Scorpio Villas, Malindi, Kenya
Posted by Jackie Hewett on Sun 11th January 2009 at 03:21 AM, Filed in Africa
I stayed at Scorpio Villas quite a few years ago, and am glad to see from recent reviews that most people seem to still be enjoying the place.
I found Malindi a much nicer place to stay than Mombassa. It is quieter, has a far more low-key feel - you get less hassle on the beaches (although you will get some) and its feels like a safer place.
Scorpio Villas
Malindi is about 2.5 hours by coach or a good 3 hours by public bus from Mombassa (both of which include a short ferry crossing at Likoni). Scorpio Villa’s itself is about a 20 minute amble from the centre of Malindi and is a very quiet low-key place. It is not a high-end luxury – come on it only has 3 stars and it’s in Africa, but for somewhere on a bit of a budget it’s a real gem and offers unbeatable value for money.
When I stayed there the hotel was owned by Romolo (Italian) and his wife Elsie (I believe she’s British) – from the web site I haven’t been able to ascertain if they are still there. Can any of our readers shed light on the issue?
They got started by buying a plot of land and building a number of rooms around it. When they acquired more land along came another pool and more rooms. They now have 3 pools (with plenty of sun loungers) and 50 rooms. So, if you want some solitude by the pool and the one you are at is busy simply move onto the next. During our stay we always managed to have a pool completely to ourselves if we wanted it.
The grounds are very nicely kept with tropical plants and meandering pathways. Also the hotel has a lot of lovely local wooden furniture with many day-beds – perfect for vegging out and reading on – I would have got one shipped home if I’d had the space at the time. The restaurant / bar overlooks the main pool, is open sided and has a thatched roof.
The rooms are pretty large with air-conditioning, en-suites and massive (I reckon 7 foot wide) four poster beds. The mosquito nets are more like net-curtains!
Typical Scorpio Villas bedroom
Food (for Kenya) is pretty good. Breakfast is possibly the best bit. Whatever time you ordain to get up your ‘butler’ will serve you breakfast on the balcony (rooms are organised in sets of 2 with mini-kitchens in-between). If you want a cooked breakfast that’s fine, but you will also get a large plate of delicious tropical fruit. For dinner there are always a couple of pasta dishes (no doubt Romolo’s influence and from recent reports this hasn’t changed) and a buffet with a pretty good range of salads, seafood and meat.
Scorpio Villas now have the following facilities:
• Gymnasium
• Billiard table
• Tennis table
• Darts
• Small library
• Massage Room
• Internet
Expect to pay around £30 - £40 per person per night for half board – like I said its great value. Some people have complained that the towels aren’t great and that service is slow – but that is Kenya for you. I found all the staff extremely friendly – especially our room butler, the garden staff and cleaners (none will walk past you without saying Jambo). Evening waiters could have been a little slicker – but they tried hard. If you want somewhere more up-market to stay in Malindi head for Hemmingways – but you will pay for it.
Local things to do are:
• Snorkeling and diving trips (The Malindi Marine National Park is relatively unspoiled)
• Sea fishing
• Haggle at the local bizarre – lots of soap-stone and wooden carvings (you do have to haggle)
• Visit the ruins of Gede and see ancient stone carvings and the local monkeys
I think a 5-7 night stay in Malindi is about right, if you want to go on safari I wouldn’t recommend doing it locally but head for the Masai Mara (I can recommend the Mara Sopa Lodge) for about a week - or better still visit Giraffe Manor. If you have another week to spare I’d head south to check out Lamu Island. During our stay I saw quite a bit of wildlife – most notable a huge monitor lizard making its way to the beach.
For further inspiration on Kenya see Tree Tops Article.
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