Mombasa

[Zimzam]

Mombasa is not the place for great food really. I find cafeserie the best but its not as cheap. Plenty local cafes if you rough it a bit but tasty Biriyani etc can be had, good chicken in a few places too.

There is a new place called Char Choma, just next to White Sands and on walking distance (also over the beach) from Big Tree.

As for now they don't have a signboard yet along the main road.

It is a large restaurant with a wide variety of food, especially all kind of meats, which you choose when you enter. Very clean and well organized, reasonably priced.

And yes, they serve a good cappuccino too.

It is a hotel also, but I don't know their rates.

Otherwise the Safari Inn in Shanzu serves good food at reasonable prices.

[Leblon]

Normally I always go to Big Tree, when I go to Mombasa. Lately Mwtapa, because there are some places that stay open whole night.

Bad things about Big Tree:

-no mosquitos nets, because architecture of the hut don't allow it. Well in hotels that I have visited in Diani and Mwtapa, there has been mosquito nets, but full of holes from smokers or too small, so no difference. That is what you get when going only cheap hotels.

-water from shower is salty, but that is same in many places in coast, including Mwtapa. Nowadays some rooms have hot water, but not all.

-no air conditioner, just a ventilator. Same like in many cheap hotels. Breeze from sea helps, sometimes it is even cold.

Good things:

-this is a place where girls come to hunt musungu customers. Many white people from Mwtapa and around come to Big Tree for sun bathing, especially on Wednesdays when there is pizza offer. So you can conveniently take a girl from there directly to your room. Sometimes it is silent, sometimes more girls. When the sun goes down everybody leave.

-Cheers is on a walking distance. This is more popular place for girls to look for customers, and this is busy until curfew time. And you can buy most of the stuff from gasoline station 24 hours.

-Big Tree in on the beach, and it is cheap, compared to most of the hotels on the beach. I like the atmosphere there, in the evening / night it is nice to sit with a girl under the palm trees. I like also hotel staff there.

It would be interesting to know what are daily rates there right now.

[MastermindF]

Oiste,

What is Big Tree going to charge you per night? It is a basic place and there is much better value around if yiu give your budget I can advise.

Day time you can go anywhere it is safe, as below the biggest danger is traffic. Mombasa is not the place for great food really. I find cafeserie the best but its not as cheap. Plenty local cafes if you rough it a bit but tasty Biriyani etc can be had, good chicken in a few places too.

I am headed to Mombasa next week for 3 weeks and will be there in Dec for 3 weeks.

Please advise! Last year I was staying in Bamburi cowrie shell hotel quite good but far from everything. When I was there I visited Big tree, Indiana and ziwa beach hotel but very basic / dirty hotels. May be I'll go back next winter but would like to find a decent room not too far from everywhere. Any advise?

[Mombie75]

Oiste,

What is Big Tree going to charge you per night? It is a basic place and there is much better value around if yiu give your budget I can advise.

Day time you can go anywhere it is safe, as below the biggest danger is traffic. Mombasa is not the place for great food really. I find cafeserie the best but its not as cheap. Plenty local cafes if you rough it a bit but tasty Biriyani etc can be had, good chicken in a few places too.

I am headed to Mombasa next week for 3 weeks and will be there in Dec for 3 weeks.

[Leblon]

Thanks for all the responses I have received.

I think the best choice would be to stay at the Big Tree for ten days and then, if I am not satisfied, I would move to Diani Beach. Big Tree is a strategic point but I would like to know what I could find once I leave the resort. I mean ethnic restaurants closed to there, shops, and places to take a walk without getting killed. I repeat that I don't like nightlife and that I spend half of the day on the beach. Maybe it would be better to go directly to Diani? The rule is true that you have to read the whole forum but now the information in my head is too much!

You can walk on the beach, that is what everybody do, safe as long as there is light. You can walk on the roads, but there is too much traffic. Traffic can actually kill you, that is biggest danger. On the beach you can find restaurants, or you can go to Nyali shopping center. Ethnic food, I don't know. Relatively Near Big Tree there is very popular beach restaurant, forgot the name. For shopping, same Nyali shopping centers. For everything basic, there is gasoline station very near, safe walking, in the same complex as Cheers. You get all the basic stuff from that gasoline station shop, water, beer, bread, etc.

[Oiste]

I want to ask a question about the sea as I spend half of my day in the sun. Would it be a happy choice if I decided to stay in Mtwapa? I tried to search but the organized beaches (with umbrella and sun bed) and don't seem so beautiful to me, maybe is just my impression. I say this because Mtwapa intrigues me and I would also have found a good accommodation at Merryvilla for 50000 for a studio, but from there I have absolutely no idea of the distances to reach a beach with little expense. Of white sand equipped. Thank you and good day for yours help.

Thanks for all the responses I have received.

