Tag: Destination Weddings

Kenya – 2026!

Africa and Kenya have always been a fascinating region for me, It has been on the Bucket list for a while! And the reason we have always avoided it is that we were afraid of the “Yellow Fever injection” But since we already got our shots during the Brazil Visa! It was a matter of time, till we would be planning for Kenya!
But… A wedding in Kenya! Excited us! And one of the reasons we changed our tickets and plan for Egypt was because of the destination first and second this would be a fun family wedding to attend.
In the next 24 hours, we have reworked are plans and are all set for the Indian wedding in Kenya.
Kenya is popular for the Masai Mara for its lion & leopard spotting.
But, Amboseli National Park, was making news recently for its celebrity Elephant “Craig Super Tusker” who had passed away!

And Amboseli was also our wedding destination.
Arriving in Nairobi after a 3 hr flight delay from the airlines, We Were tired but fresh to explore the city, with just about one day in hand here!
The city’s roads were beautifully wide and smooth, the Traffic too was one of the worst we had experienced during the peak hours of locals heading home!!
The Food we ate was satisfying and yum! Greek food at a Greek restaurant for lunch and Kenyan food ( Beans, Vegetables and Rice) we tasted during dinner.
Kenyan! Has like a lot of other countries in the world, an Indian population who has settled there in the early 1900s and an Indian community that meets often!


A couple of things I learnt on my trip besides the fact already known that Kenyan Coffee is one of the best! Kenyan Exports a huge amount of Roses, to Europe & Tea to the United States.
This is a little insight into the Kenyan economy.
Let’s get back to the Kenyan experience- The Safari I am talking about!
The safari set for 5 am, with a hazy sunrise that had shades of purple was an experience of quietness and An Army of elephants walking together, zebras on either side and hyenas chasing, deer flocking together. We enjoyed the safari so much, we headed again for an afternoon one, trying to spot Giraffes and lions/leopards.
The afternoon safari… we were lucky to have spotted a couple of giraffes but none of the lions or leopard.
The different sounds, the calmness of animals and the early morning of Kilimanjaro mountain before it would play its hide & seek game was one of the highlights of the Kenyan wedding experience.
The wedding decor with backdrops of the mountains and simplicity of colours and florals made the whole decoration look beautiful without any OTT emphasis on filling up the space.
The grazing table during the cocktail dinner had space utilised well!
The Dholki’s during the afternoon mehendi was a vibe that stepped up the whole wedding mood for the coming functions.
While we were still soaking in Kenya, we had to leave for another destination…

A few facts on the coffee from Kenya:

Kenyan coffee undergoes a unique doublefermentation process, which sets it apart. After the beans are fermented and washed, they are soaked in fresh water for up to 24 hours and then fermented again to enhance the development of intricate flavours. This process amplifies the coffee’s acidity and brings out bright, fruity notes characteristic of Kenyan coffee

The eight coffee grades are:

AA: Large beans (20 mm) with the highest quality.
AB: A mix of A and B grades (6.80 mm).
PB (Peaberry): Rare round beans, highly prized.
E (Elephant): The largest beans.
C: Smaller beans.
T: Smallest, thinnest, often faulty.
TT: Light beans, typically from “elephants.”
MH/ML: Unwashed beans (Mbuni) with lower prices and a sour taste.
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La Mamounia the destination !!

La Mamounia –La Mamounia hotel is an experience in itself. I can’t think of hotel that I have been to that has so much character and culture. From the moment you enter the hotel,Step into the porch and enter the hotel lobby.You have so much to take in. Every corner,The Guard wearing traditional outfits is worth photographing. 
The lobby is got one of the most “Modern hotel feel” but the rest is very cultured and design oriented. 
The Bars-Churchill & Piano Bar. I just did not want to move from here. Even though I don’t drink.I kept visiting these venues for coffee & orange juice.The worlds best orange juice is found in Morocco,No wonder the hotel had so many orange trees planted in the garden with lemon trees. Everyday having the freshest orange for breakfast or anytime of the day.
If that’s all you thought was the pampering the guest received while staying here. 
Well Pierre Hermé From Paris is right in the hotel lobby,Where you can enjoy some of the best Macrons & Chocolates. 
The restaurants in the hotel have a Moroccan touch in so many ways -From thr stencils glasses to the the velvet upolestry for the chairs and the lamp lighting to set in the mood during the dinner in the evenings. 
The swimming pool too has a worthy view for the ones who just want to laze around for a sun bath.
The most soothing places out of all is the spa.It’s a heaven and paradise in itself.
The Suite in the hotel known as the Riad’s is enough to call it home for many.The hotel has only 3 of these. But,The way it’s done up it’s nothing over the top like many luxury hotels.But is very spacious and tastefully done.Morning you can enjoy the view of the orange trees or rather Enjoy the sunrise between the coconut trees. 
The Moroccan restaurant in the property is one of the best places to enjoy the sun set

Trivia: 
1.Winston Churchill– Has a Bar & Suite named after him here as this was his favourite place in the world-He described the place as the most lovely spot in the world. Winston Churchill would visit often and paint during his stay- His painting are in the Moroccan museum.
2.La Mamounia is named after the prince Al Mamoun.Who was gifted the  gardens, that was attached to the hotel  as a wedding gift in the 18th century.
3.The Most Instagramable Place in #Marrakech 

Food Tasting – Being the Food Taster!

Food Taster –  Perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine the physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products.

I Don’t know exactly when I became a trustworthy food taster. Ever since I tasted food on my pallete. I Criticised food to be nearly perfect according to my taste buds.

This was much more Masterchef or cooking shows being popular.

Right from my teenage First for my Mom -( kitchen701)Tasting food and giving the feedback to get the perfect meal out of it.

Indian,Chinese and continental – The Salt,The cheese and the richness of the food.

Than slowly became a taster for Mami’s Baking (Teaser) criticising the sweetness,The missing element and ocassinally the texture – Whether its too soft or hard.

This I hardly knew,One day would help me professionally too and when I began working with an Luxury events & Wedding company. And Given the profile of F&B (Food & Beverage ) For most of the projects I have done so far.

I hardly knew – It could become a challenge and my taste matters

So for an upcoming wedding – We had to do a food tasting to choose the menu from the shortlisted Caterer. And to be really honest.I was tired of eating – (6 Types of starters,5 Mocktails,Indian Chaat,Tasting Molecular Gastronomy food,Nibbling on indian food and trying out the desserts ) It was an interesting evening and after the initial tasting when the couple realised we were on the same page.They trusted us to try and choose from the rest of the menu.When they couldn’t eat more.

Also the whole experience was wonderful with the complete banquet space being booked solely for the client & us. The set up too was done like what the actual one would be like.

This particular experience has been one of the most interesting one so far. And as they truly say – People in the wedding will remember the food & the experience the most.Rather than anything else.