I stayed at the Reef Hotel over Christmas and New Year 2007. This was my first visit to Kenya and I was unsure what to expect having read a range of opinions on this website. On arrival the hotel doesn't look too impressive but we were greeted with a glass of cold fruit juice at reception and were able to check in right away. The rooms have air conditioning and are clean and basic. There is a TV with a number of English language channels. My advice would be to ask for a fridge to be put in the room (200Ksh per day) and the safety deposit box to be activated. The beds have mosquito nets around them but I found that the windows didn't close properly so we still had some flying insects in our room, even with the use of a plug in. Many rooms overlook the pool and gardens area which is very pleasant when sitting out on the balcony. The downside of this was the night time discos which went on until between 1 and 4am (I assume this was exceptional because of the holiday period). The night we spoke to reception about the excessive noise the music was turned down within 10 minutes.There are three pools to choose from and plenty of areas to sunbathe in and around the gardens. There is a swim up pool bar and a choice of two bars in which to buy lunch.The beach is accessible by a few steps and as you set foot on the beach you are greeted by men, with dubious names such as Captain Ali Baba, trying to sell you safaris. We were polite and told them we had already booked with the rep and they left us alone. I stayed half board but there were also full board and all inclusive options, breakfast was a choice of porridge, fresh fruit, bread, pancakes, cooked (sausages, omelette, potatoes, beans) or local cuisine. Evening buffet meals were served outside by the pool and seemed to have a different theme each night, African, Chinese, Indian etc. The desserts are homemade and varied between rice pudding, sponge cakes, bread and butter pudding, fruit or cheese and crackers. During my stay there was some political upset in Mombasa so we were advised to stay in the hotel complex, which had many security guards visible around the different areas. I felt completely safe during the whole of my stay. I can also thoroughly recommend the 2 day safari to Tsavo East and West if you are short of time. I stayed in Kenya for a week and this was a great safari enabling us to see many of the animals only a 2 hour drive from Mombasa.







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