We recently booked a last-minute holiday through Olympic Holidays, to Shelly Beach Hotel near Mombasa. We thought it was a good deal for one week all-inclusive, in a location that would guarantee the sun we were craving. Then the warnings started - 'what about the terrorist attacks in 2001, what about the begging and the poverty, what about this, what about that', and we began to have doubts. We read loads of reviews (thanks, dooyoo, for some of them) and left from Gatwick with mixed feelings. Landing at 5.30am on a Monday morning after a nine hour flight in the cramped surroundings of a charter flight is never going to leave you feeling ...  Read the complete review

And now for part two of my Kenyan experience – Mombassa! Mombassa is a port town – newly designated as a city (the President’s New Year present) – on the Indian Ocean coast. It is a bustling, vibrant place, sadly lacking in anything resembling the levels of cleanliness we are familiar with in our major cities. The Town centre is no safe place to be after dark for tourists, but is well worth a look round during the day. Just remember the golden rules – carry no valuables in obvious places, not even jewellery and keep money well hidden away. Take a taxi if you are not sure – it is better to be safe than to be sorry. But there is much to .  Read the complete review

Born in kenya and lived there for 20 years is a great pleasure. mombasa is a paradise of kenya. Mombasa is Kenya's largest town exception of Nairobi which is a city. Mombasa has the only deepwater port. In many ways, it is the country's lifeline to the world. Once a scarcely developed island in a mangrove lined bay with dhows in the harbor. Mombasa today is crowded and busy with container berths at Kilindini on the west side of the island. The surrounding sprawls with industrial development . Mombasa today is separated into two spheres of influence. Mombasa holidays are accommodated at luxury beach hotels in the north and south ...  Read the complete review

If you have thought of trying somewhere different to the more usual Spanish or Greek resorts then l can recommend the hotels on Bamburi Beach which is situated about eight miles away from Mombasa. For those of you who have not visited a tourist resort located in a poor country before, it can be a bit of a shock. The moment that you step out of your hotel you are confronted by hordes of people trying to sell you things. But dont worry, you soon get used to it. Although on the day that the coach didnt turn up at 4.00am to take us on a safari trip, the dedication of the search for a sale surprised me. l decided to walk down to the beach to watch ...  Read the complete review

Having recently returned from Kenya and travelled with an experienced traveller to this country I would say that the best advice is to totally ignore the guide books when it comes to booking safaris or other trips. All of my excursions were booked through the beach boys who act as agents (on commission only) for the various locally owned tour companies. The were not only considerably cheaper that those offered by the hotel based reps but also were far more flexible when it came to timings and where we went. We put our trust in the driver and were taken to places that normally are not visited by the regular tours. I would add that you must listen to ...  Read the complete review