Diani Beach Kenya
Over Easter I spent two weeks in Kenya visiting family .
Diani Beach
I wanted to write this post for two reasons. Firstly, Diani is such a beautiful location that I felt I must share it, and secondly because recent events in Kenya have resulted in travel warnings being issued by the British Foreign Office and hundreds of British tourists being evacuated from the country.
Swahili Beach Hotel in Diani
Terrorism is not a threat unique to Kenya, it is a global issue and I find it so unfortunate that people are allowing their lives to be dictated by it. The recent attacks in Kenya have centred in small areas of Nairobi and on the very northern coastline, the south coast and the safari areas remain safe and beautiful and in desperate need of your support.
Diani
We flew from Nairobi Wilson airport to Ukunda on a worryingly tiny plane. After 45minutes of flying the pilot made announcements that we would be starting our descent to land on the south runway. A rather interesting announcement considering Ukunda’s airport is the size of a dot and has only one small runway.
Plane from Wilson Airport
How To Get There:
Aside from the size of the plane, and of the airport! Flying to Ukunda is the easiest option when going to the South Coast. It is possible to fly to Mombasa and then drive down but the drive takes around 2 hours due to the ferry connecting Mombasa with the mainland. You can also drive from Nairobi to Mombasa but the road is known for accidents and the trip takes around 7 or 8 hours. Unless you have around 3 days to spare, I wouldn’t really consider the train which travels on the famous lunatic line.
The railway line built under British rule from Mombasa to Lake Victoria. A feat of engineering but called the lunatic line due to its huge financial and human cost. Many workers were mauled by lions or died from tropical diseases.
Swahili Beach Resort
In Diani we stayed at the relatively new, 5 star resort called Swahili Beach.
Endless swimming pools
The architecture was beautiful, inspired by a mix of East African and Arabic culture.
Walk from reception to main pool
Beautiful white sandy beach
Pool bar at the main pool
The room was perfectly located with a sea view.
Verandah and view from the room
It was spacious and the design was gorgeous, a slight grumble would be the bathroom was lacking in the usual potions and lotions that five star hotels normally provided. There was shampoo and shower gel was artistically stored in glass balls under the shower but the engineering of the structures meant it was very difficult to get the shampoo out, and if one were to want a bath they would have nothing to clean themselves with!
Rewarding return customers
Spacious bathroom
Bring your own shampoo bath
The shampoo holding device!
The hotel has facilities for a variety of water sports including scuba diving. They can also arrange for you to go kite surfing, a popular activity on the windy Diani beach!
Cruising
All in all a great stay!
Follow me: @LiakadaTravel
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