THE ISLAND OF LAMU

Founded in the 7th century, Lamu still reflects the typical picture of the old Arabic dhow ports. Not only the Swahili-culture has its roots in Lamu but hand finished, richly carved furniture and doors. Old 18th century stone houses, women dressed in the traditional bui-bui, donkey caravans, fisherman in their dhows with huge triangular sails giving the atmosphere of the busy days of the past. The narrow streets do not allow any other traffic other than the almost 4,000 donkeys which are taking the place of cars, lorries and taxis. Perhaps, once or twice a day, one will encounter the islands only car driving along the seashore. Lamu is the starting point for the famous Island-Hopping, trips with dhows and boats to Pate Island or Manda Island with its enormous white, sandy beach and the ancient town ruins of Takwa.

Our list of selected Lamu Hotels include: Kijani House Hotel , Peponi Hotel , Kipungani Explorer , Kiwayu Safari Village

LAMU BEACH HOTELS

Kijani House Hotel

In the village of Shela, in the island of Lamu, Kijani House offers a unique accommodation with its 3000 sq. metres of tropical garden, wich leads directly to the sea, and two fresh water swimming pools.

Swiss owner Pierre Oberson created Kijani House to revive the tradition of stone Swahili houses and create an authentic retreat for visitors looking to experience Lamu’s past. The rooms and gardens are filled with antiques or handmade replicas of the furniture, lanterns, ornaments, and utensils that graced the stately houses of Lamu’s past.

True to the atmosphere of a Swahili house, Kijani’s rooms and central areas emphasize the aesthetics of privacy and space. Each room has a private veranda shaded from sight by arabesque archways and trees.

The 10 rooms are vast and cool, shards of sunlight and ample breeze welcomed through tall shutters. A canopied Swahili bed stands beside antique cupboards and tables coloured with hand-painted Indian tiles and painted glass. In the bathroom, intricately carved mirrors set off the sensuous effect of the walls, ceiling, and floor in warm ochre, its heady oriental effect heightened by shafts of light filtering through shutters from the world outside.

Kijani House offers a retreat from the bright bustle of Lamu’s waterfront – a lush oasis of green gardens, pools, and cool rooms in all their Swahili splendour.

Each room has a bathroom and has its own balcony or veranda facing the garden or the sea.
The rooms are spread throughout the garden into three small seperate traditional Swahili buildings which formerly were private homes, made of coral walls, with boriti ceiling and makuti roofs.

Kijani restaurant offer an exotic selection of seafood, Swahili dishes and a touch of Italian cuisine. Fruit and vegetable are coming from the Kijani small farm in the middle of Lamu Island.

Price Range from US$118 per person sharing per night

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Peponi Hotel

Peponi is a small hotel on the exotic island of Lamu, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Kenya, the very root of Swahili culture, which spread centuries ago down the East African Coast. The move of the Oman Sultan from Lamu to further off shore Zanzibar left Lamu dormant in a time warp for three hundred years. There is only one car on the island and the narrow streets of the old town are very much as they were.
Peponi is still run by the Korschen family, who opened the hotel in 1967 and which still retains much of the character and charm that it had then. Small and personal, it is the perfect rest after a safari or a hide away holiday from modern life.

Peponi Hotel has a total of 24 rooms, which are divided into superior and standard rooms. All rooms at Peponi have ocean views.
The superior rooms are differentiated by their location, size, private outside area, indoor plants, artwork and Swahili furnishings. No two rooms are alike. Five of our rooms are built right on the beach, with private verandah areas overlooking the sea, while the rest have a combination of ocean and garden views. All rooms have overhead fans, mosquito nets, showers (no baths), fresh flowers, and personal safes.

There is no hurry to dine at Peponi. Breakfast is available in the dining room or on the terrace or even in your room from 7am to 10am. The choice is yours, from our wide selection of luscious tropical fruits to fish cakes and waffles with local honey and freshly squeezed lime juice. Coffee is poured from the traditional brass pots and you can guess what our jam and marmalade is made of.

Lunch is available from 12pm to 4pm. You may choose to dine either outside at the grill, under the colourful bougainvillea, where you can dig your feet in fresh white coral sand or on the terrace, overlooking the ocean and the movement of dhows and local fishermen.

