Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Medina Palms is perfectly situated on the powder white sand beach of the Indian Ocean in Watamu, Kenya. This ground breaking hotel offers a range of luxury suites and villas, with views over tropical gardens and pools, tree top level penthouses with inner courtyards, and magnificent beach front villas. The hotel offers fine dining at our signature Amandina Restaurant, the sophisticated Long Bar and Star Lounge, as well as our tropical coffee garden. On site facilities includes Tribe Watersports Centre, a fitness studio, the luxury Sakina Ocean Spa offering 5 treatment rooms, state of the art conference facilities and a choice of exclusive spaces for meetings and weddings.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Medina Palms has received accolades for its cleanliness, with many guests particularly appreciating the spotless conditions suitable for families with babies. The spacious, well-equipped rooms with functional kitchens are often highlighted, alongside the hotel's serene atmosphere and stylish decor. While the service is generally commended for its friendliness, instances of slow service are noted.
The amenities, such as pools and beach access, are well-received, yet opinions on the hotel's value and beach quality vary. Its prime location near nightlife is a consistent plus for many travelers.
Location
Beachfront
Atmosphere
Serene
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Well-appointed
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We have just returned from a week in Medina Palms and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We were a family of four and had one of the duplex penthouse apartments. The apartment was massive! It comprised of a very spacious master suite with dressing area and another en-suite bedroom. There was a well stocked kitchen (with a water cooler for drinking water) and dining area plus another dining table on the terrace upstairs. The kids really enjoyed the plunge pool on the terrace. There was also a chillout area upstairs with 3 day beds. We mainly ate lunch at the Ngalawa Beach bar where the menu was excellent and the staff (Beatrice & Sharon) were very attentive. The buffet breakfast was also good with plenty of options for everyone. (Thanks to Fatma for looking after us). We made good use of the gym where trainer, Dickson, helped the whole family get in some quality workouts! There were multiple pools to choose from with plenty of loungers etc. so it never felt crowded. Thanks to Patrick the pool guy for making us comfortable. The hotel is well situated in Watamu with most points of interest only a short Tuk-Tuk ride away (there's plenty waiting outside the hotel).
One thing to note was the laundry charges seem excessively high. We had come from Safari and to get a load of laundry done (on a cost per item basis) would have cost over $150. This was a shame as it should be a useful amenity for guests.
All in all we really enjoyed our stay and would love to return
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:The curtains are quite light so if light bothers you an eye mask might be helpful.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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A place where you can feel at home, the Resort is an oasis of peace for a couple just steps from the beach, beautiful and full of greenery with large and clean rooms, great attention to detail. A highly professional staff in particular thanks to Bosco who took care of the cleanliness of our room making us feel pampered every day. Excellent cuisine from breakfast to very romantic dinner with warm lights and privacy, Vivian accompanied us for all dinners making us always feel at home Congratulations to all the professional and reliable staff Satisfied and happy to have chosen this Resort
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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If you want to spend quality time then choose Mediana palms in Watamu! We spent two weeks (from 23 July to 6 August 2023) like princes, it seemed like we were in paradise, everything was taken care of down to the smallest detail, always clean and fragrant. The restaurant area and swimming pool area surrounded by uncontaminated nature, a real spectacle! Reserved corners with tables and armchairs under trees, plants and large coconuts. A two-story fairytale suite with swimming pool, large terraces and windows everywhere. All wonderfully comfortable. Uniquely comfortable beds and pillows. We had Bosco, a very precious gentleman for us, very very courteous, kind, very professional and very nice who came to arrange our rooms perfectly every day. Every day when we returned from excursions he made us find a different little animal made with his own hands with towels, plants and flowers, beautiful! In short, a 5-star welcome!!! I could go on forever... a truly special, unique place! P.s. Francesco the director, a competent and professional person who is always very helpful and kind but above all always present for every need! Hi Francesco, greetings from all of us!!!
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Il Medina palms un'esperienza da vivere!!!! Una favola nella favola!!!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We recently stayed with our 5 year old and newborn. It’s more Villa style with different Villa sizes available. Pros- because it’s vila style, you have a kitchen so if you need to clean bottles or warm some milk or something you can do that. Which is really great when traveling with a baby! You can also have kids in a different room in the same house and a living area so it’s not as crammed up as a typical resort room. The rooms are bright and airy and the air conditioning in the bedrooms works great. Because this not a giant resort with night entertainment, the nights are nice and quiet - again, really great with tiny ones ☺️. The beach restaurant is nicely set up and has great pizza.
