Auberge du Pélican

Auberge du Pélican is a small, low-budget hostel on the Atlantic side of Saint-Louis's Langue de Barbarie. Accommodation runs from bamboo huts at around 7,000 CFA to studio rooms at about 20,000 CFA, all sharing a panoramic bar and restaurant terrace that looks out over both the ocean and the mouth of the Senegal River. It's a long-standing favourite of overland and surf-trip travellers, who come for the location and the easygoing atmosphere rather than luxury. Facilities are simple but cover the essentials — WiFi, a restaurant and bar, and direct beach access on the Hydrobase strip. The setting is the real draw: few budget places put you between the river and the surf like this, sunset views included. Bring cash, keep expectations backpacker-level, and enjoy one of Saint-Louis's best-value beds.