Budget Safari in Kenya

A couple of years ago I went on a budget safari in Kenya and only now have I gotten round to putting my photos up. Safaris can be a costly thing. Most of them include a luxury stay in tents that are better equipped than my flat here in London. However my friend and I went on a budget camping safari in the Masai Mara.

Most Memorable Night's Sleep Travel Link Up

I'm starting to get into these linkups, so at the initiative of Emma from Adventures of a London Kiwi and Kelly from 80 Pairs of Shoes, I'm joining in again this month to write about my most memorable night's sleep I've ever had.

The most comfy sleeps I've ever had were in Scandinavian hotel beds. I'm surprised Scandinavians even manage to get out of bed every morning as beds in Norway, Sweden and Denmark make you feel like you're sleeping on a cloud. Fluffy pillows, fluffy duvets and even fluffy mattresses. Soporific heaven.

                        This photo of Hotel Skt. Petri is courtesy of TripAdvisor

On the other hand the most uncomfortable sleeps I had was on my trip to Fiji. Okay, we didn't exactly splash out, but paradise was a little less exotic when the sun went down and we had to turn in to sleep on a mattress that was as hard as a plank.

                        This photo of Coralview Island Resort is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The most quirky place I ever stayed at was the Wildebeest tent Camp in the city of Nairobi. Memories of camping in the south of France with hordes of Dutch and German people, were soon forgotten when we entered our luxury tent complete with double beds, and our own en-suite bathroom. This was camping the Karen Blixen way. Minus Robert Redford, unfortunately.

                        This photo of Wildebeest Eco Camp is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Of course things are better when they are free, and being a travel industry professional sometimes comes with perks. On a famil to the Cook Islands we were lucky to test some top notch hotels out for the sake of higher sales figures. I stayed in my very own water front villa at the Pacific Island Resort and woke up to the sound of the waves breaking on the sand. That was the best wake up call ever.

                        This photo of Pacific Resort Aitutaki is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Asha Cottage in Kenya

On a trip to Kenya, my travel buddy and I found all-inclusive luxury at Asha Cottage that didn't break our bank accounts. The guesthouse, which is run by owners Dominique and John, is located off the main road in Diani and has a small private beach that looks out on the public beach and out across the Indian Ocean.

There are five rooms which are all centred around the swimming pool. They're furnished to a high standard and decorated with souvenirs the owners gathered on their travels around the world. Guests can choose between half board and full board, but the food here is so good that full board is the only way to go.

After a restful night, we head over to the main veranda for breakfast where a table full of cereals, exotic fruits, warm bread rolls awaits us. There's also a choice of freshly-squeezed juices, coffee and teas. Not only is the food fantastic, the staff caters to our every whim. Especially Stanley is amazing.

The rest of our morning is spent on a comfy beach chair watching the beach boys walk by, selling their key chains or sarongs. Fishermen are beating their freshly caught octopus on the white sand to make them more subtle to eat, and a caravan of camels slowly moves along the shore line.

Lunch is taken either around the cosy pool area or the beach area and there's a choice of freshly made sandwiches and crispy salads. In the afternoon we're booked in for a soothing, full body massage with the on-site masseuse after which we blissfully head back to our beach chairs.

At around 3pm I see Stanley the waiter coming towards me who wants to see what we would like to have for dinner. There's a choice of two dishes which consist of delicious, fresh local ingredients. Even fish that has been caught minutes before ending up on the grill. At dinner time we head back to the veranda where we find our candlelit table elegantly decked out.  Needless to say that the food tastes heavenly.

We end the evening with a cup of tea and a book in the library, where John tells us about his travels and antics in Afghanistan.

The next day all of the above is repeated again. It's a shame we were only able to stay here for two days, because an all-inclusive holiday at Asha Cottage in Diani Beach is just what the holiday doctor ordered.

Find more info on Asha Cottages at:
http://www.ashacottages.com/

Giraffe Manor Hotel in Kenya

After an exhilarating yet exhausting three day safari in the Masai Mara, my travel buddy and I headed to the Giraffe Manor Hotel in the outskirts of Nairobi for lunch as we were invited to have lunch at this charming hotel which is normally only served to overnight guests.

Feeding time

The boutique Giraffe Manor Hotel is set in a 1930’s manor house which shares the grounds with the Langata Giraffe Centre also known as the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife. The latter was founded in 1979 by the late Jock Leslie- Melvile and his wife Betty Leslie Melvile who wanted to create an educational institution and rescue the endangered Rothschild giraffes in Kenya at the same time. The manor house used to be the home of the Melviles and the centre still does what they envisaged it to do today. Rothschild giraffes are bred here till they’re old enough to survive alone in the wild and people can come here to learn more about this endangered species and in doing so helping the giraffe breeding program.

The giraffes walk around the grounds freely so guests at the hotel are guaranteed to interact with these majestic animals, especially around meal times when they seem to be really keen to have a nosey around the house.

This is exactly what happened during our meal. Lunch was served on the terrace and after only a couple of minutes the first giraffe popped by to say hello. It’s a bit surreal to have a giraffe hovering around your table begging for food.  After we’d finished our lunch, we were given a bucket of pellets that the giraffe emptied in no time after which she stuck her head through the hotel window into the breakfast room to look for more.

After dessert we were taken to the actual Giraffe Centre. From a raised platform visitors can pet and feed the giraffes with the same pellets just like we did at the hotel, but the platform allows you to be at eye level with them. And it makes it easier to do what I did; Stick one of the pellets in your mouth and see what happens.  Well, what happened was that my entire face got slobbered and her breath wasn’t exactly minty fresh.  Not what you’d call the perfect kiss after a lunch date.