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.
Situated right on the white sand beach of the Indian Ocean, Diani Sea Lodge, an all-inclusive 3+ resort, is surrounded by lush tropical gardens.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Mid-range
Languages Spoken
English, German
Location
Diani Beach Road, Diani Beach, Ukunda 80401 Kenya
Diani Sea Lodge
921 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
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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Diani Sea Lodge receives accolades for its all-inclusive package which many guests feel offers excellent value, though its star rating occasionally comes into question. The hotel's beachfront location, diverse culinary options, and engaging activities are popular among travelers, despite some concerns over pillow availability and Wi-Fi speed. Guests are charmed by the serene atmosphere, punctuated by live music and well-kept surroundings.
The rooms earn praise for their cleanliness and spaciousness, with some offering stunning views. The high level of cleanliness across the property is lauded, and the friendly and professional staff is frequently commended for their exceptional service.
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Satisfying
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Relaxing
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The warm welcome at the reception was exceptional. We were sanitized, temperature taken and given branded hotel masks. This was followed by a sweet and refreshing glass of hibiscus tea. Just by the way we were received we knew that we would love our 5 days vacation. There were absolutely no delays in checking in.
Diani sea lodge is stunning, to say the least. I particularly loved the beautiful lush tropical gardens, the coconut palms, and the myriad of exotic trees and flowers that ensured fresh air all through. The beach view and the constant breeze made my stay totally worthwhile.
The staff was highly professional and a simple look at them was met with a warm smile. The service was top notch. The manager also interacted with the guests and would often enquire about their stay.
The meals were served on time and the menu offered a balanced diet with exciting theme nights( Swahili, Italian, Greek, Mexican, and barbeque, etc). There was also a snack bar which was open all day.
The rooms were clean and well lit and air-conditioned with furniture made of local wood in the African style. There was also a safe for storing your valuables. The bedding and complimentary toiletries were changed on a daily basis.
We also got to experience boat trips which were really exciting. The nightlife was also amazing with very classic cocktails and amazing music, including live performances from people of different cultures in Kenya.
Am definitely going back!
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Date of stay: December 2020
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 Karla Kampa, Owner at Diani Sea Lodge
Responded Jan 28, 2021
Dear Joyhner, WOW!! This is exactly what we like to hear. Thank you for sharing your wonderful comments and giving us a 5star review following your recent stay at Diani Sea Lodge. We aim to please with our service and close attention to detail. So it's a pleasure to read how much we made your stay memorable. We can't wait to welcome you back as well. The entire staff had a blast interacting with all of you. Lookin g forward to your return.
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The family room is the best that i have experienced among all the other hotels have visited in the past in the coastal region.
The staff took wearing of masks, taking of temperature before entering the restaurant and hand washing or sanitizing very seriously which we appreciated. There was no slacking on these measures for the week we were there.
We really appreciated the friendliness and quality of service, We had one of our best holidays and will definitely be back.
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Date of stay: September 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Â best family rooms in Diani.
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 Karla Kampa, Owner at Diani Sea Lodge
Responded Jan 19, 2021
Dear 777makenam, Thank you for your review and for your kind words about our lodge. Thank you also for expressing your concerns about mask wearing. Indeed, masks are currently mandated in Kenya and our team is working hard to ensure that everyone on property is compliant. Thank you again for your review and your feedback. I hope that we'll have the opportunity to welcome you back to Diani Sea Lodge in the near future.
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A lot to digest? Read an AI-generated summary of recent traveler reviews.
At first, I was a bit sceptical about staying here because it's one of those hotels that was geared towards foreign clientele and not locals, glad to say I was pleasantly surprised. The check in was seamless, the rooms were decently furnished but sparkling clean. The service was remarkable- everyone from the reception, grounds keeping, restaurant and even the bars- had great hospitality. Victor, Juma, Ali and the manager Kevin outdid themselves. I preferred the food at the snack bar- very scrumptious and offered more variety. Their beach was kept clean and the security was always keen ensuring nobody was harassing the patrons. I also enjoyed the bottomless cocktails and unlimited madafus. I'll surely be back.
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:Â Splurge for the seafront rooms, they're less hectic
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 Karla Kampa, Owner at Diani Sea Lodge
Responded Nov 17, 2021
Dear Sarah, It delights us to read your comments with regards to our staff and the level of service they provided. One of our key priorities is to provide the highest level of friendly and courteous service to all our guests both local and international. We are humbled by you sharing your experience with other travelers. We look forward to welcoming you back to Diani Sea Lodge on your next visit.
