Highlights

• Five-star beachfront resort on Shanzu Beach, north of Mombasa
• Architecture inspired by a 13th-century Swahili village, with carved doors and whitewashed walls
• Maisha Spa and Health Club offering Swahili-inspired treatments and rituals
• Acclaimed seafood at the dhow-themed Jahazi Grill, with evening cultural performances at Sokoni
• On-site turtle conservation programme and butterfly park
• Ideal pairing with a Kenya safari for a classic bush-and-beach itinerary

You Should Know

• Children under 5 stay complimentary when sharing with adults
• Children aged 6 to 12 pay 50 per cent of the adult rate; ages 13 to 17 pay 75 per cent
• Rates published here are half-board in a Garden, Superior or Family room category
• Sea-view, suite and family-suite categories carry supplements over the lead rate

The Details

Location

Serena Beach Resort & Spa sits directly on Shanzu Beach on Kenya's north coast, about 20 miles north of Mombasa. The setting is a long stretch of white sand fringing the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, with tropical gardens between the guest wings and the shoreline.

The resort works as a standalone beach holiday or, more often, as the coastal half of a bush-and-beach itinerary paired with Serena's safari lodges in the Mara, Amboseli or Tsavo.

Accommodation

There are 120 rooms and suites laid out across single-storey wings styled on the lanes and courtyards of a Swahili village. Interiors blend traditional details, niches, fretwork cabinets and hand-painted Maasai frescos, with contemporary comforts including air conditioning, complimentary Wi-Fi, minibars and flat-screen televisions with IPTV.

Categories range from Deluxe and Superior rooms in the garden wing through Superior Sea View and Family Sea View rooms, up to the Lamu, Zanzibar and Garden Suites. Garden Suites Shella and Tundwa are duplex layouts with a private patio, sitting room, upper-level lounge and sun terrace.

Dining

The Fountain Restaurant is the all-day venue, with a buffet breakfast and themed international and Swahili dinner banquets overlooking the ocean. The Jahazi Grill is a dhow-inspired seafood restaurant on the beachfront, with a Seafood with Jazz evening each Friday.

Sokoni is a relaxed brasserie-style cafe beside a fishpond, serving pizzas and Swahili dishes and hosting acrobatic and traditional dance performances in the evenings. The Mkungu Beach Bar, a swim-up pool bar, the Nyota Bar & Terrace, a lounge and round-the-clock room service complete the line-up.

Activities

Days at the resort are built around the beach, the swimming pool and the Maisha Spa, which offers couples' treatment rooms and a full menu of massages, facials and Swahili-inspired rituals. Guided excursions, cultural performances and the on-site turtle conservation programme and butterfly park give guests a sense of the coast beyond the resort gates.

Price Includes

• Half-board accommodation: bed, breakfast and dinner
• Applicable taxes, VAT, government levies and service charge
• Use of resort facilities including swimming pool and beach