The cold tamarind juice flowing down my lips reminds me why I still find Mombasa and the Kenyan coast as one of my favorite destinations. The concierge hands me a cold towel to wipe down since the heat and humidity can be extreme sometimes. It feels good to be back here. I’m at the Voyager Beach Hotel in Nyali Mombasa Island, one of the most popular holiday destinations in Kenya and East Africa.
After a hectic working period, this vacay is well deserved. As soon as we exit the hotel foyer to head to the rooms, we walk across the hotel courtyard garden that opens out into the beach and the ocean. The welcoming cool breeze blows past the coconut trees and sprays us with the water spray from the sprinkler set to water the grass.
We get to the rooms, the beach rocks and the ocean view is amazing from the sliding window doors. I tip the bellboy ad he sets our luggage by the bed. I walk over and sit by the balcony chairs and take in the view as I finish the tamarind juice. Then we quickly change into our beach gear and head out to the beach bar. The drink selection is quite good with most of my favorite drinks available. I remember I have not applied sunscreen so I dash back to the room. I pass by a few monkeys playing on the grass by the rooms, a reminder to lock the windows too in case they decide to ‘explore’ the room.
As I get back, the friendly bartender slides me a cold drink …shaken not stirred. I lean back on the beach chair as I watch the beautiful sunset as I say to myself, “This is going to be quite a wonderful holiday.”