Hotel
Terrou-Bi
Family-owned five-star resort on the Corniche Ouest with a private beach, long pool, casino, spa and several restaurants overlooking the ocean and marina.
Seven-room boutique hotel in two colonial-era villas near Place de l'Indépendance, decorated with contemporary African art and home to the Italian restaurant Il Pappagallo.
Good to know
Seku Bi is a small boutique hotel on Rue Bérenger Féraud, near the Petite Corniche and a short walk from Place de l'Indépendance in the Plateau. It occupies two French colonial-era villas with just seven rooms between them, so it feels more like a stylish private house than a hotel, and it offers a very different experience from the large international hotels nearby.
The design is the main attraction. Rooms have thick white walls and original terrazzo floors, set off by contemporary African art, and each has air conditioning and high-speed internet. With space for only around 14 guests, the atmosphere is calm and personal. Guests are welcomed with a drink, such as bissap, ginger juice or a cold Gazelle, the Senegalese beer.
The hotel is also home to Il Pappagallo, which Saveur magazine described in 2024 as having the most extensive Italian menu in the city. Chef Oumar Ngom combines local produce with Italian ingredients, and dishes highlighted by Saveur include seared octopus with corn, beef carpaccio and risotto with pepper-rubbed shellfish, along with house negronis. The restaurant is open to non-residents, so even if you stay elsewhere it is worth booking for dinner.
Seku Bi suits couples, design lovers and solo travellers who want a quiet, characterful base in the city centre. With so few rooms, it is wise to book early, particularly during events such as the Dakar Biennale. It is not a resort, so there is no beach, and families with young children may find a larger hotel with more facilities easier.
The location is excellent for exploring the Plateau on foot. Place de l'Indépendance, the Musée Théodore Monod d'Art Africain on Place Soweto, the Institut Français with its garden café Le Bideew and Chez Loutcha are all nearby, and the Café de Rome brasserie is in the same district for a French breakfast. The port for the Gorée ferry and the Corniche Est, with Le Lagon 1, are a short taxi ride away, and the Musée des Civilisations Noires is also within easy reach by taxi. Contact the hotel by phone to book a room or a table at Il Pappagallo.
At 33 Rue Bérenger Féraud in the Plateau, near Place de l'Indépendance.
Seven rooms in two colonial-era villas, for about 14 guests.
Thick white walls, original terrazzo floors and contemporary African art.
Yes, Il Pappagallo, an Italian restaurant led by chef Oumar Ngom.
Yes, it is open to outside guests.
No beach; it is a city-centre boutique hotel.
Yes, Place de l'Indépendance and several museums are within walking distance.
Yes, with only seven rooms it is wise to book early.
Tour operator
Dakar travel agency founded in 1996 that runs city tours, excursions to Gorée, Lac Rose and Bandia, and tailor-made circuits across Senegal.
Attraction
Small car-free island off Dakar, inscribed by UNESCO in 1978 as a place of memory of the Atlantic slave trade, with museums, forts and colonial-era houses.
Thing to do
Small island a few minutes by pirogue from Ngor beach, with small beaches, seafood restaurants and well-known surf breaks on Dakar's northern tip.
Restaurant
Seafood restaurant built on stilts over the sea in 1956, with views of Gorée and a nautical dining room, still run by the founding Calendini family.