Sunbird Livingstonia Beach

8/10

Excellent

30 Apr 2025

Reed

As advertised

8/10

Excellent

24 Mar 2025

Habramnesh

Waterfront offera a very neat rooms that are facing direct to the beach.

10/10

Exceptional

07 Feb 2025

Andrea

Highly recommend this property. Gorgeous lakeside hotel

Leisure Friends

2/10

Poor

22 Nov 2024

itai

I arrived at the hotel from afar. I saw that I could book through Expedia, so I booked 2 rooms. The hotel told me they had no rooms available. The website refuses to refund my money.

Business_and_leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 May 2023

Mark

Nice restaurant with great views of the lake

Good service

Well maintained gardens

Limited menu

Rather isolated location

Really poor wifi service

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

30 Nov 2020

Verified traveler

Room was very clean and food was amazing.Will definitely go back

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

26 Oct 2020

Verified traveler

Check in was terrible ! Took so long . We requested for the manager . Request was ignored . We got there and were told that our pre booked rooms are not available. We were not given any temporary complementary service while we waited. Rooms were overall well maintained and clean .well decorated with all necessary facilities. Beach front room had a very nice lake view. Good variety at breakfast . Very very disappointing reception and restaurant staff . Overall good stay . Would recommend this for holidays or business trips.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Oct 2020

Natasha

I was very dissapointed by the evening restaurant stuff. I ordered and requested that the food be ready in two hours. After two hours I went to the restaurant for dinner. It didnt come out for another 2 hours. Apparently, they had misplaced my order.
The carpet in my room was dirty. Check in was fast, room was nice(except carpet), breakfast was great and the beach was very clean.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

16 Aug 2020

John

Staff members were particularly friendly and helpful

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

15 Jul 2020

Anne

This is a nice hotel in a nice location but you need to be aware that this hotel may try to not give you the room that you have paid for. I booked a chalet with sea view for a friend of mine in malawi as a treat but when he arrived the reception tried to give him a standard room even though it clearly stated on his booking that it was a chalet. My friend had to remain at reception for an hour arguing with the staff until they finally gave him the room that I had paid for. It seems that unless you argue your case, this hotel may try to not give the room that you have paid for. Aside from that the stay was very nice but the hotel needs to be told to honour people's correct bookings.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jul 2020

Verified traveler

The cleanliness of the beach and friendliness of staff was really good

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

02 Mar 2020

Heidi

Privacy of room was good. Bathroom was clean.
Carpet in room was dirty and bar fridge smelt (overwhelming) of fish.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Jan 2020

Kellie

The wait staff were very few and often not around.
The pool staff housekeeping and front desk were lovely
The boat staff were amazing
Drinks overpriced

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Nice location and incredible beautiful beach with good entertainment

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

The food was superb, the boat ride was so great the facility is just a perfect holiday destination

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

19 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Nice beachfront location
Newer rooms seem good but older parts of hotel like dining areas gym reception are rather dated

Leisure Friends

4/10

Poor

24 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Not great!

Breakfast was a buffet but almost inedible. The rooms are old, prone to insect infestations. The bathtubs were dirty and old. The lighting is poor. The supper at the restaurant is okay. Great thing about the place is the customer service. Unfortunate thing is that’s it’s probably your best option in Salima so just have to tolerate it

8/10

Excellent

08 Oct 2018

Verified traveler

Stayed as was going to the close by Lake of Stars festival.

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jul 2018

Rada

Loved our stay here!

Great beach resort on Lake Malawi - very family friendly, great vistas.

Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Apr 2018

Ruqayya

Amazing!
Really tranquil and peaceful.

Family

4/10

Poor

15 Jan 2018

Syed

Value for Money not achieved.

Very good staff. However very old rooms, ACs does not work during city power outages... limited meal choices. Expensive as compare to the facilities.

Family

8/10

Excellent

12 Dec 2017

Daniel

Nice, but they could be better

Beautiful location, and well maintained hotel despite considerable age. The hotel is in need of updates, and more lake activities such as birding, boating and other water sports.

10/10

Exceptional

02 Nov 2017

Julie

Relaxing time with family

We spent two nights. Lovely large room. Air conditioning worked most of the time, but our daughters room did not which was a disappointment since they had a baby. Great pool! Food was very good! Second night there was a music festival next door. Didn't appreciate 3 different people knocking and trying to get in the room at 4:30 am. Same for my daughters room. Need more security to make sure people are going to the correct rooms. I didn't feel unsafe, just mad that we were continually woken up.

6/10

Pleasant

28 Oct 2017

Peter

Air conditions not working. With a temperature of over 30 Celsius, this was a torture

8/10

Excellent

27 Oct 2017

Michaela

Nice hotel very close to the beach

It was a very pleasant experience. I had everything I wanted: lake view, just few steps and I was on the beach, large room, nice bedding, very friendly staff. Power stoped few times but this was expected. AC not working but they put a fan. Overall very pleasant! I would come back and stay there.

8/10

Excellent

29 Apr 2017

nancy

Nice but worn

Wonderful staff made us feel very welcome but the beds were hard and the food was only so so. The lake is gorgeous but otherwise there is little to do.

8/10

Excellent

05 Dec 2016

Ariana

Great get-away from Lilongwe

Wonderful get-away right on beach only 1.5 hours from Lilongwe. Pool great addition to Lake swimming. Took boat to rock island for snorkeling too, which was a great way to swim without worrying about getting Schisto from swimming by the shore.

