Turtle Bay Beach Club

About Turtle Bay Beach Club

Turtle Bay Beach Club is a great all-inclusive beach resort on Kenya's North Coast, near the town of Malindi. It is within close proximity to the Malindi Airport and easily reached by road. The hotel buildings are surrounded by 10 acres of tropical gardens, all beautifully looked after.

Upon arrival we were greeted by their friendly staff and offered cool hand towels and a welcoming drink. Our room was right on the beachfront and had a great view of the azure waters.

Guests can make use of the complimentary email facilities at the hotel. Additional services such as internet, local and international calls and faxes are also available from the reception desk, but at an added cost.

Turtle Bay is situated on the shoreline of Watamu National Marine Park and offers great snorkelling and scuba diving opportunities among the parks vibrant fish and coral varieties. Water sports such as windsurfing sailing and canoeing are also quite popular at the hotel, as are the land-bound sports of volleyball, cycling, tennis, tug of war, backgammon, table tennis, darts, mini-golf and beach soccer. When you take part in any of these activities, you will accumulate mega points. These can be exchanged for all sorts of prizes for kids and adults or alternatively donated to a charity of your choice. Live entertainment forms part of the evening schedule and you can expect to see anything from live bands to quiz shows, singers, dancers, acrobats and even a snake show. These are all included in the package and quite amusing.

The Club welcomes families and offers a great kiddie entertainment line-up. Their Childrens Mini Club caters for 4 to 12 year-olds and offers fully supervised fun and activities, including games, field trips, arts and crafts, swimming competitions, cooking lessons and loads more. Their doors open at 9.30 and they have enough fun stuff to keep the little ones busy until 4pm. They also have Tarzans Tree House, set in the attractive gardens and a Kids Fort by the pool for those who like to play make-believe, plus a whole range of videos, ideal for the afternoons. In the evenings the younger kids have their own early kiddies dinners, made up of healthy, simple meals.

Turtle Bay is bird-lovers heaven. The Watamu-Malindi region has over 450 species of birds, including a selection of lesser-known specimens that attract the attention of many an ornithologist. The Watamu areas many different habitat types makes it an attractive nesting site for a diverse selection of birds. Some of the birds found in this area are very scarce and considered endangered. One species is listed on the Globally Endangered list, five on the Globally Vulnerable list and 33 on the Regional Red Data list of endangered species. Of special interest to birdwatchers are the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Gede Ruins forest, Mida Creek, Whale Island, Malindi-Watamu coastline and the Sabaki River Mouth. These six areas are recognised internationally as Important Bird Areas or IBAs and are home to many terrific bird species such as the globally endangered Spotted Ground Thrush, Roseate Terns (up to 1,500 pairs), Sooty Terns and Bridled Terns, Crab-Plovers, the Greater Frigatebird and the Broad-billed Sandpiper.

Deep sea game fishing is also very popular in this area and avid anglers can try their skills at catching sailfish, marlin, tuna, wahoo and even a variety of sharks. There are also a great variety of billfish species that can be caught, tagged and released to aid billfish research facilities. Dont worry though theyll let you keep your catch if you manage to hook a trophy.

As the resort is all-inclusive, the use of cash is not recommended, and all purchases above and beyond included services are billed to you room. This bill can be settled at the cashiers desk before you depart.

At Turtle Bay Beach Club you will never be bored. This place has everything youd want and more. If youre after fun and entertainment, set against a beautiful backdrop this is the place for you.

Rooms at the Turtle Bay

Turtle Bay Beach Club has 147 rooms and sleeps over 280 people. All the rooms have en-suite bathrooms, air-conditioning, mozzie nets and ceiling fans to ensure a comfortable stay.

Of the 147 rooms available, 24 are Standard, 44 Superior, 65 Super Club and 14 Ocean Front rooms.

The Standard Rooms are equipped with twin beds, but queen size beds are available if you so choose. These rooms have their own patios and some have interconnecting doors.

The 14 Ocean Front rooms are similar to the standard rooms but sport great views of the ocean. They also have an extra single bed and tea and coffee making facilities as well as balconies or patios with direct access to the beach.

The Superior Rooms have the same amenities as the Ocean Front Rooms but are larger, resembling small cottages. Some of these rooms also overlook the ocean.

The Super Club Rooms are ideal for families as they have a double and a single bed, a separate bath and shower, coffee and tea facilities, mosquito nets and a balcony. Some of these rooms have interconnecting doors and, as with the Oceanfront Rooms, are ideal for 2 adults and two children or 3 adults. Three of these rooms are disability-friendly and have been designed to accommodate guests with special needs. These 3 rooms don't have baths only showers to enable easy access.

Dining

The main restaurant is situated by the pool, overlooking the Watamu beach. It seats 300 people and serves breakfasts and dinners – buffet style. For breakfast we had the option of an Anglo-American spread complete with pancakes and omelettes from 7.30 to 10am and a Continental breakfast between 10 and 11am. Lunch is served from 12.30 to 2. At 6.30 they serve a special kids dinner of simple, healthy food, followed by the normal dining options from 7 to 9. The evenings are usually themed, ranging from Oriental to African, Italian, Mexican and Arabic as well as dinners by the pool.   

