Le Pleiadi

The place has a lovely atmosphere and does feel like a hidden gem. The other staff were hospitable, but our experience with a man who may have been the manager or supervisor was awful. My husband, our two-year-old and I were playing music quietly on a Bluetooth speaker. A neighbor may have heard it, but instead of asking us to turn it down, the man arrived with about six guards and told us to check out at around 2 a.m. He was rude, and wouldn’t talk it through when we tried to calm things down. The guards said they thought he was the problem and that he treated some guests that way, especially those who weren’t “black.” The next day, after we went out for lunch, we found our belongings packed at the gate, some in a box. They wouldn’t let us back in to check that everything was there.

The trouble started when HENRY, who was managing the place or may have owned it, asked us to pay on arrival even though we had booked through booking.com. I was there with my five-year-old and ten-year-old. The first house had safari ants that made the kids uncomfortable, so he moved us to another one, which was better. But in both houses the fridge, microwave and TV didn’t work properly, and the shower and kitchen taps had salty water with no hot water. After our second night, he said we had to move again because another guest had booked the house. Moving wasn’t my concern. He hadn’t told us when moving us the first time that we’d have to move again, and I wouldn’t have agreed to that. We hadn’t come to Malindi to keep packing and unpacking, especially when the resort seemed pretty empty despite it being peak season. I stood my ground and asked to stay until the next morning, leave before the other guest arrived, and get a refund for the remaining night. That led to him insulting me and saying we couldn’t spend the night there. He was kicking us out. I said we’d leave once our money was refunded. He called Antony, a security guard from a security company, to throw us out. After about two hours of insults, and me threatening to sue if anyone touched our things before the refund, he returned the money and we left. I tried to stand up for myself as best I could. While we were packing, just ten minutes later, he came back saying our time was up. He also said things like, “how did someone like you even get married.” We ended up at one of the best villas in Malindi, Tembo Baharini (cottages), attached to ocean beach hotel, which we could access, and were able to salvage the holiday. I had to counsel the kids, though they were happier there, and they still remember his name, HENRY. He’d also been impatient and arrogant on the first day, but we chose to be the bigger people. The booking.com listing said we had beach access, yet he wouldn’t open the gate for us, so we had to go all the way around through casino hotel. We let that go at the time too.

The atmosphere was welcoming, the accommodation spacious, and the staff friendly. Prices were easy on the pocket too.

The gardens and pool were kept up nicely, and our apartment was clean and well equipped. Staff were very helpful, especially the Chef, Furaha. It felt like a seamless stay, and I really appreciated the hospitality. Such a hidden gem!