|
 Sunny Says there
are 189 visitors online
Sunnys' Hints: Did You Know? The services of Holiday-Truths are FREE to everyone! |
|
| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Tamjid from berks travelled to Paradise Beach Hotel with
African safari club
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 | rated the Paradise Beach Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Unclean, unhygienic, flies all over food, staff smell of BO, cats and monkeys come into the shanzu restaurant, had stomach problems for 2 weeks.....on the last day I ate elsewhere and instantly tummy was better!
Kenyans on the beach harass you to buy.
One of the pools was always dirty, flight was delayed , was stopped off in Nairobi and left stranded for hours because ASC did not have the right equipment to take off again to fly into Mombasa.
The staff are dumb.....takes them 7-10 mins to bring in coffee or tea for breakfast and even then forget to bring cups and spoons or sugar. AC keeps going off, loud and noisy.
Bathrooms smell, water stopped working for a while and staff make you feel guilty about their circumstances and wages an make you feel obliged to give them money or tips. AVOID. worst holiday ever
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
| | |
malcolm roberts from shrewsbury travelled to Paradise Beach Hotel with
african safari club
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2006 | rated the Paradise Beach Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Hi me my wife and daughter of 14 stayed at the Shanzu beach hotel, which is connected to the paradise hotel just north of Mombasa.
The hotel is almost directly on the white sandy beach just separated by an elevated cliff path,(don't worry though its only a few steps to the bottom).where do i start?, having had plenty of holidays in the Canaries, Greece, Cyprus etc over the years we decided to venture further a field and try Kenya. I must say this is the best holiday we have ever been on, we stayed for 11 nights from the 21/12/2006 so were at the hotel over Christmas and new year.
On arrival we were met at reception with African drums and staff in traditional African dress. We were part of quite a large arrival but the reception handled it well bearing in mind all the tourists had just been on an 8 1/2 hour flight and were all quite tired.
We were shown to our room by a member of staff and were happy with the accommodation although not the Hilton it was clean and did the job, with a great balcony overlooking the sea and the pool and were perfectly ok for our needs. The grounds are inhabited by vervet monkeys, loads of them and they are great entertainment but don't leave your apartment doors open or they will be in on the scavenge after what they can run off with.
Food I found was of a high standard plenty of choice at all meals and the staff were very attentive to your needs, constantly making sure you were ok for drinks etc.
Entertainment was good African music, acrobats and theme nights etc, these were repeated over our stay but were enjoyable nonetheless.
There are two pools at the Shanzu beach, both very large and one with a swim up bar every morning there are staff in the pools cleaning them out before the clients go swimming, sun beds are chargeable at 1.5 euro per day which as everything else i.e. drinks and any purchases at the shops on site are charged to your room as the whole complex is a cash free environment and you settle your bill after every three days or so with the cashier on site, You get a full printout of all your transactions and can cross reference them with your receipts. Scuba diving starter sessions are also available at the main pool.
In addition to the pool areas there are also extensive landscaped areas to walk in where you will see monkeys lizards and some interesting birdlife i.e. herons etc around a lake with fish in it.
We went on the Tsavo east red elephant safari on Christmas eve stopping at the crocodile camp for 1 night, this had to be the highlight of the holiday we went on three game drives in total and saw lions,elephants,giraffe,zebra,gazelle,antelope,impala dic-dics,eagles,merekats,hippos,crocodiles and many other animals/birdlife which was just amazing.
If you are considering a holiday like this I urge you to do it as you won't regret it, there are some initial costs with injections/malaria tablets etc but if you love wildlife this is for you, a fantastic place, fantastic people the friendliest we have come across, they can't do enough for you,
Take my word for it and experience it for yourself, - Malcolm Roberts
| | |
alan from london travelled to Paradise Beach Hotel with
african safari club
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2006 | rated the Paradise Beach Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff |  | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: The hotel was reasonably clean.
Food very basic. I couldnt use the beach, people constantly trying to sell rubbish goods.
The staff were very friendly. No entertainment unless you wanted to pay, would not visit this hotel again.
| | |
Sue Moore from Leatherhead, Surrey travelled to Paradise Beach Hotel with
African Safari Club
on a couples holiday.
