Crystal Bay Resort

Crystal Bay is an affordable option in Watamu, and it is on a nice bay with a nice beach. I had challenges booking directly, as response was slow and for two days I wasn’t confident my stay was confirmed (a challenge when you also need to book flights). The accommodations are fine and pool area is decent. We did bed and breakfast and the breakfast was ok but not great (surprisingly poor coffee for a resort catering to Italians). There are some very good restaurants nearby or within a short Tuk Tuk ride for lunch and dinner. The main challenge here is in the catering to Italians. The vast majority of guests were Italian (there’s an Italian tour office in the lobby), and I had read reviews saying the staff favoured the Italian guests. This does seem to be true, unfortunately. In particular, the Italian guests put their towels out early in the morning to claim all of the lounge chairs (by 8am there were towels covering the beach loungers with not a guest in sight). The staff also deferr to them even if they had claimed more than one for themselves (one in the shade, one in the sun), and after not helping another paying guest fund a suitable spot. So if you stay here, I guess you’ll need to be aggressive about claiming loungers yourself. Buona fortuna :|

This place has pros and cons of course and here they are: ✅ PROS: - amazing location and views of Watamu, dream like when you go down the stairs to the beach - village entertainment staff was superb, very funny and always trying to include everyone in the activities, big up for Bea, Ciccio and Antonio! - food by the chef Francesco was always excellent and great healthy variety offered - cleaning of the room always done properly ❌ CONS: - the resort itself needs a deep restyling starting from the rooms to end with facilities for disabled people - electricity sockets outdated - no phone line in the room to contact reception - towels were old (leaving fluff) - avoid the ‘beach boys’ at all costs

The resort is “resurrecting” from the COVID closure of the past two years and it did offer great value with the unmatched ocean views. The rooms are still gorgeous ( I loved the private balcony’s’) although the bathroom could use some updating for a “resort” but the place makes up for that mishap with cleanliness and great service. It seems like everywhere you turn there is a someone to attend to you. On the down side, the resort is running only one breakfast restaurant . The breakfast meals needs some spruce up, after 3 days one tires of eating the same thing.. On the minus side there is no room service, slippers and kettle in the room. For dinner we had to make do with the adjacent Watamu restaurant ( more on the separate review of restaurant) For a resort closed for “the COVID years” they are bouncing back really well. Proximity to beach , the silence and two swimming pools make for great relaxation!! Can’t wait to go back when it’s fully vibrant or even visit one of the sister resorts as had originally planned ( 7 islands or Mawe Zuri)

Beautiful Hotel with amazing service… I really enjoyed my stay at this splendid beach resort. The rooms were clean and the staff was very kind and helpful. I would definitely recommend crystal bay as a vacation spot and visit again soon. Best resort in watamu

Siamo stati in questo Villaggio su consiglio di un amica stata lo scorso anno. Scelta migliore non potevamo fare. Pulizia impeccabile, persone cordiali, cibo ottimo e vario. Camere garden super spaziose con bagno enorme. In agosto, stagione secca, pochissime zanzare. Posizione su un tratto di spiaggia ottimo, dove con la bassa marea si crea uno scenario meraviglioso. Lettini in piscina e spiaggia con xomodi cuscinotti. Animazioni molto leggera. Consiglio assolutamente !

Un rêve éveillé. Concernant l’hôtel, le cadre est idyllique. Les chambres jardin sont spacieuses, calmes et entourées de verdure. Deux piscines, une plage paradisiaque. Le personnel de l’hôtel dans son ensemble est formidable. Ils ont toujours le sourire aux lèvres et leur bienveillance est extrême. Les repas sont délicieux, à base de produits frais, les cocktails également. Nous sommes parties avec kappa club et nous remercions Papis, Juma, Matano et Akeem pour avoir tout mis en œuvre pour notre bien être. Ils sont présents et très attentionnés. Les activités proposées sont intéressantes et typiques: visite des ruines de Gede, balade au marché de Watamu, cours de swahili entre autres. Nous avons fait le safari de 4 jours / 3 nuits avec Pollman’s. 3 parcs incroyables, 3 lodges exceptionnels, notre guide Nuru qui a était parfait. Une expérience qui nous a laissées sans voix et des étoiles plein les yeux. Merci à tous, accueil, barmans, serveurs, cuisiniers, jardiniers, personnel d’entretien, piscinistes, plagistes et tous les autres. Nous remercions aussi Ahmed et Davis, toujours présents eux aussi pour nous aider et nous faire plaisir. Et mention spéciale une fois de plus à Papis, Juma et Matano, qui ont été parfaits. Asante sana na tuonane hivi karibuni!