Whitesands Resort Hotel

We went to Whitesands at beginning of March and just had a ball The rooms are slightly "faded" but it looked like the hotel were decorating rooms not in use . The staff in hotel could not be more helpful and friendly . The restuarants had lovely choices and we were never short of food . My husband had his birthday while we were there and we ordered a cake for him it was lovely when the staff danced around and presented him with it . THe only trip we found a bit of a waste was the Mombassa City Tour ( arranged by our tour operator ) as we were taken on a tour of shops - not too many tourist sites !! Our Safari in Tsavo was excellent and only disappointment we did not see lions - but did see a leopard and cheetahs .The glass bottom boat trip ( free from hotel ) was another experience - we were the only 4 on the boat and the skipper brought every type of sea creature to us as we were not too keen on snorkelling . Beach hawkers bit intense but not any worse than any other country ive been to. Cocktails by beach after lazy day in sun - Pure Heaven !!

This hotel has good scenery and they provide good meal varieties. The chef was especially nice to people.BUT,The room was not clean and had ants which we had to spray ourselves, we had to request the roomcleaning every dayas it was not done automatically, at meal times flies were on fruit and no one covered them, the entertainment at night was sooooooo loud you could not relax and my infant daughter found it hard to sleep, the curtains,beddings and shower curtains were very old with obvious mending and holes, they gave my daughter a mosquito net with holes in it and there is general lack of maintenance or refurbishment

We have just returned from the whitesands after two fantastic weeks there. We were told by some people on our flight out to mombasa that the whitesands was the best hotel in mombasa, well our impression was that this was in fact the case. The hotel was everything you could possibly want for a great holiday and more besides. The rooms were of a good size and cleaned everyday, nothing was missed off and our opinion is that if the rooms are clean and good value then the rest of the holiday will just slip into place. The food was sometimes a bit spicey which suited me fine, but my wife was not too keen on this, however she never went hungry as there is a really good choice on the menu and several different eateries to choose from so no need to go hungry try the burger at the lido bar one lunch time I guarentee you will like it fresh and tasty the best I have had anywhere in the world honest. The staff:- well what can you say they did everything for you, if you want anything at all then just take a seat and they will get it for you and the coffee is to die for. I must give a special mention to Wanje in the buffet resaurant and Patrick in the manazi pizza and pasta restaurant they really made me and my wife feel special and were very pleasant at all times. Also watch out for the young lad who climbs the palm, without the aid of a safety net, he is amazing the way he shins up and down them and he will fetch you a fresh coconut and make you a hat out of the leaves, ok so he wanted a tip when did any of us do something for nothing and it was worth it I gave him 500 shillings and he was over the moon so it was not expensive. I could go on for ever but that is just boring so let me just say if you are booked to go to the Whitesands then you have a treat in store, if you fancy Mombasa and do not know where to stay then pay the bit extra and go to the Whitesands. One thing, you will be asked to sign for all your drinks and meals as this hotel is not exclusively all inclusive don't worry this is not a way of making you pay again as you will see you slip has all inclusive written across it. Don't forget the safari, we did the tsavo east and west 2 nights,alas we did not see any big cats but other tours the following week did so as we knew this is just the luck of the draw as these are wild animals and stuck in a cage we did plenty of things though. Go on go to Kenya, go to Mombasa and go to the whitesands

We stayed here a couple of nights before Safari. In summary the place was OK, but the staff have poor attitude, including the Manager! For example, he shook hands personally with me in agreement that the hotel would be paying for our taxi shuttle to the airport. However, during ur journey the manager called the driver on his mobile, renegading on the deal!!!! Very dodgy indeed. Left bad taste in mouth. Watch out also where you eat at this hotel as not all eatery places are "included" in your package - ask. We got the impression that money (our money!) was more important to them than our comfort etc. Would not return.

I had seen a few mixed reviews before I went but it was certainly not "hell on earth". Rooms : dated and in need of refurbishment. Small given the size of the resort. But acceptable Food : Breakfast was pretty good and dinner would range from excellent to okay depending on the theme. Never went hungry. We were there for just 4 nights and if we had stayed longer would have gone to the Lido restaurant for dinner as the food in there looked good though only ate there once at lunch time. Certainly a much better option than the Italian. There is a dress code policy for men to wear long trousers at dinner The resort is nice enough - and if you take a walk along the beach it certainly looks the best of the bunch. If you head to the beach you'll be hassled by the locals selling you stuff - they are polite it must be said. It is worth taking a look though as there are some nice pictures to buy. The problem is you have to barter and they always start with an outrageous price (that the Japenese and Americans apparantly seem to accept)so you should respond with an outrageosly low offer and then hopefully you meet in the middle (about half the original price). YOu should be able to get a kakoy (saraong) for about 500 KES (4 GBP) which are well worth it; small pictures for about 2000 KES, camel ride for 5-800KES etc. Also, the locals will ask for your clothes, shoes, pens, nail varnish, hats - Anything!! So you can use that to barter with or you can just take some old clothes/shoes to get rid of. This is a POOR country and it is no wonder that as a tourist you get hassled a bit. The locals are very into their football, especially the English Premiership so if you have old hats, shirts etc they will go down well. You will have the chance to watch some games on TV (Coco's bar). If you can you should go to the Masai Mara for a safari - that was a truly amazing experience. Enjoy........

