The Majlis Resort

The best thing about this place is the furniture and architecture resembling the old Arabic style that existed in this religion long ago. The food was terrible, marketing that they have different restaurants is laughable as they all have the same menu. The bread was always stale, burger was probably one of the worst I have had in a while. The staff was horribly trained. Took 20 mins to order water, some of the staff are quite rude (although most of the staff were kind and helpful—shoutout Mike for the bike ride. The bartenders were never attentive and when sat down at the restaurant they would avoid eye contact until we had to go up as ask what the deal was. I ordered a drink to the pool, and after an hour of waiting, I asked one of the waiters where it was, and they had forgotten. Despite the intense heat, not once did anyone ask us if we wanted water—had to ask ourselves, which sounds pretentious but this was marketed as a 5 star, so that is the bare minimum. At dinner, they moved us twice from our table to a table right next to the grill which smelled of smoke, saying there was another family that had booked the table we were originally sitting at (even though the receptionist said at the beginning that you do not need to book for any of the restaurants, which turned out to be false). Lo and behold, nobody ended up sitting at that table so we were moved for no reason. There were people smoking in the restaurant on New Year’s Eve, who were also quite rude and disrespectful of their surroundings. Probably friends or family of the owners, who I’ve heard from other reviews are horrible and racist people. Again, beautiful hotel, but I am never coming back.

I spent a few wonderful days at The Majlis Resort, which was quite busy during my stay, but the staff were incredible at managing everything. Despite the full house, I always felt like a priority. They were kind, courteous, and went above and beyond to ensure that every guest had a pleasant experience. The level of service was outstanding, and it’s clear that the team is dedicated to making your stay as comfortable as possible. The resort itself is beautiful, offering a peaceful retreat with stunning views. While it’s not right on the beach, the private setting and serene atmosphere make it a great place to unwind. I had the pleasure of visiting the spa during my stay, and I highly recommend it. Eunice was my therapist, and she was fantastic. The treatment was so relaxing, and Eunice’s professionalism made the whole experience unforgettable. Nitai, the executive chef, also deserves special mention. Every meal was exceptional, full of flavor and beautifully prepared. The variety of dishes kept me looking forward to each new meal. The staff’s commitment to creating a relaxing, enjoyable experience, even with a busy resort, made my stay at The Majlis one I’ll always remember.

Our tour guide organised our honeymoon safari trip and thought majlis would be the perfect end. Looking at the photos we were very hopeful. We had 5 nights booked on a half board basis. The transfer was very smooth. On arrival we were picked up by a man holding up a sign for majlis and it was a quick boat transfer to the resort. However, from that point onwards issues became very apparent. We had the superior room which was clean but very basic. No toiletries are provided except shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hand wash and body lotion. Slippers have to be purchased. Laundry is very expensive. There is no iron. There is a very basic hair dryer and kettle. There was no coffee and tea in the room so had to call reception and found out that instant coffee was out of stock. The hot water runs out very quickly so had several cold showers during our stay. The hotel has 3 restaurants but 2 offer the same food. The food is pretty basic. Service is very poor. Expect to wait at least 30 mins for food and to pour your own water and drinks. At dinner it became apparent there are a few (I assume wealthy) return guests who are treated differently to the rest of the guests. Only their drinks and water were kept topped up and they had their own waiter to respond to them urgently. I later found out these guests also have their own WiFi connection which is quicker and more reliable. I found this out when I was waiting to speak to the reception and one of these guests who came in after me was served before I was. I have been told by several guests and also hotel staff that the hotel across the channel (Peponi’s) offers better food and service. In fact some guests on full board decided to have their lunch at an additional cost there as the lunch and dinner menu at Majlis is the same. Beer is around 700-800 KES, wine and cocktails around 1200 KES, main meals start from around 1700 KES. Water is not free. Dessert offered is the same at all three restaurants. You can try reserving a table like we did but be aware that if one of the return guests was to request this table it would go to them as it happened to us twice. None of the three swimming pools are heated and can get quite dirty. The gym is very basic with one multi gym and dumbbells from possibly the pre historic era. There is no AC in the indoor gym. The AC in the rooms is also very noisy. We also tried booking a couples massage but despite being showed a leaflet (PDF and hard copy) as well as the couples treatment room we were told this was not available and had to book two individual massages which would of course be more expensive. I understand the spa is new but these issues should be addressed before being open to guests. The masseuse tried to bargain with me but I decided to take my business elsewhere. All in all, if you travel a lot and like to stay at nice hotels probably best to avoid this one especially at this price. We had a far better experience staying at tents on our safari.