Shompole Lodge, though little known locally, has acquired great fame internationally for its breathtaking design. Last year it was voted the Best Honeymoon Destination in the World by CondÈ Nast Traveller, Britain’s leading travel magazine, writes Ferdinand Mwongela
When Bill Gates came to Kenya in 2006, he chose to stay at a little known private conservancy eco-lodge. The Microsoft Corporation founder fell in love with the simplicity of the private Shompole Lodge in Kajiado District.
It is an extraordinary lodge. As you fly in by bush plane from Nairobi, the first thing you notice are its rooftops, bewigged with thatch, like an African ark that has come to rest halfway up the Nguruman escarpment. The lodge’s architectural design blends naturally with the topography and the environment — thus camouflaging it in the rocks and shrubs on the hill. Only when very close to the hills can one realise there are structures therein.
The lodge is named after Shompole Mountain — the Mountain of Red Ochre — that rises from the floor of the Rift Valley like a gateway between Kenya and Tanzania.
Reviews from visitors who have visited the Lodge are flattering. One on www.tripadisor.com described his experience at Shompole as gratifying.
"Not only am I delighted to have experienced Shompole, I am very proud of its genuine authenticity. My personal (sic) wish is that I get to create, or be a significant part of the holistic design and creation of such an authentic destination as Shompole, within one of the few unspoiled nature areas we have left in the southern region of North America," he wrote.
African elegance
Fodors Travel Guides, www.fodors.com describes the lodge as "Africa at its most innovative, beautiful, and best".
Shompole is Kenya’s first designer lodge. Created ten years ago by Anthony Russell, using locally available material like quartz stone, the lodge is a masterpiece.
"As the designer and developer of the lodge, my hope was to create African elegance with a small carbon footprint using raw, eco-friendly materials indigenous to the Shompole area," writes Russell.
An artist, designer and rock musician, Russell points out that the lodge’s unique architectural design has received international media attention and featured in magazines such as the Vogue, Conde Nast Taveller and Elle.
The whitewashed facade of one of the Shompole House. By night the interior turns into a magical relaxing ambience.[PHOTOS: MARTIN MUKANGU /STANDARD] |
The rooms have a ‘wall less’ look offering one an amazing view of the plains below yet at the same time ensuring the place does not get stuffy in the heat. Temperatures here get as high as 40 degrees Celsius.
Every room has giant beds spread with snow-white beddings, and springs of water flowing from a slanting white painted wall. The smooth flowing water creates a soothing effect as guests enjoy the warm breeze from the plains.
The pillars supporting the high-peaked roofs are from bleached and polished trunks of dead sycamore figs. For decoration Russell used riverbed pebbles.
As if to emphasise the special care given to each structure, some bear different names like the Main Shompole, Shompole House, Little Shompole and the 360 House.
The Shompole 360, so-called because of the spectacular all-round views from its hilltop position, has its own helipad, own kitchen with a staff of chefs, butlers and room stewards. It is a paradise within a paradise.
Highly exclusive and private, guests at the 15,000 square foot 360 House have no business interacting with other residents, easily operating as some sort of resort within a resort.
All day long birds sing in heavenly unison and when added to Shompole’s mood of seductive indolence, it is Garden of Eden all over again. The evening breeze is similar to the one that washes over on coastal sandy beaches.
The Main Shompole is the pillar around which everything else is built. It is not a single house but a lounge, dining area and six rooms all with their plunge pools and views of the conservancy below. Perhaps one of the interesting things here is that each of these rooms face east offering clear views of the magical sunrise, which you can watch from the comfort of your bed in the morning.
The Shompole House takes the lodge to the next level of grandeur with its own private swimming pools and amazing views of the plains below and in the distance Lake Natron.
Little Shompole on the other hand offers its guests more privacy and visitors do not have to go to the Main Shompole for everything. It consists of two luxury suites with nine-foot beds; own exclusive lounge area, a lap pool as well as a sun deck.
Rich wildlife
The place boasts of wild animals such as lions, cheetahs, buffaloes, giraffes, caracals, genet cats, waterbucks and warthogs. The ground is raised in such a way that animals cannot enter the open rooms at night, but some of these animals can be seen from the comfort of the rooms.
For a bath, the guest has to turn on a tap, which has local designs, to get the waterfall shower. The wide bathrooms have no doors. They make the guests feel like they are bathing under a real waterfall.
With its highly exclusive houses, it is little wonder that Shompole Lodge has attracted the attention of many a famous person. Gates was here with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and Hollywood movie star Dan Aykroyd of the Bruce brothers fame. The selling point of Shompole is its privacy. It is so private that guests in the other rooms do not know who else is in the lodge. Maybe it is this privacy that makes the management reluctant to say who else has been to the lodge.
While making this year’s Conde Nast Traveller Gold List, the lodge is described as offering a "five star take on Alfresco living".
Thus, whether it is for the amazing view of the Shompole Conservancy below from the lodge or for the exquisite design offering every resident a different experience, Shompole stands as a beautiful architectural masterpiece, simple yet exotic.
