Malindi Guest House — Hotel in Malindi

On the way from the airport, my driver warned me that the guest house had been sold in the last few years and that the new management was not very good. He was right. The current owners must have bought it at the height of it's popularity and are now running it as cheaply as they can to squeeze as much money out of it as possible. In the five days I stayed there, there wasn't warm or hot water in the shower or faucet even once. I complained each day and each day they didn't have any reason why the hot water heaters were switched off. It's pretty clear that they do this to save on the gas bill. When checking in, I was told they had a policy stating that guests couldn't see their rooms before paying for the accommodations. This is a ridiculous and unjustifiable policy, and I insisted on seeing the room. The room itself was directly above the street and had slatted windows that didn't close all the way and weren't able to block out any of the sound, which starts very early in the morning because the fish market and the mooring for the fishing boats is just down the street. There was only room for the bed and a small desk so luggage took up the only other space in the room. If your room is within earshot of the roof and it's on the weekend, there will likely be several drunk young people making a racket on the roof until early in the morning. I had to run the fan on high to block out the noise. The bathroom had mold on the walls but was otherwise clean. Although the hotel details indicated there was free wifi available in all areas, it's only available within about 15 feet of the reception desk (presumably so that they can surf the web during slow times) so you will need to have a data plan on your phone. As I was checking in, the person managing the hotel miscounted the amount of money that I had put on the counter to pay for my room; perhaps this was unintentional, but everything else about the place indicated that it was likely intentional. The breakfast was OK, but portions were small and the coffee was close to water. It's four pieces of fruit, an omelet or fried eggs, three pieces of toast, a bit of jam and butter, and...

My comments and story are familiar if you read through the reviews of Malindi. Booked a stay at Malindi for four nights with a friend through Booking.com. We read the reviews and decided to arrive early to ensure we would be guaranteed a room since it seems they are often "overbooked." We arrived around 8:30am and of course the room was not ready (as we anticipated). So we left our bags in storage and went for coffee. We came back at 11:00am and were told that the room would be ready at 12:00pm. At 12:00pm, we were told now that there are no rooms available and we would have to stay elsewhere. The gentleman working at Malindi, David, told us he had another room available at a different guest house on the other side of stone town. We said no problem BUT we were not going to pay more. David agrees to the original price and sends us off to the other guest house location. When we arrive, we are told we need to pay $20 more per night. We refused to pay that and demanded to be taken back to Malindi. Over one hour later, they agree to take us back to Malindi. David continues to tell us there are no rooms available...as we are staring at 7 available room keys hanging on the back door. So we cave and tell them that we will pay an additional $5 / night...and what do you know...a room opens up! This place is a S C A M. They pray on vulnerable tourists knowing they will pay more because they have nowhere else to stay. There are several individuals throughout Stone Town working together including the gentleman who runs Haliki House, cab drivers, etc. There goal is to scam guests to pay more money per night. We watched them do this to 7 other couples in our 4 days there. One couple paid in cash before they were given their room key...and then David REFUSED to give them their room key or a refund. They finally got the key when they agreed to pay more money. DO NOT STAY HERE. There are very nice hostels, hotels and guest houses throughout Stone Town that are closer, have air conditioning, proper mosquito nets, and...

Dear Malindi Guest House Management,

I am writing to bring to your attention a serious issue that occurred during my recent visit to Zanzibar. I had booked a room at your hostel two days prior to my arrival after a long and tiring journey. However, upon reaching the hostel, I was shocked to learn that my reservation had not been honored, and the hotel was already fully booked.

I cannot emphasize enough the inconvenience and distress this situation caused me. As a traveler who relies on the confirmed reservations, it was utterly unacceptable that your establishment failed to notify me in advance about the unavailability of my room. Such negligence on your part not only disrupted my plans but also put me in a challenging position to find alternative accommodation at short notice, which was an added burden after an exhausting journey. Clear communication and proper customer service are the cornerstones of any reputable hospitality establishment. However, the lack of communication from your side demonstrated a complete disregard for your guests' well-being and comfort. It is unfathomable that a hostel, entrusted with providing a safe and welcoming environment for travelers, could be so callous in handling their reservations. Please consider this as an opportunity to rectify your mistake and improve the quality of service you...