Shimba Hills Lodge

I stayed 2 nights in Shimba Hills Lodge. First of all, I would like to say that the staff is all very welcoming and friendly. IMO, the rates you pay for a stay here (+we had full board) are not so cheap, so I was expecting quite a bit. I was expecting something similar to my stays in Tsavo, which were all very nice. However, to me Shimba Lodge looks like a place which was once very nice and popular, but is now degraded and old. It seems like not enough money is invested in maintenance, with bathrooms that look old and have broken components, and electricity that doesn’t work well all the time. Doors don’t really close well, there are some holes in the ceiling, and a lot of things are just malfunctioning, damaged, or broken off. Moreover, I find the food a bit disappointing. Again, the people making the food are nice. However, I would like to have some choice of what to eat, which I didn’t. We told them in advance that we all eat vegetarian (and we were the only guests in the Lodge). Both evenings, the only veggie option was pasta with sauce. The starter was always soup and the desert always some fruit. It would be so nice if there was a bit more variation in the dishes. Of course, it is food and it does the job, but it didn’t match my expectations for the money I paid. The location of the lodge is beautiful and surrounded by nature, but personally I wouldn’t recommend this place. I would recommend to just do a day trip from Diani to Shimba Hills instead.

We had never visited this small NP in South east Kenya and it was time to put that right. Booking on line was effortless and friendly. Deposit paid, balance on arrival was offered but eventually we paid the whole account by Bank transfer to avoid too much cash. Prior to our arrival we had been warned by a colleague that the place was 'a little rundown' but happily we were not dissuaded from going. We were attracted by the location as much as the building. All was fine on arrival and check in was smooth. The room was more than we expected with a comfy bed and door to balcony overlooking the 'waterhole'. We were a little put off by the bathroom facilities not being 'self contained' and this could prove a problem if the Lodge was full. It wasn't . Indeed it was very quiet. Meals were taken in the Restaurant and we have no complaints as to variety and quality although beer prices were a bit steep. We would have liked to have known that Bushbabies visit at dinner as we would have gone armed with a camera. Squirrels, the beautiful Red-bellied coast squirrel (Paraxerus palliatus) is resident. Birdlife around the lodge was exceptional. We had to remain in lodge for sometime and the time was not wasted as we watched many rare and beautiful species in the surrounding scrub and trees. OK so the place could do with some TLC and improvement but we would happily return as our stay was all too short.

Heartbreaking. We used to come here pretty regularly between 15 and 25 years ago and we always loved the beautiful location, the amazing treehouse architecture, the wildlife at the lodge and the amazing food!!! It was normally a special treat for birthdays or other special occasions. The location and architecture are still incredible but the lodge feels neglected especially in the bedrooms with broken curtains/mosquito nets/etc. There were no mosquito nets in the standard bedrooms. The wildlife is no longer as used to humans so we didn’t get to see the bush babies and genet cat but did see the red squirrels and Colobus monkeys and baboons as well as warthog and waterbuck. The staff were all wonderfully friendly but are obviously not used to having guests currently. There was no cold wine and they ran out of cold drinking water and ice. Ordering food was a painful process and the food itself was not as good as it used to be and often cold. As lovely as they were the chef and waiting staff definitely need some training. There was no Wifi or phone signal and the lodge could not take credit cards or cash but only MPesa which we struggled to use due to lack of signal. We really hope they flourish in this post lockdown era and we hope to come back after some renovations and training!

We stayed at Shimba for two nights in a room with an attached en-suite bathroom, this lodge can only be summarized as BEAUTIFUL! We traveled from Nairobi to Shimba for the first time, and Tom from Shimba Lodge was so unbelievably helpful at all hours of the day. He was also sweet enough to check if we reached our final destination safely! He gave us a tour of the property and would come over for a chat to check in on us over breakfast. Shimba Lodge is located in the middle of a reserve surrounded by lush greenery and a beautiful pond, it was a relaxing stay to just switch off and be one with nature. Charles who was our attendant at the restaurant was also really sweet, overall a great experience and we are so glad we stumbled across this gem of a place! I would recommend you carry a credit card as you need to pay to enter the Shimba Reserve and they only accept Mpeysa and Cards (no cash). It is a small amount and what awaits you inside is well worth it! Thank you Tom and Charles for an amazing stay! Lisa and Rubina

Die Lodge wird nicht mehr gut geleitet. Die Lage ist traumhaft aber der Verfall lässt sich nicht verbergen. Das Essen ist nicht gut. Die Bar ist geschlossen und die Stromversorgung klappt nicht. Die Zimmer sind in Ordnung aber ohne Strom funktioniert der Ventilator nicht.

Wunderschöne Baumhaus-Lodge. Traumhafte Lage. Tolle Suite mit Blick auf das Wasserloch im Regenwald. Hervorragendes Essen. Süßwasserversorgung von der Quelle. Sehr freundliches Personal. Immer wieder gerne.