Ibambe House, Watamu
A stunning beachfront villa with five spacious bedrooms and lovely large freeform pool set in tropical gardens above Turtle Bay and the Watamu Marine Park. Ibambe House is luxurious, welcoming, well-appointed and the perfect place for a carefree family break at the coast.
“Ibambe House is among the most beautiful houses on the Kenyan Coast. Everything is perfect – the location, the design, the staff, the beach and the view. Luxury with great taste. We really felt privileged to be there and had a fantastic Christmas and New Year holiday.”
Marina, Nairobi
A stunning beach house completed in late 2016, Ibambe is imaginatively designed, beautifully built and furnished and expertly managed – all by the same talented and dedicated team as Watamu’s highly-acclaimed Shwari House. Ibambe sits in a quiet, elevated and secluded position in its own large plot with direct private access to Turtle Bay – the quietest and most exclusive of Watamu’s three beaches. While the house is peaceful and self-contained, all the attractions of Watamu are nearby and guests can choose to be as active or as laid-back as they wish. Experienced managers are on hand to help and a concierge service is also available to organise a range of activities and events
The house comes with a full complement of staff who will ensure your stay is as easy and relaxing as possible. An impressively wide variety of dishes is available, and meals are prepared in the large and comprehensively-equipped kitchen using only the best and freshest local ingredients. The fish and seafood are wonderful – and are only obtained from sustainable sources using sustainable fishing methods.
“We had an amazing time at Ibambe – we loved every second and really enjoyed the house. Juma, Edward and Douglas were brilliant and welcoming and really great with the kids – the whole experience really was perfect.”
KC, Nairobi
Throughout the house and grounds there are areas to relax or socialise – including a large covered veranda on the Ground Floor terrace with wonderfully colourful and comfortable sofas. Another spacious sitting area upstairs on the First Floor veranda takes advantage of lovely ocean views and breezes, and there are sea-view balconies and terraces outside the First Floor front bedrooms.
On the Ground Floor there is an air-conditioned television room with DSTV – perfect if you need to retire and escape the heat of the day for a while. For guests who need to stay connected to the outside world there is free complimentary wifi throughout the house.
All the bedrooms are spacious and beautifully decorated. They have overhead fans, fitted mosquito nets and well-designed ensuite bathrooms. Four of the bedrooms have Queen-size double beds – three are air-conditioned. The top ‘quadruple’ bedroom with two double beds – ideal for children – is more open and rustic in style. It is set under the high eaves of the makuti-thatched roof and enjoys naturally cooling sea breezes.
“Ibambe House was superb (faultless) and we were extremely well looked after. I can’t recommend it enough – it’s a real hidden gem. We are also very grateful to your team for facilitating – your service was spot on. Many thanks.”
JT, Nairobi
Downstairs there is an internal dining area and two bars – one inside and one ‘Bali-style’ bar and dining area beside the swimming pool. The lovely big freeform freshwater pool is run on a self-chlorinating system and uses no harsh chemicals. It has wide and gently sloping ‘beaches’ on two sides – making it perfect for smaller children wanting to splash in the shallows.
Beyond the swimming pool a private path slopes gently down through indigenous forest and palm groves to the beach. Unspoilt and spectacular, it is regularly voted one of the very best in Africa. In Kiswahili ‘Ibambe’ means to keep enjoying life and having fun – a very appropriate name for this lovely, bright and very happy holiday home.
Summary
- A beautiful, accommodating and secluded private beach house
- Colourful, luxurious, comfortable, airy and well-equipped
- Air-conditioned bedrooms and living room
- Lovely free-form pool, Bali-style pool bar & dining area, shady grounds
- Direct access to an idyllic and quiet stretch of Turtle Bay Beach
- Excellent chef and team of staff – plus professional management team
- Sleeps up to 12 guests in 5 spacious ensuite bedrooms
- Standard rental rate – $750 per night ‘self catering
Detailed information
- Fully-staffed with chef, room stewards, pool attendant and gardeners
Inside
- Four double bedrooms – three with air-conditioning
- Makuti-thatched ‘quadruple’ bedroom – ideal for children
- Ensuite bathrooms with double sinks
- Quality linen and towels
- Electronic safes, ceiling fans
- Seaview balconies
- First floor veranda
- Ground floor sitting room and veranda
- Air-conditioned television lounge
- Bar with drinks fridges and icemaker
- Indoor dining area
- Large full-equipped kitchen
- Complimentary wifi
- DSTV – satellite television
- Complimentary laundry
- Security including night guard and security buttons
Outside
- Bali-style dining pavilion and bar
- Freeform pool with child-friendly ‘beaches’
- Direct private beach access
- Tropical Gardens
- Indigenous Forest
Available on request
- Concierge Service
- Beauty treatments
- Massages
- Yoga
- Personal Training
- Tennis
- Horse riding
Water sports available include
- Deep sea fishing
- Kite surfing
- Snorkelling
- Scuba diving
- Windsurfing
- Dhow sailing
Location
Watamu (“home of the sweet people” in Kiswahili) is a small town on the Kenyan coast, 120 km north of Mombasa and 20 km south of Malindi. It has won an international reputation for its pristine white-sand beaches, clear waters, offshore coral formations and reef-protected lagoons, which line the Watamu National Marine Park and Reserve, the oldest and largest in East Africa, covering over 229 square kilometres.
