Situated North of Mombasa amidst on of East Africa’s best beaches and boasts of palatial public areas and Arabic architecture to make it on of the best Hotels around.

The whole ‘Whitesands concept’ began in 1930 and the following is the chronology of what happened afterwards:

1930 - Mr. H G Robertson bought a new house with two bedrooms flanked by a long lounge. Robertson was working as an Editor of Mombasa Times, which grew into present day "Standard". He said he will call his new place Whitesands. Ali Bin Salim – The Liwali (Chief) gave Robertson a few more acres of land on the beach.

1941 - Mrs. Stocker bought ‘The Whitesands’ from Widow Robertson. She built a larger Establishment of 8 cottages and Whitesands was open for business. Incidentally – the first business was from the Royal Navy a Brigade of enlisted lady Sailors known as WRENS, who were sent to assist in shore duties. A Phrase was coined at this time to describe Whitesands as WHITESANDS Waving Palms, Silverstrands, Luck, Love, Romance and Revelry.

1946 - Mrs. Stocker sold Whitesands to one David Durwood Brown. He is credited with making Whitesands popular with the locals and it became known as the "PUB BY THE SEA".

1960 - Akberali Manzi bought Whitesands from Widow Stocker. Seventy new rooms were built, the central complex was reconstructed and a boat bar was introduced – later a bathing pool called ‘LIDO’ was added. Renovation went on and by 1976, the ‘Pub by the Sea’ was turned into a five star hotel.

1976 - Sarova Group of Companies bought the Whitesands and set into motion ambitious development plans which changed the hotel from 70 rooms in 1976 to 173 and then to 340 by 1996.

The 340 rooms consists of

2 Presidential Suites

6 Junior Suites

221 Twin Bedded Rooms

77 Double Bedded Rooms

36 Triples

The 340 rooms (in 3 storeys)

PAVILLION I & II

The restaurant has a capacity of 680 people and serves buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner with different themes. It is open from 7.00am till 9.30am for breakfast, 1230-1400hrs for lunch, and 1930-2130hrs for dinner.

MINAZI

The restaurant has a round the clock snack menu, it is open 24 hours serving early breakfast at 4.00am –7.00am. Minazi Restaurant is situated on the ground floor and can carry a capacity of 72 people; this restaurant mainly caters for light snacks with pizzas being the main feature with fresh filling of choice.

LIDO GRILL

Located by the poolside overlooking the vastness of the Indian Ocean, with a capacity to accommodate 72 people.

Specializes in barbecue prawns and lobsters. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7.30pm to 10.00pm

Beach Bar

With a capacity of 150 people this sea facing bar is open from 10.00 am to midnight and has live music entertainment 3 days a week.

Jambo Pool Bar

This bar has capacity for 60 people and is open 800-1800hrs

Tamanisha Theme Bar

This bar is a sea view specialty bar serving cocktails you relax with a drink taking in the spectacular view of the Indian Ocean. Located on the first floor in the pavilion with a balcony terrace.

Magharibi Lounge

Located on the first floor this lounge has a capacity of 200 people and is an ideal venue for cocktail receptions and afternoon teas.

MAKUTANO CONFERENCE CENTRE LAUNCHED IN STYLE

Makutano Conference Centre (MCC), the latest addition to the Whitesands conferencing outfit, was officially opened on November 22nd 2002 to a cross-section of Sarova Hotels business and conference partners and flown in to Mombasa by British Airways.

The move has boosted our conferencing facility from the current best in the coast to the unreachable!

The refurbishment project is in line with Sarova's commitment to Product Development aimed at upgrading its facilities to give the client a superior product.

The General Manager-Deneys Swart, in his address said that with the latest addition to Whitesands conferencing, we can now host international conventions of up to 900 delegates. The attendees were taken through the features of MCC in an interesting presentation done by the Group Marketing Manager-David Maina and Whitesands Human Resources Manager-Christina Were.

Amongst the speakers was Sarova Group Sales Manager Thomas Bisonga who introduced the Sarova Head Office delegation and stressed on the importance of laying clever strategies to keep ahead of the competition within the hospitality industry, one such strategy is by improving our offer through product development. He likened this to the race for survival where the slowest antelope needs to outrun the fastest lion in order to survive.

The ultramodern amphitheatre showcases the following state of the art features and equipment:

At a supplement:

LARGEST (and the best) CONFERENCE FACILITIES AT THE KENYAN COAST

Mombasa offers a cultural experience combined with the natural beauty of sun drenched beaches, coral reefs and tropical marine life.

Whitesands provides a range of ultra-modern facilities and the quality of service that sets it amongst the best beach resorts in the world.

The relaxing atmosphere in a breathtaking setting provides the perfect environment for clarity of mind and focus for any conference delegate.

The exquisite leisure facilities coupled by the numerous activities lined up by the staff keep delegates well occupied and entertained until they depart. Sarova Hotels are on hand to make you feel as comfortable as possible offering you flight options as well as exclusive transfers to Whitesands.

Whitesands offers the largest conference facilities at the Kenyan Coast, and all your meeting requirements are catered for and coordinated to the last detail irrespective of the size of your group. For a successful and memorable meeting in a 'TREASURE ISLAND' setting, Whitesands is your best choice

Baraza (400 Theatre) (500 Coctails) (300 Seminar)

Fahari (150 Theatre) (200 Coctails) (70 Seminar)

Baraza (200 Theatre)

   TEAM WORK           CREATIVITY          THE FINAL PRODUCT

• CHALLENGING
• FUN
• EDUCATIONAL
• FULL OF TEAM WORK
• ENHANCES YOUR CREATIVITY
• and is RIGHT AT THE BEACH

One can access this great resort in a number of ways.

