This Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort Mombasa review covers what was once a resort we always recommended to family and friends. When it came to beachfront hotels or resorts in Mombasa, they trusted our recommendation more than online reviews.
We had stayed at Sarova Whitesands multiple times over the years—first in 2017, then 2018, and shortly after the lockdown. Although in our opinion it wasn’t on the same level as some five-star resorts we have stayed in Southeast Asia or Zanzibar, it always delivered a pleasant experience. The beachfront location, beautiful big green spaces, and decent service made it a relaxing stay on the Kenyan coast.
However, our most recent visit in July 2024 completely changed our perception of the place, and perhaps it’s worth reading this Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort Mombasa review before booking the resort. By the way, we encourage you to check Tripadvisor reviews from the past two years and filter them into poor and terrible reviews—many guests had similar experiences to what we encountered.
Poor Check-In Experience at Sarova Whitesands
After a long, hot drive from Nairobi, we arrived at the resort around 2:30 PM. Exhausted and managing two small children—a 6-month-old and a 2.5-year-old—we were looking forward to checking in and settling down. But our reception at Sarova was far from welcoming.
The lobby was humid and crowded, packed with guests, and it looked like there was a conference at the hotel. We approached the front desk, and the receptionist greeted us with a cold response. The receptionist informed us that we had booked for one person, not the two adults and children we had selected during the booking process. I explained that their buggy website had caused the mistake, and we actually selected two adults. We had struggled with their online booking system, which repeatedly defaulted to one adult despite selecting two.
Instead of offering assistance and acknowledging the mistake, the staff insisted we must pay nearly half the cost of our original booking to “correct” the error. The attitude was dismissive as if we were at fault, and the receptionist made no effort to empathize or resolve the situation; she simply said you have to pay now. Frustrated, we asked to speak with a manager.
A poorly trained Management at a 5-star Resort
After waiting for what felt like forever —while dealing with tired children—a gentleman called Silvester, who said he was FOH supervisor, arrived. We explained the situation again, but instead of acknowledging the website’s flaws or at least trying to understand what we were talking about, he implied that we were lying, saying, “Our website works.” This was the moment when our frustration escalated.
I showed him the website error on my phone, demonstrating exactly what had happened. Yet, despite this, he refused to even have a look at it, saying his IT department says the website works and that he trusts them. His tone was condescending, and it became clear that guest satisfaction wasn’t a priority. At this point, he went to the back office multiple times, and we waited for over an hour. The approach shifted when I mentioned that we create content for our YouTube channel and might record this interaction. We suddenly found ourselves being treated more like potential threats than paying guests.
By this point, my patience had run out. I insisted on speaking to a higher management, hoping for some resolution.
I continued recording because I could not believe the way he was speaking to a paying customer; when Silvester saw the camera, he first became apologetic and asked me to stop recording, then when I told him I directed the camera to myself and would continue to record he became nervous and continued to escalate.
Intimidation at a Five-Star Resort in Mombasa: Feeling Unsafe at Sarova Whitesands
The operations manager eventually arrived, who claimed to be the hotel’s highest management and that the GM was not at the premises. However, things only worsened instead of resolving the situation. He continued the same trend and focused more on the camera than understanding what caused us to record.
At this point, two hours passed, and we agreed to pay the difference and informed both that we would be documenting our experience and that we would escalate this to the head office. We paid and were waiting to receive our room key cards for over 30 minutes.
Nickolas, who was the operations manager, came back together with Silvester and a gentleman who said he was the security manager. Security and management surrounded us, shifting the focus away from addressing our booking issue or improving service to forcing us to delete the footage we had recorded. It was a profoundly unsettling experience. At one point, I felt unsafe, surrounded by three people, and considered calling the police because of the aggressive manner in which they demanded we delete the footage. The operations manager held my room key card in my hand while holding it up and told me to delete the footage, kind of like you will not get this key unless you delete the footage.
