St. Thomas Royal Palm Watamu

Name: St. Thomas Royal Palm Watamu
Address: Kanani Road, Watamu, Watamu, Kilifi County, KE
Rating: 8

About this property

Here’s the hotel you always dreamed of: hotel "St. Thomas Royal Palm Watamu" is located in Watamu. This hotel is located in 10 km from the city center. Location It’s time to have a nice meal! Stop by the restaurant. Accessible for guests with disabilities: the elevator helps them to go to the highest floors. Additional services that the hotel offers to its guests: press. At the hotel

Popular facilities

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Restaurant

24h reception

Good to know

Check-in: From 14:00
Check-out: Until 11:00

Guest reviews

Recent reviews shared by hotel guests

Guest Rating

8/10

Very Good

124 reviews

Featured review

Felipe A.

November 2025

2/10

We paid premium prices expecting luxury and got stress, misleading information, and problems throughout. Renson, the manager, apologized repeatedly at checkout and admitted fault. The restaurant was a mess. Staff seemed untrained, requests like menus and drinks took 15 minutes, and food took over an hour. Most of the large menu wasn’t available, with only three items to choose from. We ordered correctly but still got the wrong food after waiting. The offered fix was a free drink, while we remained hungry. They also tried to bill us for four buffet meals when only three people ate, and removed the extra charge only after we argued. A day before arrival, the hotel emailed us directly to try to shift our confirmed booking to its cheaper sister property, “The One,” without our consent, through Booking.com, or a refund of the difference. We told Booking.com we didn’t want that and were assured they’d handle it. Still, we spent a whole vacation day calling between them and the hotel. When we arrived, the hotel said it was full even though we had confirmed Deluxe Ocean View rooms that we’d paid extra for. Half an hour later, rooms suddenly became available, but they were downgrades: one Garden View Deluxe and another tiny studio with only a bed and bathroom, no living room despite the Deluxe Room description. We have photos. We felt pressured to accept the inferior rooms and never got the price difference back. This was the worst hotel experience any of us have had. St. Thomas Resort markets itself as five-star, but it absolutely isn’t. At best, it was a two-star stay, and we saw similar problems mentioned in reviews on Booking.com and Google.

nkatha M.

December 2025

10/10

A peaceful hidden gem, with a lovely view and a very clean beach. The sunset is beautiful, and the staff were friendly, especially Sophie, who was really kind and welcoming. We’ll definitely come back, and I’d recommend it to anyone wanting a calm spot alone or with family. The road is a bit rough.

Renee J.

February 2026

2/10

The facilities were run down, including a pool with tiles missing over half of it, and we had to eat out almost every time because the food wasn’t good. I didn’t stay at st.thomas, but when I visited, the place looked so run down that we didn’t dare try the food. It didn’t seem worth more than two stars, and it looks like others have had similar experiences. I completely regret booking. I reserved months in advance, then the hotel contacted me directly a month before arrival demanding full payment to secure the stay. On the day we were due to arrive, they called to say they couldn’t give us a room and would move us to their sister hotel, “The One,” which wasn’t the same value. It felt like a calculated scam.

Lena S.

January 2025

2/10

The beach and view are beautiful, and the area is nice for walks, but swimming isn’t easy there. We were staying with a group for a wedding nearby and had a really bad experience. There were repeated power cuts at night, so the air conditioning stopped too. When the room got unbearably hot, one staff member responded quite harshly when we asked what was wrong. There seemed to be few properly trained staff, the food was very average for a five-star place, and some rooms had no mosquito nets. Water also came and went at odd times. We had none right when we needed to get ready for the wedding. Check your bill carefully at checkout.

Charlotte L.

January 2020

10/10

The room was one of the largest I’ve seen in Kenya, with a lovely little terrace for relaxing in the evening. The beach is dreamy and secluded enough to keep the beach boys away. The fusion food was delicious, and the staff were professional and kind without being intrusive, which matters when you’re traveling alone. Thanks to Hotel Manager Renato and all the staff. Keep it up. I’ll be back as soon as I can.