The Marine Park and Reserve is renowned worldwide for its natural beauty and boasts a rich marine life – from visiting Whale Sharks and Manta Rays to three species of Sea Turtle. It is also considered one of the best snorkelling and diving areas on the coast of East Africa. Watamu has been voted one of the three best beaches in Africa and one of the top ten beaches in the World – steeped in natural fauna and flora and with three stunning bays -Watamu, Blue Lagoon and Turtle Bay.
All kinds of water sports and activities are available in Watamu – from sailing and deep sea fishing to scuba diving, water-skiing, kitesurfing and paddle boarding. Tribe Watersports, situated on Turtle Bay beach is a good first stop and can cater for most of one’s needs – offering tuition, equipment rental and advice.
There is a good supermarket in Watamu together with a range of local shops, and a bigger selection of shops and boutiques about 30 minutes away in Malindi. Recommended places to eat and drink include the Pilipan restaurant at Mida Creek a little to the south of town, and the bars and restaurants at Hemingways Resort and Ocean Sports on Turtle Bay beach.
The Bio Ken Snake Farm and laboratory houses East Africa’s largest collection of snakes and is one of the world’s most renowned snake research centres. It specialises in antivenin research, and also acts as an emergency service for snake-bite victims throughout the region. Well-informed guides lead excellent 45-minute tours of the facility.
The Gedi Ruins are the ancient remains of a substantial Swahili Arab town dating from the 12th Century. Once a thriving and well-planned community of at least 2500 people, with a magnificent palace, several mosques and many large stone houses, the people of Gedi grew rich on trade with India, China and Europe, but the town was mysteriously abandoned in the 17th Century.
Just north of Malindi and a few miles inland close to the village of Marafa is the picturesque ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ – Malindi’s answer to The Grand Canyon – a dramatic series of rock formations and gorges. The 4,300-hectare Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Reserve is situated to the west of Watamu and is the largest single block of indigenous coastal forest remaining in East Africa – it forms the centrepiece of a world-renowned habitat for rare and endangered mammals and birds.
How to get there
By Air
Watamu is less than 30 minutes by road from Malindi Airport which has several scheduled flights each day to and from Nairobi. Some flights also arrive or depart via Mombasa or Lamu.
Airlines serving Malindi and Nairobi include :–
- Kenya Airways (from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport) www.kenya-airways.com
- Air Kenya (from Wilson Airport) www.airkenya.com
- Safari Air Express (from Wilson Airport) www.fly-sax.com
- Fly 540 (from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport) www.fly540.com
- Jambo Jet (from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport) www.jambojet.com
By Road
Watamu is situated just off the main B8 coastal highway and the driving time from Mombasa should be less than two hours. Driving time from Nairobi is around nine hours via Mombasa.
Driving to and from Nairobi, It is also possible to bypass Mombasa and to travel through Tsavo East National Park on the picturesque C103 Road which follows the route of the Galana River.
Visitor’s Book
“We had an amazing time at Ibambe – we loved every second and really enjoyed the house. Juma, Edward and Douglas were brilliant and welcoming and really great with the kids – the whole experience really was perfect.”
KC, Nairobi
“Ibambe House was superb (faultless) and we were extremely well looked after. I can’t recommend it enough – it’s a real hidden gem. We are also very grateful to your team for facilitating – your service was spot on. Many thanks.”
JT, Nairobi
Rates
Self-catering Accommodation Rates
- Minimum stay – 5 nights
- Maximum occupancy – 12 guests
- Minimum stay over Christmas and New Year – 10 nights
- Minimum stay over Easter – 7 nights
Standard rental rate (8th Jan to 15th Dec)
- $750 per night ‘self catering’
Christmas & New Year rate (16th Dec to 7th Jan)
- $1,400 per night ‘self catering’
- Check-in from 12pm and Check-out by 10 am
- Early check-in and late check-out upon request at an additional US$100 and US$200 respectively
- Stays are on a ‘self-catering’ basis including the services of cook and team of staff
- Guests are responsible for supplying and purchasing all their food and drink – shopping is available by prior arrangement and at additional cost
- Shopping service and airport transfers available at additional cost
- Please contact us for fully-catered rates
- The swimming pool is unfenced. Children must be closely supervised around the pool by an adult guest and should never be left unattended in any part of the property at any time.
- Please contact us to make a booking
- Please familiarise yourself with all our terms & conditions when making a booking
- Bookings can only be confirmed upon receipt of payment. Until a booking is confirmed, availability is subject to change without notice.
- The owners require all adult guests to sign an indemnity / disclaimer form on arrival
- These rates, terms & conditions are valid for bookings up until 7th January 2025
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