Chapter IFrom the bay

An intimate ecolodge between Malindi and the Watamu Marine Park.

Aerial sunrise view of Watamu’s coastline with traditional fishing boats on turquoise reef waters
Watamu’s coastline with traditional fishing boats

Watamu is a small fishing town on the Kenyan coast that the world has, mercifully, mostly missed. The big boats stop at Malindi, an hour up the coast. The mass-tourism hotels cluster further north. What remains, in the quiet bay of Mayungu — between Malindi and the protected waters of the Watamu Marine National Park — is something older. A stretch of white sand. A coral reef still alive. A rhythm of tides and wooden dhows that has set the day here for centuries.

Exploreans Watamu Beach Club & Villas sits on this bay. Seventeen villas, a central swimming pool, a clutch of palms, and a private beach club a short walk away — 150 metres of shaded path, no shuttle required. The architecture is low and considered. Thatch, lime and timber where it makes sense; nothing imported just to impress.

We didn't choose Mayungu because it was easy. We chose it because it has remained itself. The reef is alive. The fishermen still launch at dawn. The Watamu Marine Park, founded in 1968 and one of the oldest in Africa, holds some of the best-preserved coral on the East African coast. There is very little to add to a place like this — and a great deal to be careful not to spoil.

Come for the water. Stay for the slowness.

— The team at Watamu Mayungu Bay · Kenya Coast
Chapter II — The Setting

Where the coral shelf still holds.

The Watamu Marine National Park is one of the oldest protected reserves in Africa — gazetted in 1968, and home to a coral reef that has, against the run of the times, kept its colour. The bay outside the property opens directly onto the marine reserve. Snorkel from the beach. Paddle to the dhows. There is no plan that beats the day itself.

Inland, the Arabuko Sokoke Forest — Kenya's largest surviving stretch of indigenous coastal forest — runs for some 400 square kilometres. Ten minutes south, the Gedi Ruins lie hushed under fig trees, the stone bones of a Swahili town abandoned in the seventeenth century. North, the rust-red badlands of Marafa cut through the coastal plain like an open wound.

1968 Marine park protected
150 m From the shore
1 km From Mayungu village
~600 Reef fish species
Sunlight streaming through clear blue water over a diverse coral reef with schools of tropical fish in Watamu Kenya
Chapter IIIThe accommodation

Seventeen villas, arranged loosely around a swimming pool.

Four villa types — from an intimate one-bedroom to a generous four-bedroom — each with its own kitchen, lounge and private veranda. Built for couples who want quiet, families who want room, and small groups who want both. All-inclusive, half-board, and self-catering arrangements available.

— 01
One-Bedroom Villa
A single private house for two. Bedroom, lounge, fully equipped kitchenette, and a covered veranda for the long afternoon. The simplest expression of the place — and, for many, the right one.
2 guests 1 bedroom · 1 bath
— 02
Two-Bedroom Villa
Built for a small family or two couples travelling together. Two bedrooms, a shared lounge and kitchen, and a veranda generous enough to take all meals outside. Steps from the central pool.
4 guests 2 bedrooms · 2 baths
— 03
Three-Bedroom Villa
A house with room for everyone. Three bedrooms, lounge, full kitchen, and the kind of veranda where the day tends to begin late and end later. Ideal for families or three couples.
6 guests 3 bedrooms · 3 baths
— 04
Four-Bedroom Villa
The largest villa — for multi-generational families, close friends, or anyone who wants a private compound on the Watamu coast. Four bedrooms, full kitchen, a wraparound veranda, and the option of in-villa dining.
8 guests 4 bedrooms · 4 baths

All villas include daily housekeeping, complimentary Wi-Fi, and access to every facility on the property.

Chapter IVWhat is on the property

Everything you need. Nothing you don't.

A central swimming pool, a private beach club a short walk away, two restaurants, a wellness pavilion under the palms, and the kind of quiet that the rest of the world has mostly forgotten. The property is small by design — and complete in what matters.

The Swimming Pool

A central freshwater pool surrounded by villas and shaded loungers. Open from sunrise to sunset, with a quiet end for swimming laps and a shallow side for children.

The Private Beach Club

A 150-metre walk through the gardens to a private stretch of Mayungu beach. Makuti-thatched gazebos, sunbeds, fresh-water showers, and a beachside à la carte restaurant under the palms.

Two Restaurants

One in the heart of the property, one on the beach. Italian-rooted cooking, fresh Indian Ocean fish, coastal Swahili spice, and an à la carte menu that changes when the catch does. Open to non-resident diners.

The Wellness Pavilion

A simple massage room, both at the property and at the beach club. Treatments and yoga on request. Quiet, unhurried, and free of celestial-themed treatments or piped-in music.

Tropical Gardens

Indigenous palms, frangipani, bougainvillea, and the slow shade of casuarina. The grounds are designed to feel found, not landscaped — and to support the local birdlife rather than crowd it out.

Concierge & Excursions

Full trip planning for the whole Kenyan coast — Watamu Marine Park snorkelling, Tsavo East day safaris, Mida Creek mangrove tours, Gedi Ruins visits, dhow charters. Airport transfers from Malindi included on request.

All-inclusive · Half-board · Self-catering · Free Wi-Fi throughout · Free parking · Children welcome

Chapter VThe two restaurants

Caught in the morning. On the table by lunch.

Cooking at Watamu is simple, honest, and grounded in what arrives at the dock and what grows nearby. Italian heritage in the kitchen, Indian Ocean fish on the menu, coastal Swahili spice — coconut, tamarind, lime — woven through the day. Both restaurants are open to non-resident diners; reservations are recommended.

