Swahili Beach – confessions of a travel blogger
S is for … swimming, for Swahili Beach, for sisters… ❤️
With eight swimming pools cascading down to the Indian Ocean, Swahili Beach Resort in Diani is high on my list of places for ‘a proper holiday.’
As fun as my trips are – you hate me, I would! – the schedule is often gruelling. On a week-long trip, there are frequently two 5 a.m. starts.
Work starts before take-off. I note the airline experience, changes at the airport, how we are processed and more.
As soon as I arrive at a hotel, I start taking photos, checking in on social media, talking to staff, meeting the manager. How we’re welcomed is important.
I have a formula now: take photos of my hotel room before I dump all my belongings and mess the place up! (You’ll never get the room to look the way the maid / room attendant does, so don’t even try). Next I put my valuables in the safe before I get distracted by the hectic schedule. (On this trip to the Kenyan coast, I even LEFT something in the safe… a whole new thing to worry about on my next trips!)
At breakfast time, I’m that weirdo that has to photograph everything. Don’t worry if you’re in the photo. It’s the food I’m focusing on: I’ll crop you out. (Nothing personal).
As the day progresses, I juggle camera, phone, battery pack, rechargers, notebook and occasional, sometimes audible, screams of I LOVE MY LIFE as we head to the next destination.
Dinner may be preceded by a tour of the kitchen, a chance to meet the chef, or a discussion about tourism and room bookings …
Every trip is a chance to learn more about a destination, a tourism activity. I pack in as much as I can. (I extended a recent Kenya trip no less than four times!)
I continue taking photos, some with my camera, and some with my phone. (Can you imagine the gazillion images there are to process when I get home!) I retrace my steps and take new pictures of the same places, early morning and evening time. A place looks different after you’ve lived there for a day or two.
If there’s a bath, I’ll always have one, even if it’s just the briefest ‘jump in and out’ before the next activity calls; it’s part of the routine. (A bath is a luxury – I live on the edge of Kibale Forest where we bathe in a bucket!)
I try on the bathrobe, I have a drink on the veranda.
If there’s local food, I’ll always try it. I take part in all the activities thrown at us. Showing off is all part of the game.
And at a certain point, there’s an unexpected gap in the programme and I breathe. I take in the moment.
I think about my family, my closest friends, the people I want to share these moments with, and that’s when I really smile, remembering happy times, planning future special moments together.
Swahili Beach Resort in Diani is high on my list of places for ‘a proper holiday.’ This trip was just a ‘recce’ (a research trip). I spent a few minutes in one of the resort’s eight (yes 8!) swimming pools thinking how much my sister Sarah would love being here too – one day, I hope sis! These smiles are for you ❤️❤️❤️
The central feature of Swahili Beach Resort is the series of eight swimming pools. When seen from above, they appear to be one long passage of water that cascades downhill to the ocean. Every pool has its steps, making each one appear like a private pool. Over 3,000,000 litres of water pass through the swimming pools every day.
It’s incredible to think that this five-star luxury hotel was created out of a big lump of coral rock.
Jeff Mukolwe, General Manager of Swahili Beach Resort explained: “Kenya Wildlife Service gave us permission to excavate the dead coral and allowed us to build a low wall to help reduce erosion of the current beach. In time, coral will grow on the wall.” This is possibly Diani’s biggest land reclamation project.
Swahili Beach Resort is a dream wedding destination, whether for small ceremonies for 20 or a 4-day Indian wedding for 250 people! On the weekends preceding my stay, Swahili Beach hosted wedding guests from Kenya, Ethiopia, Canada, the UK and Australia. “The clifftop area has been a very special place for a number of different couples who got married here.” Find me a husband, I say 😉
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Kenya
The Muzungu’s top 10 reasons for visiting #MagicalKenya
The divine Karen Blixen Camp seen from the river. In the Mara North Conservancy, the Maasai work with lodge owners to conserve wildlife
I LOVE Kenya – for a hundred – THOUSAND – reasons – but let’s just start with ten …
- Kenya is the home of the classic African safari and the Big Five
- Kenya is a vast country of contrasting landscapes
- Kenya has 48 national parks, reserves, marine parks and private sanctuaries
- Kenyans are world-class leaders in wildlife conservation. Read Why Kenya’s ivory burning makes sense #worthmorealive
- Kenya has 400 mammal species and 1057 bird species, the most of any country in Africa
- The Great Migration passes through Kenya’s Maasai Mara
- Kenyans are proud of their 42 tribal cultures, who play a big and colourful part in welcoming tourists
- Kenya offers an unmatched range of beach holidays, think: sunbathing, snorkelling, scuba diving, SUP Stand Up Paddling, kitesurfing, sailing
- English is widely spoken throughout Kenya. Swahili is the official language
- The East Africa Tourist Visa makes travel to Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda even better value
Famous as the birthplace of the African Safari, you can never tire of Kenya’s limitless attractions for visitors and incredible diversity of landscapes and natural diversity.
Giraffes on the horizon. Photo Riz Jiwa rizjiwa@gmail.com
Kenya’s world-famous wildlife is exceptional by any standards, and is protected in 48 national parks, reserves, marine parks and private sanctuaries, although many say that it is outside Africa’s national parks that the majority of wildlife still resides (meaning those animals need greater protection too).
The ‘Sleeping Warrior’ AKA Lord Delamere’s Nose is a stunning backdrop to views of flamingos from Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp
Have you visited a conservancy? I loved my three days at Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp in the Soysambu Conservancy in Kenya’s Rift Valley.
