Guest reviews Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa

by kevinawebb Chatham, United Kingdom

A Fantastic Experience

My wife and I have just returned from a 2 week stay at the Sarova Whitesands Resort in Mombasa which we booked through Mercury Holidays and I must say that for us it was a fabulous experience. From the first moment when we arrived until we left on the 16/05 every member of staff that we came in contact with was so friendly. Two special mentions must go to Joyce in Cocos Bar and Beryl in the Minazi restaurant who always had time to stop and chat to ask how we were, how was our holiday etc. The food was excellent great choice and being on ‘all inclusive’ we could not only use the pavilion restaurant which offered an extensive range of freshly cooked dishes but also the Minazi which served steak, pizza, pasta to name a few as well as local dishes. The all inclusive drinks list had a wide range of beers, spirits, cocktails both alcoholic and non alcoholic along with a selection of soft drinks and you had a range of bars both inside and out where you could enjoy a drink. There was nothing more relaxing than drinking a cold beer by the beach looking out over the Indian Ocean. The entire complex both inside and out is maintained to such a high standard. There is a small army of gardeners and maintenance crew maintaining the outside along with the housekeeping teams who maintained the rooms and corridors and the inside of the main building. If you are looking for a hotel that offers a high level of cleanliness, service and security then you need look no further than the Sarova Whitesands. Would we return to the Sarova, most definitely and in fact we are already looking at a possible return next year.

by eline838

Lido bar

Jimmy and Judy provides first class service! Really attentive and caring. Would definitely recommend! Food is also good. Try the Panko prawns, it’s the best! 🤩 The view is excellent and it’s a really relaxing place.

by Tracey S

Magnificent Time in Mombasa

My friends and I stayed at Sarova Whitesands for 3 days in April during a 10 day safari trip. From the moment we arrived, we felt at home. The property is absolutely breathtaking. All of the employees are attentive, friendly, and make your stay an unforgettable one. The rooms are spacious and very clean. Mike, the bartender at the pool makes the best drinks! Kai and Tu from the animation team made our time at the pool so much fun! My friends and I will be back next year and hope to see the same employees that made our stay one we will never forget.

by KikiBodle Poole, United Kingdom

Lovely hotel but lack of food options and was very ill

The hotel is lovely and rooms are perfectly adequate for our needs. We are all inclusive and that includes (not as much as you’d hope) a small selection of drinks at all bars and buffet and Minazi restaurant if you want to dine at Lido it will cost extra or you can chose from the 3 (yes 3) items that you are allowed on the all inclusive. Buffet food is predominantly African/Indian/Arabic and all meats are spiced/curried. Buffet is not open all day so you have to eat at set times. Foods seem to get reused from breakfast to lunch/dinner if they are not busy! Minazi restaurant is ok but not the best quality. Not a bad selection of food including Italian and African. The lido bar is the 5* restaurant and the food is much better but as an all inclusive guest we are only entitled to burger, sushi and 1 other that I can’t remember. The staff here are lovely and friendly but you do feel pushed to tip all the time. There is armed security around the hotel which is pretty scary and makes you feel like you can’t leave once here. You are checked and x-rayed on entry. If you go into the beach you are immediately bombarded by sellers maybe 6 at a time and they are relentless and even if you agree to buy something they still bother you constantly. As all inclusive you are entitled 1 water sport activity and we chose a trip on the glass bottomed boat but of course we had to pay a further 4000ksh (£30ish) for the taxes for the coral reef so not a free trip at all! The trip was cool though and lasted around 2 hrs. We also booked a 2 day 1 night safari with Pollmans at a cost of $570 for the 2 of us.. be warned it takes around 6 hours of driving to get from Mombasa to Tsavo east on crazy bumpy roads. We stayed at SaltLick lodge and the beds were rock hard (see separate review). The game drives were good in all around 7hrs and we saw Lions, Elephants, Giraffes, gazelle, impala, warthog, water buffalo. On the way back we stopped for another game drive at Voi and had lunch there too. We also got to visit a Masai tribe (1000ksh entrance each) it was interesting but a little scary! Only there about 30mins and they constantly want you to buy stuff. 5 days in we both got pretty ill and spent the next 3 days in our room, the hotel dr visited and said we have heatstroke and to drink water.. that’s all we’ve been doing. Not drunk any alcohol in 4 days now. Overall I probably wouldn’t come back, it’s been an experience but the lack of food choices and illness has marred the holiday for sure.

by 638amitk London, United Kingdom

Excellent Stay

I have booked originally for 5 nights but we really enjoyed our stayed so we decide to extended for further 3 nights total of 8 nights stayed at Whitesands. Booked 2 queens bed room which was perfect for family of 2 adults and 2 children. Rooms are clean and beautiful. Bathrooms well stocked with reputable amenities. Booked all inclusive, as a vegetarian traveller, we didn’t have any issue as hotel buffet had plenty of Indian, European vegetarian options. There nice activities every evening and animation team does try hard to entertain. Big Thanks to everyone. Everyone from the check in staff, catering and gardening were friendly and helpful. Whitesands truly is the place gives meaning to the word’s holidays. Already thinking of going back.