Selous Safari and Zanzibar Beach

Thank you for your message. Our holiday was amazing & a totally unforgettable experience. We had three different hotels including the rooms in Selous Safari camp……all were excellent & above expectations as indeed was the entire trip. We had a lot of papers as we had internal flights as well & various transfers. Everything was accepted without question & there was always someone ready to meet us. It was all very professional. So many things could have gone wrong…nothing did. It was seamless.
On our last day in Stone Town (the internet doesn’t do the Serena Inn justice. If I return I’ll stay there longer as it’s fabulous) the hotel could not have been kinder & more helpful.
We arrived in Selous Safari early morning for a 3 nt stay, & found everyone from drivers to hosts cheerful & friendly, & they had organized a lake safari on arrival before lunch. It was the perfect introduction after a lot of traveling & also meant we made the most of our time. We had the same game driver Miiti for all of our trips & he managed to find everything we wanted to see…..literally going the extra mile. He’s the same age as my sons & they all felt like mates. Even while we were waiting on the airstrip for our return to Dar he passed by in his jeep & asked if we wanted to see more Elephants….he had spotted them at the end of the strip & two of them were having a fight using their tusks providing amazing photos. The day before the boys, Miiti & an older guide with a rifle went on a long walk which I declined because of the heat, but Amil at the camp, arranged for me to go by boat & greet the walkers with breakfast, which Alphonse had set out with table cloths etc for everyone.
 It was a real adventure with John the Elephant ambling through the camp & all of us being escorted at night by a Masai Warrior. Once I’ve written it up I don’t think my friends will need much persuading if they have the time, & without question they would use you after my experience.
The boys would agree with me. We could not have been happier with the holiday & with all of the people looking after us, nor with the service you provided.

Alison Clark

Mombasa Serena

This hotel has a lot more to offer mod cons wise. The rooms are of a good standard and offer double or twin beds, with mosquito nets, air conditioning, mini bar, safe and TV. The hotel has 3 restaurants, 1 of which is a seafood restaurant. It is on a lovely stretch of beach and has a really nice pool area with a swim up bar. For those of you ice cream addicts there is an ice cream parlour and I have to say they do some good ice cream!

The hotel is quite grand and you can feel that it is a high grade of hotel, the staff are very friendly and in the evening you are brought sparkling wine and nibbles to your room, makes you feel very special.

The food is a la carte except at breakfast and they offer this from 5am.

The hotel is on the north coast and is only 50-60 minutes from the airport dependent on the traffic.

Useful information for Kenya

• Currency used is mainly shillings, you can take GBP or Dollars to exchange. They no longer accept travellers cheques but cards are fine. If you use Dollars then make sure the series number is after the year 2000 as anything before then will not be excepted.
• Tips: 100-200 shillings for porters etc and 300-500 shillings per day for Game rangers that take you on safari.
• All pools close at 6pm in the big resorts due to safety and cleaning but at the small hotels like Gazi, Cove or Asha cottages they are open 24 hours.
• Drinks: local beers costs around 150-200 shillings per bottle, a glass of wine costs around 200 shillings for a small glass, or a bottle can vary from 1900 - 2900 shillings, soft drinks 100-150 shillings, water varies from hotel to hotel, many include it but Papillon charge around 200 shillings for a bottle.
• Telephone calls vary from hotel to hotel, they are normally around 70-90 shillings per minute to landlines and about 150 shillings per minute to a mobile.