this was one of 5 serenas we stayed at during our recent tour of kenya. let me first say that the views from the hotel are absolutely magnificent and if i stopped here this hotel would get 5 stars. the first night we arrived the hotel was very empty due to the recent election violence. the food on the buffet was covered in flies as was the dining room. the next day two of us had food poisoning. luckily we are in the medical profession so came equiped with antibiotics, but it took a good 6 days for full recovery. we did note that food inspectors showed up two days later and sanitation improved but the damage was done. the food in general was very poor at this hotel as compared to the other serenas. the water in the shower was very foul smelling and i understand we are in africa, but i am comparing it to the other serenas. we also were given the only room with a tree blocking the view when we arrived. as the hotel was nearly empty we found this very strange. i do use a wheelchair and possibly they thought they were helping us by giving us a close room, but the hotel in general was very inaccessible and my husband bumped me up all the steps so a room two steps closer to a flight of steps was a mute point. we moved our room across the walk to a room with a beautiful view. also in general we found the staff to be more genuinely friendly at the other serenas. as previously stated this hotel can pose problems for those with mobility issues, obviously nothing is impossible but come with a strong helper.

We stayed at the Mara Serena when peace had returned to Kenya but the tourists had not. Things were very quiet around the lodge which, in it's own way, was quite nice for us, not so much for the staff.

The rooms are very comfortable with a nice little sitting area with sliding doors to what could loosley be described as a balcony, a shame as it would have been lovely to have a little more outside area to sit on. The bathroom was good but the shower was lacking in space and the water splashed out from under the shower curtain, leaving the bathroom floor awash. The water from the taps and in the toilet cistern is pumped up from the Mara River. It is treated but still retains a cloudy appearance. Where I would normally use the water from the tap to brush my teeth, on this occasion I used the bottled water provided!

I did expect more of the food given the chain's reputation. I found the choice was quite limited. Whether this was because there were few people, I don't know. Breakfast was quite monotonous and never varied, there was always pasta at lunch and dinner that would be cooked in whatever sauce you wanted. There was a strong emphasis on Indian food. However, the toast at breakfast, which they prepared for you individually, was quite delicious.

I was a litrtle upset that there is not a central tip box. There were a number of waiters in the restaurant that attended our table at meals, one might bring the drinks, another the food, another to clear away. And there were a host of other staff who did things for you. It was very difficult to know what to do for the best. In the end we gave a tip to the waiter who served us the most, and to the room attendant each day (that was easy!).

The general areas were fairly basic, I'm not quite sure how sufficient the seating areas would be if the lodge was full. But to be able to sit on the terrace or around the pool with the views across the Mara is something else.

I've been to a number of lodges, each are unique with their good points, but I'd choose this lodge again for the views, if nothing else.

Mara Serena save the best for last – this was really one of the most amazing Hotels seated on the top of a small hill overlooking one of the most amazing views I have ever seen.
Sitting at the Pool after our 6 o’clock drive still a little bit fresh with our binoculars sipping café and watching the river flow by. From left there was an endless march from animal over to the river 15 Giraffes, then another group of Topis, the hippos came out to lie in the sandbanks we have counted over 30!!!!!!! Watching a Mama Cheetah hunting for her 4 coups!!!!!!!!
I can’t say how wonderful the Masai Mara is with its wildlife, we were fascinated by a group of lioness trying to catch a Topi which I guess we weren’t very helpful in our cars but can you believe it we didn’t see the big Lion coming out right next to us, my heart was making a jump not only did he stay right next to us his friend another lion came too how wonderful!?!?!?!

The food was really nice, the evening sitting out in the warm evening night with many star shining and a warm fire it was magic.

The rooms were in a world of themselves, so cool 60’ style with amazing views, again a superb bathroom and lovely sitting area.
There was only one small thing which was worse for my partner then for me (he doesn’t like snakes) there was some banging and talking outside our front door at about 9.30pm which was quite unfortunate as we tried to fall asleep (don’t laugh but after 6am morning Safaris you are knackered)
Only the next day we have heard that near our bungalow was a black mamba which they had to kill, I
all really nice.
Here the Pros and Cons:
Pros
- Amazing Hotel it’s worth every penny
- Pool area with the most amazing view we have experienced in Kenya
- Rooms absolutely great, as was the staff and food
Cons:
- Forget it there isn’t anything

21 Oct 2007 I arrived at the Mara Serena with a Elderhostel group. We had driven 6 hours and was dusty and tired. We were met in Kenyan style with drink and a warm, wet face cloth and a wonderful view of the reserve. We gather our keys and were taken to our rooms to rest. Dinner that night was superb and each meal after was of high quality and a large selection of fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. Our room was neat, clean and we always had all the necessities that we needed. Someone came in every night and lowered our mossie net. This lodge had to be my favorite of my 15 day trip to East Africa. I had no compliants whatsoever with this lodge. I would recommend it to anyone. I am so sorry that Kenya is experiencing troubles, but I hope that they resolve their crisis so that tourists may come back to their wonderful country.