In depth review of resorts that will excite your holiday

If you are yearning for a lifetime dream holiday, then Diani seaside resort town in Kwale County is the place to be.

For the third-year running, Diani has been voted Africa’s leading beach destination by the World Travel Awards due to its alluring white sandy beaches and turquoise waters.

Apart from leisure, visitors can also enjoy safari at Shimba Hills National Reserve that teems with elephants, endangered sable antelopes, giraffes, buffaloes and many other animals.

Holidaymakers can also venture to Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park at Shimoni, where they can swim with dolphins and visit Shimoni Museum.

Diani too boasts of high-end resorts, which have hosted global celebrities such as Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as well as Manchester United FC manager Jose Mourinho.

The holiday destination has a range of unique resorts where tourists can have a fun-filled vacation.

Leopard Beach Resort and Spa is among hotels in Diani with unique facilities.

The resort has residences, six pools and 10 forest villas.

The hotel’s MD, Mohammed Omar, says every holiday villa has a private swimming pool.

“The villas are ideal for families and friends as they are spacious and exclusive,” he says.

The residences include two and three-bedroomed pool villas with 390-square metre living areas and 60-square metre pools.

There are two and three-bedroomed forest villas with 250-square metre living areas and 17-square metre plunge pools.

“We introduced the pool villa concept to give tourists choice of privacy and luxury with all the conveniences,” he says.

“The villas are a perfect place for the gathering of family and friends as they enjoy their leisure holidays.”

SERVICES OFFERED
The three-bedroomed villas can accommodate up to six people with each bedroom featuring an individually controlled AC and fan, a 46in flat screen television with satellite channels, a walk-in dressing room, large bathrooms with rain showers, shaving mirror and hair drier.

The master bedroom also has a large Jacuzzi bathtub and a separate bidet.

Other facilities and amenities include living room with spacious couch seating and a 51-in flat screen television, satellite and DVD player, a large dining area with eight seats, a separate cloakroom and Wi-Fi connectivity.

At least four people can be accommodated in the two-bedroom villas which feature one-king size and twin bedroom.

The two-bedroom forest villas have bathtubs en-suite in both bedrooms.

They also have facilities and amenities just like those of the three-bedroom villas.

In addition, all pool villas feature an out-door pool-side gazebo for dining and entertaining, a pool terrace with sun-loungers, a seating area and separate out-door shower facilities.

The fully furnished villas are available either on self-catering or bed and breakfast basis.

A la carte meals would be served at Lemongrass, an Asian fusion specialty restaurant and Grasshopper bar overlooking a rock pool and cascading waterfall.

Guests staying in the Residences also have a choice of four a la carte restaurants and bars at the adjoining hotel.

Baobab Beach Resort is another unique establishment in Diani as it comprises three luxury hotels in one, The Baobab, Kole Kole and Maridadi.

The Resort’s general manager Silvester Mbandi, says Baobab and Kole Kole are ideal for families while Maridadi, which is a quiet and exclusive property, is suitable for couples including honeymooners.

“Apart from our guests staying in a three in one hotel, the environment here is lovely as the resort was built on a 120-acre coral-bed forest,” he said.

Mr Mbandi explains that guests too enjoy a raft of entertainment as the hotel has an amphi-theatre and a troupe of 30 animators, who perform various shows.

A VARIETY
At Baobab, children guests aged between four and 12 can enjoy their own disco entertainment which is normally held from 8pm to 8.45pm.

The hotel has also the Rafiki Club which keeps children busy with various activities while adults can enjoy sports such as wind-surfing, kite-surfing, sky-diving, scuba-diving and snorkeling.

For holidaymakers looking for a quiet place and forget about the outside world life, Pinewood Beach Resort and Spa has such a unique option.

The hotel’s operations manager says the 60-roomed resort is ideal for couples and honeymooners looking for total relaxation as it has a private white sand beach.

“We deliberately don’t have television sets in our rooms as we want our guests to spend their holiday just relaxing in bed or soaking up the sun on the beach,” he added.

Apart from the hotels, visitors to Diani can either walk or travel by Tuk tuk to Ukunda town to enjoy Swahili delicacies, Nyama choma and drinks.

The popular restaurants, cafes and pubs in Ukunda include Coast Dishes hotel, Swahili Pot, Rongai Meat Palace, Maasai Club and Hollywood Restaurant.

Other eateries include Rongai Annex, Travellers Café, Millennium Hotel, Members Club Joint and True West Dishes.