The second restaurant, the Blue Turtle, is situated on the beach and seats 45 people. You need to reserve a table at this one (24 hours in advance) and the meals are served table d’hote although an a la carte menu is also available.
The Club also has an al fresco pizzeria called the Kasaramba Restaurant. This Italian eatery overlooks the tropical water ponds and serves great pizzas. Kasaramba is open for lunch and dinner, but be sure to check your menu as not all the meals are included in the all-inclusive

package.                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                  The restaurants have a strict dress code and don’t allow swimwear during meals, guests are also required to wear smart casual wear to dinner.            

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The Bayshore Bar serves snacks and light meals and is located by the poolside. The bar seats 250 people and is open between 12 and 6pm during the day, and as a great bonus they also open for midnight snacks between 11pm and midnight.
Turtle Bay also has two bars serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, cocktails and sundowners. The Cocktail Bar is open from 11am to 2pm, and again between 6 and 11pm.

The main bar is open from 10am to 12.30 at night. All domestic beverages are included in the fare, including sparkling wine. All the available drinks are sourced from Kenya, South Africa and Italy. Purified water is used in the water-based mixers as well as in the ice cubes.

Turtle Bay Facilities

• 3 restaurants
• 1 snack bar
• 2 normal bars
• 2 swimming pools (1 large freshwater pool and 1 wading pool for children)
• Jacuzzi
• Fax and email services
• Hair dressing salon
• Massage
• Foreign currency exchange at cashier's desk
• South African satellite TV and videos
• Shopping area
• 2 boutiques
• 1 jeweller
• Floodlit tennis court
• Kids club (activities including swimming, arts and crafts, field trips, video and Tarzans Tree House)
• Scuba-diving school

Room facilities:

• Processed desalinated water all rooms
• Air-conditioning and ceiling fan
• Ensuite bath and shower
• Terrace or patio
• Oceanfront Rooms and Super Club Rooms have a double and a single bed
• Mosquito nets
• Safety deposit box
• Balcony or terrace
  

Activities:

• Sailing, canoeing and windsurfing
• Scuba diving (free scuba diving initiation in the swimming pool)
• Deep sea diving
• Arabuko Sokoke Forest
• Mida Creek
• Gede Ruins
• Butterfly farm
• Malindi Town
• Mombasa Town
• Bush tour
• Snorkel safaris - guided or unguided
• Deep-sea fishing
• Advanced windsurfing
• Safaris: Exclusive Sobo Safari Camp set on the banks of the Galana River in Tsavo East National Park
• Cycling (mens and ladies bikes available)
• Tennis (flood-lit tennis court)
• Backgammon
• Table tennis
• Darts
• Mini-golf
• Beach soccer
• Water polo
• Water aerobics
• Beach Olympics
• Beach Walks
• Tug of War
• Volleyball
• Village walks
• Aqua aerobics
• Swahili lessons
  

Services:

• Baby-sitting service on request
• 24 hour reception
• Free e-mail service to guests
• Doctor services available

Open: Turtle Bay Beach Club is open all year round.

Wedding and honeymoon options

Turtle Bay Beach Club is the perfect venue for a blessing, wedding service, wedding ceremony and a honeymoon.

Blessing:
If you choose to have a blessing at the hotel, we will be able to organise a local Baptist pastor to conduct the ceremony. These are held from Monday to Saturday in the afternoons and take place in the gardens or on the beach of the Club grounds. As a special touch, a bower of palm leaves is made for the couple, and decorated with fresh tropical flowers.

The hotel has a resident hairdresser as well as a tailor. The tailor can make traditional Kenyan outfits to suit your individual needs. These are really stylish and offer a cooler option to western suites, dresses and jackets.

The package includes:

• Two bottles of Sparkling wine
• A cake for 6-8 people
• Reception
• Dinner (Table dhote)
• The pastors services
• Church choir
• Floral decorations

As with the blessing, a pretty wedding bower is built from palm leaves and flowers. A photographer is included in the package

As with the blessing, the hotel has a hairdresser and tailor available to create the look you want on your special day, while a florist is at the ready to create the bouquets and table dcor you require. Just about any colour is available, but not all types of flowers as they are flown in from Nairobi. The flowers are a combination of roses, carnations and tropical flowers.

Turtle Bay wedding package includes:

• Two bottles of sparkling wine
• Wedding cake for 6-8 people
• Services of a best man and bridesmaid if necessary
• 24 photos (without negatives)
• Organising the registrar or priest
• Arranging the ceremony
• Church choir
• Reception and dinner
• Legal fees
• Registrar fees
• Bouquet for the bride
• Buttonhole for the groom
• Wedding certificate

• Hairdresser
• Headdress (full or half circle)
• Buttonhole
• Corsage
• Presentation bouquet
• Bridesmaids bouquet
• Flowers for the hair
• South African Sparkling wine
• Masai dancers
• Negatives & extra photos(48 prints)
• Edited Video (35 Minutes)