Francis iam talking about stopping in a hotel whitch most people tend to do when on holiday.My choice was the kombo beach hotel but at over two and a half thousand pounds it did seem to be very expensive for what is supposed to be a third world country.Dont get me wrong we love The Gambia and have been going for quite a few years now so will miss it this year,but i refuse to pay the stupid prices they are asking.For anyone going to The Gambia ihopeyou all have agood holiday iam sure you will.

Exactly Norman

My point being that you can have 2 weeks for 2 people in Gambia at the GTS Members Lodge including your food for less than half that price or arrange to eat away from GTS and you will be paying only 1/3 of the Kombo prices, for your travel and accommodation.

We are not however the Kombo Beach,and cannot boast the features that they can offer, but we run a comfortable and spotlessly clean establishment, many of our visitors are ex hotel dwellers and the fact that they return to us (even while we were developing the premises) is evidence of how much they enjoyed their out of hotel experience.

If you are tempted next year, let me know, we meet our guests at the airport, have a very flexible and one to one approach with all of our members and offer a quite different experience to the magnificent shore side hotels that could be built almost anywhere in the world and they bear little resembalance to the real Gambia.

We run 3 nursery schools, sponsor over 70 children, run a project in the beautiful riverside village of Bwiam and support sustainable employment as well as supporting young and older European volunteers who come to Gambia to help as well as enjoy the climate birds, fishing and rich and diverse culture.

So please consider spending a different holiday with GTS in the near future.

Francis, I have eaten at GTS many times (in fact we recommend your establishment in our latest GOES newsletter) and I would happily stay at your hostel BUT the cost of getting to The Gambia rules out the possibility of us travelling there. You mention low cost flights but I can't find them. Manchester suffers from Winter only flights anyway, but I used to travel to The Gambia three times a year until recently. (Zero visits this year). The holiday companies have priced it out of my range (and I often stayed in the villages, not at hotels.)

and how much is it for people who are no members?

From Germany there are no direct flight, and travellinf via UK means 2 nights in expensive hotels in London. I really can't afford that. So also I won't be going.

Very sad indeed!

Hi there ME

I'm sorry about that as well.

Just to add gloom to the already darkening skies - I heard that some of the tour operators had push an all inclusive deal through for a number of the hotels for this coming season.

But on a BRIGHTER note when I was leaving Gambia they were installing street lights up the GTS Bar and Restaurant road, so hopefully that will help visitors to come to the restaurant.

Thanks for your comments and hopefully the tide will soon turn.

Have you tried Thomas Cook ? I understand they are offering flight again between £120 and £200.

Thanks for being so kind about GTS