Take advantage of a playground, a hair salon and an arcade/games room at Papillon Lagoon Reef. At the two on-site restaurants, enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, light fare and local and international cuisine. Enjoy the 24-hour gym, as well as activities such as scuba diving. Free in-room WiFi is available to all guests, along with dry cleaning/laundry services and a bar.
Diani Beach is home to Papillon Lagoon Reef. Diani Beach and Shimba Hills National Reserve reflect the area's natural beauty and area attractions include BoraBora Wildlife Park and Colobus Conservation. Visit our Diani Beach travel guide
Diani Beach Road, Diani Beach, Kwale County
What's nearby
Diani Beach
12 min drive - 5.3 miles
Tiwi Beach
32 min drive - 14.8 miles
Kaya Kinondo Sacred Forest
8 min walk - 0.5 miles
Kinondo Beach
17 min walk - 0.9 miles
Galu Kinondo Beach
5 min drive - 1.7 miles
Getting around
Ukunda (UKA)
28 min drive
Restaurants
Tandoori
11 min drive
Pallet Cafe
4 min drive
The Olive Kitchen
7 min drive
Havana Bar, Diani Beach
14 min drive
Nomad's Beach Bar And Restaurant
13 min drive
About this property
Papillon Lagoon Reef
Family-friendly hotel
Take advantage of a playground, a hair salon and an arcade/games room at Papillon Lagoon Reef. At the two on-site restaurants, enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, light fare and local and international cuisine. Enjoy the 24-hour gym, as well as activities such as scuba diving. Free in-room WiFi is available to all guests, along with dry cleaning/laundry services and a bar.
Additional perks include:
An outdoor pool and a children's pool, along with sunloungers and pool umbrellas
Free self-parking
A round-trip airport shuttle (surcharge), tour/ticket information and a reception hall
A gift shop, ping pong and a billiards/pool table
Room features
All 149 rooms have comforts such as laptop-friendly workspaces and air conditioning, as well as perks such as free WiFi and separate sitting areas.
More conveniences in all rooms include:
Free toiletries and hairdryers
Wardrobes/cupboards, separate sitting areas and ceiling fans
All-inclusive details
All-inclusive room rates at Papillon Lagoon Reef are available. These rates are higher because they include on-site food and beverages in the room rate (some restrictions may apply).
Yes, this property has an outdoor pool and a children's pool.
How much does it cost to stay at Papillon Lagoon Reef?
As of 23 Oct 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Papillon Lagoon Reef on 25 Oct 2026 start from £148, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
Is Papillon Lagoon Reef pet-friendly?
No, only service animals are welcome at the property.
How much is parking at Papillon Lagoon Reef?
Self-parking is free at this property.
What time is check-in at Papillon Lagoon Reef?
Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; check-in end time: 9:00 PM. Late check-in is available during limited hours.
What time is check-out at Papillon Lagoon Reef?
Checkout is at 10:00 AM. Late checkout is available for a fee (subject to availability).
Does Papillon Lagoon Reef provide a shuttle to the airport?
Yes, there's an airport shuttle that runs on request. A fee of KES 6426.16 per vehicle applies.
Are there all-inclusive benefits at Papillon Lagoon Reef?
Some rate plans available at this property are all-inclusive.
Where is Papillon Lagoon Reef located?
This family-friendly Diani Beach hotel is within a 10-minute walk of Kinondo Beach and Kaya Kinondo Sacred Forest. BoraBora Wildlife Park and Galu Kinondo Beach are also within 1 mile (2 km).
Can I cancel my reservation for free and receive a full refund?
Yes, this property offers free cancellation on selected room rates because flexibility matters! Please refer to the property cancellation policy on our site for more details about any exclusions or requirements.
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Reviews
Papillon Lagoon Reef Reviews
8.2
Very good
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travellers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.More informationOpens in a new window
Everything was so exceptional so clean, welcomg staff, amazing food and great drinks
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2025
Verified review
8/10 Good
Nishit
8 Nov 2025
Liked: Cleanliness
Very friendly and felt relaxed.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2025
Verified review
8/10 Good
Grace
24 Dec 2025
Liked: Cleanliness
Clean room, respective kitchen, entertainment team, and cleaning staff. We used the gym and it was good. Pool needed regular cleaning.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2025
Verified review
8/10 Good
Daniel
19 Feb 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Great room and friendly staff
Food average, same, repetitive
Drinks poor…bad cups, never cold, no carbonation…really need to be “ on tap” not from warm bottles
Pool water never clear…not balanced
Stayed 8 nights in Feb 2025
Verified review
6/10 Okay
Edward
16 Jan 2024
Liked: Cleanliness
The property and rooms are great. The day to day staff was friendly and always willing to help. The front desk and reservations staff were difficult to deal with. They were very slow on responses to issues. We were often told accommodations are not possible, asked to wait long periods or come back when trying to address issues. We later found out it is their tactic to get you to pay more or tip them to get the help that should come with good service. The restaurant manager Elijah and staff member Kendi had outstanding customer service.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Verified review
6/10 Okay
Sameer
13 Jan 2024
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
OK Experience
I booked a Beachfront Suite which was nice (but first they tried to put me in a regular room). My friends had rooms booked - no A/C, No TV, Damp smell. Service was overall good, some staff were friendly and nice, some were straight up rude & propositioning “friendly” times after entertainment to my female friends. It’s on the beach, but next time will rebook another hotel that i know has a private beach & multiple pools. They have so many signs & rules, but it’s like zoo as they don’t really enforce it so it’s a mess & ruins experience. Food was ok. Not dying to return here. My suite had views of ocean & beach which was the ONLY great part.