8/10

Excellent

17 Nov 2016

Verified traveler

They provided a room without bathing towels and with only one toilet tissue

6/10

Pleasant

19 Oct 2016

Kathryne

Nice business hotel retreat in Malawi

Malawi is one of the most poor countries in the world. Keep this in mind, and you'll appreciate everything about your stay here ... beautiful lakefront, electricity (most of the time) and fairly reliable water. Air conditioning doesn't always work, because country-wide blackouts are common. Water is rationed. I've stayed here multiple times on project work for nonprofit organization. It's clean, safe, and comfortable. Service is friendly. Grateful to have a place a know is safe and comfortable as we work in partnership with the joyful people of Malawi.

8/10

Excellent

27 Sep 2016

Verified traveler

Great experience!

Although the facilities are dated and the prices are quite high this was definitely one of the best experiences that we had during our month in Malawi. The staff and management went out of their way to make our experience more than comfortable and they were very professional in their conduct and truly a joy to spend time with while were there. The property including the grounds and the beach itself is absolutely gorgeous.

6/10

Pleasant

11 Apr 2016

Jean

Frequent Visitor

My stay was good. I wish the windows were not broken in my room. It was not possible to sleep well as we got all the noise from the lake front and the kitchen at the back. We reported and were told we would be compensated for the inconvenience but have not heard from the hotel yet. The pedal bin in the bathroom was also broken. The Hotel staff were very welcoming and polite and the beach was very clean - thank you.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

29 Jul 2015

Verified traveler

Family weekend at the lake

Sunbird Livingstonia was a nice weekend stay to get away from work. We mainly wanted to visit Lake Malawi and this hotel is located right on the lake with its own beach. The staff at reception is friendly and helpful. Food service (breakfast / lunch / dinner) is okay with a nice sitting area and tables to eat meals. We also enjoyed the motorboat ride to the island and the motorboat guide was excellent.

Overall a good experience.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jul 2015

Marilyn

Lovely beach break

We stayed at the Livingstonia for one night as a beach break during our Malawi holiday, travelling in a taxi from the Sunbird Lilongwe.. It would have been lovely if we could have stayed longer but time was limited.
The setting is idyllic, right on the beach, looking out to the lake and a small island. The grounds are very attractive and the hotel pool is clean, blue and refreshing.
Our room was a little thatched round house, with its own small sitting area at the front andcoverlooking the beach. Breakfast offered a very good range of food, including a full cooked breakfast. We took breakfast on the sun terrace overlooking the lake. Dinner was included in the price, which made the trip quite good value. Dinner was very good and the portions are generous.

Family

8/10

Excellent

27 Jun 2014

Verified traveler

Fantastic location

The place is beautifully located on the shores of Lake Malawi. Unfortunately, it was the season of high winds which meant we could not sit outside in the evening when it was blowing a gale. It's a bit on the pricey side too but it was convenient for a stay for two nights before flying back to UK. We left on the morning of our departure and cut it a bit fine with allowing only two hours to the airport.

6/10

Pleasant

23 Jul 2013

Verified traveler

Overpriced but pleasant hotel

The Sunbird Livingstonia Beach Hotel is overpriced for what it is. But in comparison to other properties in Senga Bay, it is nicer and has better amenities. It has a nice pool (though it looked a little murky when we were there) and a great location right on the lake, with a clean beach. The room was clean but the bed was old and a bit saggy. The service was friendly and quite good. The restaurant food was not particularly good, and was overpriced as well. But it was still a nice place to spend a weekend and is probably the nicest place to stay in Senga Bay. The hotel should update a few things (mattresses, food quality, beach chairs) and then it would be more worth the rate.

6/10

Pleasant

14 Nov 2012

Peter

Location is paradise;lived experience is wanting

Superb location but the hotel relies on this too much and attention to meeting the needs of its visitors is lacking . In particular staff are poorly trained, slow to respond and surpised when complaints are made about delays, cold food and inadequately-stocked bar.The hotel is 'invaded' by wealthy, poorly-behaved local Indian community at weekends who make it difficult to access the fantastic swimming pool.

8/10

Excellent

17 Oct 2018

knut

Nice place to relax

Livingstonia hotel has a wonderful location by the lake. Major renovations are on the way now (and that is needed...) so the place has limited capacity.
Food is great and the view is amazing!

4/10

Poor

24 Nov 2016

Roger

Fin badstrand men låg standard

Ett hotell som skulle kunna vara fantastiskt med ursprunglig charm och en fin badstrand. Men det är dåligt underhåll och ointressant mat.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 May 2016

Henning Ivan

Beatyful place at Lake Malawi

Great Place. Nice and very friendly hotel service staff

Partner

2/10

Poor

07 Dec 2014

Loes

Mooie plek, waardeloos hotel.

Kamers zijn aan vernieuwing toe. Veel mieren in de kamer en het muggennet paste niet. Slechte service bij check-in en check-out, omdat zij vond dat wij moesten betalen, terwijl wij via Expedia hadden geboekt (volgens haar moesten wij een voucher hebben). Bar- en restaurantpersoneel was wel erg vriendelijk. Eten was goed, maar wel erg duur.

2/10

Poor

25 Nov 2013

Verified traveler

ビーチに面しており立地は良いホテル

エアコン設備が古く、熱い時期には不快であった。また、ホテルのスタッフからやる気が感じられない。ディナーメニューの大半が「作れない」と言った回答であった。チェックイン時にエクスペディアからの予約であり、代金を支払い済みである旨を説明していたのに、チェックアウト時にホテル代金を請求され、確認までに30分を要した。

8/10

Excellent

25 Nov 2013

Jaap

good, adequate service, cooperative workers, fine, clean room but broken down airconditioning and bathroom needs restauration