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Our Hotel Riu Baobab All Inclusive 24h is located on the beach front of Pointe Sarène, Senegal. Its stunning nature makes it perfect for an unforgettable vacation. We have more than 500 rooms, offering free Wi-Fi, designed for the maximum comfort. Do not miss the swim-up rooms for adults only with a private pool. Or dive into our 4 outdoor pools! Relax on the water loungers, keep in shape in the gym or have a blast at the Splash Water World. For the little ones, we have the children's pool with slides and in the kids' club! We also offer fun for the adults with the entertainment programs, live music and water sports on the beach. You can try the spa and its beauty treatments. Our gastronomy has something for all tastes, varied breakfasts, dinners with show-cooking, and the themed restaurants. Do not forget to visit the resort's bars! Become a Riu Class member and enjoy its advanteges!
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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Hotel Riu Baobab is celebrated for its spacious and immaculate rooms nestled in an exotic, secluded setting ideal for tranquil retreats, although it's a trek from other attractions. The ambiance and cleanliness receive high marks, yet there's room for improvement in music and event offerings as well as maintaining public spaces. While the staff's warm service is frequently commended, guests have mixed feelings about the noise from hotel entertainment.
The amenities are generally well-regarded, but some visitors suggest enhancing food variety and room upkeep. Despite affordable local excursions, opinions on the hotel's overall value vary.
Location
Secluded
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Affordable
Cleanliness
Mixed
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Well-appointed
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I loved every minute of my stay, and would recommend this hotel to anyone.
If you travel with TUI, the likelihood is half your flight will be going to this hotel. To manage this, the hotel gives everyone their wristband when they get off the coach, so you can go and get food/drinks and then check in when the queue dies down.
As a solo female traveller, I felt completely safe the whole time. Rooms lock from the inside, and everyone was friendly and polite with no inappropriate behaviour anywhere. Staff are friendly and will engage with you, but don't pester you to do anything.
The hotel and grounds are beautiful. Each pool has a different vibe - I preferred to sit by the pool with the swim up bar (which has lots of tables in the water - genius!) but then take a leisurely swim in the larger and quieter pool next to it.
Rooms are spacious. All rooms face the sea, and my room in the main building had an unobstructed sea view without having paid an upgrade. There are bugs, but a towel along the bedroom door and keeping the balcony door shut keep most of them out.
There is food available from 630am to 1030pm, and drinks 24/7. The buffet was fine, with a variety of both Senegalese and European food. The snack bar by the pool serves simple BBQ food which was great. I enjoyed all 3 a la cartes (reservations become available on the app the day before), although only the steakhouse is actually table service. The Asian restaurant has a great sushi buffet as well as hot food. At the Steakhouse I ordered surf and turf without the surf, and was given 2 fillet steaks, which was an absolute bonus. The food at the Italian is very similar to the main buffet, but still a much nicer environment to eat in.
Although the cocktail menu is quite limited, they mix it up with a different "cocktail of the day" for each day of the week. Some bar staff also have their own speciality cocktails that they'll make.
I went for a walk into the nearby village and was shown around by two of the locals who do driving/tours based outside the hotel. Again, I felt completely safe and they were very friendly, and just keen to show the real Senegal.
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Director, Owner at Hotel Riu Baobab
Responded 1 Dec 2024
Dear Amber P., We are thrilled to know you enjoyed your stay! It is very much appreciated, our staff will be very pleased to learn that all their work was acknowledged. And we very much look forward to welcoming you again! Loving Greetings, Amber, Hotel Riu Baobab Online Reputation Manager
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The staff was friendly, caring and professional. Food was good especially the deserts. Entertainment was fantastic! Beach was nice and clean with no interference from vendors. Room was spotless. I had the best birthday celebration even though I was traveling solo. The chef and his staff got me delicious chocolate cake with candles as well as Happy Birthday song. Riu Boabab knows how to throw a party. Needless to say I had a great time and will be back. Thank you Riu Boabab!
