Premier marina open to public

EnglishPoint Marina, a luxury waterfront development facing Mombasa’s Old Town, is now complete and open to the public as it awaits commissioning in June, the proprietors have said.

The Sh5.5 billion project that incorporates a hotel, apartments, restaurant, casinos, a public boardwalk and a marina where luxury boats will be moored, has already secured guest bookings as it undergoes final touches.

“We are through with the hardware and are busy finalising on the software,” said Mr Alnoor Kanji, who owns the property with his London-based brother, Amyn.

“We have witnessed a wonderful response from interested investors and visitors. We even already have guests in the rooms.”

The marina, the only one along the eastern coast of Africa, is billed as a key development that might tilt the scales in favour of the ailing tourism sector, allowing a high-end segment to flourish even as the industry totters through its lowest point in history.

The sector has suffered a beating from the travel advisories announced by Western countries following a string of incidents of insecurity last year, with most hotels at the coast managing an average occupancy of less than 20 per cent in January.

EnglishPoint Marina has 96 three-bedroom apartments going for between Sh43 million and Sh85 million, and a penthouse with a price tag of Sh180 million.

Daily rates for the serviced apartments range from Sh18,000 to Sh30,000, depending on the type of accommodation, while the daily hotel charges are Sh15,000, Sh20,000 and Sh25,000 for single, double and suite rooms, respectively.

Mr Kanji refers to the development as a “monument” whose “taste” should be enjoyed by everyone.

“This facility is open to the public who should come and enjoy the panoramic view of the old town that this site presents, especially at dusk. But for those who are living in the apartments, it will be an exclusive private affair. It is fascinating that even as human beings want to live in privacy, no one wants to be alone, a fact we considered in designing this development.”

The project will be East Africa’s first pontoon marina for yachts and boats, which will be fully serviced with on-berth supply of fresh water, electricity, Internet, satellite TV, fuel and pump facilities. It will have 88 berths with access to hotel services.

 ‘This will boost Kenya’s tourism profile’

Layers in the hotel sector have welcomed the completion of the EnglishPoint Marina, with the Kenya Association and Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC) executive officer, Mr Sam Ikwaye, saying the development will help improve the destination’s profile. “The marina will boost efforts to diversify our products and we call upon the county and national governments to support the owners.

The tourism sector relies on investors, and at a time like now when some hotels are being closed while others have been put up for sale, this project comes in to affirm that Mombasa is still viable as an investment destination,” he said.