Apartments with a Pool
No apartments listed 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.
Let's say it up front: in Senegal, an apartment with a pool is a rare product. An apartment is a city home, and cities lack exactly what a pool requires — land. Where there is one, it almost always belongs to the building, the subdivided house or the serviced residence, and is shared between several units.
To date, only one city has a dedicated page on the site: Saint-Louis, where a pool meets a real need. This page explains why supply is so thin, how to judge a shared pool, and which formats to turn to if you want water elsewhere in the country.
Why supply is so thin
Three reasons add up. First, apartments are concentrated in cities, where plots are small and expensive; digging a pool there requires an unusually large courtyard or garden. Second, recent buildings with a pool are often run as serviced residences: the unit then belongs to another category. Finally, on the coast, where space is not an issue, whole-property rentals take the form of villas, and that is where the pools are.
The result is a narrow segment, which we prefer to present as it is rather than pad out a list. If a pool is essential for you, the question to ask is not only "which apartment?" but also "which format?".
A shared pool: the right questions
In an apartment, the pool is almost never private. That takes nothing away from the pleasure of cooling off in it, but it shifts all the criteria: what matters is not the size, but the access conditions.
Opening hours — is the pool open all day, or at set times?
Sharing — with how many units, and with a neighboring business such as a hotel or restaurant, which affects how crowded it gets?
Shade — is it sheltered from the sun at the times you want to use it, that is, midday or late afternoon?
The contract — is access actually included in the rental, or is it a separate building service?
Children — depth, shallow area, supervision: nothing is standard.
You can get all these answers in one conversation with the owner, whose contact details are shared with you as soon as you book.
Where a pool really changes your stay
A pool matters first where there is no natural water you can swim in. That is the case in Saint-Louis, surrounded by water and yet with no swimming possible: currents and pirogues on the river, very strong surf on the ocean side, on the Langue de Barbarie. It is also, to a lesser extent, the case in a large coastal city where the sea is more for looking at than for swimming.
It matters next when the heat cuts the day in two. In a city you explore on foot, from March to June, afternoons become hard to spend outdoors; a pool turns those lost hours into a break, and you head back out refreshed once it cools down. During the rainy season (hivernage), it is the humidity rather than dry heat that weighs on you, and the water is just as useful.
Finally, it matters with children, for whom an afternoon stuck indoors comes at a price by evening. Conversely, on a short stay in the middle of winter, with days of walking in the cool, a pool is a nice extra: an apartment without a pool then does the job perfectly well, with far more choice.
Where to find apartments with a pool in Senegal
Saint-Louis and the North. This is currently the only city covered. In Saint-Louis, a pool breaks up a day spent walking, and this is where it is most justified. The page on apartments with a pool in Saint-Louis explains the difference between the listed island, where courtyard pools are rare and small, and the mainland bank, where there is more space. By road, allow four to five hours from Dakar; the city also has its own airport.
Dakar, the Petite Côte and the rest of the country. No dedicated page for now. In Dakar, units with a pool are mainly found in buildings run as serviced residences, particularly toward the western corniche. On the Petite Côte and elsewhere, pools are found in villas, guesthouses, lodges and some hotels. Other cities will be added when supply justifies it.
If supply falls short: the alternatives
If you want the independence of an equipped home with a pool in the building, especially for a stay of several weeks in Dakar, look at serviced residences in Senegal: this is the format where a building pool is most common, with extra services and a price to match.
If you are happy to be hosted rather than independent, guesthouses with a pool offer a pool shared between a few rooms, in Dakar, Ngor, on Gorée or on the Petite Côte.
And if you are traveling as several families or a group, a villa with a pool gives you a pool all to yourselves — the other end of the trade-off.
Good to know & booking
To book, 20% of the total is paid online — this is our booking fee — and the balance is paid to the owner on arrival, often in cash. As there is no reception desk, agree on a key handover time with the owner, and use that exchange to clarify the pool access conditions.
As for cancellation, you can cancel free of charge up to 7 days before arrival for a low-season stay (June 1 – October 31), and up to 14 days before for a high-season stay (November 1 – May 31); after that, the booking is final. If the owner cancels, we offer you a comparable property or a full refund. The resident rate, shown on every property, applies to people living in Senegal and to the Senegalese diaspora, after the account is verified by phone.
The tourism promotion tax (TPT) is not included in the displayed prices: 1,000 FCFA per person per night, payable on site. Senegal Rent does not collect it.
Who is it for?
Stays of several days in Saint-Louis, especially from March to June, when the middle of the day becomes grueling.
Families, for whom the lack of natural swimming makes a pool precious.
Researchers, students and artists settled in for a few weeks, for whom routine matters more than sightseeing.
And those who prefer the independence of an apartment to the hosting of a guesthouse, without giving up the water.
Frequently asked questions
Why are there so few apartments with a pool?
Because an apartment is a city home, where land is scarce. Recent buildings with a pool are often run as serviced residences, and on the coast it is the villas that have the pools.
Is the pool private?
Almost never. It belongs to the building, the subdivided house or the residence and is shared between several units. For a pool reserved for your group, you need to rent a villa.
What should I check before booking?
Access hours, the number of units or the neighboring business sharing the pool, shade in the late afternoon, and whether access is actually included in the rental. With children, the depth.
Which cities have them?
To date, only Saint-Louis has a dedicated page. In Dakar, units with a pool are mostly serviced residences; elsewhere, pools are found in villas, guesthouses, lodges and some hotels.
Why a pool in Saint-Louis?
Because none of the water around the city is safe for swimming — currents on the river, very strong surf on the Langue de Barbarie — and the heat from March to June makes afternoons outdoors hard. A pool gives you a real break in the middle of the day.
What is the best alternative if I can't find one?
A serviced residence if you want to stay independent in an equipped home; a guesthouse with a pool if you are happy to be hosted; a villa with a pool if you are a large group.
How does payment work?
20% of the total online to secure the property, then the balance to the owner on arrival, often in cash. The tourism promotion tax, 1,000 FCFA per person per night, is paid on site.