Galu Beach, Pinewood Village Review

Overall Rating

Superb Beach.
Excellent surroundings.
Colobus Monkies in the grounds!
Warm and Friendly.
Great choice of grub.
PoolBar.
BeachBar

Our own fault, but we only had a week.
A bit remote, but relaxing as a result.
A couple of beach-vendors.
Don't take the deep sea fishing trip.

We chose Pinewood Village as the beach element of our Safari Holiday in 2003. We'd spent 6 days on the dusty roads of Kenya, and flew from the Masai Mara to an airstrip just south of Mombassa. That in itself was brilliant. We waited a fair bit for our transfer minibus, but it was all part of the trip and wasn't really a problem. It was worth the wait, though. If you want to be waited on hand and foot (literally - see below), this is the place for you. Each of the two-bed roomed "houses" - and there only twelve in the complex - has its own chef and housekeeper! Lounge and bedroom are air-conditioned (necessary!), and spacious. We never managed to catch out our chef - he cooked everything we asked for - from "Chinese" to meat and two veg. Breakfast and evening meals are cooked and served in your house, lunch is taken by the pool. Our chef even apologised that he had no prawns for my wife's prawn cocktail one evening - would lobster do!! I explained my "addiction" to chillies, and he found a bush just outside the grounds and picked plenty for me. (I still have some at home, ground down and in oil). We stayed on a half-board basis, but when we return (and we shall), we'll go All Inclusive. Everything is signed for, so you do tend to accumulate a lot of paperwork. You can get carried away too, if you're not careful!! Still, it avoids having to carry cash around. The bill is settled at the end of your stay by card or travellers cheques - they don't like handling cash because of the risk of corruption. There are two bars - one at the pool and one on the beach. The beach bar takes over late afternoon (pool bar then closes) and stays open until the last guest decides they've had enough. Coconuts for the various drinks and catering are collected from the palms right on the beach! There is also a masseuse and "beautician" on site. Several weddings take place during the year, so the brides are able to be pampered for their special day. We enjoyed a couple of "top to toe" sessions. Everyone is so attentive to your needs. There are a couple of beach vendors, who can be a bit pressing, but they are "licensed" by the village, and no others encroach onto their part of the beach. You just have to be very firm - also to the point of being rude. It doesn't offend them, though. Don't be tempted to take the deep sea fishing trip, no matter how much you might believe the leaflet. It doesn't represent good value - although Mother Nature is really the only one who can dictate the success or otherwise. If you really can't resist, I would suggest striking a deal before you go (they expect £200.00 for the boat, which takes four people comfortably), based on how much success they can "guarantee". I managed to negotiate a 25% retrospective reduction because of lack of game-fish, but only after long periods of uncomfortable silence. Took loads of video footage of the Colobus Monkies - right close up on our balcony! All in all, we had a superb time, and plan to return before too long. Our chosen operator, Raj Air is well respected in Kenya, and I would also recommend them as your first point of enquiry.

Members' Comments onpippa's Review

• Tanuja on 12th Sep 2007

  I don't agree with your comment about Raj Air. I found them unhelpful. I would not recommend anyone to use them as travel agents for any trips.