Wine and dance on the Equator

By Ferdinand Mwongela

The quest to find a good honeymoon spot worth the experience of a lifetime is always a delicate one. One such spot could as well be the Fairmont Mt Kenya Safari Club.

Situated about three-hours by road from Nairobi and easily accessible from Nanyuki, the hotel is famous for the names that have stayed there as well as the rich history of one of its founders, William Holden, after whom some of the cottages at the hotel are named.

Set smack on the Equator, the story is told of how Holden boasted of dining in the Northern hemisphere and dancing in the Southern hemisphere, all in one evening.

The main hotel building. [Photos:EVANS HABIL/STANDARD]

With the five star experience promised by the hotel, you will be spoilt for choice. But my favourite activity was to wake up early to catch sight of the peak of Mt Kenya before clouds cover it.

Outside of the main building, the sight of the easily recognisable peak at 5,199 metres is most compelling. Sadly, the increasingly bare peak is indicative of human activity taking its toll.

Honeymooners

The hotel’s Director of Operations Rana Mukherji says that at any one time, a couple or two honeymoon at the hotel. Luckily the hotel’s accommodation, from the suites to the William Holden cottages, have been renovated.

The most popular is the Equator Suite as its bed sits right on the Equator.

On this day I stayed in one of the cottages, which comprises of two ensuite bedrooms and a sitting room with a fireplace. It can accomodate up to four people but those seeking privacy can take the whole place.

It does get cold here but a fire is lit promptly. Those not wishing to hang out in the main bar or lounge have the option of ordering their meals in their rooms.

Mukherji points out that the hotel can hold weddings. It is also possible to book a special honeymoon package with the addition of Sh9,400 to the ordinary hotel rates.

The package includes a suite, a bottle of sparkling wine with chocolate dipped strawberries, a rose petal bath, a bush dinner and breakfast on the slopes of the great mountain.

Hotel rates vary from Sh15,000 to Sh85,000 depending on the accommodation chosen and the time of the year. A whole package will leave a sizeable dent in your pocket but the experience is definitely worth it.

Activities are in plenty with the option of a four day climb to Mt Kenya, biking, horse riding or golfing in the lush greens behind the hotel.

Orphanage

The nearby Mt Kenya Orphanage is also accessible. At a fee of Sh1,000, you get to see a cheetah, genets, vervet and colobus monkeys in their cages. A tame baby buffalo, a kongoni and llamas roam freely and interact with visitors. The orphanage remains one of the few places one can easily see the endangered mountain bongo.

In a list that reads like a White House party list, royalty and film stars including Sir Churchill Winston, former US President Lyndon Johnson and American singer and actor Bing Crosby are among those who have stayed here.