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Director, Owner at Hotel Riu Baobab
Responded 15 Oct 2024
Dear gtglobal, we appreciate you taking the time to share your great review here! We are happy to know that you were so pleased with our service and we look forward to hosting you again in the near future. We wish you all the best, Hotel Riu Baobab Online Reputation Manager
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Given the comments on the large number of insects, I was a little apprehensive about our stay. So, yes there are but it's not the invasion either... we had a room on the ground floor and we found some insects on the floor but nothing horrible. Not many mosquitoes either... the room smelled like damp. That said it was spacious and clean, not impeccable (presence of crumbs in the sofa, dead insects...) on the sheets "clean" stain... necessary to the and cafe soluble at disposal and minibar water supply. At the restaurant, the water must be filtered because it tastes like chlorine, the water sparkling less. I haven't tasted the wines... the buffets are varied and fresh. Just missing at the snack some fruit and or ice cream and cookies for the afternoon... the only restaurant tests is the Italian buffet so go to the main restaurant or there are many more choices. The pools are a little cold, the beach of the hotel is pretty unlike the one a little further, public, littered with garbage... The hotel is eccentric of points of interest 1 hour drive at least to dakar or bandia reserve. Do not hesitate to call on local guides cheaper than agencies and serious (in case... number of 2 people very well) for souvenir gifts, avoid the shop of the hotel, where everything is expensive... outside negotiations requires but also to make live the local population unfortunately very poor. The stay was mixed time (early December): 3 sunny days and 3 very cloudy but hot... resume good hotel a little below the riu teste (dubai) but we advise anyway. Helpful and smiling staff just like the population (terenga!) Have a nice stay in senegal.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Before our stay, I read many reviews to manage my expectations of the hotel. First, I’d like to address some common complaints from previous guests: Insects in the rooms: This issue seems to have improved. It looks like they attached a piece of rubber to the bottom of the hotel door to keep insects out. We only had to kill about one mosquito and one bug per day, which is quite reasonable for a tropical location. • Lack of tables near sunbeds: As drinks will attract dragonflies and wasps here, this can disturb your relaxation by the pool. However, the hotel has placed stations at the entrance of each pool where you can deposit empty drinks, helping to prevent insect attraction. A practical solution is to place your drink under your sunbed rather than beside you—this way, insects won’t hover in your face. • Rooms being a far walk from pools, the lobby, and restaurants: This is a matter of choice rather than a flaw. We specifically wanted a quiet room, and that’s exactly what we got. If you prefer to be closer to hotel activities, keep in mind that those areas come with noise from entertainment and pools. So, you need to decide: a short walk for quietness or a more central but noisier location. • Crickets at night: Yes, they can be heard, but not every night, and I personally had no trouble sleeping through it (I did go gamtqsqttqqsssq • Plenty of free sunbeds at the pools and beach throughout the day—no need to reserve. Excellent towel system in place. • The food selection had small daily variations, making mealtimes feel like a little surprise. • Fitness equipment is modern and high-quality, though adding a machine for thighs/glutes would be a great improvement. • Most of the staff is friendly, helpful, and speaks both French and English (like I do). • Like in other Riu hotels, the cleaning staff tends not to replace pillowcases unless they are visibly stained. I noticed this when a stain on mine remained for several days. However, when I informed reception, they took note and replaced it. • If you are a cocktail enthusiast, myou might be disappointed with the standard bar menu. The “cocktail of the day” is usually the better option. • The pool water is on the colder side compared to European standards.
Overall: considering that this is a developing country, the hotel does a great job of maintaining European standards
Even though we traveled with a tour operator that offered excursions, we followed a recommendation from another reviewer and contacted a local guide, Malik, via WhatsApp (+221 77 365 17 16). He speaks fluent French and English, and it was incredibly refreshing to have a private, personalized tour tailored to our interests, which you do mostly not get with tour operator excursions
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Director, Owner at Hotel Riu Baobab
Responded 12 Feb 2025
Dear guest, Knowing that you liked your stay, makes us very happy. Thank you very much for choosing us and sharing your excellent evaluation. We will forward your comments. Best Greetings, Hotel Riu Baobab Online Reputation Manager
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Unfortunately, the RIU Baobab 5 * did not convince us as RIU (Gold) regular customers.
There seems to be a glaring hotel management problem here, as the entire staff is almost stubborn, listless and shows unbelievably indifferent behaviour towards the guest. Also all other guests we spoke to at the hotel felt the same way. We have never seen anything like this (!) in a RIU hotel!
Unfortunately, the entire hotel already looks very worn out (although only opened in 2022) and looks much older overall. Maintenance is not carried out at the RIU Baobab or is carried out only very insufficiently.
The rooms are basically spacious but rather only functional (plastic hangers, no dressing gowns, no make-up mirror, no creams etc.) just without much around. Here the guest must not expect luxury!
The refrigerator is filled with only 3 bottles of water in this 5*AI hotel. Everything extra is to be picked up personally from the 2 to 3 bars (depending on opening hours). Also, there is no service at the table or pool - although enough staff would obviously be available.