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I did have some issues with the hotel that I think could be fixed. I like to be fair so I will list the pros and cons as I found them.
Pros
The hotel is located on a nice beach. The room was clean, but despite being a Bahari Room, it was quite basic. The food was pleasant better than some four stars I have stayed at, but sadly no curry. Staff was helpful and friendly.
Cons
No sunshades round the pool. There is dappled shade from trees and bushes but despite wearing factor 50 I burned badly the first day. There are a dozen or so straw shades along the front but these are reserved by half six by hotel staff who are paid to do it. I’ve informed the hotel but I doubt they can stop it. It wouldn’t be such a problem if they were to invest in a decent amount of parasols. I have been coming to Kenya for over 20 years and this is the first hotel without sunshades. If you are fair skinned or red headed beware. My second issue was with getting around. Despite the fact I told the hotel up front I had mobility issues they gave me a room only 1 room away from the wall which was a very long walk for me. It was also up 6 steps which I really struggled with. I think if the hotel have been informed of mobility issues they should try to accommodate it or tell people they can’t. If they had told me I would have booked elsewhere. They are good with people in wheelchairs I think, once here but I would not recommend it for people with mobility problems. There are other hotels without the uneven pathways, gradients and steps. Also for anyone who is partially sighted it is poorly lit and treacherous at night. Lastly my sea view was laughable. It didn’t matter to me as I live by the sea but it might disappoint some people. It was not like the photos. I have added a picture from my terrace.
Would I stay here again? Not as it is but if it had plenty of sunshades and they could guarantee me room 103 I might consider it.
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Date of stay: March 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â High floor for better views
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.
My husband and I stayed in this hotel for the first time for 5days. From the time of check in everything was just perfect. Location of the hotel, food varieties, beach and pool were just amazing. We both don’t drink alcohol, but the non alcoholic cocktails were super. Best part of it all are the friendly and loving staff. Judy (restaurant manager) made our meals even more delicious. She is attentive and always smiling. The hotel manager would always walk in the restaurant 5mins before they open and inspect each and every food laid out. I’ve been in many hotels worldwide, but I’ve never seen such passion and dedication from top management to small staff. Our plans were to bring the kids during August school holidays. If that won’t be possible then second week of December. We highly recommend this hotel.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip 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.
I stayed at the Diani Sea Lodge with my family for 5days. Having been to a couple of beach resorts at the coast, and with Diani Sea Lodge being the most pricey but worst in service. The Management has a lot to look into but seeing as to the issues have been reviewed on this platform, it is likely it will not change.
First thing is that only a handful of waiters and service people are actually friendly. Some are only friendly towards the white people and totally unfriendly towards the locals. Shout-out to Edward at reception and the two beautiful hostesses at the main restaurant, Masa the head waiter and Rama who made things so easy for us.
The snacks at the snack shack are amazing but some of the wait staff so unfriendly. Please give an all inclusive drinks menu for guests to have enough options to choose from.
Why do they have red musty towels in the rooms? How do you assure guests that they are being kept clean. The beddings were old and discoloured. Bottled water is cheap and sanitary but they do not provide that, they give water in water bottles in the rooms. How does one drink that not knowing how sanitary the refilling process is or who has previously used the bottles. Simply disgusting.
Look into purifying your water to make it un-salty for better use by the guests.
Last but not least, I don't know if the hotel management can handle this but, the white visitors who were 95% at the hotel made us uncomfortable the whole time we were there. Staring at us all through. On one night as we came back from the hotel from having dinner outside, a group sitting near the bar started pointing at us laughing, speaking in a foreign language and singing 'Jambo Bwana'. This is a terrible kind of racism and the hotel needs to give brief to their guests on conduct towards other guests.
All in all, we made some great memories here.
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip 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.
