As promised, here is my review of the restaurant at Sands at Nomad. If you missed my review of the hotel you can check it out here.

The restaurant is open to both guests and the public. The restaurant was a short walk from my room and is located right next the beach bar.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_baobab

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Restaurant

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Restaurant3

 

The décor at both the restaurant and bar is impressive. The restaurant is housed under a huge canopy which lets in the light beautifully during the day. The extensive use of rich brown wood is simply majestic.The white wood branches used as a centerpiece really catch the eye.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Layout

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Layout3

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_centrepiece

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_layout2

 

In hindsight I should have written down all the names of the meals I had but I was far too hungry to. Please excuse my vague descriptions; and let the pictures do the talking.

As an appetizer before every meal .

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Bread sticks

 

On my first day I had a beef burger with cheese and a side of fries. The patty was tasty and succulent, all the ingredients came together to make the perfect burger.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Burger

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Burger with fries

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_beach view

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_View of beach

 

When dinner came around I was a bit indecisive but in the end I picked the tagliatelle with sea food. The color was initially a put off but my meal turned out to be delectable. I was tempted to order it again but on second thought I decided not to order the same meal twice.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Pasta

 

As I sat down to enjoy my meal I was joined by the very chubby hotel cat, (s)he seemed to sense that I needed some company.  Unlike most cats in hotels (s)he did not beg for food but instead just rested near my table and even snoozed a bit.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Hotel cat

 

 

For dessert I went for homemade vanilla ice cream, but I did not enjoy it as it was full of tiny icicles. The texture was inconsistent and not as creamy as I had expected.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Vanilla ice cream

 

Overall I enjoyed my meal. Given the open nature of the restaurant, there is no need for air conditioning, the breeze from the sea is enough to keep you cool. This however means that there are loads of mosquitoes around. Throughout dinner on the first night I had what felt like a scourge of mosquitoes feasting on my blood.  After that I learned my lesson and kept my legs covered the next day.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Tables

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Restaurant at night

 The Restaurant at night

 

The next day I chose a salad for lunch. I can’t remember all of the ingredients but it had nuts, prawns, lettuce and strawberries.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Salad

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Salad1

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_View of beach2

 Majestic views of the beach

 

Of all the meals I had the salad was my least favorite. It was the only time I did not clear my plate, or rather bowl.

Fortunately dinner that night made up for the earlier disappointment. I had steak, potatoes and creamed spinach. My first impression was the portion seemed rather small but in the end it turned out to be filling.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Steak

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Steak2

 

To top it all off I chose tiramisu for dessert. I love tiramisu and their version did not disappoint me. Every spoonful was a delightful experience.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Turamisu

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Beach bar

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Beach br by night2

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Beach bar by night

 

The menu is varied and there are lots of options for vegetarians.

One thing to note is that if you are a hotel guest you will have to pay for all your drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) separately. The only exception is breakfast.

The prices are not cheap but are affordable.

Breakfast is served buffet style. There is a wide varierty consisting of fresh fruit, fresh juice, cereal, yoghurt, bread, you name it. There is also a selection of meats and a chef on standby to prepare your egg or pancake as you want.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Chef

 

The service was amazing, I never had to wait too long for any of my meals. The staff were really friendly, sometimes a little too much. I would have to answer the same question multiple times i.e. the waiter serving me would ask if I was enjoying my meal, another waiter would pass by and ask the same question and then the restaurant manager would ask again. You could tell that the hotel management is really keen on guest satisfaction.

Allow me to deviate a bit. As with most hotels at the coast you will encounter beach boys while walking along the beach.  What was different this time is that the beach boys working on the hotel’s stretch of beach all had identification and wore blue t-shirts.  This made them easier to trust and I never had to worry about leaving any of my belongings on the beach while I went to dip my feet in the ocean.

Beach boys will try to sell you anything and everything, they will follow you around then try to charge you for taking you on a ‘tour’. Never assume that they are doing anything out of kindness. If you are to do any sort of business with beach boys always agree on the price beforehand.

Experience has taught me and I am generally wary whenever a beach boy approaches me. I had a rather interesting experience during my stay, during the low tide in the morning I had walked to a rock outcrop to view some sea life. While there a beach boy showed up, he seemed to be looking for starfish to sell. When he found one, I was curious and went to look. Once I was done walking around he followed me back and asked me for Kshs1,500 ($16) for his services. I was stunned, all he had done was show me a starfish and yet he expected some pay, of which he got none.  

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Beach boy

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Sea urchin

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Starfish

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Sea cucumberSea Cucumber

.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_nemo fishClownfish, or as everyone calls them, Nemo fish

.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_sea shell

 

That said, not every single beach boy is out to take advantage of you. I did meet a couple of nice ones one of whom didn’t hesitate to pose for me when I wanted  to take shots of the sunrise.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Sunrise2

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Sunrise

 

I also met this Masai man selling his wares along the beach. He asked me to take a picture of him.

