We were really apprehensive about going to Kenya, but were pleasantly surprised. We stayed in the Neptune Village, Diani Beach. The Hotel itself was 3 star which is about the correct grading. We wanted a beach holiday to 'veg out' which is what we got. The rooms are a bit basic, but clean & as the weather was brilliant, we didn't need to spend much time in ours. We had monkeys on our balcony which was absolutely brilliant!
The public areas were lovely and also very clean, and the staff couldn't do enough for you. It is advisable to tip your waiter/ bar staff & room boy now and then with a few pounds as you get looked after.
The beach boys didn't give us much of a problem. In fact we had a bit of a laught with them. Just a polite 'no thank you' and they are no problem.
If you are looking to go on a safari, you MUST use JT Safari's, they are the best! They are just across the road from the Hotel and will always make you welcome. Julius and Jemmilah are brother and sister and are both really lovely people. They truely want you to enjoy your safari and spread the word! Their prices are much, much cheaper then the tour operators.
We had and overnight stay and went to Tsavo East & West. We could have had our own personal guide for the whole safari, but to bring the cost down we opted to share the mini bus with two other people from the Hotel. Our driver was called Tito and he really gave us a personal experience, stopping whenever we wanted to for however long.
Yes, I would definately recommend JT Safari's, so please use them if you can.

Before i start the review :
Buy your Visa at the airport with $50 as they dont take any other currency.
the rates of exchange are much better in Kenya then the UK and in Ukunda the black market exchange rate is soooo much better then the hotels.
Example :
Hotel £1 =104 schillings which dropped to 90 schillings whilst i was there.
Black Market £1 = 109 schillings each and every day. (speak to Tyson who will take you there - keep reading to find out about how you meet him)

The rooms have a secure safe at the rate of approx £2 per day - money well spent.

3 Neptune hotels all alongside one another, one was closed as Kenya is still waiting to recover from last years elections which damaged tourism.
(coach takes 1hr45mins from the airport so make sure you have gone to the toilet and stocked up with some water)
I was situated at the rear next to the pool/music and asked to be moved to the front which they did with no problems whatsoever. the room i had was a double bed and very clean though the bathroom was tired. Bring shower gel or buy it there in the hotel shop (£6) or from Ukanda (£3.50) as they only have soap.
The mosquito net had seen better days so take a box of plasters to cover up the holes.
the beach was vast and stretched for miles. you could walk out for about a quarter of a mile when the tide was out which was great as i spent a lot of time sitting in water upto my waist just relaxing. The beach boys are annoying at times though you have to understand they are just trying to earn a living and I went out a couple of times in the boat which was fun and was able to snorkel.
there is some seaweed though this is the Indian ocean. they do come out in the morning and bury it in the sand so you dont get to see it other then the stuff thats in the sea. Maybe 4 steps just as you enter the water then its just clear warm waters after that so not really an issue unless you are really anal. No jet skis that i could see though wind surfing, kite surfing, boat trips etc.

The breakfast was for me the best meal of the day though in saying that the food was to a good standard and they took pride in making it which was clearly seen in the desserts they produced. you can snack with burgers/chips/toasted sandwiches from 10am till 6pm as well.
The staff are all very friendly bar none. smiles smiles and more smiles and everyone ready to bend over backwards to assist. I ended up with a gastric bug and one of the staff was running around looking after me which was a blessing as i was on my own and hallucinating!!

I flew up to the Masi Mara with JT SAFARIS and stayed at the FIG TREE. Julius ([-]) the owner of JT is located just outside the hotel and will look after you so i can recommend him without hesitation. he has a driver called Tyson whom will take you around the local village Ukunda and show you where he lives which is an eye opener and really worth doing.
People i spoke to at the Fig Tree in Masi said they did Tsavo East a few days before and it was not as good as the Masi with regards to the amount of wildlife though they said at Tsavo east they have a salt lick so you get to see more animals at night time.
Words failed me when i was at the Masi and i later found out it has been named the 8th Wonder of the Modern World in 2006 - not hard to see why!!