I went to the Whitesands Hotel in March 2006 and had the time of my life. It was much more than I could have ever expected from a beach hotel in Kenya. The food, views, people, atmosphere... absolutely everything was AMAZING! The staff were nice and friendly and made you feel right at home. They were very cooperative too, because we asked for our room to be changed due to noise from the generator and they were more than willing to do so. So we were shifted to the third floor and had spectacular views of the Indian Ocean, the pool and the bar. The rooms are a bit warn and are in need of a make over, which they are ding block by block. The pools were nice and clean and the food was also nice. One thing I loved was the poolside bar and Coco’s bar. The cocktails were to die for and got me a bit giddy one night!! The beach, however, was not as clean as I had hoped, there were many people trying to market their goods which got a bit annoying after a while. As i have mentioned above, my hubby and i went in late March, just before the rainy season and got exceptionally good weather during the three nights we stayed there. For all of you planning to go there with the aim to relax and soak up the sun.... there is no need to look any further as the Whitesands is the best hotel within the area. Only a couple of more things to add: Do not forget to take the following with you: sun cream, lots of film, sunglasses, anti mosquito cream or spray and plenty of water for any day trip you take.

We stayed at this hotel in February 2006 and were very impressed, not least of all because we were on an all inclusive basis and did not have to eat pizza all week - see an earlier review. The aim of our holiday was to chill out and relax for a week and we certainly achieved this. The hotel is laid out in such a way that if you want lots of activity you can get it, but there are also quieter areas for those that want it. Our room was great with fantastic views over the ocean. The bathroom was a little tired but very clean. All the staff could not do enough to help and were clearly proud of their country. We had all our lunches at the Lido restaurant which overlooks the ocean. It had an excellent All Inclusive menu, and we also ate there on two evenings using the credit that you get for being an All Inclusive guest. We enjoyed it so much that we are hoping to return for longer next year.

My wife and I enjoyed a great time at Whitesands. Although the beginning of our stay was a little rocky due to a miscommunication regarding a room. The manager was nice enough to put us in the presidential suite. Food was average but plentiful. Scenic tour around the city and the golf kept us busy throughout our stay. We would stay there again. Service was excellent and the staff was attentive.

Stayed at Whitesands end of January until beginning of February 2006 and had a great holiday. Swimming pools out of this world and staff all friendly, courteous and nothing too much trouble. Always willing to say hello and chat. Our representative from Manos was the exception. Not very helpful and very elusive. Rooms a little tired but have charm. The food was a little disappointing in the buffet although the desserts were great. The pizzeria was better but all meat except chicken was tough and not as we would expect, but this is Africa. Do not stay in rooms near Cocos bar if you want any sleep before 2 a.m., the music is relentless! The beach stalls and continuous harrassment by people trying to sell on the beach does put you off walking along the beachfront and we did not venture there too often. We were all inclusive and the selection offered is very good including great cocktails and European spirits as well as fresh orange juice! Rooms had great extras including tea and coffee making facilities, hairdryer and TV. Took my Scuba diver certificate at the PADI diving centre at hotel. A big thank you to Gillian my instructor who had untold patience and understanding (I am 51 years old)! The coral garden reef is a must for snorkelling and diving. Out of this world. Don't forget to go on Safari - a great experience. Would definitely consider returning for another holiday.

Stayed in this hotel over New Year, 2005/2006 Food abysmal, we were all inclusive not what you would expect you must sign for everything and I mean everything, the waiters would come up to my children and offer them orange juice obviously they would accept! It is not on the all-inclusive menu Therefore, it goes on the room bill, I ordered a fillet steak & chips for my first meal I received it, it was sausage meet! How can you send it back whit out being insulting Evening meals at the buffet, ok if you like Swahili theme night’s food is of a poor standard chic pea slop was a regular on the menu the grade of the meat is c/d as oppose to in England /Germany ect Breakfast, very good best meal of his day honestly cannot fault it Lunch, we ate out of the pizzeria {every day as the buffet was poor}it was a standing joke with the flight crew on the way home as they said what did you eat all holiday pizzas, allot of flight crews stay hear so you think it would be a good standard ????? As they explained, we get breakfast free and we go to the supermarket for dinner. our room was infested in flees we moved but sadly they were all the same, the service is exceptionally slow in Kenya this is common all over. the beach is not something to be ventured for the faint hearted every second of every day there is local people wanting to sell there souls we travelled with first choice who were terrible, the rep there had as much compassion as a prision warden. I feel really terrible for anybody who has booked this holiday as it is not nice to read but hey better warned we travelled with a mixture of ages in our party from elderly to mid twenty/ and thirtys and two young children 6 and 10 yrs our youngest has special needs and health problems one of which is diabeties this was hell on earth for him as he spent two wks being very ill as the food was so appaling. I know every body has a different view on what they want from a holiday and we are not expecting too much from this hol and are quite fair, we did pay a fortune and this was supposed to be a four star I would rate this a two all day long.