The Gambia may be on the same time zone as the UK, though true to African fashion, life operates at a very different pace - here GMT time translates as “Gambia Maybe Time”. The west African country is only five hours away by plane and ideal for a winter sun break.

The smallest nation in mainland Africa, The Gambia slices Senegal in two, tucked between its borders and the North Atlantic Ocean. Until 1965, The Gambia was a British Colony and English remains the official language.

The bright yellow bottles of Boots sun lotion which smatter the beaches easily give the British contingent away, but The Gambia also receives a large number of tourists from Germany and The Netherlands.

If you are contemplating a trip to The Gambia, the most important thing to know is that there are only a handful of cash points and all of them have a mind of their own, so bring cash.

Don’t worry about exchanging British Pounds into the local currency (Dalasi) in the UK, as you may find a better rate in The Gambia, where most hotels will exchange currency. The majority of restaurants and shop merchants do not accept credit or debit cards.

The next thing to know about The Gambia is that, despite its close proximity to the equator, it does get chilly during the winter months. The average temperature in The Gambia in December and January is 30 degrees, but thanks to high winds it can feel about 10 degrees cooler, especially at night. The water may not be as cold as in Brighton, but it is also nowhere near the of the cosy warmth of the Caribbean or the Red Sea, so if it’s blazing temperatures and balmy seas you’re after, then November is a better time to visit. July through to October is the rainy season, so most tour operators do not send holidaymakers there in this period.

The Kairaba Hotel, located about 20 minutes drive from the airport on Kololi beach is by far the best place to stay in The Gambia. Unfortunately, the hotel’s website does not do the resort justice, so we wound up booking at the Ocean Bay, located nearer to the capital city of Banjul on Cape Point beach. The room rates at the Ocean Bay are marginally cheaper than The Kairaba and the food and drinks are also better priced, but in terms of scenery and atmosphere, The Kairaba is a much better choice.

There are a variety of restaurants and bars, including a sundown tiki lounge and a London-style bar, which has an impressive collection of South African wines and is popular with tourists and well-heeled locals, who pop in for the bar’s nightly two-for-one happy hour. There is also a strip of local restaurants and bars and an ATM located just outside the hotel.

The African Queen, which is adjacent to The Kairaba, serves up decent local fare and is a buzz of activity. If you go there, ask for “Heidi”, a German expatriate, who mixes up her own fruity liqueur and sells it by the bottle for about £8. The Senegambia Hotel, located next door to The Kairaba, is also a good choice and is a favourite with bird watchers.

Though the Ocean Bay Hotel is not as aesthetically appealing as The Kairaba and Senegambia, and lacks many of the amenities available at those properties, it has a decent spa, whose star is a Gambian masseuse with a Masters in sports therapy from Cardiff University, of all places. The Ocean Bay also possesses a more local flavour and is closer to the tiny town of Fajara, which is home to some of The Gambia’s best restaurants.

The Butcher’s Shop, Mamas and the Cotton Club are a few to try. Walking distance from the Ocean Bay are Chapmans and Calypso, a seaside beach bar and restaurant which hosts live bands in the evening and is a must for lunch (tip: order the shrimp sandwich).

The wide sandy beach of Cape Point is a better sun spot than the pebbly sands of Kololi Beach, though neither is good for swimming due to strong currents. For this reason, tourists are hard-pressed to find water sports, such as jet-skiing and snorkelling, though half-day and full-day fishing trips are widely available. In late afternoon, when the tourists trade in their sunloungers for a stool at the beach bar, the shores become awash with local kids who play football well past sundown, and welcome spectators.

If shopping is your aim, you will be kept busy by the endless number of stalls flogging local art and jewellery. Street vendors, of course, try what they can to entice you to buy their wares, but very few are aggressive and bartering is acceptable.

Though The Gambia receives a good influx of UK and Continental tourists due to its close proximity to Europe, the economy is mainly dependent on agriculture and livestock and it is very much a developing nation. The humble accommodation of the locals is oddly juxtaposed with rows of mansions owned by expatriates and diplomats leftover from the imperial era.

Strolling along Kofi Annan Street, where the Ocean Bay and United Nations compound are located, the holiday mood is dampened by posters warning of AIDS and Malaria. Unlike other sun holiday destinations, where crushing poverty and disease are neatly hidden out of tourists’ view, in The Gambia life’s realities are part of the tourist experience.

Need to know

For more information go to the Gambia Tourism Authority website. The current exchange rate is about 50 Dalasi to one Pound. An average meal for two at a local restaurant costs about £10. Meals at hotels and finer restaurants will cost upwards of £30. A bottle of JulBrew, the local beer, which is very drinkable, is about 90 p.

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