Bamburi Beach Hotel Reviews

Our room was spacious and clean with side view onto sea and beach. It had a safe (pay for), TV, minibar and mosquito net (from reception). Hotel filters its water and provides a jug of water in bathroom. Meals buffet-style, good variety and lots of it. Drinks free, even wine (the red wine was good). The pool overlooks the beach and the beachsellers call up to the tourists (don't reveal your name!) The sellers make using the beach impossible - they swarm around like locusts and wait for you coming out of the sea. Walking to the next hotel was stressful. Why can't the hotel cordon off an area? It can't be called a beach holiday if you can't use the beach. Shame - it looked lovely, with camels, old fishing boats etc. The hotel staff are delightful - always smiling, helpful,friendly. You get used to saying 'jambo' (hello) all day long. The small pool behind the hotel is sheltered and quiet and the Karibu bar there does all-day snacks/drinks. In early September the weather was warm and sunny but in the late afternoons and evenings windy and cool, so the Karibu area was more pleasant. We had rain one afternoon. Don't bother getting visa before your journey - you get it easily and quickly at Mombasa airport by filling in 2 forms and paying the same money (no photos needed). Don't forget to have the Yellow Fever jab and take malaria pills (tho' we didn't see any mosquitos). Although only there 7 days, we took a 3 day (actually it was 2 and a half) safari to Tsavo East and Tsavo West. Excursions are priced in US dollars which was confusing. Ours was about £285 p.p., expensive but we preferred to go with the Thomson excursion ('better safe than sorry'). Also distances are in kms. It was worth the money - we saw so much wildlife and scenery, and the 2 lodges (Voi and Ngulia) are excellent, overlooking waterholes. At Ngulia 2 leopards came in the early evening to eat the meat hung up. We didn't see rhinos in the rhino sanctuary but saw hippos in the Mzimi springs and also the Masai village is interesting. We also went on the Mombasa by night trip (dhow, sunset, Fort Jesus show and dinner). Get your woodcarvings from the Akamba workshop - most of the money goes to the workers there (each item has a worker's number). The goods are priced and noone bothers you. Go by taxi which waits for you. We took 2 good TShirts to the beachsellers and they wanted a tshirt as well as money and biros!

An excellent holiday except for beachsellers!

Well what can i say! This was my first visit to Kenya and hopefully not my last. I had an amazing time at Bamburi. The hotel is clean and all of the staff are very friendly. The staff work extremly hard and considering the poor wage they earn please please tip them, they are very grateful! Sunbeds by the pool are hard to come across, but if you tip the right people they will reserve your beds for you. The beach boys were a pain but some people at the hotel did book safari's through them and had a fantastic time (they are just trying to make a living) I would say that if you are going out to Bamburi soon then please please take a CD with up to date songs on as if you post it to them they have to pay to receive it. The Animation team at Bamburi do work very hard too doing the Aqua aerobics,volleyball and water polo, and yes they are a bit rough but its all fun! I went with my cousin and as 2 young ladies we joined in as the only girls on the team and we have a fab time! I would advise that if your are taking the malerone tablets whilst you are there then take some Nightol incase you dont sleep!! And anything you wont wear when you get home leave behind for the staff! All in all a great place to visit!

We've just returned from a 14 night stay at the Bamburi Beach, our first time in Kenya and hopefully not our last!

The hotel staff were all very friendly, and wanted to do everything they could to help. Don't get uptight that the pace of life is slower though!

The hotel itself is clean, and despite what we had read in other reviews about linen being dirty we didn't find this at all. The room was cleaned every day, the bed was made every day and changed every other day. OK, the towels in the bathroom were past their best, but this is a very poor country!

The food was mixed. There was never a time when the main restaurant didn't have anything we wouldn't like (fussy eaters here!) and there was also the Karibu grill for a change. Make sure you book straight after breakfast to eat at the Karibu that evening or you may not get in. Also in the hotel is the Fisherman's Cave restaurant - the food here was excellent and although this restaurant isn't part of the all inclusive deal it's hardly a bank-breaker (about £20 for the two of us) and we booked in there on three evenings.

The boys on the beach are a pain. It does put you off going for a walk, but after being taken for a ride by two of them the first time they did give us some useful advice, firstly to never tell the guys on the beach that it is your first time in Africa, and secondly to say you booked a safari at home!

Incidentally, we did book a safari through our rep - using Rhino Safaris - and we went on the two days/one night option. It was fantastic. We saw everything we wanted to see, and had an excellent stay in the amazing Ngutuni Lodge at Tsavo East.

General tips we wish someone had mentioned:
There is a Barclay's Bank about a five minutes walk from the hotel. They will change your traveller's cheques at a better rate than the hotel. Although, you will need your receipt as well as your passport for them to change it.
Hotel taxis are quite reasonable, and are just outside of reception.
The Tamarind Dhow is an amazing experience. Fantastic food on a lovely traditional dhow sailing around old Mombasa Harbour.
Unless you're up very early you won't get a poolside sun bed. We were up at 5am for our safari and they had been reserved already!!!
Make sure you always have a little something to tip! These people don't earn much, and need your tips. It isn't expected daily, though.

