The Lawford Kenya

The people working there were friendly, and the Bar and Restaurant Lost by the beach was a real highlight, with very good food and inventive events. That place is run by outside operators, though. The hotel itself gets two stars at most from me. I stayed about a week and a half. The AC didn't work, and after they couldn't fit a mosquito net, I was moved to another room on day two. That room had no net either, even though I wanted one and they have them in other rooms. No one asked whether I wanted to pay for an upgrade. The room was old and dated. On my checkout day, after I'd already left, the owner came by to apologize. She said she'd heard I'd had a problem, but was sure I'd still had a relaxing stay, then left. It gave me the impression that guests aren't really cared about. This hotel might suit lower middle-class Italian tourists, but if it wants Swiss visitors who expect better service and guest relations even at this price point, I think it needs different ownership.

The pool was alright, but nowhere near worth Ksh 10k+. The room was dirty, the AC didn't work, and the so-called sea view was barely a glimpse of the water. Breakfast was stale bread and instant coffee, and staff were nowhere to be found when we needed help. A big letdown, 1/5.

Starting the new year this way was a real disappointment. The bathroom in room 203 smelled of sewage, the kettle was rusty inside, and some furniture was broken. The rooms are far from reception, and there's no phone in them to call for help. The AC was an old, rusty unit that clearly needed replacing, and it wasn't working from check-in. I asked for a fan because the heat was unbearable. I reminded staff four times, at 8am, 11am, 2pm, and 9pm, and kept being told the housekeeper was bringing one. After waiting 16 hours, at midnight I was told there were no fans available. They didn't seem bothered. There were mosquitoes everywhere, and staff were unhelpful and unprofessional. This was by far my worst hotel experience in Malindi.

I canceled the reservation after the receptionist quoted me a price that was far higher than my confirmed Booking.com rate. I raised concerns about my budget, but was pressured to pay more than the agreed amount, even though the reservation was marked as a “prepayment” booking. Now I'm being told the booking can't be refunded because it's “non-cancelable.” Booking.com has confirmed that waiving the cancellation fee is entirely the hotel's decision. Since the cancellation followed the staff member's incorrect quote and the hotel's failure to honor the original budget, I'm asking the hotel to approve a full refund immediately. It's unacceptable to hold me to a no-refund policy in these circumstances.