese triangle and chocolate spread!! They also served omelettes on request. Fresh juices baobab / bisap (hibiscus)|Restaurant ,reasonable selection of food but as I only eat small amounts they were quite happy to serve "starters" with additional vegetables instead of a full plate.|Bar area between restaurant and pool, serves alcohol and will, if you ask ,serve FRESH juices not on menu, ginger , lemon , baobab or bisap|Seemingly the hotel has been extended ,BUT one whole section is but a shell, with room doors and windows but nothing else.|Staff helpful, some speak English but not all.|Location: walk out to the left and follow up to a dingy lighthouse and run down area. Out to the right, walk past upmarket apartments and cliff side clubs along to the commercial port area. Neither direction offers any eatery ,so unless you veer off left towards town on the way to the port ,the hotel...