So we arrived at our hotel at Bamburi Beach, a little north of Mombasa. Instead of morning we arrived after dark and despite having pre-booked and paid the room, despite having send an email about our delay our room was not available anymore. But by coincidence the owner of the resort was present and welcomed us, invited us to the bar, recommended some dinner and after all this they had made a spare room available for us.
It turned out the resort is a true gem hidden between all the 5star-international hotel chains along the beach. We had booked a self-contained cottage (and after that first night we moved in what we booked), the kitchen was installed on the huge balcony, which also served as dining room and lounge room. We felt immediately comfortable there and couldn't believe the low price of it. Aside from us mostly local families lived in the other cottages. And despite the low price the rooms were spacious, very clean and tidy and the staff was sooo friendly (sounds like I'm advertising here, right?)
First thing we did was driving to the nearby mall and bought groceries, so happy about finally not having to go out for meals anymore. Own cooked breakfast, lunch, dinner... lovely!
The beach itself was similar to Zanzibar with a lagoon and white sand, but not as clean and with more hotels. Due to the insecurity about safety in Kenya and due to the hot summer in Europe the beach was rather empty. What should be high season was not even quarter full. On the weekend many local families visited the beach but during the week it was almost deserted. It was hard for the local touts and in general for the tourism industry to make a living on that days. And as so few muzungus roamed the beach, we were constantly harassed by someone trying to sell us a safari/snorkeling trip/souvenir/massage/camel ride and it was so annoying that we couldn't sit and relax on the beach. It was possible to walk busily from one point to another, but as soon as you stopped or hesitated someone would approach you asking innocently how we were and where we were from... We understood that these people were just doing their job, but it was hard to stay friendly.
We booked a snorkeling tour, which was a real rip off, but as always you only realize that afterwards. The lagoon, the coral fish and the sea were worth a trip and we pushed our anger aside.
Our days at the beach were slow and lazy, most of the time we just enjoyed each others' company while reading or watching long missed satellite TV and we watched each others bellys getting fatter and fatter...
One rainy day we went to a park nearby displaying some animals... nothing we hadn't seen in Serengeti but it was good to do something and support the local industry.
And the rest of the time, we did nothing. And it was so great! :-)
It turned out the resort is a true gem hidden between all the 5star-international hotel chains along the beach. We had booked a self-contained cottage (and after that first night we moved in what we booked), the kitchen was installed on the huge balcony, which also served as dining room and lounge room. We felt immediately comfortable there and couldn't believe the low price of it. Aside from us mostly local families lived in the other cottages. And despite the low price the rooms were spacious, very clean and tidy and the staff was sooo friendly (sounds like I'm advertising here, right?)
First thing we did was driving to the nearby mall and bought groceries, so happy about finally not having to go out for meals anymore. Own cooked breakfast, lunch, dinner... lovely!
The beach itself was similar to Zanzibar with a lagoon and white sand, but not as clean and with more hotels. Due to the insecurity about safety in Kenya and due to the hot summer in Europe the beach was rather empty. What should be high season was not even quarter full. On the weekend many local families visited the beach but during the week it was almost deserted. It was hard for the local touts and in general for the tourism industry to make a living on that days. And as so few muzungus roamed the beach, we were constantly harassed by someone trying to sell us a safari/snorkeling trip/souvenir/massage/camel ride and it was so annoying that we couldn't sit and relax on the beach. It was possible to walk busily from one point to another, but as soon as you stopped or hesitated someone would approach you asking innocently how we were and where we were from... We understood that these people were just doing their job, but it was hard to stay friendly.
We booked a snorkeling tour, which was a real rip off, but as always you only realize that afterwards. The lagoon, the coral fish and the sea were worth a trip and we pushed our anger aside.
Our days at the beach were slow and lazy, most of the time we just enjoyed each others' company while reading or watching long missed satellite TV and we watched each others bellys getting fatter and fatter...
One rainy day we went to a park nearby displaying some animals... nothing we hadn't seen in Serengeti but it was good to do something and support the local industry.
And the rest of the time, we did nothing. And it was so great! :-)
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