Last week this journey took me to Victoria Comfort Inn located in Tom Mboya Estate just close to Josana Academy.

While this hotel has been around for quite a while now, it has recently expanded putting up a new wing with 35 new ultra-modern suites, a state of the art restaurant, two conference halls, a gym and rooftop bar.

I was coming for lunch with a friend and I was beyond words when I walked into the restaurant. Most hotels do not pay much attention to interior decoration and fittings in their restaurants. Standard furniture and interior design screaming lack of creativity is what greets you when you enter restaurants even those in very prestigious establishments across the country.

At Victoria Comfort Inn though, it’s a whole new ball game! The interior borrows a lot from the Java restaurant themes but even with that they still seem to have taken it a whole notch higher.

You decide either to sit at the booths which each have two sockets on either side for you to charge your devices (talk of being practical) or you can also sit on the stand-alone tables in the middle of the restaurants.

The setup aside, the restaurant is manned by three chefs with the Head Chef being Chef Josiah. On this material day I insist that he personally makes my food. I was coming here for Pork Chops but because I was in the company of a friend we decided to try different stuff so that we can then taste each other’s food.

My friend ordered pork spare ribs served with country potatoes. They came with honey glazed barbecue sauce, medium oval shaped fried potatoes and edible garnish consisting of seasonal vegetables. I have had a lot of pork chops in Kisumu and I probably only have one more restaurant left in my journey but this was most definitely the best I have ever tasted. I swear I would have finished my pal’s food but he was not going to let me.

I on the other hand ordered “beef medallion.” For those who love their steak this is made from center cut of prime beef fillet and served with Diane sauce, Rosti potatoes and seasonal vegetables. On this day I wanted mine medium – done but if you have a sensitive stomach I would recommend you have it well done.

The food was delicious and so was the fruit cocktail juice and I promised myself that I would come back for more, this time with my wife and the little one. Talking of my wife, Valentines is coming in a few weeks and if you are looking for a quiet place to have dinner with your better half then this is the place. The mood lighting inside the restaurant will just add pure romance to the scenery -if you are still single you can go down on one knee and perfectly pop the big question.

Okay before I get too romantic and all you can also have your meals at the terrace or at the rooftop bar.

It’s however not just about the food and the restaurant, personalized customer service greets you from the guard at the gate to the smiling lady at the reception. In the middle of our meal the kitchen doors fling open and Chef Josiah walks out, comes straight to our table with hands crossed behind him asking if  we are enjoying our meal. Of course we are and he says “thank you” and asks us to come again.

Just as we are about to leave Joy Cecilia walks into the restaurant. I have known Joy for about one year now. We met for the first time on a trip to a private island in Lake Victoria and we became friends after she read my review of the trip.

She offers to give me a quick tour of the facility.

Conference facilities

My little tour starts with the conference room on the first floor which could carry up to 200 people. The room is a two in one which means that it can be broken into two conference rooms each with a capacity of 100.

The room is well fitted with sockets both on the walls and on the floors which means every person has access to a power source – something very important in the modern age where people are always on their laptops and phones.

There is a smaller conference room in the old wing that can carry about 100 people. Conference materials such as wireless internet flip charts, TV screens, DvDs and projectors are provided.

Executive Boardroom

Adjacent to the main conference room is an executive conference room that is ideal for board meetings or very high profile meetings. Designed pretty much like your office board room with a round table and executive seats that can take up to 50 people.

It is fitted with teleconferencing facilities for live video conferences, very high speed internet and multiple power sockets.

Kisumu can be very hot so all the conference rooms are fitted with air conditioning equipment.

The conference rooms have an adjacent spill-over area that can be used to serve refreshments during workshops and meetings.

Business centre

Adjacent to the conference rooms is a business center where workshop participants can access services such as printing, photocopying and internet services at a small fee.

Hotel rooms

The hotel has 47 rooms with 35 of those in the new wing and the rest in the renovated old wing.

The rooms are very spacious with a double bed, wall closet, bathroom and toilet.

