Lifetime's dream come true

The Paradise Beach was in the brochure as part of a four-hotel complex, but following an extensive fire last year, the site is still undergoing refurbishment. Apparently the Paradise Beach and Shanzu Beach were completed during the summer, but the Palm Beach is currently closed, and parts of the Coral Beach were not in use either during our stay. This meant that, although all six pools were still available, there were only three restaurants (plus one á la carte) and four bars available, which still gave us plenty of choice.

The room was simply furnished, with three beds (no fold-down beds, thank goodness!), a dressing table, a coffee table and chairs, and a huge built-in wardrobe and cupboard. All the furniture was hardwood and very well-made; the balcony was quite large, as we were in a corner room, with a table and chairs and a view out over the pool to the sea. The shower was massive (all three of us could have used it at once had we been so inclined!)

Our favourite daytime bar was the swim-up pool bar in the Paradise Pool (it had an access bridge from the sun terrace as well), although most evenings were spent in the main bar of the Paradise Beach, reached down a flight of steps and overlooking the private beach - it was lovely and cool at any time, but especially at night.

The beach is accessed either through the main bar or by another flight of steps, which lead you onto the hotel’s private beach, but you have to go onto the public beach to enter the sea; at this point, you will encounter the "beach boys," whose sales tactics can be overwhelming at first. We found it best to be firm almost to the point of rudeness, although once we had actually bought something, we were more or less left alone.

There is a PADI dive school attached to the hotel for any divers or would-be divers out there – the coral reef is about 1 mile offshore and is stunning. There are also glass-bottom boats available from the beach (Ksh600), which will take you almost to the reef but which will also allow you to snorkel inside the reef and to walk about on the sandbar about 800 yards offshore (knee-deep water at this point – my daughter though that was sooooo cool!). This is a good alternative if you don’t want to dive.

We visited this restaurant three times during our stay; although part of the hotel complex, it is not included in any packages and is open to non-residents. The food is nicely presented, the house speciality being lobster, although I found the medallions of veal in a Calvados sauce to be exceptional. The wine list, while not extensive, complements the menu, and the Roberts Rock Chardonnay is nicely priced at 21 euros.

Fort Jesus has a varied history, and the free leaflet you get on entry only covers the bare bones. Fortunately, there are a number of English-speaking guides who will take you around at your own pace, making sure you get the most from your visit; although technically free, it is customary to tip them around Ksh200 or so.

As well as the remains of the fort, there is an ethnological museum charting the growth of civilisation along this part of the coast and a small souvenir shop. We only had an hour or so, and we really could have used longer--on my next visit, I'll allow a good 2 to 3 hours.

Heller Park is an ecological park, rescued from what was an old quarry and used by the next-door cement company. The whole park is ecologically sound, with one part of the microcosm benefitting another, e.g. millipedes brought in to break down the excess tannin in the ecosystem from the tree leaves.

There are a number of animals to be seen, including a family of giraffes who cannot be returned to the wild; it is possible, if you time your visit right (2pm), to feed the two older ones by hand, which is fun to do.

There are also a couple of giant tortoises, brought to the area by sailors and abandoned here; the park provides a safe haven for them, since they would be unable to survive in the wild. It's a fascinating place to visit.

This is a combination excursion, if you will; the first part is a boat trip upriver towards the setting sun, with turnaround timed for sunset itself. The second and major part is the arrival at African Safari Club's "African Village", near one of their hotels. Here you can partake of as much BBQ meat as you want, as well as an open buffet of salads, vegetables, and fruits. Drinks are extra and ordered from the roving waitresses.

The meat on offer is the usual chicken and pork, as well as goat and antelope. During/after the food, you are entertained by a dance troupe performing dances from various regions/tribes of Kenya, followed by a Masai group doing their stuff (with audience participation). Then you're led by the Masai through the trees to an array of coaches to take you back to your hotel.

One word of warning if you go on this--remember the mosquito repellent!!

We had booked a short safari of 3 days, as we had our 9-year-old who was just off crutches following a traffic accident, and we didn't want to overtire her.

That said, we had a great time on our safari, driving from Mombasa (5:30am start) up to Tsavo West National Park, stopping off to visit a Masai village (yes, I know it’s all staged for tourists, but it was still very interesting and worth the Ksh500 each, 200 for under-12s). As we drove through Tsavo West, we saw large numbers of animals, including lions, giraffes, several different species of antelopes, hippos, and birds beyond count, and arriving at Leopard Lodge in the Kimana Game Sanctuary at about 5pm. Here, thankfully, we showered and settled into our three-bed chalet before our five-course dinner. We decided against a swim in the pool when we saw a couple of wildebeest drinking out of it!

Up again at 5am the next morning for a dawn game drive, during which we saw our first zebras and elephants–-breathtaking! Another two game drives that day, and saw our elephant tally increase dramatically, including a 2-day-old calf, as well as countless zebras, wildebeest, and antelopes, and more giraffes and hippos, along with some crocodiles, hyenas, and warthogs, as well as loads of beautiful birds.

There were a couple more drives on the third day, including a secluded pool full of hippos and a pair of crocs, and then we went on to the airstrip and the one-hour flight back to Bamburi, and thence to our hotel.

This is a trip that will stay with me for the rest of my life--I do not have the words to convey how I felt, seeing those beautiful animals in the wild.