Response from Karla Kampa, Owner at Diani Sea Lodge
Responded Jan 25, 2023
Dear Mary G, Thank you for choosing to stay at Diani Sea Lodge and for bringing your review to our attention. It is with great concern to note that we were not able to give you a memorable stay. At Diani Sea Lodge we go above and beyond to ensure that we treat ALL our guests equally and we DO NOT support any type of discrimination. Yes, we do have a good number of foreign guests who at times will seem to be extra friendly & jolly. Just a brief insight, our hotel theme is known to be "Hakuna Matata" & "Jambo Bwana". We emphasize on these message in order to give a relaxation mentality to all our guests even when they are facing any challenges while staying with us. Just a word of assurance that all will be handled and resolved in good time. We strongly believe that in this case it was just a family of foreigners admiring and wanting to make friends with another beautiful Kenyan family. Please be rest assured that my management team and I will still look deep into this matter to ensure we filter out any signs of discrimination that might be there. We love our own Kenyan & African brothers & sisters, and we always love hosting them. On the matter of bath towels, we currently do have maroon colored bath towels. They are obviously not your regular colored type of towels you'd expect in a hotel/resort, but we keep them 120% clean, neat, and crispy. Same applies to the refillable bottled water. We keep all our water bottles clean and ensures the whole process of refilling the bottles and transporting to the rooms is 100% safe. We are proud to have managed to reduce our waste by being one of the first hotels/resorts on the coast to introduce refillable water bottles in the rooms, using paper straws, and rechargeable batteries. This has made us a proud reciepents of the Travelife Gold reward. ALL our staff are dedicated to providing ALL our guests with courteous and attentive service. We will definitely share your positive experience with Edward, Rama, & Masa. As we strive to continuously achieve high-quality standards, deliver guest satisfaction and serve traveler's needs, your comments are instrumental and valued. Again, it was a pleasure to host you and I hope that we'll have the opportunity to welcome you back in the near future to restore your confidence.
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We have traveled around Africa, where we live for the past decade, and many parts of the world, and this was by far the worst experience we have had. I own a boutique hotel of my own in Africa and was shocked to see this poor quality being charged these rates, and getting away with it. The rooms are so cheaply furnished, such poor quality. no WiFi in the rooms!!! You have to walk outside to get WiFi. the food was awful, poor quality and bad taste. Towels and bed sheets smelled very bad, surely they are not using any detergent. Salt water in the shower and bathroom. We were given water in jugs to brush our teeth, and used also as drinking water. Very unsanitary. Our mounting complaints to the staff were met with powerless response… it all lies with upper management. Once I checked out early, no one from upper management came to ask why, or apologize, or offer some sort of refund, which means they are fully aware. I left with 4 paid nights remaining on my reservation, and still have no regrets. This ruined my Kenya experience, which was magical outside of this hotel experience. This hotel is made to trap the European tourists coming on an all inclusive package deal for their first Africa experience with no expectations. But if you are an experienced traveler like us, you know Africa has a lot more to offer. So do yourself and your family a big favor, and stay far away. You can thank me in advance.
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip 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.
Response from Karla Kampa, Owner at Diani Sea Lodge
Responded Jan 25, 2023
Dear valued guest, First of all, please allow me to thank you for booking a stay with us at Diani Sea Lodge. It is disappointing to hear that we were unable to meet your expectations. However the main issue you had after you had checked in was the big crowd, then later on followed by a refund dispute. Please note you had booked with us during festive season, and we were completely booked. At full capacity Diani Sea Lodge holds upto 370 guests at once. It was impossible to host you with less than 100 guests as per your expectations. You also booked with us through a 3rd party agent and all the cancelation terms & conditions were captured in the contract. It is unethical & uncalled-for to give a false & negative review just because a refund could not be issue during Christmas & New Years period. A policy that is displayed in all our booking engines. Furthermore, going as far as racially abusing other guests just because you had planned to spend your holiday with less crowd. At Diani Sea Lodge we strive to make each stay a truly extraordinary experience and we take great pride in our guest service and culture.
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Love the hotel but there are few BUTs. Cleaning of rooms should be conducted more thoroughly. On the first day I was escorted to my rooms where I felt pushed into tipping the guy who turned on the light. There is a hierarchy of residents- I thought that the policy at the bar is first come first served but some people were privileged and despite all of us having all inclusive package some were being omitted. Food was tasty but could be much better. Grilled food was dry, the other day fried vegetables were gone after 20 min after dinner started… this shouldn’t take place. The main cook - unpleasant and annoyed by guest in this hotel.
Rooms 4/5 Food 3/5 Staff - 5/5especially apprentices / students very kind and helpful unlike their older friends who get 3/5
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Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Beach boys - ignore them and do not engage in any conversation or you will be bothered for the...
