Dakar

A nice budget option in Dakar is the breezy accommodation atop one of our favorite seafood joints on the beach in N’Gor, La Cabane du Pêcheur (Plage de N’Gor, map), where rooms come equipped with A/C, wi-fi, sea views, and private terraces. You’ll need to cab it downtown, but there’s plenty to explore up here too. Doubles go for 35,000 CFA, with breakfast an additional 3,500 if you wish.

If you want downtown and even cheaper, you might consider no-frills hostel Chez Nizar (77-319-1224; 25 Av Pompidou, approx map). Expect nice roof views—and easy access to some of the city’s greasiest (but tasty!) fast food, downstairs at Ali Baba—but not a whole lot else with your room, which will cost around 15,000 CFA. Another option (a bit north of downtown) for backpackers/students is SenegalStyle Bed & Breakfast (Cite Sonatel 1, Villa 32, map), where rooms likewise start around 15,000 CFA (or 20,000 CFA with breakfast and dinner). Monthly accommodation rates and French-language classes are also available.

More upscale are the 21 rooms at the highly rated Hotel Djoloff (7 Rue Nani, map), near the waterfront corniche in Fann Hock, west of Medina. The hotel was renovated in 2008 with a thoughtful construction that incorporated many local building materials. Rooms are modern and clean, with A/C, flat-screen TVs, and wi-fi, and there’s a sweet roof terrace with an open-air restaurant. Doubles are 82,000 CFA/€126.

Looking to splurge a little? In an unbeatable location—on the water close to downtown (and just across from Île de Gorée)—is 56-room Hotel Le Lagon (Route de la Corniche Est, map), also known as Hotel Lagon II. The cruise-ship-like design will make you feel like you’re on the ocean, not just on your balcony facing it. Depending on season, most double rooms hover around 106,000 CFA/€160, or 116,000 CFA with breakfast. Newer, and on the west side of Dakar, is the sleek Radisson Blu (Av de la Corniche Ouest, map), well known for its gorgeous infinity pool that overlooks the Atlantic. Standard rooms from 124,000 CFA/€188.

See “How to Burn It Off” for accommodation recommendations on Île de Gorée and surfer-friendly Île de N’Gor.