Reviews of Pinewood Beach Resort
Wildlife sightings and reviews
18 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Pinewood Beach Resort and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
Mr & Mrs K
Australia
"Pinewood Beach Resort review"
3 nights Arrived 27 Jan 2025
"Quite a distance from Mombasa, approx 90 minutes drive. The last part of the trip (approx 20-30 minutes over rough dirt road)
Facilities are good, though quite a bit of maintenance on the property is required. Falling downpipes & bedside lamps in room had exposed/broken wiring. We had to report to maintenance as some lights not working.
Staff were very friendly & happy people." See all these reviews: 3n in Kenya
Facilities are good, though quite a bit of maintenance on the property is required. Falling downpipes & bedside lamps in room had exposed/broken wiring. We had to report to maintenance as some lights not working.
Staff were very friendly & happy people." See all these reviews: 3n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Average
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Feedback Response
We were delighted that these travellers liked the staff at Pinewood and rated their overall stay as “Excellent”, but we were concerned to read about the maintenance issues. The hotel responded to say they were very happy these guests had a great stay. But they sincerely apologised for the maintenance issues that came up. They noted that, in common with many beach hotels, they have to contend with factors that are out of their control such as erratic power supplies and the local monkeys that jump onto roofs, gutters and downpipes. They apologised for the exposed wiring on the bedside lamp, which they quickly replaced.
"East Africa Manager"
MissL
United Kingdom
"Pinewood Beach Resort review"
3 nights Arrived 12 Jan 2025
"A lovely basic resort, quiet with lovely pool and access to beach. A little trickier on the vegan food front here, but a clean and safe and happy!"
See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
SC Traveler
SantaCruz
"Pinewood Beach Resort review"
3 nights Arrived 24 Jul 2024
"The Pinewood Resort was a perfect way to end our visit. By then we were all happy to no longer have long land rover rides and relaxing with the pool and beach was a perfect way to end our trip. Once again the kids were able to enjoy all the resort had to offer and they even had a sports director, Phillip, who helped entertain them. Their dinners on the beach with different themes every night and was a good way to mix up the meals. We particularly liked the stir fry night. The kids enjoyed the pool every day and got comfortable from the beginning with the swim up bar for ice cream and shakes. We also took a snorkeling trip which was a good experience for the kids although I would recommend looking into another company and spending a bit more as there were not a lot of fish to see where they took us. They also had a night where there was a traditional dancing show. The bar on the beach was another positive and if we hadn't been worn out after dinner time would probably have taken advantage of it more. We found a new drink there, Dawa, and were amazed at the knife skills of bartenders turnng lime slices into works of art.
I'm not sure if EA was responsible for the upgrade but the rooms we stayed in were ocean front and next to the pool which was perfect for our group." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
I'm not sure if EA was responsible for the upgrade but the rooms we stayed in were ocean front and next to the pool which was perfect for our group." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Helen B
London
"Pinewood Beach Resort review"
4 nights Arrived 14 Aug 2023
"Pinewood was just the right place for a relaxing 4 nights following safari in the Maasi Mara. The staff were all friendly and welcoming although the service from the beach bar at lunchtime was rather erratic with food sometimes being very slow to arrive. The evening meals were good quality and varied, they were mostly served at the beach side restaurant which was a lovely, spacious location. My grand daughters greatly appreciated the pool in the morning when the tide was out and then playing in the waves of the Indian Ocean in the afternoon. The rooms were comfortable and well appointed with good air conditioning and a fan. I had a massage in the Spa which was very relaxing after time spent in safari vehicles. Overall the Pinewood met our needs very successfully, both adults and children alike."
See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Honeymooners
Malta
"Pinewood Beach Resort review"
4 nights Arrived 26 Aug 2022
"Pinewood Beach was a welcome relax spot after the hectic days on constant trek and/or safari. We spent most of our time within the Resort, relaxing by the pool and/or beach. Full board allowed us to eat from their Menu and Buffet at no extra cost. Drinks, although extra, were well priced, allowing us to enjoy some cocktails and milkshakes by the beach.
