In Senegal, there is a length of stay that nobody serves well: too long for a hotel, too short for a lease. Two weeks on assignment, a term of research, a month back home with the kids, a move while you look for something better. After a few weeks, you no longer want to eat out every evening; but you are not going to furnish an apartment and set up utilities for three months either.

The residence fills exactly that gap. It is a furnished home, with its own kitchen and front door, in a building that provides services: security, cleaning, often laundry, backup power and parking. This page explains what serviced residences in Senegal offer at the national level, where they are and how to choose your city, then points you to the local pages.

What a residence means in Senegal

The word covers several things, and it is best to tell them apart before comparing listings.

The serviced residence, the subject of this page, combines two things: an equipped building (elevator, generator, water tank, guard, parking) and services (regular cleaning, linen, sometimes a front desk or a gym). You live independently, but someone answers when the pump stops.

The furnished apartment rented directly provides the home alone, at a lower rate. Depending on the building, it may benefit from the same built-in equipment; what it lacks is the services.

The aparthotel in beach areas, with its kitchenette, is still a hotel: you go there for the beach and the property's services, not to settle in.

Remember the simple rule: you pay for a residence so you have nothing to organize in a home where you stay a long time. If you need no services, an apartment is enough; if you are staying four nights, a hotel is still simpler.

A product born from medium-length stays

The residence did not develop for vacationers. It meets three kinds of demand that have one thing in common: they last.

Work, first. International organizations, regional headquarters, NGOs, consultancies, government agencies and cooperation programs constantly bring in teams for two weeks to six months. Support missions, audits, training, new postings: these stays need a kitchen, a desk and reliable electricity.

The Senegalese diaspora, next, who come back for several weeks at a time, often as a family, sometimes to oversee a building project or take care of business, and prefer a self-contained home to a string of rooms.

Academic and family life, finally: visiting lecturers and researchers, relatives coming to stay for a few days for a naming ceremony, a wedding or a funeral. This last kind of demand weighs especially in inland cities.

Where to find residences in Senegal

The offer follows the cities people come to for work, not the beaches. It is concentrated in four cities.

Dakar and the Cap-Vert Peninsula. Four of our seven residence pages are devoted to it. The residences in Dakar page covers the whole capital and helps you choose which side of the city to settle on. Three neighborhoods have their own page. Residences in Almadies are in the newest buildings on the western tip, often with a rooftop pool, at the cost of a longer commute to the center. Residences in Ngor suit those who would rather have the sea within walking distance than save commuting time. Finally, residences in Keur Gorgui make up the largest stock in our selection, in a development built all in one go. All of Dakar comes down to traffic: choose your neighborhood based on your daily commute before you look at the decor.

Thiès and the interior. An hour from Dakar on the highway, Thiès is the crossroads where the roads north, east and to the coast split. Residences in Thiès serve work assignments, training courses and families hosting guests for a ceremony.

Saint-Louis and the North. The former capital combines a university town, the river administration and a listed heritage center. Residences in Saint-Louis range from small units in the restored houses on the island to larger homes on the mainland. Saint-Louis is about half a day by road from Dakar, or can be reached via its own airport.

Casamance. As the regional capital, Ziguinchor is home to the prefecture, the university, NGOs and development programs. Because the region is far from Dakar, assignments there last longer than elsewhere, and residences in Ziguinchor are often rented by the month.

Elsewhere. On the Petite Côte, in the Sine-Saloum or in Eastern Senegal, we have no serviced residences: you stay in a hotel, villa, lodge or campement (eco-lodge). That is consistent with the nature of the product, which follows jobs more than tourism.

Choosing a city for your stay

An assignment of a few weeks should be as close as possible to your meetings. In Dakar, that may mean the center rather than the western tip, or the reverse if your employer has its offices there.

A new posting often starts with a few months in a residence, while you look for a permanent home without furnishing it or setting up utilities. It is the most classic use in the capital.

A long stay working remotely can put quality of life first: the seafront in Dakar, a human-scale city in Saint-Louis or Thiès.

A diaspora family coming home calls for a two- or three-bedroom unit with a kitchen, near where the family lives. A residence avoids tying up a home all year round.

