Apartments with a Pool for Rent in Saint-Louis
No apartments listed in Saint-Louis yet
The page exists, the properties are on their way. In the meantime, here are other options for your stay — and if you own a property in the area, now's the time to list it.
Saint-Louis is a city you explore on foot. The island is two kilometers long and four hundred meters wide, the Faidherbe Bridge takes ten minutes to cross, and you spend your days walking past balconied facades, inner courtyards and quaysides. That is exactly why people rent an apartment here rather than a room: to have an address, a key, and a route you retrace every morning.
But the island is built of stone and brick, it stores heat, and from March to June the inland wind drives afternoon temperatures very high. Walking becomes impossible between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. In this setting, a pool is not a vacation perk: it is what splits the day in two and lets you head out again in the late afternoon — precisely when Saint-Louis is at its most beautiful.
Why a pool changes a stay in Saint-Louis
A typical day here has a very recognizable shape. You go out early, while it is cool, for the market, the narrow streets and the walk across the bridge. You come back around noon. And you go out again around 5 p.m., when low light grazes the ochre facades and the city fills up — this is Saint-Louis's hour, the hour of terraces, music and the quays.
In between, there are four hours. Without a pool, that is four hours indoors under a fan or air conditioning, and this is what wears out stays here far more than the distances walked. With one, the afternoon becomes a real break: you cool off, read in the shade of the courtyard, and set off again refreshed for the best part of the day.
One honest caveat. Saint-Louis is surrounded by water — the river, the channel along the island, the ocean beyond the Langue de Barbarie — and none of it is suitable for swimming: river currents, pirogue traffic, and very strong surf on the Langue. So the pool is not an alternative to swimming in open water: it is the only swimming there is.
What "with pool" means here
A point of vocabulary first: in an apartment, the pool is almost always shared. It belongs to a restored colonial house divided into units, a small building or a residence. This changes nothing about the use described above, but it completely shifts the selection criteria — size is not what matters, access arrangements are.
Apartment in a colonial house with a patio — the island's most characteristic setup. A courtyard pool, often compact, shaded by a gallery for part of the day. You stay cool without leaving the building.
Apartment in a residence with a pool — more common in Sor, on the mainland side, where buildings are newer and plots larger. A more generously sized pool, sometimes with a garden area.
Furnished studio or one-bedroom — the most common format, for a couple or a solo traveler. Pool access is then a building amenity; check that it is included in the rental.
Two-bedroom family apartment — for four to six people, often with a proper living room and a full kitchen. This is the format that gets the most out of a pool, because it hosts children.
So the questions to ask are: is the pool open all day or only at set times? Is it shared with a neighboring hotel or restaurant, which affects how busy it gets? And is it in the shade in the late afternoon, when you actually want to use it?
Where you are
Saint-Louis is made up of three areas separated by the river and connected by two bridges.
The island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to the colonial architecture, restaurants, galleries and nightlife. It is the best location for a first stay; pools there are rare and small for lack of space, but a shaded patio makes up for a lot.
Sor, on the mainland side, is the lively, populous city, with the main market and the bus station. Accommodation there is roomier and cheaper, with proper pools, at the cost of crossing the bridge to reach the island.
The Langue de Barbarie, the sand spit between the river and the ocean, is home to the fishing district of Guet Ndar, extraordinarily dense and busy, then stretches south in an increasingly deserted strip. The coastline is magnificent and swimming is dangerous.
A useful orientation tip: from the island, everything is within walking distance; from Sor, plan on a taxi for evening returns. Over a stay of several days, this difference matters more than the square footage.
When the pool matters most
From November to February, Saint-Louis has its best weather: mild days, cool nights, dry air. It is festival season and the most sought-after period. The pool gets moderate use — you can walk all day without difficulty.
From March to June, things change. The wind shifts inland, the air turns dry and scorching, and afternoons on the island are genuinely grueling. This is when a pool makes the difference between an active stay and one spent waiting for evening.