Both the Staff and Guests were very friendly and helpful during our stay there. The rooms are very nice and well equipped. We had no issues with them during our stay there.
Couple of comments; We found it odd that there was no available sunscreen at the in-house Shop and also that there are hawkers on the public beach who hound you the minute you step on the sand, almost ruining your experience of the beach (though this is not technically the hotel's fault as it is public land).
Overall, our experience was very good. We would recommend going half-board if you are a foodie and not full-board, as there are an abundance of fantastic restaurants for foodies in the area, such as Ali Barbour's Cave Restaurant and The Salty Squid which we enjoyed very much." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya; 4n in Rwanda
Both the Staff and Guests were very friendly and helpful during our stay there. The rooms are very nice and well equipped. We had no issues with them during our stay there.
Couple of comments; We found it odd that there was no available sunscreen at the in-house Shop and also that there are hawkers on the public beach who hound you the minute you step on the sand, almost ruining your experience of the beach (though this is not technically the hotel's fault as it is public land).
Overall, our experience was very good. We would recommend going half-board if you are a foodie and not full-board, as there are an abundance of fantastic restaurants for foodies in the area, such as Ali Barbour's Cave Restaurant and The Salty Squid which we enjoyed very much." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya; 4n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mrs R
Bath
"Pinewood Beach Resort review"
4 nights Arrived 25 Aug 2022
"A nice resort and a good place to relax. We were there for four nights and didn’t really need to leave the resort.
The resort is not ultra smart, but is clean and comfortable with good food and helpful staff." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
The resort is not ultra smart, but is clean and comfortable with good food and helpful staff." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Mrs B
Kent
"Peaceful family stay"
7 nights Arrived 15 Jul 2022
"Lovely big rooms and large balconies. Excellent showers, would be good to have a toilet brush. Beds are very comfortable with super nets. A quiet location beyond where the tarmac stops. Staff are very kind, helpful and friendly. Special mention to Walter in the dining room, Theresa/Telesea the cleaner, Fakari and Idd the barmen, and Evans and Pamela in charge. It would be useful to have name badges. Evening food was excellent; always something cooked in front of you and tasty and fresh, for both breakfast and dinner. The pizza oven is quite something and pizzas excellent for lunch. The weather was a bit cooler and wetter than ideal for July, and the sea not the bath-warm clear blue I remember. The watersports centre was closed (we could see kite surfing at Diani). Volleyball arranged every day at 4 went down really well with my two older teenagers and husband and was very inclusive. Beach boules also appreciated. It would be nice to have even more fun activities. There was a special DJ evening on the beach (we did know this before booking) which was interesting for people -watching but did disturb sleep until 5am. The beach was almost deserted with beautiful white sand. The beach sellers were fairly low key and polite and once you have spent some money ( put some money directly in the local economy) they respectfully let you be. Flying to Ukunda was a great way to get there. All in all we would definitely come back."
See all these reviews: 17n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mrs J
Milton Keynes
"Pinewood Beach Resort review"
3 nights Arrived 5 Sep 2018
"Just a standard beach hotel.
We were left waiting an hour for the pickup (the friendly airport guy helped us) and then they tried to charge us for transfers which they stated were not included until I showed them paperwork." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya
We were left waiting an hour for the pickup (the friendly airport guy helped us) and then they tried to charge us for transfers which they stated were not included until I showed them paperwork." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Average
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Average
Feedback Response
We apologised to these clients for the oversight on the booking of their transfers from Diani Beach Airport to the Pinewood Beach Resort, which was entirely our fault. The hotel were not aware that the clients were expecting to be transferred by them, which is our normal procedure, and which was overlooked. Thankfully, such instances are exceptionally rare and, as these clients found, staff on the ground invariably step in to help.
"East Africa Manager"
Mr I
Reading
"Time to unwind on the beach."
5 nights Arrived 7 Mar 2018
"We had a wonderful time at Pinewood Beach Resort.
The hotel was only 20 minutes from Diani airport and we were promptly picked up .