I took a trip into Mombasa which was great as the old town is steeped in History.
Haller Park(mombasa) was boring. I left after 30 mins as i thought whats the point seeing animals in captivity when i am flying to the Masi ????

Would I go back to the Neptune.................

If i had to yes as its clean and friendly plus right next to Ukunda local air strip which flies you to Tsavo East or Masi Mara so perfect for getting in a safari. though as i like staying at different hotels i would opt for another one on Diani Beach or go North to Malindi.


anyway get in touch with me if you want to know more as i am more then happy to help.

andy

After a 2 night safari in Tsavo East we arrived at Neptune Village Resort. Greeted by a cocktail we were shown to our rooms. I was disappointed with the room comparing it with the accomodation at the Aruba Lodge. It was clean though and basic. The mosquito nets didn't hang down to the floor around the bed. The bathroom needs a serious upgrade. Apparently this is slowly starting to happen. The communal areas around the pool and gardens are well maintained. The gardens overlook Diani beach and the Indian Ocean was like stepping into a luke warm bath, unbelievable. Restaurants also served a buffet style meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner. You could also dine in a small cafe area if you missed lunch. This was also the A La Carte restaurant but it was closed while we were there. During our stay there seemed to be a bug going round which a number of people caught including some of our party in various degrees. The staff were very friendly and would go out of their way to make your stay more pleasant. A special mention to two of the waiting staff David, a self confessed Eddie Murphy lookalike and Elizabeth. The service that they gave made our stay more enjoyable. Nothing was too much trouble for them. Thank you both. There was night time entertainment supplied by the Hotel which gave a small insight into the local culture and the Animators organised various events to keep the guests entertained. The hotel runs a trip in a glass bottom boat out to the coral reef which lies just off shore or you can use the Beach Boys boats to take you there. Snotkelling, including the equipment is provided by the hotel and is well worth the trip. Most evenings the Hotel invited various vendors into the Hotel to sell their wares. These along with the 'Beach Boys' don't seem to have heard about the global credit crunch and their opening price is well over the top. Even after some negotiating they are still too expensive. My advice is to offer a low price and have a maximum that you are prepared to pay. They will tell you that it is a special price for you. It isn't. Don't go over your maximum and walk away. During two seperate negotiations with my father-in-law and myself the vendors started off quoting 16000 kenyan shillings (just under £160) for a couple of items. Excessive. You could buy the same items at Moi International for a fraction of the cost when you leave The downside to this is not putting money into the local community. The exception to this was a man by the name of Julius who runs JT Safaris. He has an office opposite Neptune Village. He works as a Tour Operator and his prices are very competitive. If you haven't booked a safari or excursion speak to him. He relies on reccomendations from tourists to promote his business and is aware that a site like this can make or break him. We used him and were impressed by the service that he offered. He is also mentioned positively by other people on this site. Whilst staying at Neptune we went to Ali Barbars Restaurant. The setting is sureal, set in a cave. It has a nice ambient feel to it and quite impressive. The prices are about £30 - £35 per person depending on what you eat. Unfortunately the meal didn't match the venue for us and we were disappointed. Two of the lobsters that we ordered were over cooked and chewy. Luckily we were not charged for them.
My overall impression of our stay was good. I liked walking around the Hotel watching Sykes monkeys and the occasional Colobus Monkeys. It was relaxing allowed us to re-charge our batteries

Go for it!
Amazing place, amazing food, amazing atmosphere.
The food was excellent, as was the service and smiles. I 100% recommend this hotel.
DO go for the boat trips with the locals on the beach! We tried it even though we were informed not too. Especially with Yusuf on his boat called cannabis (!). Not only was the trip very cheap, but informative and friendly. The boat also had no motor, which made it very peaceful!
Personally we had no problems with locals bothering us, and being a woman who enjoyed walking alone along the beach I find it surprising that others did and I did not. However, if we were asked, we found that a firm "no thankyou" (or Hapana Asante) did the trick.
Would definately recommend this hotel to anyone, especially those wanting a real taste of Africa. I'm just off to book my trip back!!