Whitesands is actually situated 14kms from Mombasa town centre, on Bamburi Beach.

International flights fly straight into Moi International Airport, Mombasa providing convenient access.

The distance from Nairobi to Mombasa is 500 km while The flight duration is 45 minutes.

Transfer from the Airport is 30 minutes and covers 23 kms.

The overnight train ride takes 12 hours. Transfers to the Railway Station take 20 minutes and covers 15 kms. A drive from Nairobi to Whitesands takes 6-7 hours.

Hot days (average 28°C)

Warm Nights (average 22°C)

Tropical climate with high humidity levels

Conventional rain during May/June and October /November.

Whitesands offers a wide variety of sporting activities to choose from. It has the widest selection of water sports in the coast.

You can enjoy jet skiing, windsurfing, pedalos, kayaking, catamarans and banana boat rides. o It also has leisure cruises to the reef on glass-bottomed boats where you can view some of the most spectacular coral and tropical marine life.

The more daring can enjoy scuba diving that is undertaken with the help of highly experienced scuba divers from the Hotel’s scuba diving team.

BLUE LAGOON WATERSPORTS CENTRE.

The Blue Lagoon Watersports Centre in Whitesands is by far the most equipped and specialized centre on this side of the Coast. With an experience spanning close to two decades, the centre is renown for its extensive variety of both motorized and unmotorised watersport vessels and exciting excursions.

The most popular among adults and children alike being its famous jet skis

4 OUT-DOOR SWIMMING POOLS

Whitesands has 4 Outdoor swimming pools with diving boards, springboards and water slides. You could also swim or enjoy waterslides on any of Whitesands four outdoor free-forming swimming pools.

4 FLOOD LIT TENNIS COURTS

Whitesands has four floodlit tennis courts where one can enjoy playing tennis or enjoy a work out at the gym that is equipped with the best Nautilus equipment.

FANCY GOLF OR HORSE RIDING?

For those that prefer golf or horse ridding, there is beautiful golf coarse and ridding venue nearby.

SPORTS ACTIVITES

Whitesands also has a range of Organized sports activities - never a dull moment!

MARINE PARK

Whitesands Hotel has the longest stretch of natural beachfront. It is classified as a Marine Park by the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) to protect the sea animals, plants and coral reef. The KWS collect a park fee charged to both residents and non-residents wishing to visit the reef or go snorkeling. This fee goes towards contributing to conservation in Kenya.

This unique feature about our beachfront attracts many nature lovers who enjoy the large variety of sea creatures and colourful array of marine life.

Whitesands is very supportive of the conservation effort for the Marine Park and enhances it through the services offered by our Blue Lagoon Watersports Centre that enable visitors to visit the reef and view the marine life.

BUCCANNEER DIVING SCHOOL

Whitesands is the only hotel on the coast that has the only 5 Star PADI diving course offered. This is a fully fledged diving school instructing an internationally certified diving course. Amongst the courses offered include: ·

PADI Openwater course - a full certification course that includes lessons in theory, pool and ocean dives.

PADI Scuba Diving Course that further to the one above, allows the learner to dive up to 12 metres down.

PADI Advanced Course - also a full certification course for experienced divers that includes lessons in ocean dives, night dives, deep dives and navigational dives.

PADI Specialty Course - this offers specialized lessons i.e.:

The Reef Diver

The Naturalist Diver

The Boat Diver

The Drift Diver

The Night Diver

The Peak Performance Buoyancy PADI Rescue Diver and

PADI Divemaster

Guest Services available for your convenience

Bureau de Change

Safety deposit boxes in all rooms

Laundry

Baby sitting service services

In-house doctor and nurse always available

Whitesands is a dedicated supporter of the Bombolulu Workshop Project. This is a project founded in 1969 by the Association of the Physically Disabled of Kenya (APDK) which train and employs physically challenged persons in handicraft production and related business skills.

Within the Whitesands, there is a cultural village representing four tribal communities drawn from different parts of Kenya namely, the Maasai from the Southwestern part of Kenya, the Giriama from the Coastal region, the Bukusu from the Western Region and the Orma from the North Eastern side of Kenya.

In the cultural village, one will find life size traditional houses built using the materials the particular communities represented used. These were built by members of the Bombolulu Workshop Project and make a good learning area for the tourists to know more about Kenya's traditional heritage.

During the high season, there is a blind guide who sits at the Village and gives a talk about culture to the guests as they have their afternoon tea. This is a good way of promoting our rich Kenyan culture and heritage.

The uniqueness of Whitesand's stylish architectural design with superb landscape gardens directly overlooking the Indian Ocean really does make Whitesands the Incentive venue.

The tropical climate, white palm fringed beaches, the warm waters of the Indian Ocean make Mombasa a natural haven. Combined this with friendly and efficient service and 5 star facilities you then have the quality that Whitesands represents.

The largest conference facilities on the coast, the perfect venue for seminar and meetings with Air-conditioned conference suites, boardrooms and modern Audio Visual equipment.

We boast the best Water sports and Diving school and our extensive entertainment includes live shows and bands every night with our own popular Rhythms Night Club.

© Sarova Hotels Ltd / Choices Wild Limited. All rights Reserved. 2005.