I can only be positive about this holiday. Kenya is a very poor country and all I can say is that everybody connected with this holiday did their best to make us feel welcome and comfortable.

Rooms are fine and the bed linen and towels do not smell - infact they are both changed every day.

The hotel has a lot of staff, everyone of whom is helpful friendly and pleasant.

The food is of good quality and the Karibu Restaurant surprising good. We also went to the Fisherman's Cave which is a la carte and costs extra but worth doing.

An absolute must for a Kenyan holiday is a safari. To go on a safari you must experience an overnight stay away from the hotel. The cost is expensive but shop around. We booked with Mombasa North who have representatives on the beach. Don't worry this is all above board and the trip was very well organised and fully insured. It was also must cheaper than Somak.

There is hassle from ";beach boys"; but they are always friendly and pleasant and if you don't want to buy then you don't buy.

Haller Park is a very good trip to embark on. It is very cheap and very close.

The hotel entertainment stops at 11.00 pm and free alcohol at 11.30 pm.

This was an excellent holiday which we all thoroughly enjoyed

First of all, i'll start with Mombassa Itself. As a city it is a huge shock to the system, it's a very poor place and really touches your heart. Don't let your drive from the airport to your hotel let you down, because you will never meet a bunch of happier people. The people are amazing, so happy and willing to do anything for you. People who say bad things about the place and people and obviously very narrow minded people. It is an exceptional place.

The hotel is very nice, very clean and has a very good atmosphere. The rooms are your basic 3* standard, with a tv, hairdryer, kettle etc. There are no lifts but the staff are more than willing to carry your cases to your room no matter how heavy they are. They do not expect a tip, but considering they only earn 150 shillings a day (about £1.30) they are very grateful. As i had previously read on this site before i went, the linen and towels do not smell and are very clean, they are changed often. There are 2pools, both clean, with lots of sunbeds around the pools and facing the beach. The hotel provide mattresses and towels for the sunbeds.

As you may have read, it is not a beach holiday. The local beach boys use this to sell their hand crafted gifts etc. They can spot a newcomer a mile off, but dont be wary of them, they are all lovely, a little pushy at times, but you can have a laugh with them and be firm if u really dont want to buy anything. They do like to barter with pens, socks, t-shirts etc, and do barter with them as they do come down a considerable amount!

Although we did not book with them for tours and Safaris we heard lots and lots of good reports from people who had used them. You can barter a little on the price of those too.

The food in the main resturant is of a good standard with quite a variety of foods on offer. They always have fresh fish on the grills and a different meat each night. Lots of fresh salad too.

The animation team are brilliant. They are full of life and like you to join in activities. However they do not push you if u dont want to, they simply ask you. They do water aerobics, land aerobics, beach volleyball, water polo, they have many different card games/board games if u wish to play. They are very good at their job and a truely amazing bunch of people, (apart from the boss who mainly does the trips, he is a little miserable!). They offer a different trip usually each day of the week, whether it be to Haller Park(well worth a visit, you get to hand feed giraffes!), Mamba Village(a crocodile farm, not so keen on this but if crocs are your thing, they have pleanty),They also have a trip to a replica of traditional village, 9 in total representing different tribes, this was also worth doing.They have lots more on offer. With the water games they can get a little rough if it is all adults playing, but when children join in they calm down and have fun. They never take it too far, if anything the tourists are more rough than the annimation team!

Unless we were doing trips we did not tend to leave the hotel complex as there is not a great deal to do. A taxi driver will be more than happy to give u a small tour of Mombassa if u want, and their fares are cheap.

Whilst on holiday we booked a safari. We booked through our rep as he had the most amazing place on offer.We flew to the Masi Mara and stayed at Mara Bushtops. If you are a couple, or a group of adults i would highly recomend this to you. It is not a child orrientated place. It is a more expensive option than tasavo east or west, but it is worth every penny. On the flight from Mombassa to the Mara, sit on the left as u get the best view of Kilimanjaro. You are greeted by your own personal driver/ guide, and your own Masi guide. These two combined are amazing for spotting animals. The meals are a-la-carte, wonderful! The staff are very helpful, and thoughtful, ie. making your bed at night with a hot water bottle. The service is fantastic! You have your own tent which is more like a palace, with a huge bed, indoor and outdoor shower, and hot tub overlooking the plains. If you want a treat, then this is it! Our 3day safari was not long enough for us personally, even though we saw the big 5 and so much more.
We did hear lots of good reports on Tasavo east so dont be put off.

Overall we had a fantastic holiday, one of the best. In Mombassa you cant expect luxery as it is so poverty stricken. It is very good value for money and a truely wonderful place. People who come back with bad comments have obviously expected too much from it. They are clean, happy, and would do absolutely anything for you. I hope you enjoy your holiday as much as we did.