Sun N Sand Beach Resort Hotel

We were a little worried when we looked over the beach wall and saw what seemed to be thirty five black faces waiting for us to go on the beach, but don't worry they are all really nice. I can thoroughly recommend Rasta Steve, Anderson and Figo. They will take you to coral reef and show you loads of things you may miss on your own. Get them to take you to the village and see how the people really live. Buy a packet of soft sand that the ladies eat, an experience. Steve, Anderson and Figo speak very good English and have a good sense of humour. We booked our Safari with Martin of Jamos Tours and Safaries.Tell Martin you heard about them from Lesley and Barry and he will give you a good deal. Please also remeber us to Rasta Steve, Anderson and Figo we will never forget them, they helped make our holiday. The hotel and staff are excellent (don't miss the African band or the acrobats). Vegetarians are well catered for. I kept forgetting to get the strawberries and champagne for breakfast. Enjoy your stay.I nearly forgot, take pencils, pens and paper for kids. Shampoo and mobile phones would be appreciated by the adults. Any T. shirts and shorts you can spare. The air line is hot on luggage over the limit and do charge - you have been warned.

We stayed at the Club Sun n Sand for 2 weeks, arriving on Tuesday 2nd May. Peter the First Choice Travel rep was very helpful and informative so worth getting some tips off him when you get there if you booked with First Choice! Hotel: The Hotel is massive, rooms are a fair size and clean - which is the main thing. All rooms seem to have great views - we had 2 rooms, due to checking out while on safari and coming back to a different room. The guys who the clean the rooms are really friendly and work so hard. While on holiday my boyfriend was quite ill and you only get 2 bottles of water per day (0.5Litre each) so the room boy left us at least 4 everyday, otherwise you have to pay for bottles of water at the bar - the biggest con of this hotel. Each bottle is about £1 Food: Lots of choice but you will get bored after 2 weeks! Breakfast is by far the nicest meal! Cereals, toast, omlettes, bacon, sausage, beans, eggs, pancakes, waffles (so nice!) fruit etc etc! Lunch can be eaten in the main restaurant or in the snack bar - nice pizzas! If you fancy a change from the main restaurant for dinner then you can eat in the Chinese, Italian or Grill Bar - Very Good. Drinks: You can have as much purified water as you want through the day (by glass) but it doesn't taste that great so bottled water is bought at the bar for about £1 per Litre bottle. Lots of choice for alcoholic drinks and lots of (concentrated) fruit juice. Be careful if you ask for a spirit and a mixer as they tend to put way more than a double measure in and the drinks are hard to swallow!!!! Staff: The staff are really friendly and helpful. They work some mad hours but are always smiling and will always greet you with "Jambo" They play football with anyone who wants to play at 5pm on the grass at the back of the sports centre everyday so a good way of getting to know some of them! If you have booked your trip and have any sports clothes (nike, addidas puma etc) that you don't want anymore take them with you as the people there will love you forever if you give them something named! They are all into English football and support a variety of teams, so know their game quite well! Boat Trip: We booked a half day Glass Bottom boat trip with the water sports guys and it was brilliant. The snorkelling was amazing and afterwards you get taken to the coral strip to see the different things living there! Sea Urchins, Sea Spiders, Octopus Star fish etc etc Well worth doing as it's only for the morning so back by lunch. Safari: Ours was booked in the UK (Tsavo East and West) and was amazing - well worth it. The majority of people booked theirs while on holiday and don't think they paid any more than booking it at home. I have written a report on the lodges we stayed in - Voi Safari Lodge and Ngulia Lodge so have a look at those if you want to read up before you go. Beach: The only bad thing about this hotel. For a start you can't even get down onto the beach without being harrassed! If I was to go again, I think I would befriend one or two of the beach boys at the BEGINNING of the holiday and then if the others are told you're only going to deal with them, they'll leave you alone. The beach is so disappointing because it's coral not sand and you can't sunbathe on it. The Bamburi Hotel, Whitesands and Sai Rock have really good beaches - all a bit further down the coast. The swimming pools make up for the lack of beach though at Sun n' Sand. There are quite a few and they are always clean. The lazy river pool has two tiled slides - good fun - get a rubber ring! If you get the chance to go, visit Haller Park and Mambo Village - you won't regret it!!! All in all a good holiday. I would go back to Kenya but I'd choose a different hotel because I feel there are much nicer ones than Sun n' Sand.

