The same way a desert has an Oasis, Machakos County has Lukenya Getaway. You cannot come to this conclusion until you experience it yourself. A weekend ago, together with other trade partners, I was privileged to spend a weekend away at Lukenya Getaway. The experience was nothing short of amazing. 'Travelwitheliud (walk with me) and discover this hidden treasure. The hotel had organized transport for us from Nairobi, which was coordinated by the Sales and Marketing Manager, Madam Agnes. The program required us to leave Nairobi for Lukenya at 9.30am and because all the people on board were tourism professionals, everyone was on time. We left at 9.42am after saying a word of prayer. Lukenya Getaway is only 40km from Kencom bus stage and with no traffic it's only a 55 minutes’ drive. It took us an hour and a half because of slight traffic that we came across at Mlolongo. From the Mombasa Road Junction, there is a 4km stretch of dusty but well maintained road. Lukenya Getaway neighbours Daystar University and is therefore easy to locate. On arrival, we found the Lukenya Getaway team waiting for us. They welcomed us with a glass of juice, cookies, a bag of goodies and smiles. We were allocated rooms in different wings and I landed in the Lukenya Getaway suites block. The room was spacious with a bed big enough for me to sleep across. Amenities in the room included a flat screen TV with DSTV, a mosquito net, a table and chairs, a water heater for tea/coffee making, a toilet and overhead shower, a wardrobe, a safe box, bedside lamps and a bench next to the window. This is a room worth KSh 15,200, which is a double room rate on full board. We were only allowed 10min to check in and head to the pool side garden for some bitings. I mean a 1 hour journey does not warrant freshening up. At the garden freshly cooked snacks were awaiting us. Meat balls, rolls, smokies, cakes, and much more were in plenty. After a few minutes, Danish (a team building facilitator at the hotel) requested us to form a circle and he led us in a few ice breaker activities. This helped us mingle, smile and laugh with each other. The General Manager (Ann Safari) took advantage of the moment and introduced her team. This made us feel at home. From here we embarked on a tour of the facility. We inspected all the room categories, conference halls, team building grounds and a neighbouring cottage called Isaac House. This is a house that can accommodate up to 22 people on sharing basis. It is well suited for organized groups and families. It receives guests overflow from Lukenya Getaway from time to time. Within the hotel, there were some gazelles walking around peacefully. This brings a wild experience to Lukenya Getaway. After the show, we headed straight to the Athi restaurant. A buffet meal was awaiting. The food was fresh, delicious and a variety of options provided. The staff members at the restaurant were helpful and friendly. We ate to our fill and the chafing dishes stayed put as if nothing has happened to them. Now that our stomachs were full, it was time to head to Lukenya motocross. This facility is a about a kilometre away. The hotel offered to drive us there with their van but we opted to walk all the way. This gave us an opportunity to exercise especially after the heavy meal. Lukenya motocross is a haven of activities. On entrance, we were welcomed with a glass of a cocktail or mocktail by the pool side. The swimming pool here is round with sprinklers, very good for an afternoon swim. After sipping our drinks, we headed to where the quad bikes were. The guys here showed us how to operate the bike and since there were only 6 of them, we had to take turns. As some went round the trail with the bikes, the rest enjoyed the scooters and hoover boards. It was so much fun learning how to balance your whole body on the board and making it move without falling off. If you have not done this, it is worth a try. Everyone got a chance to ride the quad bike and experience the scooters. These are activities you can do the whole day without getting tired or bored. Unfortunately, the finer things in life are a little pricy. Enjoying a scooter or hoover board will cost you KSh 1000 every 20 minutes. Time starts counting after you have learnt to balance yourself. Quad bikes will cost you KSh 2500 every half an hour. You can opt to pay KSh 20000 and stay with the bike the whole day. Lukenya Motocross also offers team building facilitaties and activities as well as a camping experience. The eventful session at Lukenya Motocross ended with tea and snacks. This gave us the much needed energy to walk back to Lukenya Getaway. By the time we got back, it was already dark. We went to our rooms and freshened up. Others decided to take a nap. We met for dinner at around 8.30pm. To our surprise, dinner was set at the pool side. The lighting was amazing. The blue pool water gave a fantastic ambience. The bonfire was lit next to the buffet and tables. What a way to end the day? At the buffet, we were spoilt for choice. Variety was adhered to with nyama choma being part of it. After feeding, we all gathered at the bonfire. Danish then joined us and engaged us in very exiting activities. We retired at own pleasure. The next morning, the program was to start with Zhumba at 6.30am. I was up but my lazy body decided to go back to sleep. At 7.00am I received a call from the reception. The lady on the other side of the phone asked me to join the zhumba team at the pool side. I obliged. I mean, who wouldn't when such a nice voice wakes you up politely, unlike the annoying loud alarm at home? By the time I got there, they were almost finished. Breakfast was ready and without hesitation, I landed on the buffet like I had not seen food for days. The food was awesome with my favourites represented. After breakfast, I rushed back to the room, took a bath and at 9.00am we left for a hike. The 2 hour hike left us at Lukenya Hills. Here Danish decided to punish all of us for eating too much. He made us climb the rocks head on. There was an easier route and a difficult route. You can guess which route majority of us took. At the top of the hill, the views are magical. On a lucky day, you can spot Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya from here. This is where you get to learn the origin of the name Lukenya. A white man stood at the top and after being amazed by the views, he said, 'Look at Kenya' the black people with him heard 'Lukenya'. Another myth says that Lukenya means “ Erukenya”- It comes from the mist/smog that covers Ukambani and Kajiado plains. Whichever is correct, be assured that this is a place you want to spend hours admiring your country. Unfortunately time was not on our side. We quickly climbed downhill and walked back to the hotel. Tea and snacks were waiting. We had a bite and it was time to test the waters. Water polo it is! This was such a good way to end the Lukenya adventure. We found lunch was ready after we were done enjoying the water. We had our last meal and the saddest part in any getaway reached. No one likes goodbyes especially when you remember you are coming back to the busy and chaotic Nairobi. We took a group photo and it was a wrap. Lukenya Getaway is an Oasis in the midst of a dry area. It offers a cool environment with a great breeze. It is 40km from Nairobi. A few kilometers past Mlolongo on Mombasa Road, you will take a left onto the Daystar University junction and drive for 4km. It is a great facility for family getaways, conferencing and team building. There are activities for kids, ample parking and an animation team to keep you entertained. To book a stay here, kindly get in touch with Safiri Nasi ltd.
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3 Comments
Travel With Eliud
7/6/2017 09:39:16 am
Thank you Jeen,
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