Golden Duranta Villas — Hotel in Ukunda ward

We arrived at Golden Duranta with a plan of staying for 2-days however we loved the place so much we ended up staying for 2 weeks! We truly felt like we were at home. We got so much attention and care from the staff and they catered for all our asks and needs. I liked that they were so prompt and no detail was ever forgotten. I am generally a very picky person however I found all my needs were responded to. The hotel is really perfect for couples and also for families. We had two small kids and so we felt very safe and the hotel is well designed for moving around with small kids. The pool was perfect size and depth for the small ones and also for adults. We spent many hours there. We loved the green spaces integrated in the hotel and selection of flowers which is often lacking in the big resorts. The lovely sounds of bird chirping in the morning gave me the feel of a coastal yet a bit far from the bustle of the city type of place. For us being at the beach yet being close to green spaces/ nature was important. When it comes to food, I give it A-rating. Juma the chef was amazing and he made us amazing dishes blended in coconut curry and the best mahamri & chapatis you could ever dream of. He bought us fish almost daily and made magic with it. Diana and the cleaners were all caring and helped me a lot with the kids. I was able to meet with Judy and her family including her parents who were all such sweet souls and made us feel like we are part of their family. This hotel is amazing, small and with the best standard of hospitality that is well known in most Kenyan resorts. The hotel is a bit of a distance to the ocean however the distance was not an issue for us and we still got to enjoy the beach every other afternoon. I have stayed in several of the big resorts in the past but I think Golden Duranta is now my favourate go to place in the coast....

A Disappointing 8-Day Stay – Serious Management Issues

We booked multiple villas at this property for a family reunion, expecting a peaceful and enjoyable experience. Sadly, it turned into a frustrating and disappointing stay due to serious management issues.

The biggest concern was the complete lack of privacy. We stayed for 8 days, and throughout that time, staff entered our villa without warning — even when we were asleep! It was incredibly unsettling to have people walking in and out of the house as if they owned it. One morning, I woke up to find a staff member in our kitchen, cooking food for “their boss,” who had apparently arrived in the country. She even set up her laptop on our dining table! When I confronted her, she seemed shocked that I was upset. To make things worse, when I reported the issue to the lady in the office, she brushed it off and asked me to let the staff member finish cooking.

The villas were also poorly equipped. The kitchen had no utensils, there were cockroaches and rats, and mosquitoes were everywhere. There were no mosquito nets in our villa, making it impossible to sleep comfortably. We complained multiple times about the lack of water in Villa 1, but nothing was done to fix it.

It was upsetting to find out that even the money we paid to the housekeeper for washing clothes — by hand, no less — did not go directly to them.

The only positives were the good location and decent security, but the property desperately needs a management overhaul. It’s a shame because Laureen was welcoming and did her best, but that wasn’t enough to make up for the poor experience.

I wouldn’t recommend this property to anyone unless major improvements are made. Eight days of dealing with these issues was...

We had a great family vacation at Golden Duranta and we enjoyed every single day of it right from the moment the gates opened! All inquiries before we checked in had been promptly and friendly attended to making our journey so exiting. Forget the hotels if you want to have a wonderful vacation in Diani! Make your bookings at Golden Duranta! We were treated to days of absolutely all round friendly and relaxed atmosphere: the team is amazing! We all agreed that we never have been to a place where every single employee is so friendly and ready to assist you anywhere and at anytime. We cannot mention all names but like Diana who coordinates everything in the most friendly way at the reception, Ali and his team in the garden who so lovingly and whole heartedly attend to the hundreds of beautiful flowers, trees, fruits... in the compound and makes sure that the pool is fresh and clean all the time. Then our chef Salma! She literally treated us to a range of the most delicious traditional and modern meals. We had planned to do the cooking on our own sometimes especially when the family joined us but in the end, we let her spoil us and it was worth it. She is amazing, doing justice to her role as a chef and nevertheless, meeting our personal culinary needs as well in the most authentic way. One more reason why we're going back! We could write a novel on our vacation at this marvellous place. Thank you Golden Duranta-Team for enabling us create such wonderful memories during our vacation. You made us feel at home far away from home! Would we recommend this place for an event, a weekend with or without family or for a vacation?...