The hotel staff were very welcoming on arrival and we were soon unpacked and on the beach .
Our room was immediately behind the beach at first floor level so we had a great view of sea .
The staff who looked after our room could not have been more attentive .It was cleaned daily , beds made with a floral message and decoration on top , and the mosquito net drawn each evening . With regards to mosquitos we hardly saw any on our entire trip .
The meals were exceptional with fresh food cooked for you as you waited and the venue for dinner changing each day from the beach,pool area to the main restaurant.
Whilst we had planned to get out about we in fact we’re happy to stay at the hotel .The exception to this was a snorkelling trip arranged by the water sport people next door to the reef one afternoon . This is really worth doing and an opportunity to see some very colourful and large fish ." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya
The hotel was only 20 minutes from Diani airport and we were promptly picked up .
The hotel staff were very welcoming on arrival and we were soon unpacked and on the beach .
Our room was immediately behind the beach at first floor level so we had a great view of sea .
The staff who looked after our room could not have been more attentive .It was cleaned daily , beds made with a floral message and decoration on top , and the mosquito net drawn each evening . With regards to mosquitos we hardly saw any on our entire trip .
The meals were exceptional with fresh food cooked for you as you waited and the venue for dinner changing each day from the beach,pool area to the main restaurant.
Whilst we had planned to get out about we in fact we’re happy to stay at the hotel .The exception to this was a snorkelling trip arranged by the water sport people next door to the reef one afternoon . This is really worth doing and an opportunity to see some very colourful and large fish ." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Mr K
Bucks
"The perfect spot after a safari"
3 nights Arrived 31 Dec 2016
"Here again we were all delighted with the overall experience --and the sum of the parts was much bigger than the individual parts scored. Bit of a bumpy ride down an unmade road and quite a way from the little town could mean to some an ''excellent' rating. The beach here is mile after mile of perfect white sand but our party tended to congregate around the well laid out pool and adjacent bar and gym. The rooms were large and had a lovely African Art feel to them, the taps/shower were a bit dated and the layout of the hotel meant that only a very few had sea views. The service from the beach bar was sometimes a bit slow but Moses at the pool bar was a true professional .
All the waiters were superb and all the staff were always smiling and happy to greet you. The GM Pamela was outstanding and had a great sense of humour. She also takes any left over suntan cream to an orphanage for Albinos --but that is just part of what she does to help these stigmatised children.
The New Years Eve buffet on the beach was probably the best spread I have seen. Unlimited enormous king prawns, lobster and countless other fish and every meat on the grill including crocodile. The evening buffets in the main restraint were excellent by Kenyan standards but we all agreed the best thing was the chips served from both the beach and pool bar --they were tasty beyond--irresistible !!
Activities --There was a well organised volley ball game in the afternoons and few other things like a dart completion. Plenty to do but at a price --kite surfing scuba deep sea fishing (we caught a dozen smallish tuna and a dorado which they cooked for lunch for us) camel riding and glass bottomed boat and snorkelling.
Gym was adequate and spa tucked away a bit" See all these reviews: 4n in Kenya
All the waiters were superb and all the staff were always smiling and happy to greet you. The GM Pamela was outstanding and had a great sense of humour. She also takes any left over suntan cream to an orphanage for Albinos --but that is just part of what she does to help these stigmatised children.
The New Years Eve buffet on the beach was probably the best spread I have seen. Unlimited enormous king prawns, lobster and countless other fish and every meat on the grill including crocodile. The evening buffets in the main restraint were excellent by Kenyan standards but we all agreed the best thing was the chips served from both the beach and pool bar --they were tasty beyond--irresistible !!
Activities --There was a well organised volley ball game in the afternoons and few other things like a dart completion. Plenty to do but at a price --kite surfing scuba deep sea fishing (we caught a dozen smallish tuna and a dorado which they cooked for lunch for us) camel riding and glass bottomed boat and snorkelling.
Gym was adequate and spa tucked away a bit" See all these reviews: 4n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Average
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