Hotel Dior

Hotel Dior occupies a long, low building on the spit of land between the Senegal River and the Atlantic, out on the road to the old hydrobase at Saint-Louis. Its 20 air-conditioned rooms open onto a garden with a small pool, and there's a relaxed bar and a restaurant running to French and Senegalese standards on site. The setting — water on both sides, the surf a short walk one way and the river the other — is the draw, and it's quieter out here than on the island itself. A short taxi takes you across to Saint-Louis Island for the colonial quarter, the galleries and the live-music venues, so you get calm nights and easy access to the action. As a comfortable mid-range three-star with pool, free WiFi and parking, it suits couples and self-drivers after a bit more space and quiet.