Swara Acacia Lodge

This was our third visit to Swara and standards have definitely slipped. The rooms are comfortable and as good as before. Samuel, who showed us to our room, was his usual lovely self and it was good to see him again. The receptionist was pleasant enough but tried to tell us we had to check out at 11 even though our tour operator ad booked the rooms until we left for our flight home. The staff at the restaurant were very pleasant and helpful but didn't always get the orders right. Now to the food. That has definitely gone down in standard. The menu is the same for lunch as dinner and not very many choices. The quality was not as good as before and lots of things were not available - including amazingly - the salad! Even though bananas were everywhere in the country we were not served one. The fruit offered was watermelon and pineapple. We ordered packed breakfast and lunch when we were going on a day game drive at Nairobi National Park. These were again ordered totally inappropriately from the menu - nothing on there suitable for a packed lunch at all. One of our party's choice didnt turn up at all. We got tea and coffee for the breakfast but no drinks for the lunch! Samosas, salad garnish and dessert all put in the same container meaning the vinegary dressing had leeched into the pastry and the cake. We complained on our return and the assistant manager was very apologetic. I felt sorry for him as the management should have menus for packed lunches/breakfasts as the other lodges do. There have been a lot of posts on social media by the lodge promoting their food. Shame it didn't translate into good food. Will we return? I am not sure. The lodge itself is comfy and the game drives are good there though the guide we had previous trips seems to have been dispensed with and our driver had to find his own way around. Cost cutting?

We had booked our stay from the 29th to the 1st and were looking forward to a relaxing visit. Unfortunately, due to an unforeseen emergency, we had to check out on the 31st as my husband needed to return to the hospital for a review following a recent leg operation. Upon checkout, my husband—who was still recovering and limping—had to carry our luggage from the room to the car without any offer of assistance from the staff. I am pregnant and was also managing our toddler, which made the situation even more difficult. When we arrived at the reception, we were informed that we needed to pay for the extra night, despite the fact that our early departure was due to a medical emergency. The staff insisted that we wait for the manager, who only arrived after an hour, despite our repeated requests for immediate assistance. When he finally addressed us, he was unapologetic, though he eventually agreed to waive the extra night. We also observed inconsistent service standards during our stay. While new guests of a different ethnicity received immediate assistance with their luggage, we were left to manage on our own. Additionally, food service was consistently slow, which was frustrating. On a positive note, we appreciated the kindness of Viola at the reception, as well as the childminders at the playground who were attentive and friendly. Overall, however, the lack of empathy and professionalism during our stay, especially during a time of personal stress, was deeply disappointing. Unfortunately, we would not consider visiting again.

I recently visited to scout for event space, where I had a generally positive experience, but an incident at the gate marred my stay. Upon arrival, the guard did not stop me or inform me about obtaining a gate pass. After my visit, when I returned, the guard shouted at me and demanded an apology for not having a gate pass, which I was unaware of. Despite my efforts to explain and show him the gate pass I received from the lodge, he refused to look at it and verbally abused me. This behavior was unacceptable & unprofessional, significantly impacting my overall experience. I suggest improving communication about gate pass requirements and providing training for security personnel to handle situations respectfully and professionally.