A weekend or a stopover rarely justifies a residence, except in Thiès or Ziguinchor, where you arrive late and leave early for the next leg of the trip.

The calendar that fills residences

The tourist high season runs from November 1 to May 31, and it sets our cancellation deadlines. But residences fill up mainly to the rhythm of institutions: summits, regional conferences, the September back-to-school period, training sessions, end-of-year assignments. In Saint-Louis, the jazz festival and the Fanal in late December add to this; everywhere, the major religious holidays and the end-of-year holidays bring the diaspora back.

Climate matters more over six weeks than over three nights. The dry season is the most comfortable, with a trade wind that cools the coast. The rainy season (hivernage), shorter in the north than in the south, brings humid heat and downpours that can bring traffic to a standstill: that is when you appreciate air conditioning and a generator that holds up. It is also, in several cities, the time when it is easiest to find a monthly rental.

What to check before committing to several weeks

Backup power. Generator or UPS, and how long it actually lasts. This is the first point, even more so outside Dakar.

Connectivity. If you work from home, get the internet speed confirmed rather than just the fact that there is a connection.

Parking. Parking in the building or a reserved space if you rent a car; street parking is difficult in the most sought-after neighborhoods.

Cleaning frequency. It varies a lot from one residence to another, and it is precisely what you are paying for.

Getting in from the airport. Located in Diass, far from central Dakar, it is less stressful to reach with an arranged transfer for the first night.

Good to know & booking

You pay 20% of the total online, which is our booking fee and holds the unit; the balance is paid directly to the residence. On a stay of several months, payment terms for the balance are agreed with the owner, who may request an additional deposit: it is then shown on the listing before you book and follows the same cancellation policy. The monthly discount is negotiated with the owner, as the rental agreement is between you and the owner.

As for cancellation, the free cancellation deadline is 7 days before arrival in low season, from June 1 to October 31, and 14 days in high season, from November 1 to May 31. For an assignment whose dates may shift, note your deadline as soon as you book. If the owner cancels, we offer you an equivalent residence in the same city or a full refund of the fees.

The tourism promotion tax (TPT), 1,000 FCFA per person per night, is not included in the rates and is paid on site. On a long stay, factor it into your budget from the start. The resident rate, reserved for people living in Senegal and the Senegalese diaspora, appears on every unit and is activated on an account verified by phone.

If you don't need the services, compare with apartments for rent or furnished apartments. For just a few nights, hotels remain a better fit.

Who is it for?

Professionals on assignment for two weeks to six months — consultants, trainers, auditors and NGO staff — for whom the product was designed.

Newcomers, while they look for a permanent home.

The Senegalese diaspora coming back for several weeks as a family and wanting space, a kitchen and the security of a guarded building.

Academics and researchers passing through Dakar, Saint-Louis or Ziguinchor.

Families hosting a ceremony who need to put up relatives coming from far away.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a residence and a furnished apartment?

A residence combines an equipped building and services: cleaning, linen, security, sometimes a front desk. A furnished apartment provides the home alone, at a lower rate. If you need no services, an apartment is enough.

How long does a stay need to be for a residence to make sense?

As soon as the stay goes beyond one to two weeks. After that, having a kitchen and a monthly discount matters more than hotel service. For a few nights, a hotel is still simpler.

Which cities have residences?

Mainly Dakar, with dedicated pages for Almadies, Ngor and Keur Gorgui, then Thiès, Saint-Louis and Ziguinchor. The offer follows the cities people come to for work; there are none on the Petite Côte or in the Saloum.

Can I rent by the month?

Yes, that is the format's main use. The discount is negotiated directly with the owner, and an additional deposit may be requested for long stays; it is then shown on the listing.

When should I book?

As soon as your dates are set if they fall during a conference, the back-to-school period or a major religious holiday. Demand follows the institutional and family calendar more than the tourist seasons.

What should I check before committing to several weeks?

Backup power and how long it lasts, connectivity if you work from home, parking if you have a car, and the actual cleaning frequency.

How does payment work?

You pay 20% of the total online to hold the unit, then the balance to the residence. The tourism promotion tax, 1,000 FCFA per person per night, is paid on site.