The sea at Mombasa is as blue as a cornflower, and, outside the inlet to the harbour, the long breakers of the Indian Ocean draw a thin crooked white line, and give out a low thunder even in the calmest weather. Karen Blixen, Out of Africa

Styled to resemble a 13th century Swahili town complete with winding lanes, carved balconies, fountained courts and bustling market squares, the Serena Beach Hotel provides an oasis of tranquillity whilst delivering a unique mix of high-action water sports, sybaritic sun worship, world-class cuisine and vibrant nightlife. 

Set back from the powder-white sands and shimmering waters of the Mombasa National Marine Park, the hotel décor blends the time-honoured intricacy of Swahili carving with the jewelled glow of Arabian lanterns, the white-gleaming splendour of a Sultan’s palace and the lotus-cool of a Persian water garden.

The extensive coconut-palm cooled grounds offer an exotic mix of tropical trees and bright blossoms and centre on an idyllic sky-blue swimming pool with a thatched ‘swim-up’ bar and crystal waters that cascade into the marbled cool of the market square below. 

Location

The Mombasa Serena Beach Hotel is 20 km north of central Mombasa along the main Mombasa/Malindi highway. The hotel operates a daily shuttle bus into the centre of town and there is a wide selection of taxis available. The nearest international airport is Moi International Airport, Mombasa (27km from the hotel) whilst there is a small local airstrip at nearby Shanzu. 

Accommodation

The hotel offers 166 air-conditioned rooms and suites as follows: 110 village rooms, 48 garden rooms, 8 family rooms (in the Swahili village wing) 6 junior suites and 2 luxury suites. All rooms have both bath and showers and free mineral water is provided.

The Village Rooms

Each one of the rooms contained within the winding lanes and shady courts of the traditional Swahili Village is uniquely styled to resemble a historical building from the ancient island town of Lamu. Design features include carved balconies, coral pillars, fretwork screens, Zanzibari-carved doors, gleaming arches, stone-carved niches and lavish Lamu-styled furniture. 

The Garden Rooms

Our selection of spacious garden rooms looks out over a lush green botanical garden towards the sparkling reaches of the Indian Ocean. Design features include carved balconies, winding stairways, broad verandas, sumptuous brass-inlaid furniture and a colour scheme that fuses aquamarine seas, azure skies and emerald palms.  

Services include: 

• State-of-the-art air conditioners in every room. 
• Satellite TV (9 channels) in every room. 
• Hair dryers, mini bars, safes and direct dial phones with voice mail facility in every room.    
• Full housekeeping services (laundry, valet, babysitting, childrens’ menus
• and dining facilities). 
• Express check-in/out. 24-hour Forex facilities.
• Full medical back-up and emergency evacuation facilities.
• Floodlit swimming pool.
• Complementary water sports, gym, tennis, squash and varied activities.
• Fashion boutiques and Africana gift shops.
• Complementary shuttle service into Mombasa Town
• Business centre, global connectivity and secretarial services.

Dining and bars

The Fountain Restaurant

Cooled by a gentle ocean breeze and clustered around the hanging blossoms of a traditional Persian garden this sumptuous table d’hote restaurant features Swahili carvings, stained glass lanterns, Lamu-esque arches, marble fountains and wide verandas commanding views over waving palms and shimmering ocean. The cuisine, which features internationally themed menus and lavish buffets, also draws on a strong Swahili influence to introduce an abundance of tropical fruits, exotic spices, coconuts, limes, coriander and fresh-caught seafood to the colourful choice of dishes.    

The Jahazi Grill

Drawn up on the shoreline, just yards away from the breaking waves, and built to resemble a traditional Swahili dhow - complete with sanded decks, painted prow, roped capstans, lashed sails and kanga-decked tables, the Jahazi Grill specialises in stunning extravaganzas of fresh-caught seafood. Choices include: crab, squid, lobster, prawns and a wide variety of sea fish. Vegetarian and non-fish options are also available. 

The Sokoni Plaza and Pizzeria

The bustling Sokoni plaza is designed to resemble the colourful marketplace of a traditional Swahili town and features an ornamental fishpond, fluttering Arabian sunshades and a palm-thatched dining area offering fresh-baked pizzas and a wide range of international snacks. 

