Terrou-Bi Hotel & Casino

Terrou-Bi is Dakar's grande dame — a 200-room five-star spread along a private beach on the Corniche Ouest. Three pools, five restaurants, a spa, a casino and one of the only dedicated kids' clubs in the city give it a resort feel that's rare for somewhere so central. It's long been popular with West African business travellers and with Dakar's expat scene for weekend escapes, drawn by the private sand, the seafront setting and the sheer range of things to do without leaving the grounds. WiFi, a bar and the casino keep the evenings busy. The Corniche location means sunsets over the Atlantic and an easy taxi to the Plateau's museums and the Gorée ferry. For a polished five-star that combines a city base with a proper beach and pools, Terrou-Bi is one of Dakar's most enduring addresses.