Manda Bay Lodge

Manda Island sits at the edge of Kenya's Lamu Archipelago, and Manda Bay Lodge occupies its tip, facing a bay of calm, warm water protected from the open Indian Ocean swell. The lodge has 22 rooms across three types: 11 beachfront rooms set on the seawall, closest to the water at low tide; five Palm rooms on higher ground behind them, cooled by the sea breeze; and six smaller Garden rooms at the centre of the property. Rooms are built from wood, palm-woven matting and thatch, with open-air windows and no glass or shutters. A verandah with a swing bed comes with every room. Bought in 2003 by two pairs of friends, Andy and Caragh Roberts and Fuzz and Bimbi Dyer, the lodge grew out of a fishing trip and a boat called Cheza. That same boat, now a 33ft Sportfisher, still runs deep-sea trips for marlin, tuna and sailfish depending on season. Inshore, guests fish, kayak, sail or snorkel a reef ten to 15 minutes out by boat, where over 120 Reef Star structures have been planted with The Ocean Trust to restore coral. A resident buffalo herd, cut off from the mainland by dredged channels, is fed and watered year-round by the lodge's conservation team. Lamu's old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, lies a 20-minute boat ride away.