Sovereign Hotel, Kisumu-a Gem by the Lakeside

I'd never been to Kisumu before. So when opportunity presented itself, I quickly grasped it. I’m quite the fastidious type when it comes to matters of accommodation, so finding a hotel in a new town wasn’t a piece of cake. I got onto TripAdvisor, and based on the comments and reviews I saw, I settled for Sovereign Hotel, Kisumu. 

Located in the plush Milimani area is Sovereign hotel, a 32-room 5 star hotel. Rated the 2nd best hotel in Kisumu, Sovereign Hotel is one of Kisumu’s newest and finest. The facade is of a well finished compact hotel. An urbane atmosphere pervades the stylish hotel as one approaches from the entrance, with marble floors and bronze coated railings completing the front. 

Their customer service is impressive from the outset. We were ushered in by a friendly host who checked us in then handed us over to a porter who took us to our room. Noteworthy we were checking in a couple of hours earlier, yet the hotel was happy to accommodate us.

Their rooms are really spacious, fully air conditioned with a balcony or terrace that overlooks the lush gardens or the lake. Our room was situated on the 1st floor. Meant to offer a ‘lake view’, it was disappointingly too far from the lake for any close-up views. Front-facing windows afforded pleasant mid-morning light, while well-designed lamps and ceiling fixtures provided good illumination for reading. Furnishings included a contemporary wooden writing desk; a flat-screen TV with severely limited channels; and a comfortable king bed topped with fluffy white linens. The rooms also have inbuilt closets well stocked with hangers. 

Other than its shipshape guest rooms, the place has a variety of restaurants, all serving various culinary delights, poolside snack bar, and common ways furnished with oversize fabric sofas and excellent abstract artwork.

Having checked into our room, we headed straight for breakfast at the Maestro Restaurant. Sovereign’s breakfast buffet offered a variety of breakfast delicacies, from freshly baked pastries to sautéed potatoes, crunchy chicken to the delectable pancakes and freshly squeezed juices. Service was extremely sluggish nonetheless, and we ended up with cold coffee awaiting an order of Spanish omelette.

Dinner was still served in the same restaurant, and it was just what the doctor ordered. Their food took forever to arrive, but it was well worth the wait. We started off with the starters, which happened to arrive the same time as the entrée. For my drink, I opted for a tropical mix smoothie, which was extremely well done (such a saviour following my Nairobi Java House Westside mall disaster earlier on). They had this genuinely friendly chef who came by just to confirm that we were enjoying our meal. After dinner, we ventured upstairs to sample Legends Bar and Lounge. A tasteful tavern with soothing jazz music playing in the background, this is as awesome place to relax, as you enjoy your cocktails. The bar had a few patrons, quietly enjoying their drinks amidst light chatter. For the sweet tooth, this is the place to be on Saturday night because on top of enjoying their impressive cocktails, there is a chocolate fondue fountain, complete with a serving of skewered chunks of pineapple, mango, watermelon and pineapple. 

This is one place where looks don’t betray the description. Their friendly service and ambience definitely provides a peaceful home to their guests and value for money.

By the time I was checking out on Sunday (late checkout applicable on Sunday), I promised myself that I’d visit Sovereign Hotel again. I look forward to that time.

Part  of the cocktails offered at Legends Bar and Lounge

Whole Tilapia fish, served with Ugali

Chocolate fondue fountain for all those with a sweet tooth 

Bonus Review: Dunga Hill Camp

If you are looking for a place to visit during the day, you can check out Dunga Hill Camp. Well known among the people in Kisumu, this is a nice place to relax and have your drink, as you enjoy watching the sun set by the Lake side.

Ratings:

Service: 4/5          Ambience: 4.5/5          Value: 4/5

Asmara Restaurant … A taste of Ethiopian

A Monday evening found me and my date in search for Ethiopian cuisine at Asmara restaurant. Almost an oddity, given Asmara is Eritrea’s capital, but evidently the two countries share more than a border. Located on General Mathenge Lane in Westlands area, the restaurant sits at a venue that resembles a converted house, with a large compound that also caters for outside sitting space. Friendly service greeted us from the very outset, with the butler dashing out to shelter us from the rain with an umbrella. We were then escorted into the restaurant by the aptly dressed steward.  

Asmara’s dining room is modest, with few cultural markers apart from the minority African artefacts and carvings hung on the walls. The floor and ceiling are excellently finished, with calming tones that evoke a family dining room. For a Monday night, the place was rather packed, mostly with couples and families, who dotted the tables adjacent to ours.

The staff promptly provided us with the drinks menu, with a less than exciting medley of drinks on the list. Being a smoothie lover, I opted for their Tropical mix smoothie while my date had a well done Martini cocktail.

With a variety of cuisines ranging from continental to Ethiopian to Eritrean, one is definitely spoilt for choice when they get here. Knowing what we wanted we skipped the starter, and moved on straight to the entrée, a guilty pleasure of mine. We ordered the Asmara Mixed plate, one of the specialties of Asmara restaurant. If you’ve been to the sister branch on Juja Road, you know what value you get when you order the mixed plate. This is usually an ensemble of meats and vegetables delivered in neighborly heaps served on a disk of injera- the round, sour flatbread-more than a foot in diameter, thin and limp, like an attenuated pancake. For starters, you might not like the injera, but it is usually an acquired taste. Also worth noting is that no folks and knives are required here. We dig in the old school way: tear the bread into small pieces and use it to scoop up the delicious mix of flavors into your mouth. So be sure to have washed your hands before you indulge in this harmonious meal.

Asmara Restaurant offers a unique dining experience. The food is stellar and the price is right. I highly recommend the place for a meal be it with family or friends.