It wasn’t about the extra money for us—we were prepared to pay—but how we were treated, the lack of empathy, and the aggressive behaviour were shocking.
Room Conditions at Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort Mombasa: Substandard and Outdated
Once the confrontation was over and we insisted on checking out and calling the police, we were handed one single room key card and taken to our room by one of the porters. The room we have been allocated was on the first floor, despite our initial request for a ground-level room due to having a baby and a buggy. The room itself was outdated and far from the standards of a five-star resort. There was dust behind the bed, the mattress had blood stains, and the baby cot provided looked old, with fresh white paint peeling and bite marks on it. The bathroom smelled damp, and the phone didn’t work. The painting above the bed had mold, most likely due to condensation. To make matters worse, the Wi-Fi was slow, unsecured, and shared across the entire hotel like a public hotspot.
The standards at the property had deteriorated significantly since our last stay, and while the green spaces and beachfront access were still beautiful, overall condition of the rooms and amenities had really declined and was definitely not worth the price tag.
Best Hotels in Mombasa: Why Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort No Longer Makes the List
After the friendly porter brought our bags to the room, I approached the Operations Manager again, who was at the reception desk speaking with Silvester, requesting a room change or, at the very least, some attention to the cleanliness. Instead of addressing the issue, he brought up the recording again, insisting we delete the footage. At this point, we decided we had enough. We canceled the rest of our stay and moved to Serena Hotel down the road.
On our way out, I spoke with the hotel’s general manager. Although he offered an apology, he justified the staff’s behaviour, claiming they were worried about their privacy due to the recording. This completely missed the point of why the situation escalated in the first place, and nothing was done to address the root cause of our complaints.
At no point did we feel that anyone was actually listening or trying to understand what caused all of this; everyone, including the GM, focused solely on the fact that we were documenting it with a camera.
By the way, after a few weeks, we discovered that the resort pays or offers influencers free stays in return for good publicity in terms of YouTube videos or Instagram stories. We know one international influencer with a large YouTube subscriber who has received a free, all-inclusive stay for two nights in a suite, including transport arrangements, in return for a good video review, and the video now has over 60 thousand views on YouTube. At no point is that declared or highlighted in the video.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
It’s sad to say, but Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort, once a reliable beachfront destination, is now a shadow of its former self. While the grounds remain beautiful and the beachfront access is appealing, the rooms are outdated, and the service is far from what you’d expect at a five-star resort.
- The Good:
- The restaurant staff were friendly, and the food was good.
- The porters and spa staff were courteous and helpful.
- Good Spa, at least that’s from our experience in 2018.
- The Bad:
- The rooms were dirty and in need of renovation.
- The check-in experience was hostile and stressful.
- Management was more concerned with PR than with resolving guest issues.
- Untrained FOH staff and management
Conclusion
Hospitality encourages you to de-escalate and listen to the guest’s concerns; even if the guest is wrong, management must actively listen and find a solution while acting professionally.
Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort might still attract guests for its beachfront location and stunning greenery, but for us, this once-beloved hotel has lost its charm.
If you are considering a trip to Mombasa, we recommend thinking twice about booking Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort Mombasa and exploring other options before booking here. The resort’s focus seems to have shifted from hospitality to damage control, and unfortunately, we won’t be returning.
Unfortunately, Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort Mombasa is no longer the resort it once was
PS: We emailed the Head Office, but they ignored us. Then we sent a second email, and after 14 days, we received a response apologizing for the shortcomings and promising to conduct a full investigation.
In the meantime, we have shared the footage with AMEX and requested a full refund, which we received.
So what do you recommend in North Coast now instead?
So we stayed after that experience at Serena Beach Resort & Spa, service was definitely better than Sarova but rooms were outdated for our liking. We also stayed at PrideInn Paradise and found it to be good value for money, although rooms were also outdated, the facilities were great. Will be writing a comprehensive review of both soon together with a video. Btw Thanks for reading and visiting our blog.