Hotel “Lodge Ocean et Savane”

After spending a wonderful morning at Lac Rose, we headed south to take the A1 highway again to Thies, in the opposite direction to Dakar. Our final goal was to reach the north, to the Saint Louis area.

Thies, in my opinion, has no charm at all. If it weren't for the fact that it was lunchtime, I don't think we would have spent a minute there. What I would highlight about the Rex restaurant in Thies is the friendliness of the people and the authenticity. Neither the facilities nor the food are worth the money. I must also say that there was nothing better in the area.

After lunch, we took the N2 north towards Gueoul. The aim was to see its famous baobab, a mystical and ancient tree. It is huge and beautiful. It is right on the road. It is worth stopping. Right next to the tree, there are stalls for local people. They want to take advantage of the visits from the tourists who stop by. Senegalese art is very nice (I already saw it on Ile de Gorée). If I had had room in my suitcase, I would have taken a mask and a painting.

On this road, both on the way there and on the way back, we had an unpleasant experience. We were stopped at a military checkpoint and had to pay to get our passports back. Until now, I had not experienced anything like this in any other country, and I was especially surprised because we were not traveling alone, but accompanied by a local. There were a couple of minor incidents, but it scared us.

Arriving at Lodge Ocean et Savane was wonderful. It is an oasis of peace and tranquility. It is right in front of the ocean; but there is a strip of land that stops any movement of the sea and gives serenity along the entire Plage de Taré.

The first thing we saw was the common area. It is a relatively new two-story building. Upstairs is the restaurant terrace. It has wonderful views of the pool and the sea. The decor is rustic and elegant. The sun was setting and it gave a golden color to the wood that I found magical. Downstairs is the pool and the bar.

The cabins or rooms are simple and basic, but they have the necessary things, except for WIFI. To have Internet, you have to go to the restaurant or bar area, because the coverage does not reach. The beds are very comfortable and everything is very clean. The terraces are for private use and are very nice. I must say that the cabins are infinitely prettier from the outside than from the inside. They are distributed irregularly in front of the beach and between them there are hammocks hanging from the trees that gave me a wonderful afternoon.

From the pool there is a path leading to the beach. It is curious to see the different customs we have in different countries. The beach was empty. There were only a couple of abandoned boats, another boat in the sea without an anchor (which I still don't understand how it didn't disappear), giant jellyfish in the sand, shells and snails everywhere and some local people transporting things with a donkey. I always say that the light in Africa is different; I confirm it again. I have not seen the golden sunset that I experienced in this hotel anywhere else (perhaps in another hotel in Ethiopia).

If you go, be alert and ask about the power generators' schedules. I only had light for two hours at night and two in the morning. I was just short on time to charge my camera and phone... ;-)

Although the hotel has a couple of major limitations, the charm is almost endless. It is the best hotel I stayed in Senegal. The staff is very friendly and the food was delicious. I would go back today!

If you need and/or want help organizing your getaway, don't hesitate to send me an mail!

If you want to go to Senegal with the SIM card already purchased, you can request it at Holafly and you will get a 5% discount for coming from Raconets!