There were 1 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2005 | rated the Paradise Beach Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Stayed in the Palm Beach Hotel, Kenya which is linked to the Dolphin etc. Food cold and full of flies. Everyone in our party had stomach problems. Room was absolutely filthy, even on arrival the linen on my bed had lipstick on the pillowcase, dirty sheets and cover. According the the fellow travellers on the way home all the African Safari hotels in that area the food was terrible!
Staff at the desk were very unhelpful and when I managed to get hold of the manager and told him, all he said was "have you brought it to the receptions attention". Even the balconys the grey paint was coming off on peoples clothes, the answer to this from the manager was "don't lean or sit on it then, it is what the chairs are for (which were also filthy).
All in all, would never go back to an African Safari hotel again. We booked ourselves into the White Sands Hotel, different world, could not fault it! So beware if you are going as we still have bad stomachs a week later!!!!!!!!
| | |
|
|
Sean from London travelled to Paradise Beach Hotel with
African Safari Club
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2005 | rated the Paradise Beach Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Quite clearly the worst ‘holiday’ of our lives… and not just us – there’s 30 to 40 irate holiday makers that returned on our flight that want to see some action taken against this company.
OK – in a nutshell…
When we arrived at the hotel we were shown to a dingy little room with no air-condition. We left our bags there and returned to reception where we showed our voucher to the rep that clearly stated we had booked ‘Standard Twin Room with Air-Conditioning’. She said if we wanted A/C we would have to pay another €328 each per week! Shocked at her attitude we asked to see the manager of that part of the complex. When he arrived he blamed us ‘for booking a room with AC that did not exist’ and basically told us we had to take it or leave it – quote; “there are plenty more fish in the sea”!!!
If this wasn’t bad enough, another ASC ‘rep’ threatened to have security throw us out of the hotel if we complained again.
3 hours later, still exhausted from the flight, the manager of the Coral Beach hotel found us an air-conditioned room in the staff quarters above the very loud restaurant and disco.
Unfortunately this was just to be the start of our problems:
The air conditioning was old and so noisy we had to sleep with the earplugs we had bought for the plane! The manager of the hotel himself, said he was shocked that the hotel was still using them.
For most of the time we were without running water – this means we could not wash or even flush the toilet – which began to stink very quickly in the hot weather. After 3 days without washing, we had to literally beg the ASC ‘rep’ to allow us to shower in another hotel room, which happened to be 1000 metres across the other side of the hotel complex. This was reluctantly granted provided we return the key immediately afterwards. Other nights we were forced to shower by the pool-side.
Every day was a constant battle to get running water. We spent more time walking to and from the reception, or waiting to be seen, than we did sunbathing!
The food was atrocious. Buffet dishes that had gone cold were topped up with hot food poured straight on top. Flies infested every tray – especially the fruit that was left exposed for hours on end.
When we booked the holiday we were told we would have a choice of restaurants where we could eat on the Full Board basis. However, this was not the case and there was only one small restaurant where we had to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. If we wanted to use another restaurant we would be charged extra.
Everything around ASC was geared to getting more and more money out of you. You even had to pay to use the sun loungers!
We both had very bad diarrhea as a result of the food and without water to flush the toilet we had to fashion a bucket out of a large empty water bottle and scoop water from the swimming pool and carrying it up the stairs to our room. Approx 3 journeys were required to clear the toilet.
The room flooded 3 times as the toilet overflow ‘overflowed’ into the room (there was no overflow pipe connected to carry the water away). The first time it flooded our suite cases were on the floor and our clean clothes were soaked. Had it flooded the previous night, when we were charging a mobile phone on the floor – we would have been electrocuted as soon as we stepped off the bed!
The bed linen was disgusting and stank. We held a white piece of paper against one of the pillows to show how dirty they were.
Other things to note:
Despite the hotel being burnt down two years ago, there was no fire extinguishers anywhere to be found in the hotel except for the hooks on which they were supposed to be hung from. There were no safety instructions on the back of the room doors to tell you what to do in the event of a fire, and the one fire alarm we found had been boarded up!
In both the Gents and Ladies toilets lose wires protruded from the walls where electrical appliances or switches and been removed.
ASC ran a prison like regime, painting a very grim picture of Kenya and the Kenyan people, who we found to be most pleasant, in order to create an atmosphere of fear that would ensure their guest dare not leave the hotel unless it was in an ASC taxi or on an ASC safari!