From July to October, the rainy season (hivernage) brings heavy humidity and some rain, brief but sometimes intense. It is also the low season, with noticeably lower rates. The pool is just as useful, the discomfort coming from the muggy air rather than dry heat.
Two calendar landmarks: the jazz festival in spring fills the city several months ahead, and the birding season at Djoudj runs from November to April.
Good to know & booking
Saint-Louis is about 260 kilometers from Dakar, a four- to five-hour drive. The city has an airport, and intercity transfers can be booked in advance, which saves haggling on arrival.
Once there, most things are done on foot, and guided cultural tours are well worth it to understand what you are looking at. Djoudj National Park, an hour and a half to the north, is one of West Africa's great birdwatching sites — an outing that starts early, and one you come back from glad to find a pool.
This page only lists accommodation with pool access; the full selection is on the page for apartments for rent in Saint-Louis. If you prefer accommodation with services and a front desk rather than a fully self-contained rental, look at residences in Saint-Louis.
To book, 20% of the total is paid online and secures the rental; the balance is paid to the owner on arrival, usually in cash. For a stay of a few nights, this means you do not tie up the full amount weeks in advance. An additional deposit may be requested for long stays; it is shown on the listing and follows the same policy.
Cancellation is free up to 7 days before arrival in low season (June 1 – October 31) and 14 days in high season (November 1 – May 31); after that the booking is final and the 20% is non-refundable. A booking canceled within 24 hours of confirmation is fully refunded if arrival is more than seven days away. Last-minute bookings are final upon confirmation, with one change of dates allowed up to 48 hours before. If the owner cancels, we offer you an equivalent rental on the island or in Sor, or refund all fees in full. The resident rate is shown on every listing for residents of Senegal and the Senegalese diaspora, on an account verified after a phone call. Add the tourist tax to your budget: 1,000 FCFA per person per night, collected on site by the property and not by Senegal Rent. Indicative amount.
Who is it for?
Stays of several days — four nights or more — when you want to truly live in the city rather than rush through it. This is the profile for whom the midday break matters most.
Families with children, because no natural water here is safe for swimming, and an afternoon shut inside an apartment in Saint-Louis in April takes its toll by evening.
Spring travelers, who come between March and June for the festival or the birds and discover the continental heat of the interior.
Work or research stays — researchers, PhD students, artists in residence — who stay several weeks and for whom daily routine matters more than sightseeing.
Frequently asked questions
Can you swim in the river or the ocean in Saint-Louis?
No, in neither. The river has strong currents and constant pirogue traffic; on the ocean side, the surf on the Langue de Barbarie is very strong and swimming there is dangerous. So a pool is not an alternative to swimming in open water here: it is the only swimming there is.
Are apartment pools private?
Almost never. In an apartment, the pool belongs to the house, the small building or the residence, and it is shared. So the right questions are not about size but about access: is it open all day or at set times, is it shared with a hotel or restaurant, and does it stay in the shade in the late afternoon?
Is it better to stay on the island or in Sor?
On the island for a first stay: everything is within walking distance, and the architecture and evening life are right there. Pools are rare and small for lack of space. In Sor, accommodation is roomier and cheaper, with proper pools, but you have to cross the bridge and plan on a taxi for evening returns.
What is the hottest time of year?
From March to June, when the wind shifts inland. The air turns dry and scorching, and the island, built of stone and brick, holds the heat. Afternoons are then hard to spend outdoors: this is exactly when a pool changes the shape of the day.
How long is the drive from Dakar?
Four to five hours for about 260 kilometers. The city also has an airport, and intercity transfers can be booked in advance. Once there, the island can be explored entirely on foot.
An apartment or a residence?
An apartment is a fully self-contained rental: your own kitchen, your own entrance, your own pace, with no front desk or staff on site. If you would rather be welcomed and looked after, with building services, the residences in Saint-Louis are a better fit.
How does payment work?
You pay 20% online to secure the rental, then the balance to the owner on arrival, usually in cash. For a few nights, this means you do not tie up the full amount weeks in advance. An additional deposit may be requested for long stays; it is indicated on the listing.