Name: Swordfish Villas
Address: Marlin Road, 00200, Malindi, Kenya, Malindi, Malindi, Malindi, 00200, Kenya
Rating: 8

Air conditioning

24-hour reception

Smoke-free property

Security guard

Washing machine

Garden

Terrace

Fire Extinguisher

General

Non-smoking rooms

Fridge

Family room

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Rooms

Iron and board

Luggage storage

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

Services and amenities

Coffee/tea for guests

Kitchen

Microwave oven

Kitchenette

Meals

Airport transportation

Transfer services

Transfer

Fishing

Sun Deck

Recreation

Parking

Parking nearby

Swimming pool

Outdoor pool

Pool and beach

Doctor

First Aid Kit

Beauty and wellness

Extra decontamination measures

Contactless check-in and/or check-out

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the hotel

Room amenities

Malindi Airport

Swordfish Villas

Malindi

The picture of swordfish villas are really nice, but in reality the rooms are not clean.
The rooms/villa are very close to each other and noise easily passes.
Our villas were covered in insects and ants.
The mosquito nets were covered in dirt or blood from mosquitos that have been squashed.

Poor accommodation. Don’t stay here.

I would genuinely rate the villa well. We were in a villa that could host 4 comfortably. The room was clean. It has a fan and an AC which I loved. The room had a pool facing room and one away but both were furnished quite well andhad a homey feel. We initially thought they do not have a cook so bought some ingrediaents for cooking only to find a chef who was available at an affordable cost. He'll cook as long as you agree to a menu. Chef Anderson was our chef and his food was cooked well and within our budget and he even added a few treats in our breakfast. Our room was cleaned by Elizabeth. The staff were kind and proffesional. The place was secure and all our items were safe. We found everything where we left it. We also had an amazing time in Malindi. Shout out to Maro our Tuktuk driver and tour guide. You need to find him when your around Malindi. The only thing was the pool was clean but not clear but I personally prefer clear pools.

Weekend Getaway

I have been to Swordfish villas in Malindi before and I really enjoyed it, but this time during the December holidays, I was utterly disappointed especially since I used to recommend it before and my family booked it based on my recommendation. We booked two villas 11 and 12 and the cleaning lady made our stay uncomfortable. Bed sheet was not clean and when we asked for replacement, she said there were none. She was rude and unprofessional. The management assured us that something was going to be done, but nothing really happened and the place remained dirty and no enough towels. 
The swimming pool timing made no sense to close at 5pm. The sun is bearable at that time in a place like Malindi and it is hard to swim during the day. We had to go to another place to swim. 
I believe something must be done to train the staff and ensure that the place is up to standards. But for me, I am not going there again.

Disappointed

I've been to this place twice in December 2018 and December 2019. This is a great place for family and the villas are exactly as advertised. The swimming pools are great and can accommodate small kids....indeed a perfect place for the family to indulge in fun. A few issues though: the pool attendant is not always on guard so one has to keep a keen eye on the kids while swimming. Secondly, the villas are not all the same.....ours had AC in all the rooms,  but didn't have microwave or electric kettle in the kitchen. Last year we stayed in a different villa which had a fully stocked kitchen but AC wasn't available in all the rooms. Bottom line is one can't get a perfect holiday villa   but we make the most of what's available. Lastly  I must say Staff here were quite friendly and helpful. I  will definitely return. 

Fantastic Place to be 

I've traveled all over the world and have stayed in all kinds of lodgings, from hotels, to Air BnBs, to rented rooms, to timeshares. As compared to other vacations, my stay at Villa Swordfish was a very strange negative experience, and overall I would strongly suggest looking elsewhere.

I was part of a group, and our lodging was booked for us. When we arrived, we were not given keys to our unit, and ended up having to use a padlock that we had brought with us to secure our belongings after money was stolen from my friend's bag (which was in the closet in her room), food was stolen from our room, and an iPhone was stolen from another room. 

To be clear, these items were not "misplaced," they were taken from our rooms while we were gone for the day. After this incident, we started locking the gate at the top of the stairs with our own lock, as we were never given keys to lock our bedrooms, or to lock the gate at the top of the stairs. This is a major security issue, and while I personally don't travel with expensive items, it was not a good feeling to know that things had been taken from our room (even if it was just snack bars). There was one key for the downstairs kitchen (left in the lock on the door), but none for our bedrooms or the upstairs gate. 