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Maasai

 

Sands at Nomad restaurant_Maasai 2

 

Disclosure: The management at Sands at Nomad were gracious enough to host me; however all opinions are mine

Have you been to the Sands at Nomad Restaurant? What do you think of the place? Share your experiences …

 

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20 Comments

  1. February 7, 2015 at 9:46 pm — Reply

    YOU and your posts always inspire me to travel, Rachael! Seriously. My gawd you take the most amazing photos and I literally feel like I’m THERE in some of those shots…especially on the beach. I’m not a cat person (dog guy here) but I would have gotten a kick out of that kitty hanging out actually. You and I would sooooo get along with our foodie selves, my friend. I’ve told you before and will say it again, if I can ever make it to Kenya (and I hope I can) you are definitely hired to be my guide! 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful virtual escape for me on this Saturday morning 🙂

    • February 9, 2015 at 1:56 pm — Reply

      I would love to be your guide. Thank you so much Mike, you give the best compliments.

  2. February 7, 2015 at 11:57 pm — Reply

    Ohhhh how your photos continue to shine bright, I just love them every time.

    • February 9, 2015 at 1:54 pm — Reply

      Thank you SJ

  3. February 8, 2015 at 2:23 am — Reply

    Looks like a nice restaurant:) #wkendtravelinspiration

  4. February 8, 2015 at 12:24 pm — Reply

    Wow! It looks amazing, and the food photos do speak for themselves. However, my favorite photos on the page where the beach boy silhouette at sunset. The hotel and restaurant look well worth a visit. Thanks for sharing them. Glad you are a part of #wkendtravelinspiration

    • February 9, 2015 at 2:00 pm — Reply

      I’m glad the photos speak for themselves. The Sands at Nomad is definitely worth a visit, I highly recommend it.

  5. February 8, 2015 at 3:06 pm — Reply

    Rachel, This looks like such a wonderful place. The food looks delicious, and the people and beach seem awesome. I really want to go!

    • February 9, 2015 at 2:05 pm — Reply

      The food was amazing.I wouldn’t mind going back right about now.

  6. February 9, 2015 at 4:05 pm — Reply

    Beautiful pics, it looks like a paradise!

  7. February 9, 2015 at 4:30 pm — Reply

    The food presentations look awesome, and your pictures, as usual are top notch! The place looks lovely, so beautiful. You had me totally, until you mentioned the cat :-(. I would not be able to enjoy my meal, and probably wouldn’t eat there. I have a fear of them that l have never been able to shake, even with hypnosis. Glad the food was delicious. I keep filing all these away till we make it there.. 🙂

  8. February 10, 2015 at 7:23 am — Reply

    It’s too bad the salad wasn’t as good as you’d hoped because it looks delicious. I love that the beach boy was so willing to pose for you with acrobatics and all! 😉

  9. February 10, 2015 at 1:56 pm — Reply

    Looks like a marvellous place.

  10. February 10, 2015 at 7:27 pm — Reply

    I simply wish I was here……. <3!!! Absolutely stunning :)!

  11. February 13, 2015 at 2:16 am — Reply

    Look at those beach views that you enjoyed with your meal, such perfect white sand and blue seas! I learned the hard way about the mosquitoes and outdoor dining thing in Zanzibar on my honeymoon and then the same thing happened again in Cuba – stupidly under the illusion that I could get away with a nice, knee-length skirt – it was totally not worth the dressing up when I spent the rest of the holidays trying to hack my legs off, so itchy were the bites!!

  12. February 13, 2015 at 9:32 am — Reply

    What a view! I probably wouldn’t want to leave this restaurant with those views, ambience and decor. Your food looked so delicious too especially that tiramisu. Love those beach photos and your sunrise shots.

  13. February 14, 2015 at 12:04 am — Reply

    Brilliant. I don’t know what I prefer, whether it’s the beach, those wonderful sunsets or delicious food! Wait, I know – the best thing about this place is the cat. I’m such a cat lover! Thanks for hosting Weekend Travel Inspiration together – here’s to many more weeks!

  14. March 15, 2015 at 6:39 pm — Reply

    […] had no complaints about breakfast; the set up was similar to that at Sands at Nomad.  There was a wide array of fruits and for drinks on offer was coffee, tea, water, yoghurt and […]

  15. September 27, 2018 at 12:08 pm — Reply

    The photos are amazing,wonderful.

  16. September 27, 2018 at 4:04 pm — Reply

    Food presentation looks awesome and your pictures are top notch.

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