Club Santana Beach & Resort

Our adventure to Sao Tome began late on a Saturday night here at Club Santana - a paradise overlooking the ocean. We arrived during a barbeque night and were luckily able to try the lovely food served up. The bungalows are dotted around well attended gardens with paths leading to the beach, a massage parlour/spa and the restaurant. The rooms had AC, large beds, plenty of space and a balcony. The restaurant served up an lovely breakfast buffet with a wide range of fresh fruit, cheese, bread, baked goods and amazing omelettes. Evening buffets were delicious using local sourced ingredients and a well stocked bar provided a wide range of drinks and wines. One day, we went on an organised guided walk into virgin rainforest to hear and learn about birds and plants. Afterwards, we visited the botanical gardens which was definitely worthwhile, seeing beautiful flowers and huge butterflies. Back at the hotel, it was delightful to swim in the clear, warm waters.

Beautiful location, with stunning views and a lovely garden with interesting trees, flowers and birds. Lovely safe beach with reasonable snorkeling. It is a great base for doing trips around the island. We stayed in 2 different rooms- both very spacious. Our first room was really clean and well serviced. The more expensive room- while larger, was not as clean and no water, fruit etc. It was a bit strange. Food was very nice- I am not a fan of buffets, but even on the buffet nights the selection was nice. Lovely fish carpaccio and sushi. Great lamb chops another night. Other nights we had 2 choices from a menu- 3 courses. Desserts were excellent. Breakfast was good- lovely fruit, bread and eggs to order. The coffee and hot water dispensers are really annoying though! Service is good by Sao Tome standards, but still a bit slow at times- especially at the beach bar. Chefs all have very good English. The Sat night BBQ was really good. Staff could smile more to create a bit of a holiday vibe!