Just got back from my third time at Turle Bay.

I love this resort! Despite the warnings about travelling to Kenya, there is no reason to worry about any of the resorts in Watamu. The locals are very friendly (If a little pushy when it comes to selling you stuff), and have a fantastic sense of humour. I felt very safe both in the resort, on the beach, and walking round Malindi. There is plenty to do at Turtle Bay, with a dedicated activities team who organise stuff every day to keep the kids and childlike adults busy. What always strikes me is the attitude of the staff. They have a genuine desire for you to enjoy Kenya, and are very helpful. The manager Damien spends hours and hours walking around chatting to guests and makes everyone feel as if they are royalty.

It isn't the most polished of resorts, but this is Kenya.. You have to put up with the odd power cut and so on.

If like me you are a bit of a party animal, then get a tuktuk to Kalahari niteclub. It is great fun!

I read numerous sunny reviews on Turtle Bay before choosing to spend our December Holidays there. I have to say both my wife and I were disappointed. I love Kenya, and its lovely beaches, and the warmth of folk there, but having read such glowing reviews ahead of the vacation, we could only sum up the hotel as overrated. The rooms were too basic for the price, the food repetitive, and lackluster. Maybe its a great place for folk with kids as I did see lots of kids activities, but the overall package just doesn't compare with previous hotels we have stayed at before, in Diani and Shanzu.

We have just returned form a weeks stay at turtle bay in watamu, our first time there, ( but not our first time in Kenya).
The hotel is lovely, and the beach is gorgeous and we can quite see why people return again and again, but therein lies the problem. The hotel seems to have been totally taken over by "regulars". Although there was no table allocation in the all inclusive restaurant, on the first morning we were moved 3 times ( with a plate of food in one hand and a coffee in the other) before being allowed to sit at a table not "always used by regulars". The same story extended to the sun loungers, with every single lounger in a decent position used every single day for all our stay by the same "regulars" or family of "regulars". Also all the little tables for use at the side of the sunbeds being in possesion of these people, some having up to 3, whilst we never had one and had to place our drinks and food on the floor. ( we did actually overhear one couple say to another " we saw someone looking at YOUR sunbeds so we quickly ran over and put some of our stuff on til you came", we also observed 2 sunbeds with a parosol and table ( something we never managed to use) being reserved for over 4 hours with no- one using them and 3 hours later, still no-one had used them all day. Also the "glares" when trying to use the pool in the over 18s area was awful and although we tried not to take any notice it did spoil the swim and we gave up trying in the end. In the evening all the best placed dining tables around the pool had a "reserved" sign on, although there was no booking system in place ?? Very much a, you can have use of something only if we dont want it situation all round and all across the board.
The advertising for the hotel states that there is a snack bar, and hot tub ????? WHERE ?????? we never found either and we did ask staff who didnt seem to know either.
Also its stated that the hotel is NO SMOKING in all public and private areas. Smoking was taking place all around the pool , on the sun loungers, at the white plastic tables set aside for food around the pool, and in the entertainment area ???
The beach was lovely, all we hoped for, but sadly due to the persistence of the "beach boys" who latched on the minute you put foot on the beach and wouldnt leave your side til you left the beach, a quiet walk with your partner to relax etc was quite out of the question. How we would have loved to peaceful enjoy the view the rock pools and the marine life ( which was the main reason for our booking ) but sadly it wasnt to be, ever.
The hotel was clean, although we did find the staff rodding drains right at the side of the dining tables a little "off putting" , and most of the staff helpful and friendly.
The manager and his staff where great and its a super hotel and location but we will never ever return.

If anyone had said after our first visit in 1997, we'd still be coming back every January without a break in 2012, I'd have laughed my socks off. But here we are, just back from another terrific stay here. There's no one reason we keep coming back : The staff, from management down to gardeners and cleaners, do all they can to make sure you have the best stay possible. From the moment you arrive and are greeted with cool fruit juice and refreshing towels, you start to slide into the relaxing life that is TBBC. And start to recover from the overnight flight and the two hour road trip from Mombasa.
We stay in the Lamu rooms, which are a bit tired but are comfy and quieter, most with a view of the lovely quiet pool.

The setting is exceptional - all the lovely white sand, one of the top ten tropical beaches in the world, blue blue sea. Everything is wonderfully maintained and kept spotlessly clean. Food is buffet style and there's plenty of choices, lots of fresh salads and fruit too. The pizzeria is included in the AI deal and is worth a visit. The Blue Turtle a la carte is excellent value for money too (not in AI but worth the extra). The service you get from Silas is just fab.

I know we repeaters come in for stick in reviews on here but I honestly don't agree that repeat guests get better treatment from staff than newbies do. The large number of repeaters especially in January does mean that nearly everyone knows everyone else and I could see some people may feel uncomfortable about this but, hey, we all had to be first-timers some time. Doing the beach walks in the morning is a great way of getting to know people.
Entertainment in the evenings is fairly low key - dancers and acrobats (amazing acrobats!), live bands and disco some evenings. But this is a holiday for the laid back really. There are loads of bars in the village if you want something more lively - staff will be happy to show you where they are!

The massages from Patience or Pauline are good value and you can have a mani and pedi too for more pampering.

Do try get out and about - Watamu is a great little village - a bike ride away if you're energetic (free from the hotel), or get reception to call you a tuktuk for an easier way of getting around. The deck at Ocean Sports along the beach is a fab place for a drink especially in the later afternoon when all the game fishing boats are coming back in.
TBBC is very community minded and supports many local charities - visit the Community Office to find out more - they'll happily arrange visits too.
There is wifi which you can get in the public areas and in most rooms too I think. Very useful but a bit pricey!

Hope I've covered everything about Turtle Bay but if you want to know more, just ask