TIME OUT
Serenely Serena
KRISHNARAJ IYENGAR
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A pristine ocean and a Spa just across the soft white sand is a traveller’s dream. Chill out at Mombasa’s luxurious Serena Beach Hotel and Spa.
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Photos: Krishnaraj Iyengar
High end recreation: Sailing and a rejuvenating session at the spa (left).
Safaris in the scorching sun call for much more than a glass of chilled Tusker beer served with salted Kenyan nuts. It had been four long and tiring days at the legendary Masai Mara, spending hours watching out for a Cheetah’s tail behind a Sau
sage Tree or a lion’s mane jutting out of the bushes. Mombasa was my long-awaited break and tales of sailors and their infamous hang-outs, the picturesque Indian ocean, and the amiable folk of the old town that I had heard from my childhood shipping buddy were strumming in my mind like the strings of the tribal Nyatiti harp I purchased earlier on my trip!
So I was finally there! A charming port city with handicraft vendors, towering minarets and a dusty old road leading to one of the Africa’s most sought-after luxury beach resorts, The Serena Beach Hotel and Spa, owned by none other than His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV , the spiritual leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili Khoja Muslims, a tiny minority of about 8,000 in Kenya.
Built in the traditional Swahili style with distinctly Moorish influences, The Serena Beach Hotel built on the Shanzu beach with soft white sand and a panoramic view of the pristine blue Indian Ocean, offers myriad hi-end leisure activities and recreation facilities. With 166 air-conditioned bedrooms and suites, three, along with an open air restaurants, a sprawling swimming pool with a Swim-up Bar, a hi-tech gym with specialized machines and free weights for individual muscle-groups and cardiovascular machines, Catamaran rides, wind-surfing , deep-sea fishing, mini-sailing, coral reef snorkeling, and Scuba-diving, while for the sports lovers, tennis, squash and beach volleyball are a votre service!
Plenty of entertainment
Being a musician, I particularly enjoyed the evening entertainment, with a live band of local musicians rendering cheerful traditional numbers like Karibooni Kenya and Hakoona Matata accompanied by the Jembe drum, shakers, guitars and relaxing strains of the saxophone.
The highlight of my visit to Mombasa was the much-needed luxury treatment at the Maisha Spa. After a week full of waking up at 4.00 a.m. for bumpy land rover rides, chaotic village markets and tented accommodation in the midst of the wilderness, I felt blessed to be pampered with an afternoon of aromatic oils and expert hands working on my fatigued muscles.
The ELEMIS facial for men and women are extremely popular, while the famous Indian Head Massage at Maisha Spa is known to relieve tension in the head and upper body, and is known to be an ideal remedy for sinus congestions , headaches and eyestrain.
Apart from ELEMIS and other massage varieties like Deep Tissue Massage, Deep Tissue Muscle Massage, Classic Swedish Massage and Aromatic massage, the Andean Hot Stone Therapy is the forte of the Maisha Spa. Tactile and softly rounded stones are gently heated and used in long, stroking movements to massage and caress the body for a deeply relaxing effect. This was manna for the muscles after a vigorous super-set workout where this type of gentle treatment eases muscle tension after a highly intense weight training session.
Exotic treatments
Other specialised luxury treatments that draw in hoards of tourists from different nationalities are the De-Tox Special, purifying the skin and toning the pores, specific therapies for the back, hands and feet and holistic reflexology offering gentle massage and pressure point stimulation. The Maisha Spa also offers exotic treatments to couples like the Spa Groom with eyebrow and eyelash tinting, eyebrow shaping and total body exfoliation, Spa Rituals offering client-tailored facial treatment, scalp massage and hand and foot renewal. A special double treatment room with a private garden and outdoor showers is offered to couples, while Honeymoon Spa is a favourite with newly weds.
Besides these, Maisha Spa is famous for its specialised body toning and fat loss therapies like the ‘Ionithermine-promoting slimming inch-loss and body tone holistic de-tox therapy’ and the ‘G5 massage’ that uses a vibrating massager to break down body fat and ease muscle tension.
Being one of the most popular African hideaways there is more to Mombasa than its five star elixir. The Bobolulu workshop with 150 disabled men and women artisan working on exquisite handmade products, the expansive Kenyatta Beach with almost 5000-odd tourists, the Florida Sailors Bar with a scenic view of the harbour and an Indian Pan shop, and the Old Town Mombasa, with quaint Arabo-Swahili houses, one-horse gullies, rickshaws and little shops selling musical instruments, rugs, souvenirs and handicrafts.
Restaurants like Jahazi in the Old Town also offer tourists a complete traditional Swahili-Muslim dining experience with authentic vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies with many Indian varieties. With the influence of Arab traders, Mombasa is a unique blend of Arabic and Swahili cultures, and a mystical amalgam of both worlds, the old, and the new.
Getting there
Two ways to fly to Mombasa: Take a flight to Nairobi and then a connecting flight onto Moi International Airport in Mombasa, or fly directly to Moi International airport in Mombasa.
Kenya Airways has daily non-stop flights from Mumbai to Nairobi (approximately five and a half hours) and from Nairobi to Mombasa (approx one hour).
Peak time: End-June to early September, and from December to January
Things to see
Fort Jesus: A 16th century monument located in the Old Town displays various artefacts which show us from where Mombasa served as a transit point for slave trade and commodities.
Gedi ruins: Near Malindi, one of the most historic ruins found in Mombasa. A small town built entirely from rocks and stones, these ruins date back to the 15th century.
Hindu Temples: One of the many symbols of Mombasa’s cultural diversity, these temples have extravagant idols and stone carvings that are typically displayed within the temple and on its walls.
Mombasa Tusks: They mark the entrance into the heart of the town. Built in 1952 the tusks also spell the letter “M” for Mombasa.
Haller Park: The largest animal sanctuary was previously a barren piece of land and was redeveloped through reforestation and conservation efforts. It is now a habitat for a large number of flora and fauna species.
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