Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Sugarcoat nail & beauty spa










This spa is located on Argwings Kodhek road, in Starwood apartments. It's a wonderful little gem which has been tastefully done. You can tell that a lot of thought about the customers experience was put into this place. There is a separate section for those getting pedicures, another section for those getting manicures and separate rooms for massage. There is a light, airy, fresh feel when you walk in because of the use of the white sheer curtains and use of white leather seats and pedicure wash stations. Looks very glam. Reminded me of the spas in Dubai.As they prepare to get your manicure or pedicure done,a drink is offered. Of course we chose to have some wine but they do offer some non alcoholic choices on the house. The ladies are quite friendly and even give suggestions to people like my friend that can't make up their minds. She chose to do the shutter nail polish which looked really cool. I had to be plain Jane here and choose a nice red because of work. They also do jellish, which is preferable in the long run as it lasts about 2-3 weeks without chipping. Gotta love it:-) The girls doing our nails were appropriately chatty..they knew when conversation was directed at them and when it wasn't. You know how annoying it is to have someone that just won't keep quiet or just feels the need to add their 2 cents worth of opinion?? That is a huge pet peeve of mine. My friend and I felt quite comfortable with them. Nails were well done with a hand massage to boot and the prices were completely cost effective. You get your money's worth.It cost me about ksh700 for a manicure. Will make sure I go back for the massage that is also offered and tell you all about it. So if you are looking for a place to do your nails, that offers impeccable service, this is a good choice.








Monday, June 4, 2012

The Moonflower Restaurant - Palacina


So I decided to catch up with an old friend for dinner at this restaurant. It was my second time here and after my first experience I was excited to go here and see if it was still as good as before. For those of you that have not been here, it is a beautiful, cozy restaurant with shades of brown and dimly lit giving it a romantic-esque kind of feeling for all you lovebirds. There is a lounge area which has some comfy sofas and then your main dining area outside. The waiter welcomed us and let us choose our own table. It wasn't busy at all so we had a choice to seat wherever we wanted. He then disappeared, don't know where exactly he went...so after about 7minutes....yes I counted, I called on one of them to at least offer us menus instead of just standing there. I ordered the grilled red snapper with seasonal vegetables and my friend order the avocado mix salad. I then asked if I could taste one of the wines being offered and was met with a blank stare.. I think the waiters exact words were, madam it is sweet,you can't taste it. I serve wines so I know I can taste and I fought for that right. He reluctantly zoomed away from our table mumbling something to the effect that he would see whether it was possible. He then came back with a glass that had a drop of the wine I had requested. Lol!!! Now for those of you who don't know me, i am a flight attendant so I know how wines are supposed to be served. Quick lesson, you present the wine to the customer, he feigns to read and take in the info on the label. After approval that it is the said wine that he/she ordered, you pour a little in the glass for them to taste it. After they taste it and approve...you fill the glass up and they drink up. Lesson over...so for this guy to just bring me the glass...surely!!!he could have spat in it for all I know. So of course me and my dramatic self declined the wine and just ordered something else. As for the food, the grilled snapper was a tad salty but tasted really good so thank God for that and my friend enjoyed the avocado dish he was having so they get a 7/10, because as good as it tasted, the veggies were kind of a joke..for those prices I need to see more than just 5pieces of whatever veggies those were. At around 11:30 our bill was brought as they wanted to close up so it was hint hint...leave already. I like that restaurant though and would definitely go back there.

Lake Naivasha Country Club



So I had the chance to come to back home and spend the weekend with the family in Naivasha. There is a wide choice of places to stay in but chose to stay at Lake Naivasha Country Club. A warm welcome awaits you when you get there. Men in Maasai attire assist you with your bags, offer a warm towel(it was cold), and a welcome drink. The check in staff were polite and efficient. We were led to our rooms and Maasai guy went ahead to explain all the amenities available. The rooms are spacious and nice. I'm a bathroom obsessed person so it was pretty standard for me but no complaints. Outside you have beautiful lush grounds...so green and so much space. It is absolutely beautiful and serene and just makes you want to sit, have a drink, relax and take it all in. It is especially great for kids as they have room to run around, and there was a bouncing castle to jump around in. The swings though I found a bit suspect, as they are the exact same swings I swung in when I was a child....for goodness sake, I think they could so do with a change...how expensive are they? Anyway, I digress.... My son loved it, so that's what counts. Being a busy weekend, the club was quite full so extra room had to be made for guests to dine in. However, sitting there definitely made you feel like you got the short end of the stick and like you were missing something. The adjacent main dining area definitely had a better ambiance, was well lit and quite cozy. The food though was not a wide selection but your basic buffet with soup and salad station, main course and grill station and dessert....although the dessert was always over when I walked by..hmmmmmm!!!how early does one have to go for dinner??anyhow...the food was okay..yes okay because it was your basic nothing special kind of food. Only the steak at the grill station was worth a second trip. It was seasoned perfectly and was tender. That evening also turned out to be one of the guests birthday and the staff of course sung the happy birthday song...why I'm I mentioning this when it always happens???coz I have never seen staff so excited to do it. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves, jumping up and down... Really nice I thought. Breakfast was a whole other matter. Goodness...Good ideas very poorly executed. First of all breakfast closes at 9am...why?????it's a holiday not work...for us late sleepers, it's a rush before they close. So anyway, the food is displayed well, with 3 live cooking stations. One for the eggs, one for pancakes and one for bacon and sausages. That's where the disaster began and it was downhill from there. It was the start of a frustrating cold breakfast which showcased an inept staff that were clearly overwhelmed by a full house. The so called chefs had a hard time keeping up with the demands for the orders. They were slow, confused and seemed like amateurs. So 20 minutes waiting in line for an omelet is seriously unacceptable, and to get it poorly done....surely!!!isn't an egg the basic thing you should be able to cook as a chef?? Then I had to wait for the bacon and sausage...by the time I got to my table it was all cold. As for the pancake station, it did not work, which makes me wonder why it was even set up in the first place. The waiters??? Running around confused, giving coffee instead of tea, clearly clearly overwhelmed. It was clearly a disappointing breakfast experience. We got back to the rooms and they had already been tidied up, all my stuff folded away neatly. So that was nice to come back to. That being said, aside from the breakfast, it was a pleasant experience. Would I go back there?probably not...but I am sure with less guests they would do a better job.