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 Karla Kampa, Owner at Diani Sea Lodge
Responded Jan 12, 2022
Dear Kaysee02, Thank you for the feedback on your recent stay as we often use guest insight to help guide future decisions. We are happy to hear you loved the hotel and our staff, but at the same time are saddened to know your overall experience did not meet your expectations. Please accept our apologies for the issues you've noted with your room, restaurant, and bar. We assure you that our team will correct them so future guests won't encounter the same problems. We'll be working diligently to improve, and we hope to have another chance to change your perceptions.
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Our stay in Diani Sea Lodge was a great experience for my wife and my two kids; 6 years and 9 years. The Location is one of the best in Diani Beach, all of the people who work in the hotel are human, nice and friendly, the food is excellent and with very good flavour. Our kids always felt happy and Safe with the different activities in the hotel. Our room and specially the bed was really confortable. When we go back to the coast we will stay there with out a doubt. Thank You Very Much to all the woman and men that made our stay very nice. We send a our greetings to the CocoNut Man, Victor, Aisha, Tom, the chef and all the personel. A Santi Santa!!!
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip 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.
Response from Karla Kampa, Owner at Diani Sea Lodge
Responded Jan 19, 2021
Dear MexicanPokot, Thank you for your kind review and for choosing Diani Sea Lodge for your vacation. We are glad you had a pleasant stay and that our thoughtful hospitality surpassed your expectations. We have an exceptional team that is committed to providing tailored, seamless service to each of our guests. Again, thank you for sharing your experience, and we look forward to welcoming you back again.
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We went thre for a 2 week vacation. In general, our experience was quite good with a few minor things that could be better.
The rooms were quite spacious and cleaned daily, no complaints here. Our room lacked curtains, when we asked in the evening, it was solved the next day, but it is a little weird that such thing was unnoticed before. The air conditioning worked well. We had some problems with the safe deposit box due to faulty betteries. The other areas of the hotel were not airconditoned.
The staff was friendly and helpful, some of them even learned a few words in Polish, congratulations!
The hotel itself looked quite nice, all the rooms were in a garden away from the reception and restaurant area, it was in general very quiet. Sometimes there were monkey droppings on the pavement, so you has to be careful while walking. There were, of course, monkeys in the hotel, but the staff tried to limit their interactions with the guests and I believe, it worked out quite ok.
The food was honestly better than expected. The choice was decent, always two or three meat dishes and a fish to choose from and some option for those who do not eat meat. ALso, there was always an opion to eat two kinds of homemade pasta and two sauces. The pasta was a little bit overcooked, but I guess, there is no way around it in a hotel. The breakfast was particularly good, you could get freshly prepared omelettes or fried eggs. The scrambled eggs didn't look very appetizing, though. The best part were the sweet things, especially waffles. They were always very tasty.
The dining room was not airconditoned and some fod, especially the chheses, didn't look too nice as a result.
There were two things that need improvement: dinners outside (it was quite dark and when you were sitting far from the food area, by the time you brought food to your table, it was lukewarm, because of strong breeze from the ocean). Another thing is the long wait for drinks when there were more people in the dining area.
The water in the swimming pool was very warm and the pool itself was about 3 meters deep at one end as it was sometimed used to train divers. There was a diving school at the hotel and I would personally recommend diving there.
There was wifi available, although it wasn't very fast, it was enough for basic internet browsing.
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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 Karla Kampa, Owner at Diani Sea Lodge
Responded May 6, 2024
Dear valued guest, Thank you for choosing to stay with us and for taking the time to share your experience on TripAdvisor. We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your stay and that we met your expectations. We are pleased that you found wide variety of food spread during meal times. The few areas that did not meet your expectations will also be looked into by our management team. As we strive to continuously achieve high-quality standards, deliver guest satisfaction and serve traveler's needs, your comments are instrumental and valued. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back soon.
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We took malaria pills during our travels. We took Malarone, one pill a day, starting one day before arrival and ending one week after leaving the area. It is a high risk zone for malaria and we did get some mosquito bites so I wouldn't take the risk of not taking malaria pills.
Dear Winny,
Thank you for letting us know. We will look into it.
Please send us an email in the meantime and we will happy to book you in directly.
Kindest regards,
Your DSL Team
There are more places to choose from in the Diani Beach area.
PRICE RANGE
$154 - $282 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
diani sea hotel diani, diani sea lodge
LOCATION
KenyaCoast ProvinceUkundaDiani Beach
NUMBER OF ROOMS
168
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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