Read 10 fascinating flamingo facts (I bet you didn’t know). Lake Elmenteita is a birder’s paradise! (And a superb place for horse riding; game drives to see eland, Rothschild’s giraffes and leopard; the lakeshore breakfast among flamingos and pelicans was unforgettable too!)
Hot air ballooning safari: the sun rises over the Maasai Mara, Kenya – the GoPro view! from @CharlieBeau Diary of a Muzungu on Vimeo.
Kenya offers visitors an infinite array of authentic wildlife experiences, on land, on the ocean, and even from the air!
Great Migration, Maasai Mara, Hot Air Balloon Safaris. Photo Riz Jiwa rizjiwa@gmail.com
Kenya is most famous for the million and a half Wildebeest (and other four-legged friends) that, twice yearly, traverse the Maasai Mara in the epic migration.
Cheetah with three cubs, Maasai Mara safari, Kenya from @CharlieBeau Diary of a Muzungu on Vimeo.
Lesser-known ecotourism attractions include the Marine Big Five: sea turtles, dolphins, whales, whale sharks and billfish.
Hawksbill Turtles. Photo Turtle Bay Dive Centre Watamu
Did you know you can now experience the Twin Migration – uniquely – in Kenya? Watch the migration in the Mara and watch whales migrate along the coast too! Read all about whale watching trips from Watamu.
The highest point is the snowcapped peak of Mount Kenya, the intersection of the Equator and the Great Rift Valley.
Kenya is a geographer and naturalist’s dream: a country the size of France and Spain combined, featuring mountains, extinct volcanoes, soda lakes, Equatorial rainforest, alpine glaciers and arid deserts.
On the Indian Ocean coast, the white sandy beaches of Watamu, Malindi, Lamu and Mombasa, and the Swahili coast’s blend of African and Arab cultures, add an extra dimension to this must-visit country. Read 17 must-try experiences in Mombasa. 
The snorkeling in Watamu is out of this world. Diary of a Muzungu on the beach at Watamu, Kenya
TripAdvisor Winner 2015: Medina Palms’ clients voted this resort the BEST of all hotels, lodges and establishments across the whole country. A series of infinity pools lead down to the white powder sand beach
With eight swimming pools cascading down to the Indian Ocean, Swahili Beach Resort in Diani is high on my list of places for ‘a proper holiday.’🌴🍹🌊🥥👙⛱️
Read Swahili Beach – confessions of a travel blogger.
The 5 star Swahili Beach Resort in Diani – SWOON! Click on the image above to read my blog and view a gallery of this resort’s amazing architecture and interiors
A technicolor start to our morning’s sightseeing in Mombasa. Shree Cutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple, Haile Selassie Avenue
When it comes to food, I can’t think of any better combination than the Kenyan coast combination of fresh seafood and spices: crab samosas, fresh fish and lobster, with a Swahili twist (washed down with an ice-cold Tusker beer, of course!)
Enjoying a cold Tusker at the Bomas, Nairobi
Kenya is famous for her colourful human culture, notably the Maasai, the Samburu and the Turkana, just three of the country’s 42 tribes.
Kenya’s rich heritage can be traced back a staggering 4.5 million years. Didn’t we all come from Africa once?
Walking to school through Uhuru Gardens, Central Business District, Nairobi. In November, the Jacaranda trees are in full and glorious blossom
I love Nairobi more every visit. The streets are becoming more familiar to me now: I LOVE this incredible video!
Nairobi- A Timelapse Portrait from xixo collective on Vimeo.
The capital Nairobi is the only African city with a national park in its centre. Even if you don’t get a chance to leave the city perimeter, it’s still possible to go on a game drive if you are visiting Nairobi. Read my blog all about Nairobi National Park: the muzungu’s first city safari!
If you’ve seen the incongruous-looking photographs of wildlife in front of a modern urban background, then you may know I’m talking about Nairobi National Park (which is actually IN Kenya’s capital, making it very accessible for weekend or business visitors).
I recently stayed at the 5 star Nairobi Serena Hotel, conveniently situated on a quiet and leafy corner of the Central Business District. The hotel has been totally refurbished and offers a complimentary Architectural, Cultural and Conservation to guests. The creativity is quite mind-blowing! If you’re a fan of African history and culture, the Murumbi Gallery and Heritage House, you must read How to tour Africa from the comfort of your Nairobi hotel.
Admire the fabulous wood carvings in the Bambara Lounge, Nairobi Serena Hotel on the Architectural, Cultural and Conservation Tour
This delicate brass box derives from West Africa. Isn’t it gorgeous? Click on the images to see more artefacts you can see on the Nairobi Serena’s Architectural, Cultural and Conservation Tour
Did you know…? The East Africa Tourist Visa makes it easier and cheaper to combine a trip to Kenya with a visit to Uganda and Rwanda. Read the Muzungu’s definitive guide to the East Africa Tourist Visa here.
I’ve only just skimmed the surface of what Kenya has to offer as a tourism destination but the country has blown my tiny little mind, I can tell you!
View from the Lunatic Express train from Nairobi to Mombasa
If you are travelling between Kampala to Nairobi, you might enjoy reading my cross-border bus journeys.
Travelling between Nairobi and the Mombasa coast? The photo above was taken on the Lunatic Express train – a real highlight of my travels across East Africa. It’s been replaced by the rather less romantic – but infinitely more reliable – Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) train. Read my detailed comparison between the bus and the train journey between Nairobi and Mombasa here in Brief encounter – of romance and railways.
Keep reading Diary of a Muzungu for more travel tips and adventures from across Kenya and East Africa.
