Last week, during my birthday, I decided to take a solo trip to Watamu in Kilifi county. Watamu is a coastal town in Kenya renowned for its pristine beaches, swaying palm trees, and crystal-clear waters.
After researching different hotels and resorts, I settled with Lilly Palm Resort.
Why Lily Palm Resort?
Lily Palm Resort is a 4-star beachfront resort that offers a variety of amenities and activities, including a private beach, swimming pools, restaurants, bars, and a spa. The resort is also known for its warm and welcoming staff, who go above and beyond to ensure guests have a memorable stay.
More About Lily Palms
Lily Palm Resort is located in the coast region, 4.3 miles from Watamu National Marine Park. The resort boasts three swimming pools, two restaurants, and a private beach area.
All rooms have a view of either a swimming pool or a garden, and they include a private bathroom and free WiFi.
According to the hotel’s website, pets are allowed on request at no extra charge. So, if you often travel with your pet, this hotel might be the right choice.
However, it is unclear what measures they have taken to ensure that your pet is safe. Once you request to bring a pet, you may get pet-friendly amenities, such as pet beds, food and water bowls, and waste disposal bags.
My Experience at Lily Palms Resort
I had a fantastic time at Lilly Palm Resort. If anything, the hotel exceeded most of my expectations. However, it’s important to note that one’s experience may vary from another’s.
Here’s my honest review.
Location
The hotel’s location is perfect. It’s close to the main market, making it easy to access local restaurants, beaches, shops, and minimarkets. Additionally, it’s near other hotels like Turtle Bay Resort, Mida Creek, Garoda Resort, and Hemingways Watamu. This makes it convenient to explore services not available at Lily Palm Resort.
For instance, Garoda Resort offers exciting water activities like kite surfing, while Mida Creek provides opportunities for paddle surfing. If these activities interest you, they’re just an Uber or Tuktuk ride away.
Ambiance
Once you arrive at Lily Palm Resort, you’re immediately welcomed by the open reception and seating area, which has a pool view. The white tables and chairs with blue cushions create a relaxed and inviting atmosphere.
The pool outside the reception completes the entrance view, and the rooms with balconies surrounding the pool offer guests a chance to relax and soak in the beauty of nature. The entire resort is lush and green, with palm trees and flowers.
As you go to the main restaurant, you’ll pass through a pathway enclosed by a living screen of shrubs. It adds to the sense of privacy and seclusion.
Since the coast is known for its scorching sun, Lily Palm Resort has thoughtfully provided plenty of shade areas for guests to relax and unwind. The cabanas by the pool and comfortable seats under the shade of mangrove trees offer the perfect places to escape the heat.
I specifically loved the resort’s restaurant area. With its two restaurants, two pools, main bar, and beach bar, all overlooking the private beach, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a delicious meal or drink while enjoying the beach quietness.
For those who love to take photos, the Mapango restaurant area is the perfect spot. You’ll get the perfect shots at the pool facing the beach or when sipping cocktails at the beach bar.
And for those who prefer to relax and enjoy the natural beauty, nothing beats watching the sunrise or sunset while taking a quiet walk along the beach. This was my favorite thing to do. For a minute, there, I was in another universe.
Service
Even before arriving at Lily Palms Resort, I had high expectations for their service. From the Google reviews, you can tell that Lily Palm Resort’s staff are very welcoming and hospitable.
Once I arrived, the receptionist was friendly and welcoming. She gave me a complimentary glass of cold passion juice, which I needed so much because of the heat.
Initially, they had allocated a ground floor room for me, but I requested a change to the first floor, and they were kind enough to accommodate me.
After checking in, a housekeeper helped carry my bags to the room and showed me around.
Later on, the hotel’s concierge gave me a tour of the entire establishment and narrated the resort’s history. He also recommended some of the best budget-friendly activities in Watamu, which came in handy during my stay.
The meals were served on time. Breakfast was between 7:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and dinner was between 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. The hotel also offers tea and snacks at 5:00 p.m. if you’re on the all-inclusive or half-board package.
The waiters were very helpful, especially with setting and clearing the table and refilling drinks.
The chefs behind the buffet made sure to explain every foreign dish that I wasn’t familiar with. They were very patient and even allowed me to sample the dishes before ordering an entire portion.
Jane, the hostess, was also exceptional. She was well-groomed and had a very happy personality. You can tell that she enjoys her job. Jane made sure that everyone was happy and satisfied.
Overall, the service at Lily Palm Resort is excellent. From the friendly and welcoming staff to the prompt and efficient service, I had a wonderful time.
Food
Food is one of the things that make a hotel stay memorable. I was on the half-board package, so I had the pleasure of experiencing their breakfast and dinner.
Their breakfast was pretty much the usual English breakfast, which mainly consisted of:
- Eggs
- Bacon
- Sausages
- Baked beans
- Grilled tomatoes
- Mushrooms
- Toast or fried bread
- Hash browns
- Fried or grilled fish
- Tea or coffee/juice/milk
- Cereals
I also enjoyed their dessert table, which consisted of different fruit cuts such as sweet melon, watermelon, pawpaws, and pineapples. They also had several cake options for all the sweet tooths.
However, I was disappointed with their dinner menu. Considering it is a coastal hotel, I expected them to have various coastal foods such as biryani, pilau, samaki wa kupaka, and other Swahili dishes.
Instead, their dinner menu was basic, with just the usual food I could make in my house: white rice, roasted potatoes, grilled chicken, sauteed spinach, and mixed vegetables.
I only enjoyed my last day’s dinner, which had various seafoods I hadn’t sampled before, such as calamari and octopus.
Even their pasta was nothing to marvel about. I expected more, such as the famous penne and Fettuccine, considering the majority of their guests are Italians.
They just had long and short types of pasta, accompanied by different sauces such as tomato, fried minced meat, and fried seafood in tomato sauce.
Overall, their dinner was not something I looked forward to.
Rooms
Lily Palm Resort has different types of rooms, including standard, double, triple, executive, and presidential suites.
I stayed in a standard room, which featured a king-sized bed, a work desk, a mini fridge, free WiFi, and a private bathroom. My room also had a nice balcony with a beautiful pool view.
The rooms were clean, and I loved how the housekeepers came in to tidy up and leave a goodnight card on the bed when I was out for dinner.
However, the rooms are not as aesthetically pleasing as I was expecting. If you’re looking for a hotel with Instagrammable rooms, Lily Palm Hotel is not the place for you.
The standard rooms also did not have a TV, which is an essential amenity for most hotel rooms. It can get boring at night if you didn’t bring your laptop or iPad.
Other than that, the beds were warm and cozy, and there was an air conditioner and fan to regulate the temperature in the room.
My Final Review
Lily Palm Resort is an excellent place for leisure, work, or even family bonding time. My overall rating would be 3.5 stars.
The ambiance, staff, and service deserve 5 stars, but the food and rooms were not appealing to me, so they each got a 3-star rating.
Nevertheless, I recommend the place to anyone on a budget.