I was deciding between 3 lodging options, all about the same price. I ultimately chose Serena and I knew I made the right choice on the drive in! We passed my other two options almost 30 minutes before getting to Serena. This proved its importance for two reasons. Reason 1- it took us almost 15 minutes to get past the gate at the park entrance (that’s prime safari time in the am!) Reason 2- Serena felt like it was in the middle of absolute untouched wilderness. You must stay in the park! Our decision allowed us to watch two Cheetahs roam the landscape for almost an hour at 6:30 am- we would have missed have the show if we weren’t already in the park. Aside from being in park- the actual hotel blew me away. It is a safari paradise. It is so beautiful and exotic and clean! I could not get enough of it. The rooms were so nice I didn’t want to leave them and even the basic rooms overlook the savannah with Kilimanjaro behind! I felt like I was in heaven. Then you have the pool, lobby and outdoor areas that were just as hard to leave!! We borrows binoculars and sat drinking tea for a few hours. I actually teared up when it was time to leave. Finally, the food was absolutely amazing, delicious and abundant. We arrived 15 minutes past lunch the first day and we were starving. They informed us they had left the entire buffet out with staff because they knew we hadn’t eaten yet!

Nothing, it was perfection.

This was my second time around to Amboseli Serena. This time, we were delightfully pleased to have been upgraded to the presidential suite. The weather was great, and we had amazing views of the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro from the rooftop terrace of our astounding suite. We went on a delightful morning safari and were lucky to spot bountiful wildlife including kingfishers, storks, lions, plenty of elephants, giraffes, reedbuck, wildebeest, Thompson gazelles, buffalos, hippos, hyena and lots more. The views from the lodge overlooking the waterhole are amazing and teeming with wildlife. The staff at Amboseli Serena did not disappoint and demonstrated the exemplary customer service that is akin to the Serena Hotels & Resorts. There were plenty of tasty meal options to suite every palate. Looking forward to my return visit in October this year! Thank you for the delightful weekend away.

What I didn't like was having to leave the lodge, I would most definitely have wanted to stay there longer.

The location of the resort was excellent and the grounds were well maintained. The entrance to Amboseli National Park is far away and resort keeps you in middle of the park for easy access to the game drive areas and views of Mount Kilimanjaro. All of the hotel staff we interacted with were are very friendly and helpful. The food at the buffet was exceptional and there was a diverse selection of food. There were several sitting areas around the resort where you could observe birds and other animals in the national park while you relaxed. Tea and coffee were always available in an area adjacent to the bar. The room was very comfortable and had a ceiling fan to help keep you cool.

That water is not included with the meals. Coffee and tea are included in the price, but if you want water (either still or sparkling) you have to pay extra for it. You are provided with two bottles of still water in your room, but with the Kenya summer time heat that is not enough to stay hydrated.

The breakfast was awesome and had a variety to choose from. It was also flexible for one to request for what was not in the main breakfast as long as it could have been availed. Location is better considering its in the wild, however the road to the first gate from Emali is so bad. The Kimana gate one is better

The road through the first gate from Emali. Maybe you can lobby the government or county government to repair it

The lodge is quite large and has a good infrastructure as a result. The bar and restaurant areas are spacious and nicely decorated with black-and-white murals depicting African animals. The food is varied and of excellent quality; drinks are charged separately.

The noise insulation between adjacent units is not perfect, and the view from the balcony can be very limited. It would be nice to organize a small cultural experience every day, e.g., a Masai dance or some traditional music, which could also give people a reason to gather in the bar area.

Customer service was incredible and the room was comfortable. Since our party included two senior citizens with mobility issues, check-in staff gave us a room that was as close to the main entrance/dining area as possible, which was much appreciated. As I was there during my birthday, my mother had taken some balloons etc to decorate the area around our table and it was a lovely surprise when I turned up in the evening to see how it had all been decked up by the dining room staff. We also enjoyed the all-singing, all-dancing Serena birthday surprise I was given during dinner, which made it an unforgettable birthday. The food offered in the buffet was tasty and enjoyable. On our last morning, we realised we had forgotten to order packed lunches so staff in the breakfast room helped us by making improvised packed lunches at short notice - and we would thank them for going out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed.

I can only recommend this lodge. It is probably one of the best hotels i have ever stayed in. The whole lodge is more than beautiful (the pictures do not live up to what it really looks like). It is charmingly built in the lovely landscape. The view from the garden and terasse is beautiful, one can even see animals very closely walking by to a pond. The rooms are generous, pretty and very clean. The staff is more than friendly, we enjoyed man good conversations. We just felt like home! We even got to enjoy the view over Mt. Kilimanscharo while going out for our game drives :) I could go on for ages, but i just recommend you to experience it yourself

Beautiful, rustic camp right in the centre of the park. The staff were wonderful and the food was great. The dining area and verandahs look out over the park. Roads well maintained but a 4x4 definitely required for access to the smaller roads.

On two of the nights, noisy corporate events prevented sleep and drowned out the bush noises. On one of the nights, the party went on until roughly 3:00AM! Definitely not consistent with a national park. The property (or park authorities) should have a mandatory close-down time for noisy events.

Location was amazing, situated in the middle of Amboseli National Park. The room was beautiful, very comfortable with plenty of space for 3 of us to relax and enjoy the views of the gardens and wildlife. Food was lovely, buffet style with something for everyone. As we were full board, we took a packed lunch with us on the day we left and it was lovely! The pool area was nice and clean too.

can't really think of anything...

The location and staff

The booking.com advert does not mention as the lodge is within the park you must pay park fees for each day approx $60 p/p p/d even if you do not have a game drive on arrival day etc. But our main disappointment was we also had to pay for our taxi driver and in addition his car just to drop us off and then again on collection 3 days later - surely some arrangement can be made between the lodge and the park for short term taxi access