The hotel has a significant cockroach problem in all public areas! > Even in the rooms (also upstairs in the 2nd floor). Floor !) In bed, in shoes everywhere "we were allowed to experience these animals" At night, they search their way through the door gap from the corridor into the rooms.
Of course, it is always possible that such animals occur in southern countries, but to this extent it is no longer acceptable!
In the morning I discovered bacon beetles and cockroaches between the bread/buns myself in the buffet restaurant. So, noted when using paper napkins on the tables set at night.
The whole food is varied, but rather only 4* star level.
The declaration and labels of the food should be adjusted so that allergens are directly detected, and the vegetarian/vegan also recognizes what is contained in detail.
All pools (including the children's pool and the Splash Water World) are way too cold ! (we were there until just before Christmas)! A joyful “dive in” was never possible!
Pros: The staff were very friendly and helpful.
Many things could certainly be remedied by better management of the hotel - In the current form we can not recommend the hotel!
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Just back from 2 weeks stay at the hotel . It’s not our first Riu , so we knew what to expect. Nice size room overlooking the ocean and sunset at night. Wardrobe with safe and iron and ironing board. Tea/ coffee making facility, fridge with water and beers/ soft fizzy drinks. Water replaced every other day with 3 to 4 large bottles. Further bottles available at the lobby (Safari bar) . Air con and ceiling fan, Tv, sofa , table ,plenty of drawer space. Shower room had double basin , hot water every time we used it and a hairdryer.European plugs are used so need adapters , sockets to charge phones.Room cleaned daily , towel replacement hit and miss, towels removed but not always replaced, same thing with toilet roll, had to call reception for them. Reception normally act on the second request! Had problem with air conditioning, it was blowing out hot air, took hotel 5 hours to send someone to fix it, I was in reception from midnight to one thirty in the morning to get it sorted. Receptionist extremely rude and unhelpful and a liar, told me he was the duty manager, but he wasn’t. Complained the next morning and it was sorted out by the management team. Food in buffet was generally good , with lots of choice and a typical Riu standard but labelling not great ( breaded meat, could be anything), wine by the bottle, drinkable but not the best. Went to the grill speciality restaurant, was a disappointment, more choice in the buffet, only good thing about it was it’s close to the main buffet, so you can go there afterwards to eat ! . We also went to the Italian speciality restaurant twice, that was very nice. Plenty of beds and shade around the pools , even so, some people still reserved beds and didn’t use them all morning. Pool has an attendant who oversaw the area but didn’t enforce rules about bed reservations and ball games in the quiet pool. Beach outside the hotel cleaned daily, removing seaweed and rubbish. Areas outside hotel boundaries have a lot of plastic and rubbish to the left of the hotel, this is not the hotel’s responsibility, it’s a worldwide problem. Local people are outside the hotel boundaries selling local goods and trips to parts is Senegal, one was particularly aggressive, so be careful if you take up their offers. We used TUI for our excursions . Regular evening entertainment, music in the plaza bar at 7.30 sometimes a live act . Special thanks to Kandy in the plaza bar and Fadema in the buffet at night, very helpful and friendly. Majority of staff were polite and friendly, but these two go above and beyond. Would not class this a a 5 star hotel, but it is worth a visit , if you keep that in mind. Would return, hopefully the hotel can iron out the few negatives with housekeeping and reception to make the stay even more enjoyable.
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Manager, Owner at Hotel Riu Baobab
Responded 16 Feb 2024
Dear Pablo S, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are pleased to hear that your stay with us was great and that you enjoyed our service. We look forward to welcoming you soon again. Sincerely, Hotel Riu Baobab Online Reputation Manager
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The trip from the airport was an eye opener. This is not a rich country and we were hassled at the airport by ‘porters’ who grabbed my wife’s case and then wanted 20 euros for 30 seconds work ‘because there are four of us’. However, we got to the hotel after a very slow drive through some interesting areas and it is an oasis of calm. We checked in quickly and made our way to our room with a pool (well worth the cost) and went for dinner. The meals were all fantastic and we were served drinks by some very cheerful and helpful servers. Fadima stuck out as always smiling and bringing you drinks when yours was empty but in reality they were all great.
What were the bad things? They were few, but there is a language barrier. They all spoke French but many only had basic English (mostly better than my French) and, for example, two white coffees, was beyond the grasp of one bar server. They must have recognised coffee and I got one black cup. No big deal, I always asked for café au lait from then on. The language barrier continued with the labelling in the dining room. Many labels bore no reflection to anything they were near. No problem to me most of the time as you can see what you’re getting but could cause an issue. Half a dozen yoghurts varying between white and cream and it was anyone’s guess. I was always successful with the marmalade roulette in the morning, but no thanks to the labels. I have no allergies but if you do, please be careful.