Cons- lunch and dinner is mostly by set menu (good food but set menus are just not always the best with kids who have to wait for each course, and it can get monotonous). Service is a little inconsistent and not particularly attentive to detail(we kept having to remind them of food allergies). The hotel is somewhat beachfront (with some villas closer to the ocean than others) but in August there’s quite a bit of seaweed (this is all of the Watamu beach during this season). The high tide was super strong and not safe for kids at all after 1pm. The beddings were a little dingy/discolored and their sheets certainly need replacing. They will change your beddings once in 3 days 👀👀 but if you specifically request housekeeping, they can do so with more frequency which was absolutely necessary for us with a baby.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Try and avoid seaweed season! The beach is just not as enjoyable
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have been staying at the Medina since January 1st of this year (2025) sincerely I can confirm and confirm many read reviews. Let's start with the beach. I said about people who strongly criticized the beach, but this depends a lot on the time. Let's start by saying that March April May are months totally discouraged for heavy rains, June July August and September are months discouraged instead for algae that can be found on the beach and can cover it. From mid-December until the end of January, the beach is wonderful and walkable in its entire length with breathtaking views. Clearly always calculate your daily tides, so at low tide the sea is penalized but still remains pleasant. This is to say that reading the reviews I was discouraged while here on site (in this period) there is paradise. The resort is very nice, very very quiet with spectacular vegetation. The food is very good but here I have to make a critique; the wait!!!! the times of the service are those of Africa, it happens to order and wait even for an hour an hour and 20. Clearly this makes you nervous knowing that you lose so much beauty .. the service is not buffet (except for breakfast) lunch and dinner are à la carte with a rich menu for everyone. The water is included only breakfast, lunch and dinner., plus they give you a 10 l kiss in the room that is replaced when you run out. The staff is very friendly and very attentive, the rooms very spacious and very very clean, we never found a mosquito. The biggest flaw is related to the air conditioning, in the play area there are fans, in the room there is an air conditioner placed very badly on the bed, so unfortunately I slept badly due to the heat, not being able to turn on the air conditioning that came directly. Having already made other trips to Africa, we did not hike. Unfortunately, the village is two hours and 40 from Mombasa, so when you arrive the journey is quite long. If you want to take a trip to Malindi, you can easily do both by taxi and by Tuck Tuck (they do not recommend it, but we found it pleasant and takes little longer than the taxi) the round trip cost is about 50 €. Compared to many other areas of Africa, there is little pressure from locals to sell you organize your day.... But always calculate that one way or another on the beach you will be approached for this. In any case, there is no danger... just say goodbye firmly, but with a smile... it is still nice to confront them.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is a beautiful resort. The grounds are magnificent, exotic, with well-manicured gardens and lovely pools. The beach area is also lovely, with a very cozy pool bar as you access to the beach area. The beach in front of the resort is large, mostly white sand, and very shallow. It’s not really good for swimming, because of the coral, and because of the sea weeds, but it’s excellent for sun bathing on the white sand. We rented a one bedroom suite, and we were told we were upgraded to a two bedroom suite. In fact they did given a two bedroom suite, but it wasn’t much of an upgrade because the second bedroom was locked with a zip tie so we would not access it, and the location was horrible. It was the suite on the furthest corner from the beach, with no view and no direct access to the pool. In fact every time we walked to the beach or the bool, we wondered why they had put us in the back corner, when all of the rooms by the pool seemed to be empty. They had one restaurant open while we were there, and two bars, one by the lobby and the beach bar. Included in the rate was breakfast, served at the restaurant, and it was buffet style. The breakfast had limited selections, the fruit tended to be overripe, and they seemed to serve lukewarm coffee and tea every morning. Almost daily we had to ask them to reheat the coffee and tea. Overall, breakfast was mediocre at best, which frightened us from eating at their restaurant. However, we did try on the second night, and it was more or less like the breakfast. They had a large menu with multiple selections, and we ordered BBQ Pork Ribs and a Grilled Red Snapper, and neither dish was tasty. The fish was extremely overcooked, and the ribs were the strangest BBQ pork ribs I’ve ever tasted. All extremely overpriced. Wi-Fi at the resort seemed to be hit or miss. In the room it worked well for basic use, like chatting or checking email. But for opening websites, or streaming, it was extremely slow, and often lost connection. Finally, check in is 15:00, but check out is 10:00 a.m. We asked for a late checkout and they allowed us to stay until 11:30, and while we waited in the lobby until 13:30 to leave, not a single person checked in, and not a single person went to our room to clean. While its website boasts as being the only 5 Star Resort in the North Coast of Kenya, it really fell short of 5 star service. In fact you paid for 5 Star Service, but got 4 Star Service at best. Lower your expectations if you book here.
