Having read the reviews on this website we approached our booking with caution. The last minute deal was however strong enough for us to go with "you get what you pay for" in mind.

The ASC plane was very dated and the delux transfer option we'd pre-booked was a waste of time

First impressions on arrival at the hotel were, however, postive, but as our stay went on it was clear that there were a number of underlying problems:
1. No hot water
2. Restaurant full of cats
3. Dirty water in rooms and pool (we both caught virral infections)
4. Shortage of sun loungers
5. Poor beach with no snorkelling etc
6. Ineffectual hotel management team
etc etc

To cut a long story short - we got fed up with the standards and the inability of the hotel management team to short out the issues, called African Safari Club back home and got moved to the much better Flamingo Beach Hotel.

We would never book via African Safari Club again. Those that paid anywhere near full price are in for a masive disppointment.

Kenya was, however, amazing and the Safari we did (booked independantly from the hotel) was great..

There are better options out there........

I booked a family holiday on lastminute.com and after reading the other reviews I set off with very low expectations. I really don't understand what all the whinging was about. The rooms and bed linen clean,furniture adequate for our needs and the cleaners did a good every day. All rooms had air conditioning and a ceiling fan which exeeds the offer in the brochure. It clearly stated that water is from a bore hole and could be salty but we didnt really notice. Water was often luke warm but this is Africa and 3 star accomodation. The food was fine, a good mixture of African dishes, curries, meat and vegetable dishes and pizza for the less adventurous. By following the simple rules when vsiting a 3rd world country ( no salad, fruit) none of us were ill and eat well. The menu was a bit repetitive but good value for money.
The pools were clean and well maintained and I found staff generally helpful and willing to help. We had two great safaris through AFC and can't complain at all.
My summary would be that if you want European 5 star accomodation and food - stay in Europe, Benidorm might be more to your taste ( they do a good Fish and Chip supper!) This holiday for 2 adults and 2 children cost less full board than self catering in Greece or a hotel on the Costas. Great value and a real experience. We have been to Africa before (Gambia, Egypt etc ) and know what to expect. If you see the poverty that most people live in it isn't surprising if they see Europeans as walking cash dispensers! You dont have to be intimidated in the villages or on the beach though. If you are firm but friendly you will find people respond well.
No complaints - as in most things in life you get what you pay for.

We booked direct with the company via their own website, unfortunatly we had read no reviews before hand otherwise we would not have booked!!!!!
Flight out and back are ok, planes are outdated when compared to others we have flown to Kenya with but they got us their.
We stayed in the Coral Plam section of the complex, the other parts consist of Shanzu and Paraide Beach. All can share all the facilities except the dining rooms. So the pools from grand to basic are used by all guests. It was quiet when we were there so getting a sunbed was not a problem although there were very few about and by all accounts this was their entire stock. They were poorly mantained, made of wood and painted. We saw one collapse and several others with rotting or broken pieces of wood exposed. The pool we picked to frequent was deep at about 3m, they removed the steps at one point for repair, so climbing out was the order of the day. I put this in to warn people with children to check the depth of the pool they pick and be aware there are no lifeguards. Also the ppols were not particularly clean and the paving is of "crazy paving" which is typical of Kenys but here it is now very well maintained.
Now, we have been to Kenya on 2 previous occassions, in 2005 and in 2006 so we are fully aware of what to expect, We have also lived in africa when young so this also helps us understand what is to be expected as far as standards go.
The standards here are far below what you should expect for the money you pay. We have paid less for a less star rating hotel in Kenya and had a higher standard of everything compared to Caral Palm, Shanzu etc.
so, the addage you get what you pay for, does not work here.
The Hotel complex is none personal, it is a base with no real interest in people except from the ancillary staff. They were better than anyone else for trying to make your stay a pleasent one, The Waiters did their job, as did the bar staff. The management did not seem to care about any of the guests or any of their problems. We were fobbed off by them for simply asking for a pool towel for which we paid for in advance. It took over an hour and half to get one and we did the running round to the various people we were shunted too to get them. This was within 2 hours of arriving.
The cashless system is a sign as you go systema and then when you hit the 200 euro pay at the cashiers office. We have never encountered this before and it is a nightmare at the cashiers, they are rude, for you off if you dare to query an item or leave you to look at your invoice whilst they serve someone else, bear in mind that you will have by the time you get to the front of the queue been there for over an hour and then you get pushed to one side!!!!!
Thye will charge in Euro, then convert to Kenyan then if you pay in sterling convert again the convert your change. by then you have lost track and been had by all the exchange rates that have been applied. If you go take Euro's. DO not ask for change or to even to change some Kenyan notes to smaller as they grudge giving it out.
So take small denominations in Kenyan for tips. Staff here did not seem happy and most we spoke with were on very short contracts and waiting to be apid. They do not earn much even by Kenyan standards so your tips and items you can leave will be appreciated. Our room cleaner was very good and so were the ground staff, they certainly made our holiday a little better.
The Food is dire, so think about eating out although this will add to the expense. We hopped into the Paradise Dinign room one night to check out the difference between Shanzu (where we were put as the Coral was supposidly closed for a refurb, it did not look like much was happening though, I checked)
The difference, none really apart from a pleasenter atmosphere and individual cakes and jellies rather than cutting or serving your own.
All meals are self service and none of the food is covered. If you do not get there when the dining room opens it is pot luck what you get left with, there did not appear to be much if any topping up of the food on the displays. When they did top up they added hot stuff to the cooled pot that was already out. Not good.
The food is geared to the Germans and French not altogether to the British palette. We met several people who opted to pass on the food and go outside the hotel to the local village. Here they had a good selection of eating places and a good steak and chips could be had. International food was also good here too.
We felt fortunate that we were not here for too long before we went out on safari, I have posted a report on this under the African Safari Club safari heading, worth a read as the safari was equally bad.
I read a post titled "African Suffering Club" and must admit I agree.
Never have we endures such low standards in Kenya and never will we return with this company.
We are planning another trip to Kenya to make up for this one, it was terrible. Spoilt by the company and the poor standards it forces on tourists NOT by the Kenyan people or the country.
This country is forever in our hearts and it is a shame that this company is not helping visitors to really enjoy their time in Kenya, it is a wonderful part of the world. Shame on ASC they seem to out there to exploit Kenya and us people who work hard to find 2 weeks of tranquility.
You will not find paradise here, believe me.

We booked our holday through the African Safari Club, a Swiss based company, The fight out was good and the only problem was that the film they showed on the plane was in German a bit surprising that as all the passengers were English and we flew from Gatwick
.I had previously worked in Kenya and been there twice so I was well aware of the standards of hotels and did not expect too much for a three star hotel, the rooms were cleaned every day and were free from wee small animals, basic but sufficiently clean to spent a fortnight in.
The staff were extremely pleasant and helpful and will do anything for you. They are exremely poorly paid , even by African standards and rely on tips to survive.
The beach was clean but the beach boys made my wife feel intimidated and were constant pests when you tried to swim in the sea or walk the beach.
The food was reasonable but sometimes a little bit cold, menu varied and you have the chance to try some Authentic African food, we did not suffer from any adverse effect from the food and I tried everything, so it cannot be that bad.
We went on a six day Safari but we were put in transport with some German Nationals , we could not speak German and they could not speak english, however the guide spoke excellent English and German so we were all happy with that. we saw all the animals and this was the one of te best Safaris I have been on