Sample Swahili Life on the Nyota Terrace

The breeze wafted Nyota terrace offers a rare glimpse into the traditional Swahili world. A world where veiled maidens sit behind fretwork screens, brass lanterns swing in carved niches, visitors recline on sumptuous sofas and families sip cardamom-flavoured coffee and look down from carved balconies on to the bustle of the square below.

The Piano Bar

The internationally designed piano bar features live piano music, a sophisticated cocktail line up and generous open-air terraces where guests may recline on cushioned benches as they trace the path of the moon across the ocean. 

The Ice Cream parlour

Centre stage to the bustle of the market place is the cool of the ice cream parlour offering everything from lavish knickerbockers glories to luscious fruit concoctions. 

The Makuti Bar

Set amongst rolling lawns, the thatched Makuti bar offers teas coffees and freshly squeezed juices and hosts the colourful Lamu Market where a wide range of traditional music, cultural displays, local handicrafts and tempting Swahili snacks are on offer. 

The Pool Bar

Under the shade of a palm-thatched roof, looking out over the sapphire waters of the pool is Coconut Willy’s Pool Bar, a ‘swim-up’ bar that allows guests to enjoy a cooling drink, without having to get out of the pool.  

Conference and event facilities

The Mashua Conference Centre

Conference facilities are provided on a complimentary basis to hotel residents whilst an attractive range of tailor-made packages are available for incoming business groups. A wide range of business meetings and multi-faceted corporate events can also be staged in a variety of colourful venues around the hotel.  

Facilities include: 

State-of-the-art presentation facilities 

To include: A full selection of projection TV, screen, video, video conferencing and audiovisual equipment. 

Full Conference organisation service 

To include: badges, registration desks, delegate packs, delegate services, specialist delegate gifts, secretarial back up and communication links, tailor-made itineraries and individually planned and themed menus. 

A full range of imaginative incentive packages and fully tailored accommodation packages is also available.

Serena Beach Weddings and Honeymoons 

Options Include:

• Blossom-bowered wedding ceremony.
• Al fresco champagne reception beneath the palms.
• Swahili wedding feast aboard the stylised decks of the Jahazi Grill. 
• Sumptuous tropical floral arrangements, bouquets and buttonholes.
• Private candle-lit honeymoon dinner for two.
• Luxurious honeymoon suite supplied with tropical fruit and chilled champagne.
• A colourful range of guest entertainments.
• Photography and videoing of your special day.
• Special accommodation packages for the entire wedding party.

Special Occasions

At the Mombasa Serena Beach Hotel we have the experience, the team and the equipment to cater for a wide range of private functions, receptions, parties and formal events. We are also adept in making your special occasion not merely memorable, but entirely unique. 

Services include:

• Individually themed menus.
• Beach dinners, starlit bars, Swahili feasts and poolside cocktails.
• A wide range of specialist cocktails.
• Live music, vivid cultural entertainment
• Dancing – inside or under the stars.
• Floral decorations or culturally/colour coordinated style themes.

Child-friendly

All Serena lodges are child-friendly and offer: family rooms, additional beds, cots, children’s mealtimes and menus, babysitting services, educational materials, wildlife presentations, guided nature walks.

What to see and do

Situated on Shanzu Beach, the most northerly portion of the coast between Mombasa and Mtwapa Creek, the hotel looks out over the waters of the Mombasa Marine National Park, a 200-square kilometre National Marine Reserve. Featuring a well-developed coral barrier reef, the park is visited by dolphin and turtles and plays host to 250 marine species to include crabs, butterfly fish, parrotfish, sea urchins, cowries, moray eel, lionfish, starfish and sergeant major fish.  Much of the Kenyan coastline has evolved over the last 30 million years and offers a fascinating selection of cliffs, stacks and rock pool platforms. At low tide, the coral-sand beach also reveals extensive areas of channels that harbour a broad selection of marine creatures and shells. The coastal vegetation is made up of microscopic marine plants, extensive mangrove swamps, luxuriant palm groves and areas of Casuarina woodland. The coastline also provides valuable nesting sites for seven species of endangered migratory sea turtles whilst the coastal grasslands and mangrove swamps are a haven for a spectacular bird life, unique members of which include; bee-eaters, greenshank, stint, egret and spoonbills

The coastal rainforests, which rise to the rear of the coastal strip, are all that remain of a vast and ancient forest that once covered much of East Africa. Both the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest and The Shimba Hills National Park are open for visits and play host to an extensive and colourful range of life forms to include prehistoric cycads, ancient hardwoods, rare butterflies, unique mammals and over half of Kenya’s rarest plant species. 