We had a fantastic holiday, really nice friendly staff and locals. The hotel is not 5-star but at least 4 star. Rooms are basic but clean. Food can't be complained about, every evening we found something we really enjoyed, especially the outside themes. Great waiter & bar service especially Frieda, Naomi (say hello from Clare & Bob). Swimming pools and swim bar great! (Beware of the drinks-can be very strong) Booked our safari with Omar (one of the beach boys) a lot cheaper than the hotel. You will be advised not to do this, but we had no problems and all lodges were the same as the reps. (Warning, if you book safari before you leave, you may be asked to check-out of your room or pay extra during your safari -we thought this was well out of order! Book your safari locally and ask for Fred-a great spotter & driver). Note: they are quite happy to deal in the daily rate in Dollars, Ky Schillings, Sterling or a mixture or use the ATM in Mombassa. The hotel rates weren't that bad and changes daily, likewise at the safari lodges. Reference the beach boys! They are trying to make a living! They are not a problem -just a firm "no" is the trick! However, we found them invaluable for certain things i.e. beach safari and village and school walks, we paid around $200 -$300 ky schillings for these and found them well worth it. We used young lads called "Mr Grasshopper" and "Kevin", they were great, very honest and we became friends. They will book any trip for you that the rep can offer, cheaper and just as good -no problem, trust them and give them a small deposit If you visit the village, recommend you take sweets, pens, and clothes with you there, as you know they are getting these things directly. They are extremely grateful. (Look out for Abdul in the Aston Villa football shirt). Do not be afraid to venture out to the local bar, go out of the main gate turn right and you will see it at the end of the road. We had a brilliant evening watching Arsenal/Barcelona; we even treated a few locals to a few beers as so cheap (@70p a bottle) There aren’t many holidays we would go back too as the world is a big place, however, would go back tomorrow, if we had the chance. Enjoy if you go-sure you wouldn't be disappointed and say hello to Frieda, Naomi, Mr Grasshopper, Kevin,( Henry, King Fish at the bar) Mr T and the staff at the water sports centre.

My friend and I have just returned last week from what is one of the best holidays we have ever had. We loved Sun n Sand and loved Kenya even more. Everything about it was fantastic, in fact we are already planning our next trip. We met some great people both from UK and Kenya and thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of our trip. We did the Ndogo Safari, which was great. We saw everything except the Black Rhino. The highlights would be too many to name but 3 of the highlights would have to be the Kenyan chat - Jambo Jambo!!, the beach boys - the banter!! and the Zebra's - crossing the motorway!!. We can't wait to go back.

I have just returned from this fantastic holiday. The hotel and staff are amazing. The food was absolutely gorgeous and going on safari was an excellent way to end our wonderful trip to this fantastic place.

Stayed for a week with two other friends in March. Started off on arrival with a cold towel and fruit drink, which was a nice start. We were shown to a very small room with one double bed and one single bed. One call to reception got us moved to a very large room with one double and two single beds. The staff at the Sun N Sand were all very friendly and greet you with "Jambo!" when they see you. Nothing seemed too much trouble and they were very attentive. The locals are all very pleasant too but do not pester you and accept a firm "NO" if need be. The facilities and food were all very good, with nice food in all the various restaurants. I recommend that you try them all. The facilities to those that are used to four or five star hotels will seem basic but to others that have very little (and to sample this I urge you to go to the school) these are first class facilities. We booked a three day safari while there with our tour rep but it is possible to book them with the guys on the beach. We also had a guided tour of the schools and village. If you do this remember to take pens, pads and sweets for the children. The spirit of the place is one of relaxation, you can get a bed and just chill by the pool, which is what we did most of the time. Just taking a few moments to have a dip in the pool. The pool bar was excellent too! All in all an enjoyable week away from it all, which at the end of the day is what its all about. Would I go again? Yes!

