If you just want somewhere to sleep that is clean, cool and quiet at a sensible price then this is the place for you in Mombasa. Breakfast is nothing special but you can fill up and it is included in the USD 75 room rate, but not the wifi which costs an extra USD 15 per day. Friendly staff on reception, on the door and at breakfast.

After reading some of the reviews about the Royal Court - and experiencing some truly depressing hotels on the Kenyan Coast - I was very pleasantly surprised to step into the Royal Court.

The lobby was gleaming. The staff was friendly. My room was just fine, and also very clean. The air conditioning worked. The hotel arranged an early breakfast for us (5:30am) that started on time and did not cost extra. Someone even knocked on my door at 5:30am to let me know it was ready (hence my 4 star rating for service).

We ate dinner at the rooftop pool bar/restaurant, which was quite busy. Many of the patrons seemed to be well-heeled locals, which we took as a good sign for the food, which turned out to be way above average. Service was slow, but then again, this is Mombasa, not New York or London.

Overall, the Royal Court exceeded my expectations (which admittedly were low), and turned out to be a very good value.

I stayed here for a couple of nights with my boyfriend. Was a very simple place, but clean. The rate was about $90 for the night for the two of us and there was AC and a nice bathroom. The rooftop pool/restaurant/bar was also simple but nice. My hotel preference in Mombasa is the Tamarind, but if you want to pay less for a clean place that is in the city I would suggest this hotel. It is also close to the big Tusky's supermarket which makes it convenient to buy your own snacks. I had previously stayed several times at the Castle (as that price point is about the same as this place) but the Royal Court Hotel is definitely nicer.

I am actually staying at the Royal Court Hotel in Mombasa at the moment. The room's are very very average. When I first stepped into the hotel, it did not make me feel like I was in Kenya or any part of Africa for that matter. It had a south asian feel to it.

The first room I got was a standard room which was very standard. Two single beds in a smallish sized room. The shower was absurd, those single stream of water type of shower. The next night I requested a larger room (executive) which had a single queen sized bed. The toilets in this one was better and at least the shower was actually "showering".

Internet charges was also ridiculously high for such slow speeds. I performed a speedtest and it recorded a staggering 0.12Mb/s download. All this for KSH1180/day which was a right rip off considering the Castle Royal Hotel only charges KSH700/day.

Anyway tonight shall be my last night here, I am moving to the Castle Royal Hotel. I went and see the rooms there and made a comparison and by far it is much better than the Royal Court. I also had lunch at the Castle Hotel and the food so far is way better than the Royal Court. To me, I felt like I was in one of those Hatari episodes which was the exact feeling one would expect coming to saharan Africa.