I think the best choice would be to stay at the Big Tree for ten days and then, if I am not satisfied, I would move to Diani Beach. Big Tree is a strategic point but I would like to know what I could find once I leave the resort. I mean ethnic restaurants closed to there, shops, and places to take a walk without getting killed. I repeat that I don't like nightlife and that I spend half of the day on the beach. Maybe it would be better to go directly to Diani? The rule is true that you have to read the whole forum but now the information in my head is too much!

[Growtek]

With a happy attitude and able to communicate with the ladies in a way they enjoy plus dressed in a way the lady will be proud to walk out with a gentleman -- you not have a problem with your looks or age.

As young guy, macho attitude, smelling like garbage. You won't score however.

I've had freebies. They're usually not free. I'd rather have an upfront no bullshit experience. As Bukowski once said "You don't pay them to stay, you pay them to leave".

The best mongering trip to Thailand was at the age of 57, a couple of years ago. I am slightly overweight and dress casual professional. I speak Thai, and can sing a few songs in the language. But I've been able to do that for decades and still my younger experiences were not as stellar as this trip. The environment, the fun I had and I didn't pay through the nose. It didn't hurt I was staying at a very nice hotel (Marriot) and had a beautiful city view we could relax and enjoy. I feel a lot of it was due to my fun attitude and quiet confidence in myself at this stage in life.

Can't wait for my upcoming trip to Nairobi and Mombasa!

[Radical Guy]

Got 5 days in Mombasa next week.

Easiest way to get good girls to hotel?

Any decent websites / apps?

Or even contacts to share??

Will update after my visit.

I settled on a beautiful 22-year-old hottie about 2 weeks before my trip. We met on Tinder, and communicated / video called for a couple of weeks. I reserved a room for two at the Sarova Whitesands resort, and had no difficulty bringing my lady. We had an awesome time!

[NemanLion]

Got 5 days in Mombasa next week.

Easiest way to get good girls to hotel?

Any decent websites / apps?

Or even contacts to share??

Will update after my visit.

[Amadeuss]

....I tried to search but the organized beaches (with umbrella and sun bed) and don't seem so beautiful to me.

Those maintained public beaches you won't find there. Some beaches you can go for a swim, as you can read in the posts before. But to laze for a day?

If you keen on that, only option is to book one of the luxury hotels with their own garden facing the beach. There you have a deckchair, umbrella, pool and service. But: they will charge horrible "joiner"-fees for your ladies.

[Zimzam]

It is true that while staying in Mtwapa there is not a beach really nearby.

If you like swimming and I mean really swimming some distance you depend very much on the tide. Basically on many places you can only swim at high tide.

At high tide you can swim at Big Tree, or at Continental in Shanzu, which is nearest to Mtwapa, where you have to spend at least 600 ksh and in fact everywhere at Bamburi and Nyali beaches.

Even at Cobacabana beach you can swim, especially at the Southern end at the Crab's Den, a very remarkable beach bar, dug out from the rocks.

Unfortunately the water at other parts of Cobacabana beach can be quite dirty, as there is a lot of seaweed, mixed with waste from the crowd floating in the water.

In fact the only place where you can always swim is at the Northern side of Cobacabana beach, near the Beach Bar in Maweni, which is unfortunately still closed now. As this place is the mouth of the Mtwapa Creek you will always find water that is deep enough with easy access from a sandy beach.

If you really like to visit some fine and quiet, pristine beaches you can go to Kikambala, a few kilometres North of Mtwapa, where you can find some unspoilt beaches and even a place for snorkeling.

And they will grill freshly caught fish for you on the beach.

I say unspoilt for now, as big money is busy grabbing land there and building more large & luxury resorts now, leaving not much room for the common man.

[Mombie75]

Oiste.

As below Serena would be an option.

Or, you could stay on Bamburi beach at Indiana, Sai rock, or Kahama.

I would stay Mtwapa end myself but as I like the beach it is too much hassle going to and from it everyday.

[Leblon]

I want to ask a question about the sea as I spend half of my day in the sun. Would it be a happy choice if I decided to stay in Mtwapa? I tried to search but the organized beaches (with umbrella and sun bed) and don't seem so beautiful to me, maybe is just my impression. I say this because Mtwapa intrigues me and I would also have found a good accommodation at Merryvilla for 50000 for a studio, but from there I have absolutely no idea of the distances to reach a beach with little expense. Of white sand equipped. Thank you and good day for yours help.

Serena beach, or those beaches near Serena beach hotel. It is cheap and fast to go there by motobike taxi. Or it is nearest nice beach at least. There is Copacabana beach in Mwtapa but it is not for sunbathing, people go to drink and eat fish.

[Oiste]

I want to ask a question about the sea as I spend half of my day in the sun. Would it be a happy choice if I decided to stay in Mtwapa? I tried to search but the organized beaches (with umbrella and sun bed) and don't seem so beautiful to me, maybe is just my impression. I say this because Mtwapa intrigues me and I would also have found a good accommodation at Merryvilla for 50000 for a studio, but from there I have absolutely no idea of the distances to reach a beach with little expense. Of white sand equipped. Thank you and good day for yours help.

[Run Marathon]

Thank you for Info about Diani and covid. Helpful.