Has anyone stayed at the Serena Hotel Nairobi or the Serena Beach Mombassa?

Would appreciate any information on distance from airports, hotel standards, staff etc.

Many thanks

We stayed at the Serena Hotel Nairobi in 1999 prior to going on safari as part of our tour package. Very nice hotel...I would consider it a four to five star hotel. Very friendly staff. Wonderful pool area...we spent a lot of time out there. We stayed at the Serena Samburu Lodge, which was also very nice. I think any of the Serena Lodges/Hotels are top end...you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

I would like to know if anyone has stayed at these hotels or lodges & if so how are they. This is were I'm staying & know nothing about them.

Nairobi Safari Park Hotel--Kenya
Samburu Lodge-----Samburu
Serena Mountain Lodge----Mt. kenya
Sarova Lion Hill Lodge---Lake Nakuru
Mara Simba Lodge-----Masai Mara

Anything you can offer me on these will be appreciated.....Jim

In August 2003, I stayed at Samburu Serena, and its very nice (great pool overlooking a river, nice rooms and very good food). But even better is the wildlife viewing -- saw lion and cheetah on the drive from the entrance to the park, and on drives the next day saw lots of elephants, giraffe, zebra, gerenuk (a long-necked antelope that's a Samburu special), plenty of buffalo, baboon, all sorts of birds, and lots more lion, and we spent an hour with a leopard (it was my best leopard sighting). I visited in August 2003, when there was a lull in visitors to Kenya, so the park was pretty quiet.

While I remember the Samburu Serena as being very nice, I more remember the park, which is excellent.

Michael

Thanks Michael for your reponse. Really looking forward to it. Leave Sept. 6th.....Jim

Also, while we didn't stay at Mara Simba, I do have friends who have and I know its location in the park. Hopefully you'll be visiting the Mara at the end of your trip, but its going to be overwhelming and awesome (in the very best sense of both words). Its in a great location near the river and you'll see the migration in all its glory. We didn't see any animals crossing the river, but we saw plenty of dead wildebeast that didn't survive the crossing, and the crocs were all over them. Its prehistoric!

Thanks again Michael, & yes that is at the end of the trip before we go back to Nairobi. You have really peeked my anticipation now....Jim