We have just arrived back from a 15 night stay at the Sun n Sand and it was one of the best holidays we have had. We only booked this hotel on the reflection of previous reviews and thanks to most of them they were quite right, the hotel is a great place to stay. When we arrived in Mombassa it was pouring down and this went on for 2 or 3 days without stopping causing floods and washing some of the homes away. The staff at the hotel are the friendliest I have ever come across. Make a point to speak to Tito in the restaurant and Beatrice and Frida in the bar, they were wonderfull and would do anything for you. Tito had a week old baby when we arrived and I said that I would love to see her so he took us to his home which was over an hour away in a taxi from the hotel to meet his family. I was so shocked that he and his wife, their 3 year old daughter and their new baby lived in only one room. I will never complain again. It is a real eye opener when you travel anywhere from the hotel, the roads are full of pot holes and the poverty is unreal. We booked our safari with Joseph one of the beach boys, he did it cheaper than the hotel but it was'nt skimped at all. It was 3 full days and 2 nights, we stayed at the Voi Lodge in Tsvaro East the first night, the views were unbelievable and the food at the lodge was great, the 2nd day it was another early start after coffee for an early drive, this was at 6.30 am and then back to the lodge for breakfast and to check out before setting off on second drive of the day then headed off to Tsvaro West where we stayed at the Nguilia Lodge, this also had fantastic views but they also put bait out for a leopard. The leapard did not come until after we had all gone to bed but they knock on the doors to let you know when he is there so that you can take photo's or videos. The most memorable part of the safari and maybe the whole holiday was whilst we were sat eating our evening meal at the Nguilia Lodge a family of elephants walked past not 20 yards away, absolutely fantastic. If you book your safari with Joseph ask for Fred to be your guide/driver he was fantisic. I would not advise a trip to the Massai village, It costs you £10 each and I won't go too much into it but we left feeling that we needed a good shower. The food in the hotel was very good, there was always something for everyones taste. If you did'nt fancy a full meal at lunchtime you could always get a snack from the snack bar which we did most days. The wine was fine but we mainly had cocktails, try the Sun n Sand special but beware it gets stronger as the night goes on. A trip to Haller Park is a must as you see Owen a Mezzae, Owen is a 2 year old Hippo which was washed up after the Tsunami and Mezzae is a 130year old tortoise who has adapted him. Now Owen thinks he is a tortoise and follows Mezzae around all day. You will also get the chance to feed the giraffes at 11am or 3pm this was great, they are so gentle. One trip I would'nt advise was the snorkling trip from the hotels watersports centre, it was very expensive but we were only out about one and a half hours, it would have probably been better if there had been other people on the trip but there was just the two of us. We took with us lots of clothes to give away and also ended up leaving most of the clothes and shoes we took for ourselves. Get one of the beach boys to take you around the village, Junior took us but Andrew who stand outside the front of the hotel is also very nice. Take lots of pencils and pens for the children, they are also very greatfull for sweets. The older children prefer pens to pencils. We flew with First Choice and upgraded to Star Class, the seats are very comfortable with lots of legroom, Complimentary drinks throughout the flight and lots of films, tv programmes and games to watch or play. The food was also very good. Well I hope that my review will help you decide to visit the Sun n Sand and I am sure you will have a fantastic holiday. PS Give my regards to Tito, Beatrice and Frida From Dawn & Paul.