I loved the hotel but I think their smoking policy is poor. I have been to RIU hotels that have designated smoking areas. Here there are a couple of no smoking areas. We didn’t eat at the poolside grill but if you do you could be sitting by a smoker or your sun bed could be next to a smoker (another good reason for a room with a pool). If you go to the lobby bar it is no smoking, but the lobby isn’t so you could still be got. Right, off my soap box.
We were in room 7007 and this plus its neighbours to 7010 are quieter than the other swim up rooms and face the beach and not the pools. We were very happy to be here, it was peaceful. As others have said the hotel is very new and everything works. The rooms are cleaned to a good standard and the mini bar was usually stocked well. If not, ask at reception and water, for example, would soon turn up. There’s not much to do in the area that we wanted to do. We went to Bandia reserve and enjoyed a half day but didn’t really venture out for anything else. We enjoyed the winter sun and might return but there are so many other places we haven’t yet been to.
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Not a lot in the area and you will suffer from passive smoking. Good overall. Swim up rooms...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Online Reputation Director, Owner at Hotel Riu Baobab
Responded 9 Apr 2024
Dear Andy, We feel very lucky, since from all the hotels you chose us and you had a nice stay. Thank you very much! We are very pleased to read that you enjoyed it. Wishing you return soon, Andy. Caring Regards, Hotel Riu Baobab Online Reputation Manager
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Hotel Riu Baobab is a very good resort, very well run and organized. All staff are friendly, operational and wear impeccable outfits. Overall no worries about hygiene. The buffet restaurant offers a huge choice to satisfy all palates. The other themed restaurants are more disappointing but pleasant for their more cozy atmosphere. The rooms are large and well equipped although we regret the absence of bathrobe and other usual toiletries in a 5 star. 3 large swimming pools, an aquapark, a performance room, a beautiful well-stocked shop, a disappointing spa and a long beach, this is enough to enhance the stay. Areas for improvement: If the beach is beautiful and clean throughout the hotel, it is a shame that it is littered with garbage outside... There are certainly things that Riu could initiate to involve customers and inhabitants of the surrounding villages in cleaning... The offer of breads for breakfast could be wider, it lacks wholemeal breads in particular, and orange juices are not real pressed juices, too bad. We're missing a beach bar.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beautiful hotel, with extremely friendly and helpful staff Present tour guide from Tui, were more than excellent Rooms and shower are large, and are cleaned fine, only downside is you have a large shower with a small hand sprinkler Restaurants are fine, only at the buffet restaurant are the dishes, baked too far in advance and are therefore often not really hot, this also applies to the omelets and fried eggs in the morning, meat and fish are often dry, in the other Restaurants it is fine On the beach there is no bar, therefore almost no people lie there The swimming pools are in need of renovation, tiles are gone or loose everywhere Around the pools is poorly cleaned, the glasses are sometimes here for whole days, therefore also many insects around and in the glasses and near the beds In the pool with the pool bar, there are tables, so there is eating and smoking in the pool, also the only pool with a bar, so it can be busy We missed managers who occasionally make a round and manage the staff in a good way !! The animation team is very mediocre, had as a hobby to put the Present music equipment on the highest setting, which was not always pleasant. You are in an African country, so keep in mind that there are many insects
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Positive points, sympathy of staff and location of the Hotel. Points to improve, maintenance of the uqarto ( air conditioning did not work correctly even after the intervention of the technician - 25th minimum temperature). When assigning the bathroom, they should ensure that the containers for bath gel were full (when receiving the uqart and even ordering, the container for bath gel was always empty). It's also not normal, in a 5-star hotel, to have the bedside, with holes and the wall next to the bedside table, with spilled coffee
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Review collected in partnership with riu.com
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No not from uk as this area does not have the problem.
We had our jabs from the doctors and they recommended taking malaria tablets which we did but they made us ill so we stopped taking them but didnt really need them anyway.
While government website says malaria is rife they should be more specific as not in this area.
There was lots of options didn’t see any gluten free but there again wasn’t looking for them. I’m sure a email to the hotel would answer your question accurately
There are more places to choose from in the Ponto area.
PRICE RANGE
€212 - €240 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
SenegalThies RegionPonto
NUMBER OF ROOMS
522
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