30 September 2006 - The Sunday Times - Mark Hodson / Richard Green
THE GAMBIA
Pound for pound, The Gambia offers some of the best winter-sun deals anywhere. The flight is short — with lots of direct regional departures — the hotels offer good value, the weather is nigh-on perfect and there is no jet lag. Admittedly, you won’t find butler suites and infinity pools, but most visitors are happy with endless golden sands and genuinely friendly service.
The Gambia now has decent local restaurants serving dishes such as superkanja — okra, fish, palm oil and peppers — and you can take bird safaris, river cruises and canoe trips through the mangroves of the Makasutu forest.
Stay at the beachfront Kairaba hotel, with 40-acre gardens and the Abuko Nature Reserve next door; £729, with The Gambia Experience (0845 330 2087, www.gambia.co.uk).
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