Kenya was an experience I will never forget. The Safari was excellent, Mombassa was unique (and good). First Choice Star Class Premier - recommended if you can get it at a good price as we did. We stayed at the Sun'n'Sand in November 05 for a week. I've been keeping an eye on the reviews that have been written here and have come to the conclusion that they have been written by the hotel owners or people who have never been on an all-inclusive holiday before! The hotel is not five star, in my opinion it struggles to be four star most of the time. We have stayed in hotels such as Riu and Iberostars in the Carribean which are far more luxurious than this hotel was. We made many friends during our stay - some of which we have stayed in touch with. We were all agreed that this hotel was very sub standard compared to what we had all experienced in various locations around the world. The hotel was the furthest away from the airport - took roughly and hour to get there - or longer if your transfer coach breaks down in the "fast lane" and the police have to guide you all to the side of the road until the coach was fixed (not replaced). Initial impressions were mixed - we were greeted with wet face flannels and shown a short video demonstrating the hotels facilities with a cold drink. This was the last cold drink we had for a few days! Apparently the beer on tap was broken, hence beer (Tusk Lager!) was served from bottles which had spent seconds in the fridge! The same generally applied to the soft drinks, although varied from time to time. Cocktails were low quality, and generally all tasted the same regardless of what was ordered! Getting served at the bar was a joke - you could wait ages or get instantly served - again hit and miss! The bar waiters were always serving those who tipped first. The icing on the cake as far as I was concerned was the coffee - going to Kenya I was really looking forward to some decent Kenyan coffee - the only thing that was available was distgusting instant with hot water (and only at certain times of the day). There was the option of proper espresso - although this was only available at extra charge - not exactly all-inclusive! Actually, the main bar in the middle of the hotel was not part of the all inclusive at all - chargeable only!! (and usually full of people who were on conferences). The food was dissapointing - the main restaurants selection was poor. Lamb appeared frequently, only to be pointed out that there were little sheep in Kenya - but plenty of goats! The wine served with meals was OK - just difficult to get hold of! The Chinese speciality restaurant left us hungry - started was one small spring roll and nothing else! The BBQ was excellent and one of the hotels highlights - if only we'd tried it earlier in the holiday we would have eaten there more! There was also a chargeable restaurant which we did not try. Lunch was between certain hours only - but you had to be careful as certain items like ice cream became chargeable after a certain time, and the selection became very limited after 2pm. The area around the pool was all grass - not my personnal preference as it often turned muddy after a swim. The swim up bar was OK - again service was poor and the beer warm for the first half of the holiday. We were always surprised at how empty the pool was. The beach was horrible - the sand is not golden (more brown) covered in seaweed and lots and lots of locals who want your money or even the shirt off your back for tours or gifts. Walks along the beach were arranged with hotel security for your safety! Room were basic, rather small, glass bricks seperating the bathroom and the main room which leaked light from the corridor into the rooms all night. Water was supplied in a thermos flask every other day for you to drink / brush teeth, and 2 bottles of mineral water in the rooms fridge - if you ran out, more was available from the bars - at a charge! The hotel was in good condition and was kept very clean. Towels were forgotten occasionally by the maids. The pool side sun loungers were wooden and many in need of desperate repairs. One highlight worthy of mention was the First Choice rep - a local lad - certainly the best holiday rep we have ever encountered abroad! Was not impressed with the 04.30am coach pick up time to return to the airport! I'm glad I've been to Kenya, not in a rush to back. Don't even bother if you have no intention of going on Safari. Would not return to the Sun'n'Sand - not unless it seriously changed its all-inclusive practice, became less muddy and had a change of management! The locals were very quickly to tell us that the hotel brought no money into the local economy - it was owned by an Indian familly (as were a few of the other hotels apparently) and all their earnings went back to India - allegidly! If all you're after is an all-inclusive break in a high quality hotel - do not come here. If you want an OK hotel without high expectations and will spend time away from it on (very good) safari trips then you might consider it. Finally, one the friends we made deserves a mention as he had to go on holiday last minute as a single traveller - I think three times in total he was propositioned by --- in the hotel, openly in the main bar during the evening entertainment. He was not impressed - hotel management were involved as were First Choice, but apparently it goes on quite a lot within the hotel, with the --- --- having arrangements with the bar staff to point out the single men!

