So you are travelling to the coastal city of Mombasa for that short getaway to take a breather? Or it happens you are on a business trip to Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, and you are short of cash? In other words, you are really in need of very discounted yet decent hotel accommodation to stay.

Here is how to get that budget accommodation and have peace of mind as you execute your business or carry on with you short vacation. Shall we start?

Travel Review Websites

Internet comes in handy when hunting for budget accommodation. Wait, did I just say ‘hunting’? Yes, I did! Getting that clean, smart room and paying very little for it, isn’t going to be that simple. You have to work extra hard to get it. Fortunately, surfing the Internet is not as hard as hunting, unless, of course, if you are lazy or something like that.

So which travel sites are we talking of here? Increase in Internet usage in the country comes with more local content being put online, mostly by local websites. With the help of search engines, like Google & Bing, it is now easy to get information on lodges in the specific place you plan to travel.

The main advantage with the local hotels websites is the fact that they will have both luxury and really discounted hotels – unlike the international ones which more often will have details of 3 to 5-star hotels.

One of the important element lacking in our local travel websites is the reviews – this is where international one comes in. Depending on what you are looking for, it is possible you will find well-discounted bed and breakfasts with numerous reviews.

On these big sites, chances are that the reviews are genuine, and accumulated over a long period of time. This provides very reliable details about a place before you can settle on it. The rule of thumb is to settle on facilities with good reviews. You really do not want to spend your time in a hotel full of negative reviews, do you?

Some of the local websites I think provide a good deal of information include Dealfish.co.ke (Travel category), Barizikenya.com (Nairobi lodges, Bed & Breakfast, Mombasa Town, South & North Coast Accommodation), alpha.co.ke (hotels category) among others.

International websites include hotelscombined.com, tripadvisor.com, virtualtourist.com, hotels.com among others.

Local Tour Firms

Since I know you are not going on safari neither are you looking for a 5-star resort – otherwise, you would not be reading this article – then this tip will come in handy in securing those discounted deals.

Tour companies have large a database of hotels, lodges, villas, guest houses and camps, where they take their clients on safaris. They also offer very cheap safari packages, so they must know where clients buying cheap itineraries stay, right?

If you contact a number of them and let them know you are in the market for budget accommodation in your destination – Nairobi or Mombasa, they will be in a position to pick out the best. Let them also make the reservation for you. Most tour companies are usually given a number of discounted rates by hotels they take guests to. So besides getting good deals, they are also likely to get you a place you may never find yourself.

Unless it’s during the festive season or a National holiday, travel companies will mostly like provide a good place to stay in Nairobi – close to the city centre, airport or the outskirts. If going to the coast, be sure they will also find affordable rooms, whether in town, South or North Coast.

Word of caution – take your time to find out about the reputation of the company you are dealing with before parting with your hard-earned money. You can read experiences of some of their past clients on tripadvisor.com. Established tours companies will always have some reviews on their profiles.

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