There is a big working space and a comfortable chair in the room. In case of double occupancy you will always be provided with an extra chair.

They are lit with large windows which open up to a balcony that overlooks a very well manicured lawn. The lawn which is adjacent to the main entrance to the hotel is suitable for hosting small parties and wedding photo shoots. The mood lighting in the room and corridors adds to the general ambiance of the hotel.

A 50 inch TV with over 40 local and international channels hangs on the wall opposite the bed. Above it hangs an air conditioner.

Executive suites

The executive suites are almost double the size of the standard hotel rooms with a lounge and a working area. The rooms are fitted with two TV screens, one in the lounge and the other just opposite the bed.

While the other hotel rooms only have fridges that you stock yourself, the executive suites have a mini-bar where you can entertain your guests.

The rooms have bigger closets and two balconies.

Gym

The gym is located on the second floor of the new wing. It is fitted with some of the latest equipment in the fitness industry.

The floor is tiled with rubber tiles that provide you with a firm grip during exercise.

The gym is only accessible to residents free of charge with an instructor coming in in the morning and evening. During the day you can workout on your own.

Rooftop bar

The bar on the third floor of the new wing provides you with a beautiful view of Kisumu and surrounding areas. The canvas canopy protects you from the unforgiving Kisumu sun while the open sides allows the cool lake breeze calm you down.

There are varieties of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages sold at the counter. The bar is both open to residents and members of the public.

Private wing

Adjacent to the bar is a private wing suitable for hosting private parties. It has it’s own counter and attended to by a private waiter.

There are three independent rooms in the private area and shared open spaces. When you are hosting a party on the private wing, only guests in your invite list are admitted.

The hotel prides itself as eco-friendly with bath water coming from a solar heating system installed at the roof of the hotel.

There is a standby generator in case of blackouts.

Your security as a guest is not taken lightly from the moment you drive in with highly trained security staff manning the premise which is also wired with CCTV cameras.

If you are looking for that personalized service then you should definitely pay Victoria Comfort Inn a visit.

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So I spend my afternon trying to figure out where I was going to spend the weekend without so much hustle. Then it hits me that I recently was treated to a tour of the new Pinecone Hotel. I loved the place. I quickly log onto their website and make my reservation.

About 20 minutes later my phone rings and it’s Ruth Ombongi from Pinecone on the other end of the line confirming my reservation for Saturday – “that was fast,” I tell her but that would just be my first interaction with the top notch professionalism of Pinecone Hotel staff. I settle for a double deluxe room on full board accommodation and get back to my Friday routine.

I check into the hotel about half past noon, just a few minutes to lunch time – the timing was very intentional. I am paying for full board accommodation so I better make sure I am checked in for lunch. I get into my room and the phone rings with someone from reception waiting to take my order. There is fish, chicken and beef but they could as well make anything else for me if I am not interested in any of those. This is Kisumu, most people would be interested in the fish but I go for kuku kienyeji served with ugali and traditional vegges. As I wait for my order, I acquaint myself with the facilities.

When people like me who breathe internet and not oxygen check into hotels, the most important thing you want to try out is their WiFi. I take out my laptop but I notice that there is a very weak signal in my room – just two bars . I note it down so that when I get to have a sit down with the hotel’s marketing manager later in the afternoon I will bring it to her attention. I however decide to see how the weak signal performs all the same and to my bewilderment all my pages open okay – I try to test it with fire and open YouTube to play Dela’s rendition of Hello by Adelle – streams perfectly!!

The hotel room has a medium sized nicely finished working desk with about four regular power sockets for your gadgets an Ethernet port if you are interested in using the cabled network instead of WiFi. There is a 32 inch Sony LED TV hanging on the wall just above the desk with access to over 40 channels which include Aljazeera, CNN, Sports, Entertainment and local channels. A DVD player is also available on request. The desk has a drawer that you can use for keeping the documents you are working on.

