Late last year I traveled to Mombasa for a friend’s wedding and decided to stay on after the wedding to explore the coast. One of the places I got to go to was Diani in the South Coast and got to stay at the lovely Sands at Nomad hotel.
The check in process was very fast, they already had the check in forms printed out with my name so all I had to do was fill in a few missing details.
I was warmly welcomed with a garland of frangipani flowers,a glass of juice, and a cold towel. Given the heat at the coast this was the perfect welcome. I was then led to my cottage.
The Sands at Nomad is a boutique hotel with 18 comfortable rooms, 7 exclusive beach cottages and 12 luxurious suites. I stayed in one of the beach cottages.
The first thing I noticed in the room was the huge Swahili style bed with a white mosquito net that drapes over the sides. The décor is superb
I loved the welcome message left for me atop the bed
The next thing I noticed was the fruit platter which had been laid out for me. I’d skipped breakfast that day so I was pleasantly surprised to find it in my room.
The cottage is very well lit thanks to the three large windows, one of which offers a lovely view of the beach. You would think that this would mean less privacy but the cottage is secluded and a bit of a distance from the main path. Only the front window can be opened, however, you do not have to worry about staying cool as the room is equipped with an AC unit and a fan.
View of beach from front window
Onto the bathroom- there is a curtain at the doorway for privacy. The complimentary toiletries are full-sized bottles of shampoo, shower gel, body lotion and hair conditioner.
From the labels I discovered that the products are mostly organic and are sourced locally. I’m a big supporter of buy Kenyan build Kenya so this was definitely a nice touch.
Overall I was quite pleased with the cottage; it was comfortable in every way imaginable. The one thing that was lacking was available electrical outlets. Every time I needed to charge anything I would have to unplug one of the bedside lamps. The other thing I they’ve overlooked was the TV channels: no local channels are available.
There is a small safe in the room where you can store your valuables.
Once you go outside the cottage there is a small veranda. There is also a couch right outside the door which makes the perfect reading spot.
The path to the restaurant
There are also lounge chairs you can enjoy the sun and at the edge of the veranda there is a little pool of water at the to clean sand from your feet before you get into the room.
The hotel is not what you would call large. There is one main restaurant (that is also open to the public), a beach bar and another bar by the pool.(I will do a comprehensive review of the restaurant in another post, so look out for that).
The beach is amazing, little wonder Diani beach was voted Africa’s leading beach destination in 2014. The sand is so white that it can be blinding sometimes. The ocean has honestly never looked more inviting.
The beach at dusk
Sunrise at the beach
You can either take a dip in the ocean or go to the swimming pool.
If lounging in the sun and walks by the beach are not enough for you, why not take part in a host of other activities offered by the hotel?
The activities include:diving lessons from certified instructors, boat excursions to the marine park, kite surfing , wind surfing or you can choose to have a spa treatment at the Forest Breeze center. The hotel also has a cozy little library, however all the titles are in German.
The sand is so fine that it sinks when you walk on it
If you need to pick up some beach essentials or buy some gifts for family and friends there is a shop right next to the restaurant.
The staff were VERY friendly. Every time I ran into one of them they would say hi and ask how my day was going or if I was enjoying my stay. The service was overall was very good, I have zero complaints about it. All my concerns were attended to promptly. The reception desk is open 24 hrs.
Every day at about 6pm one of the staff would come to my room to draw the curtains and take down the mosquito net
There is free wi-fi available throughout the hotel. I would describe the speeds as adequate. The only place I had an issue accessing the wi-fi was at the restaurant. If you would like to get work done during your stay, bring your own computer. The one at the hotel is old and slow.
Getting there:
From Nairobi you can get a flight to the airstrip at Ukunda then get a taxi from there. The hotel can also arrange transport for you.
If already at the Coast it is relatively easy to get there via public transport. Travelling from North Coast I took a matatu heading to Ukunda after I got off the ferry . From Ukunda and I got another matatu (vans used for public transport) heading towards Neptune and asked them to let me know when we got to Nomad.
I hope the review was helpful especially if you are considering a stay there. To find out more about the hotel, here’s a link to their website.
