Stephanie Maskery enjoys sun and shopping in Gambia

THINGS started slowing on the ‘M1’. Up ahead I spotted the hold-up – a local bus with four goats strapped to its roof.

“This is our National Express,” grinned our guide, Mucki, as we stared wide-eyed out of the window. This, after all, was Gambia, where a few goat-laden cars are normal rush hour traffic.

We’d arrived just in time for Tobaski, a festival looked forward to all year by Gambians. Men spend up to four months’ wages on a sacrificial ram for the family feast, and as we bumped along Gambia’s only highway, hundreds milled by the side of the road waiting to be bought.

This was my first taste of Africa, and a visit to Brikama, Gambia’s second largest town, was quite the eye-opener. Markets crammed with stalls sold unusual fresh fruit, battered TVs and Premier League football shirts. Excited children ran about waving as we pushed through a throng of women in vibrant, traditional African dress, haggling over metres of material.

Yet, in all honestly, my partner and I weren’t just here to soak up local culture – we were in Africa for the sun. Gambia is hot, with average winter temperatures rarely dipping below 30 degrees. But if I’d had any apprehensions about taking a winter break in such an unusual place, they melted away as we walked through Brikama.

Due to the intense heat, much of the market was covered with colourful sheets and stepping into the cool red-hued tunnels, we were welcomed with broad smiles everywhere we went. I guess they don’t call it the Smiling Coast of Africa for nothing.

But I had more to investigate beyond the interesting sights – and smells – of the market, including our home for the next five days, the Coco Ocean Resort and Spa, half an hour away on the Gambian coast.

Located in Bijilo, just 15 minutes from the airport and set right on the beach, it’s Gambia’s most luxurious hotel. Designed in a Moroccan style that aims to be more like a small village than an imposing hotel, the grounds feel mature and natural. It’s hard to believe it’s only been here three years.

Intricately tiled paths lead down past Moorish domed restaurants and a three-tiered infinity pool to the beach, where a roaring Atlantic battles the golden sand. Cabanas invite lazy days enjoying the warmth, while the attentive staff provide cocktails.

With so many luxuries to hand, many guests forget to stray from the pool. However, not being the best sunbather, I tried one of the excursions offered by our tour operator, The Gambia Experience.

They offer boat trips, fishing and birdwatching days, and a chance to get out into the wild. A visit to Makasutu Culture Forest, a 1000-acre reserve of mangroves, palm forest and wetland is well worth leaving the hotel for.

Stephanie Maskery was a guest of The Gambia Experience, which offers seven nights’ B&B at Coco Ocean Resort & Spa (www.gambia.co.uk/cocoocean) in a junior suite from £1,097 (April 13-30). Prices include flights ex-Gatwick, plus transfers and airport taxes.

For The Gambia Experience reservations, call 0845 330 2087 or visit www.gambia.co.uk.