Flag Hotel Cargills Hotel, Dunedin

Advantages: Beatiful location
Disadvantages: Mosquitoes

...well kept grounds lays the beach.It looks very tempting but has no shade and is usually covered in sand flies and hawkers selling fruit ,sarongs ,jewellery and cigarettes, some of it genuine some not.At the fence where the hotel meets the beach there is a guard at all times to stop the hawkers coming in while you relax.You can go out and buy from them and any unpeeled fruit is especially cheap compared to hotel prices.I buy fruit from them to feed the elephant and make friends before the big day. It is advisable not to swim in the water here as the undercurrents are very strong.You should check for the flag and if in doubt stay out..There is a PADI dive school which operates on the lagoon side and also arranges trips out to dive sites at sea. You will occasionally see a large water monitor lizard maybe four to five feet long ambling... Read review

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Advantages: Great hotel, next to the beach, helpful staff
Disadvantages: Heavy rain can cause powercuts!

...Language spoken: Swahili, however everyone is taught English from the age of 4 and most hotel staff will also be fluent in French or German too. Useful swahili phrases include: Jambo - Hello Anisi - Please Asante - Thank you Karibu - You're welcome Hakunana Matata - No problem Kwa Heri - Goodbye. Kenya uses the same plugs as the UK, so you don't need to buy any adaptors. The hotel: Whitesands is the largest beach resort in Mombasa and can hold up to 1200 guests. It is 4* and is a 40 minute drive from Mombasa airport and is secluded away from the main road. It has quite a colonial feel to it as you pull up with a large white exterior and pillars. As soon as we pulled up the staff were there to unload our bags and we were welcomed with a fresh glass of orange juice as our rep checked us all in. As we were at the hotel by 9am we were... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, clean, spacious, sports centre,
Disadvantages: Out of town, charges for use of facilties usually free in UK 4* hotels

...course and drinks cost about Kc16.50 or £7 to £8 each. We also visited a French themed restaurant. Tours and seeing the sights: -------------------------------------- There are a great variety of tours on offer and they range from those that pick you up from the hotel to finding someone under a yellow umbrella for a walking tour. Once in the city you are in danger of being trampled to death by a tour - should you get in between the umbrella holder (or flag holder, or flower holder) and those following that item. We did go on a boat trip but the narrative was recorded in several languages and we felt on a boat of 12 people it could have been more tailored to those on board. We thought about going on a tour to a castle, one that picked up from the hotel. This would have cost about £30 each. I decided we could find out if we could... Read review

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