— No. 1 · The main restaurant

The main pavilion

An open-sided restaurant in the heart of the property. À la carte at every service — Italian classics alongside East African and international plates, built around the morning's fish, local produce, and a short list of dishes that change with the catch.

Breakfast under the trees. Lunch on the long table. Dinner by lantern, with the sound of the bush a few metres away.

Service Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Style À la carte
Reservations +254 799 388 781
Breakfast at Exploreans Watamu's main restaurant — dining by the pool.
— No. 2 · The beach restaurant

The beach restaurant

A second restaurant directly on the private beach club, set under a makuti gazebo with a clear view of the reef. Lighter than the main pavilion — grilled catch of the day, ceviche, fresh tropical fruit, and cold drinks that arrive without fuss.

The kind of lunch you stretch into the afternoon, then into a swim, then back to the table for one more thing.

Service Lunch · Light dinner
Style À la carte · Beachside
Setting On the private beach
The beach restaurant at Exploreans Watamu — a thatched gazebo set on the sand of Mayungu Bay.
Chapter VIIBeyond the gate

The coast, the forest, the old stones.

Most of the best of the Watamu coast is within an easy day. Some things — Tsavo East, Marafa — are worth the longer drive. Our concierge team handles transfers, tour guides, and full excursion planning.

Watamu Marine National Park — coral reef, tropical fish, and protected waters in Kenya.
5 min · Direct access
Marine reserve

Watamu Marine Park

One of Africa's oldest marine reserves — protected since 1968. Some of the best snorkelling and diving on the East African coast, just minutes from the beach club.

Arial image of mida Creek mangrove channels at low tide, Watamu Kenya.
15 min south
Mangrove ecosystem

Mida Creek at low tide

A natural inlet five kilometres deep, lined with mangroves. A canoe trip at low tide reveals crab channels, herons, and the slow architecture of the creek itself.

The Gedi Ruins under fig trees — abandoned 13th-century Swahili stone town near Watamu.
20 min
Archaeological site

The Gedi Ruins

A thirteenth-century Swahili town, abandoned in the seventeenth, swallowed by the forest. The fig trees have grown into the stone. Visit early, when the site holds its quiet.

The Arabuko Sokoke coastal forest — Kenya's largest indigenous coastal forest.
10 min
Indigenous forest

Arabuko Sokoke Forest

The largest surviving indigenous coastal forest in East Africa — 400 square kilometres of canopy. Home to monkeys, golden-rumped elephant shrews, and over 250 species of bird.

An elephant in Tsavo East National Park — Kenya's largest national park, accessible from Watamu.
Day safari
Savannah safari

Tsavo East Safari

A full day of savannah, red-earth elephants, and open horizon. Kenya's largest national park, reachable as a long day trip from the property — or as the start of a longer safari extension.

The red sandstone formations of Marafa Canyon — Hell's Kitchen, Kenya.
1 hour north
Sandstone canyon

Marafa Canyon

Locally known as Hell's Kitchen — a deep gorge of rust-red and ochre sandstone, carved by centuries of rain. Best visited late afternoon, when the colours arrive.

Dolphins jumping out of the water— the Blue Safari off the Watamu coast, Kenya.
From the bay
Day on the water

The Blue Safari

A full-day excursion on a glass-bottomed boat — open water, snorkelling stops, and lunch on a sandbank that surfaces at low tide and disappears again by dusk.

A small uninhabited island off the Kenya coast — Robinson Island, with flamingos and herons.
30-min boat
Lagoon & birdlife

Robinson Island

Reached by canoe across the lagoon. A small uninhabited island where pink flamingos and ibis herons gather — a quiet morning out, returned by lunch.

An empty stretch of golden sand at dawn — Golden Beach, Watamu coast, Kenya.
Walk from club
Untouched coast

Golden Beach

An uncontaminated stretch of coast, mostly empty even in high season. The real Kenya, for travellers who like a beach without an itinerary.

Our team plans transfers, guides and full itineraries. Tell us what you'd like to see.

Field NotesDispatches from the property

What we've been noticing.

Mida Creek at low tide with exposed mangrove roots
Field Note · No. 01

Walking Mida Creek at low tide

The channels open up. The mangrove crabs come out. The whole creek system reveals itself, briefly, between tides — and a guide who knows it makes the difference between a walk and a lesson.

Read the full story →
Ancient stone ruins of Gedi surrounded by dense forest
Field Note · No. 02

The hush at Gedi

A 13th-century Swahili town, abandoned, swallowed by the forest. The fig trees have grown into the stone. The site keeps its quiet — and rewards the visitor who arrives without a crowd.

Read the full story →
Traditional wooden dhow sailing on turquoise waters at sunset
Field Note · No. 03

The blue safari, explained

A day on a wooden dhow — open water, snorkelling stops, lunch on a sandbank that appears at low tide and is gone again by dusk. The oldest form of travel still on offer here.

Read the full story →
— Part of the Planhotel family

Italian style, Swiss service, local culture.

Watamu is one of eleven properties under the Planhotel Hospitality Group — a Swiss-Italian independent headquartered in Lugano, with three distinct hospitality brands across the Indian Ocean and East Africa.

PassionateLimitlessAuthenticNow

Refined, gracious five-star hospitality across the Maldives, Kenya, and Zanzibar — where guests return, generation after generation.

Visit Diamonds →

Warm, all-inclusive, activity-rich island resorts. Holidays where boredom is simply not an option, for families and friends alike.

Visit Sandies →

Intimate camps, lodges and retreats in remarkable landscapes. The Watamu Beach Club & Villas sits alongside the Mara River Camp in the wider collection.

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