Affordable luxury living

By Allan Olingo

Souting for a holiday option that was friendlier to our pocket and would give flexibility, we had a tough choice between a hotel and a rented apartment. After a few phone calls, we settled for Eden Beach Resort and Spa at Shanzu Beach, in North Coast.

We chose a two bedroomed apartment that sleeps four people. We wanted to have a home away from home experience as we sampled the Mombasa lifestyle for a whole weekend.

The previous week, Kenya Airways had announced the introduction of the Embraer fleet and we had the opportunity to be among the first fliers on this jet. It was pretty impressive, but that’s a story for another day.

Our first stop, after landing in Mombasa, was at the newly built Naivas  supermarket inNyali. It is an interesting piece of architecture that has transformed the whole of that area.

We did a lot of shopping because we had chosen the self-catering option. The hotel’s manager, Donald Shipenzi, a stout smiling man, received us warmly.

The ambience within this unique establishment that is sandwiched between Serena and Pangoni hotels is just homely. When I got to see our apartment, the rooms exceeded my expectations! The kitchen was spacious and the living room was huge, inviting and comfortable.

The bathroom bathtub was a showstopper. It overlooked the bedroom, which had a king-size bed. The architect must have been a cheeky one because there is a connecting transparent window that overlooks the bathtub. This room was meant for lovers, I guessed, as I took a walk around the house.

The residences are stylishly furnished and well-equipped with modern amenities, featuring spacious living and dining areas, work areas and fully equipped kitchens that made my ‘state of the art’ kitchen back home child play.

There were stairs in the middle of the house that led to a third bedroom upstairs ,which overlooked the ocean and had an opening door that led to the balcony. I later learnt that all bedrooms and sitting lounges face the sea and have balconies with breath-taking views of the ocean.

Well, if you thought luxury living was a far stretched idea, then here it was: A Jacuzzi at the balcony, overlooking the ocean. Imagine sipping your cold wine, on a hot Mombasa afternoon as you watch ships from a distance on the ocean!

If you are expecting a beach to lie in the sun all day under an umbrella that you will not find it here. This home is meant for people who want a coast feel but in a different way.

When you go down to the ocean, it is either high from the tide or it has receded but it is rocky, because the beach is set on a cliff. A lovely picturesque it is!

The beauty about holiday homes as compared to hotels is the ease in which you can make friends. No sooner had we settled into our partying foray than other residents joined in.

It is important to make friends with the travellers you meet at these places, because they will ease your stay. The next morning, we decided to have breakfast at the restaurant, as everyone was too fatigued to cook.

The breakfast was delicious! We had cereal, fruit, eggs, toast, juice, sausages, bacon and coffee. There were no complaints and the staff were very helpful!

The sun rises quite early at the Coast so the cool bright morning presents a beautiful opportunity for a beach walk. There is no better moment to collect one’s thoughts than when taking an early morning walk or jog along the beach.

But given that we woke up late, and the sweltering heat had built up, we decided to stay indoors and enjoy some movies. The beauty of a rented holiday apartments is the carefree nature that it allows you to have as you holiday. You basically have the control of your house, just like at home and this was the gist of this kind of holiday.

We prepared meatballs, rice and  tomato soup for lunch and then ventured to the pool bar to enjoy the afternoon breeze. There is a reason Mombasa has been christened ‘Mombasa Raha’ and we were living it, enjoying our long deserved vacation.

Life is easy here; you forget about your city troubles and relax. You let your mind wander away into the world of fantasy as you laze in the hammock, counting your lost opportunities and plotting your future, all this while letting the breeze massage you.

With the Al Shaabab threat and the Mombasa Republican Council menace, we opted to avoid the nightlife and instead walked into the Nyali Shopping Mall to get our drinks.  Well, this is the new way visitors in Mombasa are partying. It is better safe within the precincts of the hotel than the unexpected eventualities that could befall you out there clubbing.

On our departure day, while having breakfast with Shipenzi, we did our math and realised that this was the best way to vacation at the Coast — rent an apartment.

We had spent two nights at this establishment, and it cost us Sh30,000. Splitting the bill among the four of us, each person ended paying Sh7,500. We would not have gotten such a nice deal at any of the five star hotels.

The rented apartment model offers the modern first-class facilities and comprehensive services combining the traditional comforts of home-style living with a premier hotel service; a blend that is different from the traditional hotel concept.