Severin Sea Lodge Mombasa

The Severin Sea Lodge Mombasa is one of few eco-lodges in Mombasa. Situated on the beautiful Bamburi beach on Mombasa’s North Coast, the lodge has detached cottages which are designed like African huts with thatched roofs. Its newer rooms are in the main building. In keeping with its green mission, it gets its supplies from its own organic farm.

Severin Sea Lodge Mombasa

It has a water purification plant to clean wastewater before it is dumped and it has replaced all fences on the grounds with hedges for birds to nest in. Its water supply is heated with solar panels and it recycles all materials. Wasted food is given to the pig farmers to feed their stock, garden trash is composted and all other materials are recycled.

Rooms in the Severin Sea Lodge come in two different styles – the more luxurious Comfort Class rooms and the Karibu rooms. The Karibu rooms are more basic and come with double beds, individually controlled air conditioning, mosquito nets, showers, toilet, a sitting area and a terrace.

The more luxurious Comfort class rooms have private baths with showers, a toilet, and some rooms have double sinks, individually controlled air conditioning, mosquito net, 1 or 2 fans, hairdryer, coffee, a minibar, balcony or terrace and a fruit basket on arrival. They are furnished with Lamu carved furniture and beds.

The new Comfort Class rooms in the main building have similar features but are larger and are equipped with a flat screen and satellite television.

Comfort Class Room at Severin Sea Lodge

The Admiral Suite is designed with a separate living room and kitchenette, a bar and lounge area with satellite TV, a shower and bathtub, a separate changing room and a balcony from which to enjoy the panoramic sea view.

All rooms are cleaned and linens exchanged daily.

Total number of rooms 200
Comfort Class rooms 100 (36 new ones in the main building)
Karibu 100
Admiral Suite 1

Restaurants
There are 3 restaurants, the most interesting one being the Imani restaurant which is housed in an old African dhow. The dhow used to ply routes between Zanzibar, Dar-es-Salam, Tanga and Mombasa carrying loads of mango wood, cotton and maize. It is now an excellent seafood restaurant.

Dhow Restaurant At Severin

The main restaurant, the Kisima, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and stages themed-buffets. It serves a good traditional English breakfast with bacon and baked beans and pretty delicious bread rolls and soup for lunch and dinner. The Flame Tree Bistro dishes up pizza and pasta for lunch and dinner and the Pool Grill Kisima is the place for snacks.

The two bars at Severin Sea Hotel, the Safari Bar and the Swing Bar, stay open till midnight.

Swimming pool
2 free-form swimming pools, one with a small waterfall and water slide. The one located away from the beach is quieter whereas the second pool, which faces the beach, tends to be busier. Wooden sun beds are arranged around the pool and on the grass facing the beach.

Entertainment
Live African bands playing jazz and reggae and traditional African dance and music

Things to Enjoy

Wellness Spa at Severin Sea Lodge

Shops at Severin

Wind surfing, beach volleyball, tennis, table tennis and golfing nearby. The wellness spa offers treatments on the beach or in the spa itself.

What’s Cool
Its commitment to the environment has garnered several German tourism awards for sustainability. Severin Sea Lodge is the first hotel in Kenya to have an environmental manager to oversee the implementation of its eco-mission. The Imani restaurant is definitely unique. The lodge also offers several wedding packages including a sunset ceremony on a dhow or on the Nguuni game reserve with wandering giraffes and antelopes as special guests!

What’s Not
The beach tends to get clogged up by seaweed. The beach boys on the beach are particularly aggressive. Some of the older Comfort Class rooms within the detached bungalows at the hotel need updating. There is no kid’s club nor activities specially designed for kids.

Location
On, Bamburi Beach., Mombasa, Kenya

Directions To Severin Sea Lodge:
12 km north of central Mombasa and 20 km from Moi International Airport.

All images and photographs used in this review are the copyright of Severin Sea Lodge Mombasa