I'm pleased with how it's come out, but there's always room for improvement. And always little things I notice too late…
Drop me a line if you want to know about the coverage of the areas you're interested in. Or if you have the guide (it's available from all the usual bookshops, including the online ones), let me know what you think of it and where it can be improved. Which lodges, hotels, camps, restaurants and other facilities have I not done justice to (or been too generous about)? And what have you discovered in the last few months that's not in the book and should be.
Let me know!
Richard Trillo
Remote suburbia, 2nd June, 2013
This is cool!
ReplyDeleteHi Richard,
ReplyDeleteNew Rough Guide is as useful as ever. Might be worth checking out Hunter's Lodge again before the next edition, as they have been bought by the owners of Fig Tree Camp and a lot of money is being spent on expansion and renovation.
Milimani Backpackers has moved to Upper Hill, citing increased insecurity in their former location on Denis Pritt Road. The old site has been gutted and taken over by "Manyatta Backpackers", who claimed when we asked what had happened that Milimani had gone out of business. The place looked like a bomb site and the behaviour and attitude of everyone there was very strange; it did not seem a safe place to stay. We left and phoned Milimani, who immediately sent a taxi driver to guide us to their new location.
Might be worth noting too that the non-resident price for Umani Springs in Kibwezi Forest is $550.
Cheers
Hi Howard and Karen, many thanks for this feedback.
ReplyDeleteHunter's Lodge was already part of Mada Hotels when I visited last year. It looked like it might take a long time for them to do anything with it.
I've heard about Milimani Backpackers moving. Annie Oakley’s, next door, was already preparing to close, which is why I took it out. Manyatta Backpackers is new to me – presumably just trying to cash in for a limited period before the redevelopers turf them out?
Umani Springs is a brilliant place - one of my top spots in Kenya from recent travels – but I'm afraid the price at the end of the review got mangled in editing. Instead of reading
"Self-catering, minimum four guests, whole house Ksh6000", it should read "Self-catering, whole house, minimum four guests, price per person Ksh6000", My understanding is it's Ksh24,000 for up to four people, and then Ksh6000 per person after that, ie around $275 for four people (or in fact $550 for 8). So certainly on the pricy side for self-catering, if you're counting the shillings. But it is one of the most beautiful places to stay that I've ever seen and worth ever cent of $70 per person to stay there for 24 hours.
Many thanks again.
Hi Richard, I think you need to come back to Kenya and do more research on Mombasa road towns. Particularly Athi River, Sultan Hamud, Emali, Kiboko, Makindu, and Kibwezi. A lot has changed in the last two years. Athi River is becoming a concrete jungle. (today is August 2014).
ReplyDeleteHi Emulwa, many thanks for this. I was amazed at the development, particularly of Kitengela and Athi River. Perhaps I should have emphasised it even more. Were there any speficic omissions or mistakes - please do let me know. I'll be researching the next edition next year.
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ReplyDeletethis is what brands Kenya for international, regional and local tourist
ReplyDelete