The rooms were clean and well stocked with tiny soap, lotion, shampoo and water bottles. Mosquito net looked cute and not over bearing. Stylish actually.
The meals were relatively nice and fresh. No upset tummies at all. Wish they served African snacks during tea time, e.g. mahamri and sweet potato.
The staff were helpful and always pleasant. Discovered the massage amenities almost too late. Very reasonable and the ladies were nice and gentle, as we wanted.
Not a great space for people who have walking issues as the rooms are not near the 2 dining halls. They offered to use a wheel chair to transport but not ideal.
I would stay here again. It is a smaller hotel but very relaxing.
The beach location is amazing. The only challenge is getting to and and from Moi International Airport as it is a bit far and sets you back around 60 US dollars one-way.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review
10/10 Excellent
osman
21 Nov 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
"Yes, the room was spotless. Housekeepers Clinton and Mohamed were very polite and provided excellent customer service. They cleaned our room and offered outstanding service."
Very old and dated hotel. Food very bland and always the same. Pool extremely dirty.Very expensive for what you get. There are much better options in the area.
Dining options is low
Some receptionist not friendly: it looks like you force them to respond when you ask a question or you only get partial response/information
The food was better than expected, nice pool with no loud music. Right by the beach in the south end. Staff helpful and Even gave us a WiFi booster. Unfortunately it didn’t help so only WiFi in lobby. Monkeys steal your stuff. But good value for money.
Our recent stay here was beyond what we expected!
Every single member of the staff as outstanding from the manager Anthony who assisted our needs.
Frederick in reception that helped us book our train/flights.
Fredrick and Mary at the cash bar who make the most incredible pina coladas.
Sarah and her daily massages.
Henry, Raphael, Albert and Victor.
The rooms were very comfortable, clean and we enjoyed the monkey, baboon visitors each day.
The atmosphere here is calm, clean and relaxing.
We will be back!
Very disappointing stay. We booked a family room with one double and two single beds but were given a room with only one double and one single. When we raised this, the reception staff were rude and dismissive, insisting it was “sufficient.”
The room itself had serious issues: loud scratching noises from the ceiling at night (likely insects in the wood), staff only sprayed insecticide in the room in the middle of the night while some of us were sleeping which was unsafe and temporary.
On the last day, the ceiling began leaking in the bathroom, then directly onto the bedroom and on my bed, leaving the room wet and unusable. Despite reporting it in the morning, we were not moved until 2pm, wasting most of our final day.
Wi-Fi was practically non-existent outside the lobby, and staff kept repeating “someone is working on it” without resolution.
Overall, poor service, some unprofessional staff members, and unacceptable room conditions made this a very stressful holiday. I would not recommend this resort.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review
6/10 Okay
Verified traveller
18 Jan 2024
Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
If you want a getaway, get away from this hotel!
This Hotel certainly has its positive points. It is beautiful, well located, and has some magical attractions, such as a huge and ancient Boabab tree on the property.
That being said, although it has good bones, it suffers from poor service and lack of maintenance.
Staff is not well trained. I came to my room being left wide open all day by housekeeping, even after having reported a faulty latch, which was never fixed.
I found ripped paintings in rooms, sick cats on the property who are in desperate need of veterinary help.
Food is bland and not diverse. Lots of flies around. Staff do not know what of the food is vegetarian and what is not.
Beach is horrible. You cannot step our without 5 or 6 vendors following you. They are beyond persitant. They will in fact peer into the hotel itself and try to sell you a coconut, or a boat, or a ride, while you are at the pool. It is not restful and very invasive. If you want a beach getaway, get away from this place.
The beachboys will stalk you and will follow you and will watch you. Very creepy.
There is extremely loud music from the hotel itself at night. Badly mixed, and with loud base. If you want to have a good nights rest, you might want to stay elsewhere.
Basic etiquette among staff is lacking. I asked for a kettle in my room, and I was told if I booked a more expensive room, I might have got one. A very unnecessary comment to make, where a simple no, would have done the job.
Overall: Not even a last resort.
Uns hat das Hotel sehr gut gefallen.Wir haben den Suite mit Meersblick,einfach umwerfend. Sehr freundliche, hilfsbereite Personal,ich plane schon meine nächste Urlaub dort
Jolie piscine mais les horaires d'ouverture sont un peu justes (10h/18h) et encore parfois ce n'est pas pret a 10h (nettoyage) donc plutot 10h30/11h00. Petit dej parfait. Par contre, pour les repas du midi et soir, on a l'impression de toujours manger la même chose. Mais c'est correct!!
Excellent hôtel. Belle deco, simple,propre,convivial. Plage magnifique et piscine.Singe sur place. Si vous les ignorés ils feront de même. Chat gris au bar de la plage. Prenez un peu de nourriture pour lui donner. Il meurt de fain. Restauration a améliorer. Bon mais répétitif. J' y retournerai si je reviens au Kenya
top freundliches personal, fruehstuecksauswahl v buffet, lage direkt am strand, kein malle tammtamm, ausspannen, massage tolles zimmer, schoener garten.. gerne und immer wieder