Kisumu can be hot so the rooms are all fitted with air conditioning equipment. Each room has a plastic key card which apart from opening the doors also switches the power on – that means power goes off immediately you leave the room. I found that to be a very efficient way of conserving energy because it ensures you have power only when you need it. The hotel also has a standby generator and solar backup just in case power goes out.

As the geek in me notices the tech stuff, my wife is busy unpacking. We are only here for a day so we did not bring the whole world with us. The room has a nicely fitted closet on one side of the room directly opposite the bathroom with a life –size mirror on the door. It has a couple of plastic hangers for your clothes and a compartment that you can use for your folded clothes and space bellow for your shoes.

Unlike hotels of similar standards that I have been to in a couple of cities, this room does not have a safe but I am told there are safes at the reception that I can use to keep my valuables. I hope that is one thing they will consider adding to the rooms after reading my review.

The bathroom has a nice looking finish. A toilet on one end and shower on the other. The water is heated using solar energy so you have to let it run for a while before it gets hot but it’s totally worth the wait. Fresh towels hang on a rack next to a sink with a face mirror above it. There are tubes of shower gel, shampoo and lotion in the shower.

The bed is a 5″ x 6″ with a nicely done headboard. It has side drawers on both sides and a very comfortable mattress. The remote control to the AC sits on top of the drawer on one side of the bed while the phone is on the other side. There are a couple of sockets just above the drawers for those who like to sleep with their phones charging next to them.

The phone rings again and I am informed that our lunch is ready. We walk downstairs from our first floor room past the lobby and into the terrace where our lunch is served. You can chose between having your meals at the restaurant or at this nicely done terrace adjacent to the poolside bar. It has beautiful shades with octagon-shaped mahogany tables and seats all nicely finished. A couple of trees and green plants complete the serene picture that is very ideal for chilling out on a hot afternoon like this one.

The waiters serve us lunch from the adjacent kitchen. The chicken tastes so nice it reminds me of my mother’s cooking. It’s been a very long time since I had such nice tasting chicken.

At night we have ugali with fish at the restaurant because the weather was not all that good for a garden dinner. Just like the chicken at lunch the fish is very delicious and is served with traditional veges. I skip the drinks and desert because I am attending a cocktail evening and a nearby hotel that is just opening its doors for the first time tonight and I don’t want to fill my stomach. The restaurant is on the ground floor next to the lobby.

Adjacent to the lobby is a Business Centre with three computers and high speed internet accessible to all guests staying at the hotel at no extra cost. If you are on holiday and did not carry your gadgets but need to work on a quick document then this space will be ideal for your needs.

The conference facilities are located on the third floor of the 66 bed capacity hotel. It boasts of three conference halls of different sizes with the biggest being able to accommodate up to 300 people.

The conference room have very fast internet accessed through WiFi or internet cables and are fitted with modern conferencing equipment.

The conference rooms have very beautiful views of Kisumu International Airport and Lake Victoria which add a very relaxing feel to them.

The hotel is just seven minutes drive from the airport and about five minutes from the city centre.

While staying at the hotel it’s advisable to sample Kisumu life during your free time. Kisumu Impala Park which is home to a variety of wildlife including lions, elephants, ostrich and impalas is just seven minutes away or you can drive further down to Dunga beach for another 10 minutes and visit the fishing village where you will see fishermen returning to shore with their catch for the day.

On your way from Dunga Beach you can pass by Dunga Hill Camp and grab a beer or cup of coffee as you watch the breathtaking sunset over Lake Victoria.

If you want to sample Kisumu’s night life then you can check out Barcadia Lounge, Club Signature or Club Buccaneers – all located in the CBD  if you are into the Urban hits or sample Buddy’s Grill at United Mall for some soothing oldies and Rhumba.

The hotel also has a fully furnished apartment for those who want to be home away from home. You can make your own food or request for a personal chef.

What are your Christmas plans, if you are going to Kisumu then why not check out Pinecone Hotel? Make your reservations online at www.pineconehotel.com this holiday season or next time you are having a conference in town and you might just land yourself a discount. Rates are available on their website as well.

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This article was also submitted for publication on www.potentash.com 

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