The Two Roads
The Random Adventures of Raj Popat….

Mount Kenya Safari Club

Mount Kenya Safari Club

Mount Kenya Safari Club

Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club is located on the slopes of Mount Kenya, the site also straddles the equator. The former country club, and is spread over 100 acres of landscaped gardens; over the years it’s hosted many rich and famous at the beautiful site and was William Holden’s retreat.

Check-In

Arriving at the gates of the property, there’s a short drive to the main club,  passing an on-site petrol station, Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy and several guest cottages. The hotel manager was there to greet me at the front of the main house. I was led in to the gorgeous reception area and handed a refreshing drink and a cold towel. After a swift check-in process where the various facilities on offer at the site were discussed it was finally time for some rest and relaxation after several days of hectic travel.

Room

On offer are almost a dozen different types of accommodation; I opted for the Deluxe View Room. The room was a spacious size, luxuriously furnished with a huge bed and a fireplace. The usual offerings were available too; complimentary water, tea’s, coffee’s and a safe (large enough for my camera and laptop).

The bathroom was a spacious size too, and as you’d expect with a luxury hotel had both a separate bath and shower. It annoys me when you only get the option of one or the other in hotels.

The fireplace was a must, as the temperature due to the climate drops rapidly post sunset. Before I went to dinner, I turned the card around near the fireplace requesting for it to be prepared during turndown service.  The hot-water bottle was needed too!

Food & Beverage

On offer during my stay was the main restaurant; Tusks which had both indoor seating and a large terrace with views of Mount Kenya. My package was full-board; I had breakfast, lunch and dinner here during my two-night stay. Breakfast and lunch offerings were buffets, with live cooking stations. For dinner, on offer was a four-course dinner menu. For all meals on offer were Kenya, Indian and International offerings. I was impressed with the quality of the food on offer, and of course I did make a special off-menu request for masala-chips. For breakfast and lunch, I enjoyed sitting out on the terrace, admiring the snow-capped mountains.

Late night drinks at the bar.

Zebar was the main lounge/bar, the bar had the usual array of drinks and reasonable prices for such a remote location. It’s one of the rare places in the world where the bar staff have to cross from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere to hand you your drinks.

Other Services

Despite being in such a remote location the hotel has so much to offer to keep guests busy.

  • As the hotel straddles both the northern and southern hemisphere’s, the hotel offers a ceremony on the equator, I didn’t opt for this but amused myself a few times by jumping between the two in quick succession… and if anyone remembers the below clip from The Simpsons I did try checking which direction the water drained in on both sides (aka Coriolis effect).

  • There were the resort dogs available to take for a leisurely stroll around the grounds named Tusker (named after the beer brand?) and Grammy.
  • Mountain biking/trekking Mount Kenya
  • Several safari options
  • An on-site animal orphanage
  • A large swimming pool
  • Horseback riding
  • Golf and many more leisure activities.

I visited the on-site orphanage, and spent a lot of time walking around the large site, which was the relaxing few days I needed.

Overall Views

The hotel was just what the Doctor ordered for me after a busy few weeks at work followed by a hectic start to my trip, I left here relaxed. In hindsight I should have made use of the facilities offered on site a little more, but sometimes one just needs to sit back with a beer and read a book or just watch the world go by.

The team members on the site were fantastic, everyone was happy to engage in conversation and have discussions with you/answer questions. The teams in the restaurant/bar area were quick at remembering your name and happy to help at all times.

It’s the small little things that really do help a hotel go a long way.

THIS HOTEL WAS PART OF A PACKAGE BOOKED WITH MARIO TOURS & TRAVEL, WHO ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE FULL SERVICE TOURS THROUGHOUT KENYA AND TANZANIA. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU’D LIKE AN INTRODUCTION TO THE TEAM AT MARIO OR FEEL FREE TO VISIT THEIR WEBSITE: HTTP://MARIOTOURS.COM/

 

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