Along Kenya’s coast on the Indian ocean, there are several key cities like Lamu and Mombassa. We chose to stay in a small coastal town north of Mombassa called Watamu, known for its white sand beaches and the Watamu Marine National Park full of rich marine life.
We took a short 1-hour flight from Nairobi to the closest airport in Malindi, which was just a short 20-minute ride to our Airbnb in Watamu. Mwanana House is a beautiful 3-bedroom home with a swimming pool and private beach access. It is spacious with high ceilings and a gentle ocean breeze that blows throughout the home.
When we arrived, we were greeted by Antonina, the housekeeper, and Carissa, the chef. We were thrilled to see all of the personal touches within the home, like the fresh-picked flowers, hand-made bedspreads, traditional wooden furniture including the four-poster beds that are high off the ground and draped dramatically with mosquito netting. To be honest, what excited us the most was the air-conditioning units in each bedroom. Although it is a comfortable 30 degrees in Watamu at this time of the year, air-conditioning is a welcome luxury to combat the humidity and ensure a good night’s sleep.
On our first day, Carissa took us to buy groceries. We were surprised to see that there is a decent supermarket with a variety of western and imported foods in Watamu. He also took us to the local vegetable and fruit market. A fish monger came to the house to bring the fresh catch of the day and Carissa picked out a large red snapper and king prawns. Carissa’s specialty is seafood and some of our favorite dishes were his grilled prawns with butter sauce, pan fried red snapper, coconut rice, breaded and fried calamari and fried fish and chips.
During our stay at Mwanana House, I spent much of my time on the outdoor patio. While the children were swimming in the swimming pool, I enjoyed lounging on the large day beds reading, planning and writing. Occasionally, the children would wander over for a hug or a chat and then go off on their own. The flow of the indoor/outdoor space created the perfect environment for our family to relax, play and learn while staying at Mwanana House.
Just a few steps away from the swimming pool, there was a private path that led down to the white sand beach of Turtle Bay in the Watamu National Marine Park.
❤️I see that you eat really well there . Dana’s question: are food chip there ( the big fish and king prawns )
The food has been very good everywhere! The red snapper we got in Watamu was about US$40 and the shrimp were about US$4 per kilo. The shrimp were not as big as king prawns we have seen elsewhere, but they were very sweet and fresh.
What a beautiful house. 🙂
We enjoyed staying there so much!