Club Santana

For a relaxed stay, this resort seemed to have everything: a lovely beach, beautiful surroundings, an infinity pool, a beach bar, and a restaurant with great food. From what I could see, it's the best resort in Sao Tome.

It's a nice place, but the neighbours' loud speakers play music all day. That ruined the peaceful getaway the setting should have offered.

We only planned to stop at the cafe, but even though the resort was completely empty, the receptionist said we needed a reservation and had to pay a 20€ day fee just to get coffee. We chose not to stay. We then asked if we could at least see the private beach in case we wanted to return, but security would only escort us for a quick look. The whole place felt unfriendly and overpriced, like a bubble that didn't reflect the real spirit of Sao Tome. It seems better suited to people who want isolation than to visitors hoping to explore and enjoy local culture.

After a rough arrival, the rest of the stay was superb. The place is a tranquil oasis, and most of the staff were very friendly and welcoming. At first there were lots of ants in the bathroom, the toilet wouldn't flush, the towel holder came off the wall, and we were without electricity for two hours. Their excellent, super nice engineer fixed it all, which is why I still gave the place 4 stars.