Other attractions

The Maisha Serena Spa - The Serena Spa offers a central relaxation area (with spiritual library, Spa Boutique, and Spa Arena, luxurious changing areas (with spacious interior sauna and steam rooms; and exterior Jacuzzis), four individual treatment rooms (each with its own exterior garden, pergola shower and sundeck), one double treatment room, a Spa Bar (offering fresh-pressed juices, Spritzers and herbal infusions), and a communal garden. 

Additionally, there is a fitness studio offering cardiovascular and isotonic machines and free weights and tennis and squash courts, and a luxury swimming pool. Within the main body of the resort are two Bedouin-styled beach-front Spa Massage Tents, and an open-air Spa Space where daily ‘Body Renewal’ classes (‘Body Sculpture and Tone, Yoga, Martial arts, and Ayurvedic regimes) are held. Adjacent to the Spa, there is also a Spa Hair and Beauty Salon. 

The activities on offer at Mombasa Serena Beach Hotel include:

• Swahili banquets under the stars. 
• Tropical cocktails by the pool, beneath the palms or on the terraces of the Piano Bar.  
• Visits to the nearby Ngomongo Cultural village, the Bamburi Nature Trail, or the Crocodile Farm.
• Day excursions to the Shimba Hills National Park, Mombasa Old Town and Fort Jesus, the Arabuko Sokoke forest, the Kipepeo Butterfly Farm or the haunted ruins of ancient Gedi town. 
• Glass-bottom boat trips to the nearby coral reef of the Mombasa National Marine Park.
• World-renowned dive venues supported by training and supervision to all levels of International Dive Certification.  
• A kaleidoscope of nightly entertainment to include: live bands, discos, traditional dancing, acrobatic and gymnastic displays, magicians and fashion shows.
• Informative talks by our resident naturalist on – butterflies, coral, turtles, dolphins and much more…
• Afternoon cultural displays of dance, craft and music.
• Extensive complimentary water sports to include: windsurfing, catamaran sailing, introductory scuba diving lessons and snorkelling.
• Glass-bottom-boat rides to the coral gardens of the reef.
• Deep-sea fishing for marlin, tuna, wahoo and more.
• Deep sea diving and International Dive Certification.
• Floodlit tennis courts and air-conditioned squash courts.
• Shuffle board and crazy golf.
• Aerobics workouts and Aqua Aerobics.
• A fully equipped gymnasium with instructor.  
• Beach walks and nature trails with our resident naturalist.
• Jogging trails around the nearby Bamburi Nature Trail.
• Swimming in the pool or in the sea.
• Volleyball, table tennis, darts and pool.
• The facilities of a nearby golf course.

Eco-file

The hotel was originally built and continues to be maintained using local materials and craftsmen. The interior decor also makes extensive use of local art, crafts and furniture whilst much of the woodwork and raffia-work has been made by the members of the Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya. The majority of the hotel staff and the visiting entertainers are drawn from the local community, much of the fresh foodstuffs come from the local markets whilst all the seafood is bought from accredited local suppliers. The hotel also sells locally produced crafts in its boutiques and hosts a weekly ‘Lamu Market’ where local craftspeople can sell their work. The hotel also contributes towards local fund-raising projects and encourages the guests to visit local attractions such as the Bamburi Nature Trail and the Ngomongo Cultural Village 

The hotel cooperates with the Kenya Sea Turtle Conservation Committee on a rescue and conservation project that aims to protect the nesting and feeding sites of seven species of migratory turtles. The programme protects the turtles from poisoning by toxins or plastics, reduces the incidence of their capture by trawlers and fishing nets, curbs the exploitation of turtle meat, shells oil and eggs and protects the hatching cycle of the baby turtles. 

The hotel has also recently set up an ambitious Butterfly Project, which aims to provide breeding areas for over 12 species of endangered forest butterflies. The butterflies are hatched as larvae, emerge into pupa and evolve into fully-fledged butterflies within the carefully constructed confines of the breeding houses, all of which are planted with foliage specific to the breeding and feeding habits of the various species. Once sufficient numbers of each species have been reared, selected groups are released into the hotel grounds where they fulfil a much-needed ecological function, pollinating the flowering plants of the ecosystem and acting as an accurate indicator species as to the health of the coastal biosphere.