The ongoing renovations at our latest property; Governors’ Mugie House are coming along beautifully in preparation for the opening which we expect by the end of this year or early 2020. Philip and Charlie Mason (who were previously our lodge managers at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge) have been based at Mugie full time now for around six months and have been overseeing all the building and upgrade works.
Landscaping underway at Mugie House – photo credit Will Fortescue
So far, the nine guest rooms and the swimming pool/spa area have been the main points of focus. There are two “studio” cottages (one with a plunge pool), four cottages, a family unit (composed of two bedrooms linked by a central lounge area and its own private plunge pool) and another cottage that is tucked away amongst a garden of succulents which is even more spacious than the others and will boast not only a fireplace in the bedroom, but also in the bathroom! Rest assured that each room will feature stunning luxurious additions but we can’t give too much away just yet …
Dominic Grammaticas (Managing Director of GCC), Dr. Romi Grammaticas (Founder of GCC) and Philip Mason inspecting the building progress and taking in the stunning views – photo credit Will Fortescue
Builders have been busy knocking down and redesigning cottage walls, re-thatching roofs and making cement casts for the grand fireplaces which will complement each room. Outside in the gardens other builders are constructing our iconic dry stone walls and levelling earth for planting lawns. My favourite feature are the tiny flat rocks that are painstakingly layered one atop another, to create such a striking detail around the pool area.
Photo credit Will Fortescue
On the 15th of July a group of us flew from Nairobi on one of our Governors’ Aviation Cessna Grand Caravans to Mugie Airstrip.
Governors’ Aviation at Mugie Airstrip – Photo credit Will Fortescue
The group consisted of our heads of marketing and sales, our Managing Director, our co-founder, our service manager, our in-house photographer and Chris Harrison from The Brand Inside. The reason for the trip was to link up with all the key players based on Mugie Conservancy to establish a clear vision for Mugie’s brand. Chris lead the two-day workshop and after plenty of discussion and debate, we emerged at the end all feeling more informed and on the same page about what makes Mugie so unique and how we can all benefit from being a part of such a special brand. Mugie perfectly compliments our already existing Governors’ Camp Collection brand pillars, which focus on community and conservation and life changing experiences.
Mugie Conservancy marketing workshop participants – photo credit Will Fortescue
Mugie Conservancy marketing workshop participants – photo credit Alex Amani
There is so much already happening on this conservancy that involves the neighbouring local communities, whilst at the same time monitoring and conserving the precious ecosystem that supports a host of wildlife from endangered Grevy’s zebra and Jackson’s Hartebeest to megafauna species such as elephants, buffalo, oryx and reticulated giraffe. Did you know that Mugie boasts the highest lion density per kilometre squared, of any Laikipia conservancy?
Wildlife on Mugie Conservancy – Photo credit Will Fortescue
By Alisa Bowen, Guest Experience Manager at Governors’ Camp Collection.
