Tamarind Mombasa, Kenya

The Tamarind Village, a luxurious collection of fully serviced apartments, is situated directly adjacent to Mombasa’s famous Tamarind Restaurant and overlooks the picturesque Old Town of Mombasa. At Tamarind Village, ancient artistry meets contemporary comfort. Just 10 minutes from the city centre, this collection of elegant apartments blends age-old ambience with stateof- the-art business facilities, modern land and sea sports, and two world-famous restaurants – one overlooks the ocean, the other, seaborne, cruising its coastline aboard a majestic Arab dhow. 

In the world of modern architectural clones, Tamarind Village stands apart from the crowd. With its towering white walls, curling archways and classical turrets, the village rises from its coral ramparts like a formidable 14th Century fortress. Within these great walls are to be found some of the finest apartments in 21st Century Africa. Offering a wonderful alternative to any luxury hotel accommodation on the Coast, ‘the Village’, which consists of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, is set in a beautiful lush garden with a surrounding air of comfortable privacy.

Built in coastal style architecture with authentically styled Swahili furnishings, each apartment has air-conditioned bedrooms with bathrooms en-suite, a well appointed and equipped kitchen for self-catering, satellite TV and a spacious verandah with a stunning view of the Old Town of Mombasa. The Village is an ideal place for business visitors looking for a quiet environment and is able to cater for residential conferences of up to 40 in the conference room, as well as providing business facilities such as fax, e-mail, telephone and secretarial services.

For holidaymakers, the Village makes a secure and perfect setting for leisure and relaxation, offering two swimming pools with jacuzzi, the Creek Club fitness centre and therapy room, a glass-backed squash court, deep sea fishing, water skiing and excellent food and service.

The Tamarind Dhows Nawalilkher and Babulkher are authentic ocean going jahazi (traditional Arab sailing boats), formerly used for cargo trading along the Kenyan Coast and to the Arab states. The dhows have been completely refurbished as floating restaurants, without losing any of the traditional aspects of the original vessels.

They are now moored at the Mombasa Tamarind Jetty. As a restaurant, the Nawalilkher is available for individual bookings, and has a sitting capacity of 70 for dinner, which leaves plenty of room for dancing on night cruises. By removing some of the tables, the dhow has ample room to hold a cocktail party for up to 100 people. The Nawalilkher sails every day except Sundays for both day and evening cruises. Private charters can be organised for Sundays.

The lunchtime cruise departs from the Tamarind Jetty at 1pm, cruises gently up Tudor Creek, to a quiet spot where the dhow moors. The dinner cruise, commencing at 6.30pm, begins with a welcome Dawa cocktail as the dhow sails smoothly towards Fort Jesus. The twinkling lights of Mombasa and the starlit skies provide idyllic surroundings for a delicious seafood dinner meticulously prepared in the Swahili style on the deck in front of the guests.