Dinner is distinguished by a plethora of new ways of celebrating seafood with ginger, lime and garlic. Mangrove crabs, warm water lobster, squid, giant prawns and fish of all varieties. For something a little more local, a Swahili menu is also available, which can be eaten in the traditional way, on the floor, around a huge brass platter.

Peponi also has a fresh water free form Swimming Pool, situated under two Baobab Trees overlooking the ocean. It is the perfect place to relax with a good book, and if you so wish lunch can also be served here.

Price Range from US$156 per person sharing per night

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Kipungani Explorer

A place of fresh air and perfect peace. Located on the ancient Arabian island-paradise of Lamu, Kipungani is one of Africa’s most remote, relaxing, and richly romantic coastal hideaways.

Overlooking the tranquil waters of the sheltered Kipungani Channel, on the remote southwestern tip of Lamu Island, Kipungani is a dream destination for those seeking a true away-from-it-all desert island holiday. After a 90-minute flight from Nairobi, you will be met at Manda Island and transported by boat to the lodge, which is located two degrees south of the Equator, on the edge of a near-deserted 12-kilometre beach.

Kipungani has 14 luxurious grass and thatch chalets that sit at one end of Kipungani Bay, which is Swahili for ‘the place of fresh air’. Shaded by the palm trees that line our 600-metre beachfront, the bandas are constructed entirely from local materials, with mkeka palm floors and makuti thatch roofs woven by the residents of neighbouring Kipungani village. The large interiors are a picture of rustic simplicity, with giant king-size beds and furniture all handmade from local mangrove and palm woods. Each banda has an ocean-facing veranda with local funzi sofas and chairs piled high with colourful cushions. Amenities include freshwater showers, flush toilets, and separate dressing areas with wash basins.

The sunset-facing lounge and bar at Kipungani are furnished for complete relaxation, with cushion-piled driftwood furniture, hanging moon-beds, and a variety of natural discoveries ‘combed’ from our shores. The dining room sits in a small tropical garden, with an adjoining library offering guests a selection of books, magazines and board-games. In front of the building is a horizon-touching swimming pool, which offers the perfect venue for the ultimate romantic sundowner!

Kipungani enjoys a uniquely harmonious relationship with the residents of neighbouring Kipungani village. Fifteen of the lodge’s full-time staff come from the village, from where we also buy all our seafood and materials for repairing our bandas. The lodge has been responsible for building and equipping Kipungani’s model primary school, and recently helped to build and staff its first health clinic in partnership with the Canadian charity, ADRA. The property also supports the planting of indigenous trees and the promotion of marine and mangrove conservation messages among the local community.

Price Range from US$280 per person sharing per night

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Kiwayu Safari Village

Kiwayu Safari Village is a barefoot luxury retreat on a deserted stretch of white beach facing out over the Indian Ocean.

Kiwayu is located on the Kenya mainland in the most remote Dodori National Reserve some 30 miles north of Lamu Island, in a breathtakingly beautiful bay opposite Kiwayu Island.

A maximum of 36 guests can stay in the 18 spacious and beautifully decorated local-style cottages (bandas) spread out along the shoreline. Your home is a banda built in the local Bajuni tradition with palm thatched roof and carpeted floor. The banda is a suite consisting of a bedroom, dressing room, and shower with running water and toilet. Each hammock-strung veranda offers privacy and a panoramic view over the bay. And each one is within a few metres of the water's edge, clustered around the restaurant, the bar and the boats.

Every room is furnished with a Super king-size bed surrounded by a turquoise mosquito net. It is simple, spacious and well furnished with different sitting areas and tables - with many options for that all-important siesta. These bandas are designed to blend into the dunes - no concrete, no nails, nothing to jar the senses.

The dining room and bar are also built in the local Bajuni tradition with palm-thatched roofs and woven matting floors, all open-sided to the beach. Seafood cuisine including an abundance of fresh crab, lobster and fish. The bar is stocked to international standards. After the dinner is served you will have a chance to meet the few other Kiwayu guests at the bar and enjoy a nice conversation with people from all over the world.

Kiwayu boasts everything one could possibly desire of the perfect beach holiday, from snorkelling on beautiful coral reefs to sailing and windsurfing in the lagoon, dhow trips around the island, and fishing for barracuda and snapper in the mangrove-lined channels. Our state-of-the-art fishing boat offers access to some of the world’s greatest game fishing, with thrilling sport for sailfish, kingfish and marlin between September and April.

Price Range from US$413 per person sharing per night

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