on arrival at the hotel we were greeted by a local african music group , a cold towel and a cocktail which all helped us to settle in very quickly. we were then allocated our room which was very nice. the rooms are basic but for the amount of time we spent in there it was fine. the air con in the rooms was brilliant and quickly cooled the room to a nice temperature. the staff at the hotel were fantastic and were all very friendly and helpful. the pools at the hotel are kept spotlessly clean and are great to cool off in the africal heat. the food there is also top notch. i was a chef for about 10 years and know how hard it is to provide good quality food for so many people. the breakfast buffet offered all the usual british breakfast items along with continental things like fruit , cheese meats etc. they make the omellettes , eggs etc fresh for you which is a nice touch. the lunch/dinner buffet is also very good. there is always lots of choice to cater for everybody. the hotel also does afternoon tea everyday which offers sandwiches and cakes as a snack between meals. the specialty resteraunts are great. we ate in the italian lots of times and also the chinese. both served first class food. we also ate in the a al carte resteraunt one night which cost about 20 pounds each but was well worth it. for my main course i had a full lobster and it was huge !!!!! well worth the money. the drinks at the hotel are good. the beer is called tusker and is really nice. the cocktails and shorts get stronger as you get to know the bar staff and left me in many drunken states !!!!!!! ha ha the entwertainment at the hotel is ok. the acrobats are fantastic but are only on for about half an hour and thats your entertainment for the night. some of the singers were very good and always got people up dancing. the hotel and reps etc advise against going out into the local village. thats because they run there own trips from the hotel at a cost and dont want to lose out. we went into the village on our second day and got two local boys to show us round. for about £2.50 each they took us round the village for about 3 hours. this included the bars , church , houses shops and school. everybody in the village was lovely and polite and happy to see us. ( take sweets etc for the kids ). one of my best memorys from the holiday was giving a really young child a t shirt and he then ran to his mum and sat cuddling the shirt. it obviously meant a lot to him and it was a real tear jerker. at the local school we were made very welcome by the headmaster who showed us round. we ended up sponsoring a young orphan child so that he could get school dinners. it cost £35 and that feeds him for a full year !!!!!! we got no hassle in the village at all and after several trips out i felt like one of the locals because everyone knew my name and i knew theres. it was so friendly and the bargains in there shops are fantastic. the villagers arranged us a taxi to haller park ( top place to visit )which cost a considerable amount less than the hotel were charging. if you go into the village just ask for charlie, julious or richard. all were very nice and trust worthy if you fancy a tour. we did a three day safari which i booked with dm tours on line. we stayed at finch hattons and galdessa both of which were outstanding. dm tours are a top company and have the best safari vehicles around !!!! any way ive gone on long enough now !!!! the holiday was fantastic and i would recommend the place to anyone. if you have any questions about the place i will be happy to answer if i can ian xxx

Firstly I should say we both enjoyed our stay at the S&S. It is however not a 5 star resort, I would put it at just sub 4 star. On arrival I looked at the upgrade options and toured the rooms with the guest manager. The standard room is just a little smaller than the de-luxe, I could not really say it was worth $10 per head/night for an extra couple of feet room length (no extra facilities), as for the executive rooms (four in the hotel) very nice indeed but they were asking an amazing $240 per night/room extra! I would say the standard room is excellent value anyway. Breakfasts were great, lots of variety, lunches were good although we spend most of them in the snack bar (very good vanilla ice cream). Dinners were fairly good but as always with a buffet a little bland. The ‘a la carte’ options are of Chinese (surprisingly good), Italian (not bad) and the ranch BBQ was also good. Drinks; Spirits OK Beer OK wine atrocious! The staff were as good as one could ask for, friendly, smiling and helpful. There are two good restaurants within 10 minutes by car, both south on the Mtwapi creek, one called ‘The Moorings’ the other ‘Aquamarine’. This place grew on us, and I suspect from talking to others on the plane home it may be the best option north of Mombasa. The Beach is not up to much, but given all Kenyan beaches are plagued by beach boys trying to trade, I doubt it makes any difference as you would not be able to relax unbothered on a beach anyway.