Just as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrived in Kenya in the first flush of their romance, so the country appears to be at the start of a new relationship with tourists. Before Christmas, First Choice resumed its 250-seat charter flights to Mombasa, signalling the tourist renaissance of the 400-mile Kenya coast (reinforced by low-priced deals) after three years in the doldrums. After the terrorist bombing of the Paradise Beach Hotel on November 28, 2002, and the subsequent end of British flights, tourism to Kenya came to a standstill.

“We were in a state of shock that such a thing could happen,” the general manager of the Serena Beach, Mugo Maringa, said. “No tourists meant no work. We kept a skeleton staff, but with empty restaurants, beaches and bars, morale was low.”

Security has been increased considerably since then. Getting into most hotels can take time; visitors are challenged at the outer gate and then at another checkpoint before the lobby. Vendors are restricted to the fringes of the beaches, and holidaymakers encouraged to buy in local shops. And at the Likoni ferry hustlers are chased away. Frequent checks slow traffic on the main Mombasa-Nairobi highway, and on one of my safari drives armed troops joined our tourist convoy as a precaution against frustrated Somali poachers who found tourists easier prey than wildlife.

Serious drought has caused problems for both the people and the wildlife. Lodges that cater for tourists are still running, and although it may feel inappropriate to stay in five-star luxury when the country is so poor, hotel workers need tourists now more than ever.

The security measures seem to have paid off: the Brits who make up 60 per cent of the clientele are returning and the hotels are back in business. Not all deserve to be. Even before Kenya’s “9/11”, there was a glut of shabby, outdated, two and three-star mass- market establishments, and while many safari lodges now wallow in roll-top, gold-tap luxury, the standards of many leading beach hotels lag behind those in the Maldives, South Africa and the Seychelles.

Here are some of the best bargains.

FAMILY FIND: INDIAN OCEAN BEACH CLUB

The Indian Ocean Beach Club at the southern end of Diani beach is a rare find — a modestly priced but excellent value watering hole that is spacious, spotless, laid-back and friendly. Undeniably a package hotel, its little whitewashed cottages, bright with flowers, rugs and handcarved furniture, are scattered around a 25-acre coconut grove and among 500-year-old baobab trees. The best of the three eateries is the new à la carte dhow-shaped Bahari Cove, which specialises in seafood. Activities include watersports, massage, tennis and croquet.

Although nearly a two-hour transfer from Mombasa airport, this hotel otherwise is an excellent family choice.

TRIED AND TESTED: SERENA BEACH

British holidaymakers are the main visitors, followed by Italians and Scandinavians. Serena Beach has maintained its standards despite the three-year hiatus: I’d rate it a tad under five-star.

It is built in traditional Lamu style at Shanzu beach about 45 minutes north of Mombasa airport. The hotel’s lush

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