The Kilif North Beach is unique in that there are few fishermen, no curio dealers, no beach boys nor touts, nor any other intrusive presence, It is a safe beach even at night and in the moonlight with the phosphorescence of the waves and Lhe silver sand, an eternally inviting prospect. Kilifi Bay Beach Resort, one of the seven Mada Hotel Group properties, is a four-star hotel situated on Kilifi North Beach. The resort caters primarily for all inclusive package tours consisting mainly of French, German and Italian tourists. Many of the hotel guests are repeat visitors who come back year-after-year. There is a constant turnover of visitors throughout the year as there is no closed season. The hotel prides itself on its personalised approach to guests and most of the waiters speak French and a smattering of either Italian or German. The concept they wish to adopt is one of peace and tranquility undisturbed by telephones or television, hence neither can be found in any of the rooms.
The hotel is set in attractively landscaped grounds. The main building has a flat Moorish fac;ade with a castellated skyline below which five architectural arches correspond to arches of palm fronds leading up the steps and into the spacious foyer. The entrance is plush, its artefacts giving it acharacteristic Indian ambience. There are colourful fabric lanterns hanging from the lofty ceilings; below it is abundantly leafy; then Swahili tracery on the walls, more lanterns in stained glass at the reception desk and mazeras stone floors - a mix of Arab and Indian decor. The receptionist is welcoming but why-oh-why do hot~ (paiticularly at the coast) serve an unpleasant sticky orange liquid as a "Welcome Drink" on arrival? Whatever happened to fresh fruit juice? On wet, late October day, the dining room with its preponderance of dark brown tables and chairs and heavily screened windows is unappealing as is the outlook onto the back of another building. There is the usual hotel buffet offering various choices. The a fa carte menu requires some hours' notice to produce the seafood listed. A seafood platter for two will cost you Kshs 2,500/- and there is more than you can eat. The cuisine is mostly international but with an Indian flavour - the Chef, Chandara Singh, is from India as is the Group Chef, Amul Kumar Behera.We found the food variable - on the second day the buffet lunch was much improved offering crab and octopus with fresh salads, among other entrees. As is so often the case in Kenya, the bread rolls were entirely delicious! Intimate candlelit dinners can be had on the cottage balconies where the chairs and table are dressed in red and white linen, wine chills in the ice bucket and the Chef will personally flambe your lobster. Sadly there was a howling gale from the ocean on the occasion of our candlelit dinner and, half a bottle of brandy and half a box of matches later, our lobster remained unlit despite the Chef's best efforts! The hotel is in the process of extending and renovating an existillg beach bar and restaurant on the beach itself, but more on that later. I visited the kitchens and was impressed by the immaculate stainless steel worktops and spotlessly clean floors which are swabbed down three times a day. The kitchen is divided into working sections such as Vegetables, Fish, Meat and Pastry etc. Continuing down from the dining room onto the second level is a Games Room containing billiard table, dart board and table tennis accoutrements. The Kilifi North Beach is unique in that there are few fishermen, no curio dealers, no beach boys nor touts nor any other intrusive presence. It is a safe beach even at night and in the moonlight with the phosphorescence of the waves and the silver sand, an eternally inviting prospect.
After the beach, what is the next marvel on offer at Kilifi Bay. Edna, a local girl, is the resident masseuse and is in her ninth year of working at the resort. Immaculate in her starched white uniform, she works with capable hands within a banda lined with white ameriakani while a ceiling fan gently whirrs overhead. She plies her trade using liberal amounts of delicious-smelling coconut oil. A full body massage lasts 30 minutes and for hotel residents this is a free, not-lo-be-missed experience. But back to the rooms ... Ours was a family cottage which included a small second bedroom with basin, a sitting area and verandah (they call it a balcony). Depending on the month of your visit, resident accommodation rates (FB basis) vary from Kshs 9,000/- to Kshs 15,754/- for a double room Single: Kshs 6,750/- to Kshs I 1,800/-. Prices at the time of this ad.
