Mombasa Serena Beach Hotel

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 tiled coolness of the market square below.

The hotel offers 166 air-conditioned rooms and suites. All rooms have both bath and shower 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

The selection of spacious garden rooms looks out over a lush green 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.

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 the resident naturalist on butterflies, coral, turtles, dolphins and much more…
• Afternoon cultural displays of dance, craft and music 
• There’s also just lazing by the pool, taking in some sun and looking out over the aquamarine reaches of the Indian Ocean.

Taking the Eco Route

The Serena Group is committed to an escalating eco-policy that embraces sensitivity to the interests of the local population in relation to such matters as: cultural preservation, sustainable habitat and community development. The group also abides by a code of responsible practice in relation to: energy conservation, waste recycling, sewage disposal, air emissions, pesticides, noise reduction and visual pollution. Finally, all Serena Group properties are built to harmonise with the local landscape and to utilise eco-friendly materials, local handicrafts and products. Wherever possible they also aim to enhance the environment via landscaping and indigenous plant material reinforcement.

The Serena Mombasa Beach Hotel Eco Programme

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.