Name: Mara Sun Lodge
Address: Salt Lick Rd at Ngiro-are Rd, 0100, Masai Mara, Kenya, Keekorok, Keekorok, Keekorok, 0100, Kenya
Rating: 8

Smoke-free property

Ticket assistance

Garden

Terrace

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

No elevators

Reception desk

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Shower

Toiletries

Rooms

Laundry

Concierge services

Hairdryer (on request)

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Breakfast

Restaurant

Bottled water

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet access

Internet

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Barbecue grill(s)

Barbeque

Recreation

Parking

At the hotel

Room amenities

Angama Mara Airport

Kichwa Tembo

Mara Lodges Airport

Olkiombo Airport

Mara North

Keekorok

Mara Sun Lodge

I stayed at the Mara Sun Lodge on a last minute solo photography trip to Kenya in September 2019, my second time in Africa and my first visit to Kenya.

The lodge itself is situated high up on the edge of the Oloololo escarpment, blending in to the surrounding environment. The lodge offers parking at the ground base before traversing up the escarpment in a 6-wheel drive vehicle.

The lodge is set in a crescent shape, rustic with rooms clean and spacious in the the design of traditional Maasai Manyattas. My double room had a comfortable bed with mosquito net, bedside tables, a desk space and two chairs with table. There is hot running water in the rooms shower, and a kettle was provided for me on arrival by the staff as I am a big tea drinker!

The jewel was the private balcony of each room which offers breathtaking views over the Mara Triangle. When not out on drive, this is where I spent my time listening to the sounds of the busch, and watching the many animals that pass below. One evening I watched two elephants pick fruit from tall trees by standing on their hind legs. You may have gathered there is no TV in the rooms, but why the hell would you need one! It was not uncommon at night to hear or see bushbabies on the roof, or be woken by the residential Baboons that refuge in the rocks at night

The dinning and communal area in the central area of the lodge is a spacious area, providing 3-4 course evening meals decided on the menu earlier that day, and breakfast. There is a TV located here, as well as an outdoor fire pit and balcony dinning area. At the time of my trip myself and my guide were the only two guests at the lodge, as I had timed by trip just out of season.

The staff were all very friendly and accommodating during my stay, being able to exchange cultural conversations and learning about Maasai life.

The location is at the far South/West of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, roughly 6 hours from the capital of Nairobi, so if a secluded stay with stunning scenery and abundant game is what you are looking for, this would be a great place for you.

Treetop African Hideaway

I love this place.  I've stayed here twice, while on humanitarian medical team trip.  The views are great.  The cultural education provided is hard to match.  And the rooms are clean.  Food is good.  Ambiance is wonderful and the service is excellent.

The best view of the Mara

This lodge is on top of a mountain. It is a very steep narrow road, where the lodge takes you up or down as required. In the little time we were there their vehicle broke down twice. On one occasion they asked us to get off the car and start hiking ! My wife has certain medical conditions and she was in a terrible shape. We kept asking the guy to make alternate arrangements, but nothing came off it. We somehow reached the lodge but my wife was unable to do the evening safari with us. The lodge has no internet in the rooms and the net in the reception wasnt working for two days. The room was painted bright pink with jute cloth on the ceiling. The place also had cockroaches.

Not Happy with the property at all.

I stayed here in August 2019 and found this place to be an absolute gem. I read some negative reviews before booking the property. But after speaking with Gerald, the hotel manager, i felt quite comfortable booking the property. Gerald was very helpful and patient in answering all my queries. 

Positives about the hotel:
1. Staff was very nice and super helpful.
2. We are vegetarians and the chef took special care of us and during our entire stay we were spoiled for vegetarian options. 
3. Amazing views of the Mara as you are on the top of the hill and also very close to the game drives. A lot of animals could be spotted from the hotel itself.
4. NO MOSQUITOES due to location of the hotel at the top of the hill.
5. Rooms were big, nice and comfortable.
6. Someone mentioned in one of the reviews i read that there is some issues with the hot water availability but we had hot water available 24 hours a day.
7. Special thanks to Gerald, who manages the property, went above and beyond to make sure we had a nice experience. He even provided us with a very good guide, Kisotu, who helped us spot the big 5s.

The only negative i could think of is that the public road leading to the Hotel property is not in a very good condition, but it is hardly a 5 minute drive and this road is no different to the other roads in an around Mara. This is really not a criticism of the hotel because they cant really control the condition of the public access roads.

Overall I would give them more than 5 stars if i could and the most important factor would be the excellent staff. I would highly recommend and would definitely stay here again.

Also from my experience I would advise anyone having any doubts in their minds to communicate with Gerald and ask as many questions you like to put your mind at ease. I can speak from my experience you wont be disappointed.

Excellent experience.. Beyond our expectations.

I had an excellent stay. Staff is super friendly and they all seem genuinely willing to help to give you a great experience, Thanks to the chef for making the place vegetarian friendly. 
Location is amazing with stunning views of the Mara. To my surprise there were no mosquitoes at all that was probably because the high altitude of the hotel.
The property manager, Mr Gerald, took great care of all the guests. Everybody seemed to love him.
Highly recommended,

Amazing views and super friendly staff

I stayed here during the month of August and it was a pleasant stay. The food was very nice and upon special requests the staff is ready to serve you. The rooms are pleasant, worth the price that the hotel requires. The view out of the hotel is pleasant. The drive up to the hotel is a bit of a challenge but experienced drivers that do this everyday have no issue so it’s not a problem. Wifi is only available in lobby area but not an issue for all. Would surely recommend staying here and would stay here myself again. Great place to be and being on the top of a hill there are no mosquitos as would be expected from a jungle like place. 

Pleasant Stay

Amazing overlook and view of the Mara. Nice lodge but it could use a little sprucing up. There was no screen on my bathroom window and the window was open so mosquitoes had gotten into my room. The shower curtain did not go all the way to the floor and there was no mat or towel so it was a wet slippery floor. The old skeleton style key was not easy to use in locking and unlocking my door. The bed was very firm and not very comfortable, almost felt like a box-spring. Wifi only in main lodge.
Staff was friendly and helpful, food was good. I would stay here again. The drive up from the Mara was an adventure, luckily staff who have done it hundreds of time and know what they are doing picked us up and drove us to the top of the escarpment.

Mara Sun Lodge

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