Hotel Monaco Plage — Hotel in Dakar

I tried to like this place. i really did. At first, I thought the beach was nice, if a little dirty. But what the photos don't show is Hotel Monaco Plage (better known by taxi drivers for its adjoining hotel, Voile D'Or) is in a massive industrial area and about 100 yards from a huge container freight terminal with noisy trucks, tank farms, etc. I thought, OK, that's not so bad, I don't mind watching shipping. ||But the Portuguese fish-rendering plant right next door to the hotel (and I mean right next door) has an industrial chimney that spews nauseating smoke, and depending on wind conditions, suffuses the beach in a wretched, stinking fog, driving swimmers out of the water. I complained to the hotel about the stink, which on one occasion made me nauseous and start to actually choke, but was told it's no big deal, it's just fish. There's also a small effluent pipe coming from the plant pouring into the ocean about 50 yards from the hotel. You can taste the stink in the food and it gets in your clothes.||There were other problems:||* I used Booking.com to reserve and shortly after received a note from the hotel suggesting I pre-arrange transportation from the airport to the hotel for 25 euros. I agreed and asked that the driver meet me outside the terminal with a sign bearing my name. This was agreed. I was prepared for no one to show up, and of course I was right -- no driver. So I ran the gantlet of taxi touts at 5 in the morning and picked the least aggressive guy I could find. Turned out the fare was about $15.||* When I arrived my room wasn't ready so the staff took me to the adjacent Voile D'Or where I was put in a dreary, unpleasant room, but I was able to get a few hours sleep. After a few negotiations I was finally able to get into my room around 1 p.m. -- however, it had no ocean view, which I paid extra for (I complained about this and about $8 a night was knocked off the bill).||^ The hotel is not really good value for money, despite being cheaper than other Dakar hotels. For instance, the tap water is as one would expect not potable, but the hotel doesn't provide any clean drinking water -- you have to buy it from the bar for about $3 for a 1.5 liter bottle, which is more than I pay in New York. The restaurant is good, but expensive. A cheese pizza was 5,000 XFR, which is about $12. That's the same price that's charged at the much fancier Le Meridien Almadies conference center, where I am staying now. Also, I exchanged a small amount of money at the hotel and was given a very low exchange, 400 XFR to the dollar when the going rate was 465. Sure, I know the hotel needs to make money, but in a small place like this you don't expect to be gouged. Also, couldn't the hotel provide small in-room refrigerators to keep the $3 water bottles cold? The grim room I slept in at Voile D'Or had one.||* Rooms are dreary and air-con has been geared so it will only stay running for about 20 minutes at a time, so at night you keep waking up in a sweat to turn the AC back on. Also, there are mosquitos, as expected, but couldn't the hotel provide mosquito nets? ||* Power is inconsistent and the hotel's generator is very loud, and the power failures also interfere with the air-con.||* It's not the hotel's fault, but the ocean is full of trash. A couple of times I found myself surrounded by plastic bags, bottles, debris etc. I can forgive this in West Africa, but if you are turned off by it you won't enjoy yourself here.||I can say a few good things about this place:||* Grounds are kept spotlessly clean.||* Rooms (at least my room) was kept spotlessly clean.||* Staff seems friendly and eager to please. Some English is spoken, but you will do better with French.||* Hotel and beach are popular with Senegalese, who are welcoming and friendly. Generally not too many hustlers to bother you. I enjoyed, from the ocean, watching the spontaneous soccer games break out and the boxing and wrestling teams training and practicing.||* The colorful, long Senegalese fishing boats are busy most days pulling in fish just off the beach. You can see eagles, fishhawks, kites, ibis, kittiwake and all sorts of birds catching fish and hovering over the boats.||The final word here is that I've done a lot of traveling on every continent and this hotel was almost below my tolerance level. So if you are sensitive to any of the problems I described you won't enjoy yourself here. Even if you do book this hotel, I suggest you do it only for one night to see if you like it. Three days here was two days too long for me, so for heaven's sake don't book a week's vacation here...

As already mentioned in one of the reviews, the way from the city centre of Dakar is quite scary. You need to pass a massive industrial area. In fact, the hotel is located just few steps from an industrial plant. Yet once you get there, you will see a beautiful beach with a great view of the Ile de Goree and the port of Dakar. The place is truly peaceful. I was not disturb by any noises coming from the industrial zone.||The beach is great, though sometimes in the afternoon not very clean. The staff, however, puts everything in order in every evening/morning, so once I get up, you can have a nice swim before breakfast. The water is not as clear as the beach of Goree, but full of fishes. So, you can do some snorkeling.||The rooms: you choose rooms with ocean view (more expensive) or those with patio or garden view. They are clean, decently furnished and air-conditioned. ||The rooms do not contain a locker or safe for your belongings. Yet you use the reception safe, without any additional charge.||Food: breakfast, served in the garden, is very basic – continental, but for my needs was ok.||I had once a dinner in the restaurant. Nothing really special. Maybe, during the season they offer a better menu (I stayed there in October, and there were only few guests). ||The staff is extremely helpful and kind. They really try to do their best.||Overall, I can recommend this hotel to everyone who wishes to be close to the city centre, enjoy the beach and spend a reasonable...

PROS: The hotel staff was very nice and helpful, especially the concierge, who speaks fluent English (very helpful to me!) and gave me many great tips about Dakar. The hotel is on the most beautiful beach I have seen in Dakar, sandy with palm trees, with a direct view of the Goree Island and open sea. I took a swim and the water is very clean (almost a miracle given the proximity of the industrial port). It was great sitting on the beach at night and watching ships, the city and many crabs making their was into the water. The Ville (center area) is a 15min taxi ride away, which costs 2000-2500 cfa (5-6 usd), with taxis running around the clock.||||CONS: The hotel is located next to the port and there is no way around going through a very smelly area in order to get there. Depending on the direction of the wind, that smell would be felt in the hotel. Given somewhat shady hotel surroundings, I did not feel unsafe at all. Shower curtain and shower head would have been nice. The a/c was loud, so I had to turn it off at night and endure humidity. My room was probably renovated years ago, but it was...