When I was a child and living in the United Kingdom, a resort was a seaside place – Skegness Resort was the nearest one. I used to be amused by its logo – a fat and jolly fisherman wearing a heavy sweater and thigh boots. ‘Skegness is so bracing’ was its slogan.

Well, on the east coast of England, it was quite a chilly place. But it was also a fun place, with sand for building castles, parlours for eating ice-creams, and fish and chip shops for sheltering when it rained.

But I’ve just checked out the word in a dictionary, and one of the given meanings is “a place that is frequented for holidays or recreation”. That is a good description of the many places that call themselves resorts that have sprung up across Kenya in recent years.

When I first came to Kenya only four years after independence, it was still clear that the existing hotels and lodges had been built with only white people in mind, and a kind of apartheid had been in operation. The “hoteli” found in settlements across the country were really small restaurants. (When I was a member of a team working on a health management information system, a draft questionnaire was calling restaurants hoteli, and I pointed out that they should be called restaurants. One colleague in the group protested: “No, restaurants are where you rest – sleep”.)

These days, the proliferation of hotels, built for and mainly used by Kenyans, are a consequence of the growth of what can be called a middle class – a growth, I think, more rapid in Kenya than any other sub-Saharan country I have visited.

Twenty-five years ago, I asked the manager of a travel agent where Kenyans took their holidays. “At the coast or Lake Naivasha,” he said. That’s no longer the case.

Lut and I went to one such place last weekend – Mua Hills Getaway and Resort. The description on its website is “Crafted for the selective traveller who desires to experience Kenya’s most endearing flora and fauna without having to travel for a long distance”.

True, it took us a relaxed drive of only an hour and a half from Lavington. We whisked along the Expressway and Mombasa Road and turned left along ‘Sonko Road’ past the Maanzoni turn-off and before the main road to Machakos. After 13 kilometres, there is a left turn and, from there, although the twisting road was quite well signposted, we were glad to have the voice of the Google Maps lady. It was a narrow murram road for the last six kilometres, muddy in places after all the rain.

At the getaway we were warmly welcomed by Charles, the manager. What struck us immediately, as we signed in on the wide balcony, was the magnificent view over the trees and flowing shrubs of the garden way down the valley, and then across to the distant Lukenya Hills – and even the Ngong Hills. We then drove up the steep slope to our chalet.

From its own balcony, the glass sliding door opens into the crisply-sharp bedroom with its interesting walls of horizontal wood panels. You could imagine you were in a chalet somewhere high in the Swiss Alps. Our view was the same as I have described – but from a loftier position. There are 13 similar chalets, and the getaway can accommodate 26 guests. There is also the main house, with its four bedrooms. For conferences there is a special room in the main building.

At lunch, the sun was flirting with fluffy white clouds; it was warm, so we had a light lunch on the main balcony – a tilapia fillet for me and a cream of sun-dried tomato soup for Lut. Afterwards, we had a long chat with Charles, who elaborated on the story of the place that we had read in the getaway’s website.

The large estate was once a 70-acre private farm – presumably, first established by a European, as was the case across the 50 square miles of the Mua Hills. It was a region once well-known for its extensive orchards, growing plums, oranges, pawpaws, avocados and other fruits. For us, as we drove through the hills, we could see remains of terraces, where earlier farmers had prevented the erosion of the rich volcanic soils.

The first two chalets were built by the current owner of the farm to cater for visiting friends. After sometime, the other chalets were added to create the present getaway that has drawn on the owner’s experience of also owning the Fair Acres Boutique Hotel in Karen. It is still a farm, cultivating crops that provide fresh food for the restaurant.

Current landscaping is developing a ground down the slope and past the swimming pool that will be a space for other activities and functions – fully justifying the resort part of the facility’s name. The other guests were couples, but Charles told us that they are mostly catering for families.

Afterwards, Lut took a guided hike, with the knowledgeable staff members Musembi and Mbabu. They pointed out the various trees and shrubs and their medicinal uses. Meanwhile, I made notes for this article and enjoyed seeing and listening to the birds while sitting on our chalet’s balcony. The sky darkened and the rain came down. It was still raining as we drove down to have dinner.

Because of the rain clouds, we couldn’t enjoy the promised “yellow embers of a beautiful sunset on the Lukenya Hills”; we could, however, enjoy the orange glow of the lights of the city that we had escaped from for a while.

The Mua Hills are green and lush and beautiful. If you want to know more about how you can enjoy them at the getaway and resort, go to www.muahills.fairacres-nairobi.co.ke.