Few cities in the world rival Cape Town for sheer landscape beauty. There’s something irresistibly alluring about Africa’s southernmost city sandwiched between the sea and the majestic Table Mountain. No matter how many times I see it or from which angle, I always marvel at the view when I arrive in Cape Town. On my last visit, I took advantage of the summer weather to go on a 20 minute Atlantico Helicopter flight. What a treat!
The pundit who declared that “happiness is a journey, not a destination” probably was not thinking of a twenty-four hour trip across two continents in airplanes booked to capacity; and clearly had never experienced the Maisha Spa upon arrival. That is precisely what I did on a recent visit to Kenya: no sooner had I settled into the Mombasa Serena Beach Hotel that I headed for its spa.
Inspired by the rich architectural tradition of the East African coast, the Serena Beach Hotel stretched along the Indian Ocean shoreline with the exotic appeal of an ancient Swahili town. The property was divided into picturesque clusters of whitewashed two- and three-story buildings, with a central core of elegant public spaces. The reception hall set the mood. Its intricately carved portal led into a cool soaring foyer with lush oriental rugs scattered about the gleaming stone floor. To the left of the entrance the wall behind the long marble-topped reception desk was covered with rows upon rows of letterbox-shaped slots, exact replicas of those found in the harems of Swahili homes until the 19 th century. Now, they made unusual key receptacles. On both sides of the hall, tall pillars led the eye to the far end of the building and the low staircase rising to a landing with a panoramic view of the sun-washed terraces and galleried lounges facing the palm-shaded beach and the cerulean blue sea beyond.
At Rattray’s on Mala Mala, a small and exclusive safari property in one of the best game viewing areas of Africa, Big Five game viewing was the number one priority. Game drives lasted about three hours and were limited to four guests per vehicle. During our last visit, we shared the vehicle with two enthusiastic repeat visitors, a mother and daughter from Europe, who made an annual pilgrimage to Mala Mala, and now Rattray’s, for their game viewing fix. We were accompanied by Warren Meredith, an English speaking young guide who drove the vehicle, and Jeffrey, a tracker who sat in the last row and whose job it was to spot the game viewing opportunities, especially of the highly coveted Big Five animals (elephant, hippo, lion, leopard, and rhino). Warren was our go-to person during our stay. He dined with us, accompanied me on a bush walk, and organized wake up calls and any activities we might want to schedule.
Our visit to Angsana Spa was a success. My husband and I arrived there just after a satisfying lunch at Myoga, an Asian fusion restaurant located on the same property. The reception area was quiet and we received a warm welcome from the staff. We spent a few minutes reviewing treatment options before a staff member escorted us to our double treatment room where we had the Duet Treatment Package, three hours of treatments including a scrub, massage and facial each and a shared milk and orange bath at the end.
We arrived at 1933 late one afternoon weary from our long trip from the United States and felt instantly welcome. After check in procedures at River Lodge, a sister property, we left our rental car in staff hands and were transferred to the house in a 4 x 4 game viewing vehicle. Before we knew it the 15-minute drive was behind us and we were disembarking.
After refresher towels and introductions, July Nyalangu, the villa’s attentive manager, and staff greeted us warmly and showed us around the main areas of the villa. Our four night stay at 1933 was marvelous. In addition to exclusive use of the property and all its facilities a dedicated staff team looked after us with enthusiasm. Additional characteristics that made 1933 special were the luxurious home away from home environment within a Big Five reserve, striking riverside setting, many amenities and winsome facilities including an on site swimming pool, fitness room, computer corner and wine cellar, and made to order home style meals.