Secondly, these seem to be timeshares, without any onsite management. There was no property manager available for general questions, and while some of the security staff was helpful, others were downright rude to us as guests, despite our polite, respectful behavior. We had one very unpleasant experience with a tuk-tuk driver who was trying to scam us, and I asked for help from the security guard on duty because I was afraid the driver was going to be physically violent towards my fiancee, and instead of helping, the guard actually told my fiancee to pay him off, as well. We felt very taken advantage of, which is not a good feeling as a tourist on vacation. Again, to be clear, we have traveled all over the world and are very relaxed, low-key travelers. These are things that haven't happened to us before, including our previous trips to Kenya.

Lastly, while the property is pretty, and the villas look nice on the outside, there are some structural issues. Our roof leaked water, resulting in a big water stain down the hallway wall. The balcony doors in our bedroom were mis-aligned, and one would not close, making it impossible for us to use the air conditioning unit because the door to the outside was open. It seems like it may have been fast/cheap construction, resulting in some strange things. Also, as another reviewer noted, the stairs are very, very steep, so I would not recommend this for families with very young or older members. 

Overall, it was an unpleasant experience. A lot of things could have been fixed by having a manager onsite, or a more detailed check-in process that involves receiving keys and doing a walk-through of each unit. 

Bottom line: there are better places to stay in Malindi - keep looking.

Many Better Options in Malindi - Keep Looking

I've travelled all over the world and this is one of the worst places I've ever stayed. It gives you the illusion of security with no security. My husband had his new iPhone stolen out of the backpack in our room and my friend had a bunch of shillings stolen out of her suitcase. We were both told by the caretaker that we had to leave our keys with the staff so that they could clean our rooms, and apparently steal our things. I called the police and they weren't able to do anything. The owners never contacted me and it was a nightmare. Please do not stay here.

DO NOT STAY HERE

Fantastic complex, photos showed exactly what we got. A great little two bedroom villa and some 5 bedded ones (although we didn't see inside one) all facing one of the two pools. Nicely decorated and kept so very clean.  
Air con and fan in the bedrooms of the villa we were in. 
Kitchen space is basic but works and has what you need. Lots of space to lounge around.

 One thing I would say is that noise travels far here, do we felt we needed to speak in hushed tones the whole time, definitely would not recommend to people with children, I feel this would significantly disturb any other guests.

It is set quite a bit off the main road so we were happy to have a car, parking is available.

All in all we loved it and will hopefully be back.

Fantastic place,  exactly as advertised

Something amazing about swordfish is the photos we saw online was exactly what we got. The rooms were great, the open living room, the kitchen all the amenities were available and in good condition. The pool was great.

Their hospitality is something to talk about the guys on ground are doing a good job the place is clean and the service is just good...thanks to Hellen and Ruth right from when we checked in they took care of us.

Swordfish anytime all the time.

Also to Jumia for an amazing offer we really had fun.

We had a wonderful experience

The overall outward appearance is top class. The gardens are beautiful and the pools very spacious and clean with a great design which has very shallow areas and steps all around with a deeper middle.
 
The villas are well-maintained. The negatives: the bedrooms are quite small and are up very steep stairs which are a problem for older people with sore knees and for young children who can go flying down the steps. Our four-year flew twice and landed with a very heavy splat both times. The kitchen did not have all we needed so the cook was constantly searching vacant villas for what he needed. Also our cook messed up every single meal. He seemed to be very confused for our whole stay.

Maybe our main concern was the close proximity of the villas to each other as that meant we had to be constantly shushing the children who weren't being particularly noisy but were disturbing the groups of older people next door. The lounge and dining areas were outside and separated from the neighbours' outdoor lounge only by a few bushes and some curtains. Our neighbours looked like they were there long-term and had a TV set up outside on their veranda. If you have even moderately noisy children this is not the most relaxing place for you!

We really enjoyed the pool, although wished it could be used after 5pm. It was a short drive to the beach and we went there each afternoon. 

The security and household staff were friendly and helpful and did their jobs unobtrusively.

Mixed feelings

I've been to Malindi several times, but in the last few trips I decided to stay at Swordfish. It's a great choice and I wouldn't change since. The place is quiet, elegant and the staff is always available and friendly. Ruth, my favorite housekeeper and cook Justus is great for cooking both local and international meals. I always come back to Swordfish, without hesitation!!!

Swordfish Villas

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