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Date of stay: February 2022
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Get a room with a pool view.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Everything about this stay was absolutely fantastic, peaceful and relaxing. Food - great selection for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Rooms - clean and tidy Pools are very well kept ( shout out to Rama and all the staff) We did not use the beach as it was full of seaweed, but we understand it’s the season and they cannot be removed due to animals nesting there etc. anyways this was not a problem for us, great beaches are within few minutes reach by boat.
Best part of it all was the staff - everyone was so friendly and ready to help. They speak perfect Italian and that’s of course a plus if you don’t know the language. They were so nice to us and really made sure we felt very welcome.
I would give 6 stars, was it possible! Asante sana for having us!
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Medina Palms, Marketing at Medina Palms
Responded Sep 25, 2023
Thank you so much for your wonderful rating and review. We truly appreciate your positive comments, as they have a tremendous impact on our team's motivation and overall performance. Rest assured that we are fully committed to providing an even better experience on each and every visit!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The place has Great facilities is swimming pool, water activities
We got a chef who was not creative in making meals despite giving them constant guidance. Would report late each morning. That really diluted the experience. They Made meals we can easily make at home, and was dirty in the kitchen. Sufurias not washed and kept over night gross fridge. You need to address this as it dilutes the brand promise.
Cleaners were in a hurry to clean, sitting and dining room tables was never cleaned, space with plunge pool hardly cleaned outside the cottage sitting area we had to ask to be cleaned. Supervisor needs to be more keen on their work being done
But overall 7/10
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Pool gets crowded so you need to be quick
If getting a chef ask for credentials first ensure...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Medina Palms, Marketing at Medina Palms
Responded Mar 31, 2024
Thank you so much for your positive and constructive review. We have shared your comments with our management team and will ensure we review the improvements to the facilities and the service.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We really enjoyed our stay at the Medina Palms for our wedding anniversary trip. We went with our two-year-old and it was perfect for a family trip. The staff were really kind, especially Rama by the beach who made sure we had the perfect beds overlooking the ocean where our toddler could play all day long. He brought him extra sand toys and really looked out for him which we appreciated. Because it was low season and it was our anniversary the hotel was able to upgrade us to a penthouse which was so kind of them. The penthouses are so beautiful with two bedrooms, a fully functional kitchen, two dining areas, an upstairs living room and plunge pool. We were spoilt in terms of space. The decor is lovely and has a real coastal feel. There are three pools to choose from all connected by longer smaller 'pools' which are shallow hence great for kids to splash about in. The food was great and the location directly on the beach was really nice. July is seaweed season which meant there was A LOT of seaweed on the beach/ in the ocean...but it didn't bother us much. There were just some minor maintenance issues like the safe and phone not working in our room but was we were only there for 3 nights we were not bothered. Would definitely recommend this lovely place!
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Unfortunately disappointing holiday -sunbeds on the beach with 3 umbrellas - few and dilapidated sports equipment - a la carte restaurant service IMPOSSIBLE for each meal you wait hours and above all it is not international food but above all local and very spicy. Not to mention the truly ridiculous breakfast.... -what about the beach.... Non-existent and not very accessible due to seaweed Perhaps the tour operator should stay in the properties before putting them in the catalogue. I have done many trips with the Alpitour group and I have always had a good time but this time I was very disappointed and they should also say that it is not a village but a resort with a restaurant also open to external customers.... I do not recommend it.
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Yussen, we have plenty of kiddie pool areas but no kids ' playground'. What we provide is a kids club ( indoors) with climbing frame and lots of children activities, fully supervised by trained and Covid free staff. check our website for further information.
Dear Stallone, thank you for your query. The hotel is situated on the Indian Ocean beachfront so it is possible to swim in sea at Medina Palms. The waves are gentle.
Kind regards
There are more places to choose from in the Watamu area.
PRICE RANGE
$254 - $409 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
KenyaCoast ProvinceWatamu
NUMBER OF ROOMS
40
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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