Disclosure: The management at Sands at Nomad were gracious enough to host me; however all opinions are mine
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[inlinkz_linkup id=484738 mode=1] Jan. 17th
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33 Comments
What a beach cottage view! The blue of the water reminds me so much of Fiji. So blue! So gorgeous. So pristine. I also dig the amazing breakfast. You just can’t go wrong with passion fruit, never ever, and the bananas looked so plump and tasty.
Awesome tasty pictures!
Ryan
Thank you Ryan. if the baches in Fiji match up to the ones in Diani then I would love to go there.
What a lovely hotel – looks so magical and that lovely sand and beach! It seems like such a paradise and must have been a wonderful place for you to be staying 🙂
It was paradise. I’m longing to go back.
Visiting from Weekend Travel Inspiration. I thoroughly enjoyed your photos!
Glad to be hosting the linkup together! The hotel looks amazing… but the beach does too! I don’t know what I would choose. I’ll be following your blog closely, I’d love to visit Kenya!
Come visit! You’ll get to enjoy both the hotel and the beach.
Stunning photography that I would like to be there. #wkendtravelinspiration
wow, just wow. This is paradise. The interior was amazing, but it is those white sand beaches that are calling to me. I am excited to be partnering with you and the other on Weekend Travel Inspiration.
That beach is WOW! and no crowds too. South Coast is truly magical.
I can’t believe I had taken so long without going to the South Coast. Now that I have had a taste I am longing for more.
You’re killing me with these pictures! They are stunning. I so regret never visiting Kenya when my uncle was stationed there :-(. You are so making me want to visit. I was thinking of South Africa, but maybe this needs to come first..
Of course Kenya needs to come first. We’ll be glad to have you.
Your photos look like something out of a magazine! I can’t imagine ever going there myself but I do appreciate you sharing your adventure.
“If you’re in the office wishing you were somewhere else…” Accurate. So blue. SO beautiful!
He he he. Come back
Surely, Diani has some of the best beaches in the world !
For sure. I am looking forward to going back.
Wow – what a beautiful place!
Aah…this place looks like it would make for such a refreshing getaway. I could definitely see myself on one of those outdoor daybeds reading all day with views of the ocean. Paradise! 🙂
I actually forgot to carry my books with me, I only found out when I had gotten to the hotel. That is definitely a plan the next time I go there.
The contrast between the white sand and the blue sky is so striking. The cottage itself looks looks so inviting and relaxing. I can just picture myself curled up with a good book on that outside couch under the canopy. Sands at Nomad looks like a lovely hotel indeed.
Hi Rachael,
All I can say is that The Sands at Nomad Hotel is a perfect place for getaway and free from stress. The beach and the hotel also have the same ambiance at Bali.
It looks like a perfect place for a honeymoon. Added to my bucket list! Absolutely stunning!
What an amazing place! Would love to stay in one of the beach huts here, must be so lovely to wake up to that view! Good staff can make such a difference to a hotel stay, and would love to try some of their spa treatments too!
Hi Rachel, I would love to stay at this hotel; just my kind of place. I like that its very intimate with the design that has very local vibe. It’s also looks romantic. I also like places that use local sustainable products. The beach and those lounges are calling for me. I hope that someday I will visit Mombasa and stay at this place. Very nice review, Rachel, and, very beautiful photos, too.
What a great review! This hotel looks so beautiful and how I would have pictured a comfortable stay in this area. I feel so comfortable just looking at this. Love those stunning beach photos. This looks like the perfect getaway whether on a honeymoon or a family vacation. I seriously need to make my way to your part of the world soon.
Just Awesome…. Sky Blue Waters….
Rachael, this property looks absolutely AMAZING!! That 4 poster bed is a place of heaven. I was loving all of your pictures and reading along then all of sudden – camel?! LOL. I would love to teleport myself there right now 🙂
[…] As promised, here is my review of the restaurant at Sands at Nomad. If you missed my review of the hotel you can check it out here. […]
That looks like an amazing place. Your photos are so stunning, wow real paradise.
This is breathtaking. The outdoor, the interiors and the furnishings make for such an amazing site to behold.I particularly like how the place looks like at night
[…] can’t help but compare The Sands at Nomad to The Sands at Chale; I personally preferred the The Sands at Nomad to the Sands at Chale. The […]