We were not allowed visitors from other hotels
Only over-priced ASC taxis could pick-up or drop off from the hotel
We had to fill out a ‘phone call request form’ that said who we were calling and what it was about before we were allowed to use the telephone
Calls to other hotels, taxi companies or rival safari organizers ware strictly forbidden
In an attempt to send out for help we purchased 60 mins worth of internet access for €5. However, after trying to connect for 40 minutes we were told the internet connection was not working. When we asked for a refund we were told it was “not possible”.
Finally, just when we thought we were rid of ASC antics, we discovered that the baggage allowance was 4 kg less than it was on the outbound flight. EVERYONE was being charged ‘excess baggage fees’ which was only payable in cash!
The scale of the problem with ASC was made apparent on the flight home where we learned of over 40 people who joined forces to bring legal action, if necessary, against the company.
Our story is just one of many – one couple walked out half way through the holiday and checked into another hotel at additional cost to themselves!
However, we all have one thing in common – in the eyes of ASC we are all wrong. According to them there is nothing wrong with the hotel, there is no breach of Health & Safety, and any ‘mix-up’ over room facilities is either down to us or an ‘administration’ issue.
Needless to say this only serves to make us more determined to bring these people to justice. Nobody should have to endure what we have been through.
| | |
alan from windsor travelled to Paradise Beach Hotel with
African safari club
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2004 | rated the Paradise Beach Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: New manager just appointed and seems friendly and efficient. Staff re excellent particularly the Kenyans. Shuttle bus operates between the varios hotels in the group about every hour.
We opted to pay a bit extra for a suite and think it money well spent as you get a seperate lounge with fridge etc. I would not consider any hotel in this region without air conditioning. Ours was very efficient but a little noisy.
Had a few short power cuts and water shut downs but no real problem. Food of good standard, the gourmet restauraunt made a change and a trip to the local restaurants made a nice change. They were cheap and of good standard. Be prepared to pay for excess baggage at 7 euros a kilo although pleading poverty and no credit card sometimes works. Daft really when you can buy a huge wooden animal at duty free and take on board as hand luggage with no problems.
Catering on the safari trips is generally better than the hotel. But as value for money I rate this excellent.
| | |
Doonhamer32 from London travelled to Paradise Beach Hotel with
African Safari Club
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2004 | rated the Paradise Beach Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This hotel is one of a 4 hotel complex, all of them linked by well tended gardens, and a clifftop path; the complex has 6 pools, 4 buffet restaurants, 2 a la carte restaurants & 5 bars. Unfortunately when we were there, one hotel was being refurbished, so not all the bars etc. were open - it made no difference to us, as the facilities that WERE available were good enough.
The place is spotless, and the staff are some of the friendliest I have ever come across. It is Africa, however, and efficiency is not always up to scratch, although we had no major problems.
The food was reasonable in the buffet restaurants, always well cooked & presented, with a fair degree of choice - 2 meat, fish, 2 veg, rice & a potato dish at dinner. The a la carte restaurant (not included in the f/b package) was excellent, with lobster a speciality, although I preferred the veal.
The hotel is on the beach, reached by a flight of steps, or through the bar; there is a private area, then on to the public beach for access to the sea.
Entertainment was varied & of reasonable quality, although the policy is to have it in only one hotel each night.
We had a tremendous time here, and are already planning a return visit.
| | |
Zodiak from France - Grenoble travelled to Paradise Beach Hotel with
African Safari Club
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2004 | rated the Paradise Beach Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Lot of troubles with nearly all the persons who were here at the same time in this hotel.
The food was various but always the same, so you are quickly fed up with the food.
At twelve and in the evening same thing in the same place.
The beach is not for those who want swim because of coral.
The ASC staff were awful (I don't speak about the Kenyan staff, but the Swiss team.)
No answer for a lot of various problems with few tourists.
I hope the next traveller will be luckier.
| | |
 Subscribe For FREE Updates Click Here To Add A Review On This Hotel
Click Here To Go Back To Africa & Middle East Hotel Listing.
All postings on this website are the responsiblity of the original poster. Once posted all information becomes the copyright of Holiday-Truth.com.
Holiday-Truth.com and our moderators accept no responsibility for the content and / or the accuracy of information contained within this website. Holiday-Truth.com monitors all postings and may, at our discretion, edit a posting to remove obscene or abusive language, edit grammar or correct spelling.
© Holiday-Truth.com V0.96b
Privacy Policy
|
