Hemingways Watamu

Hemingways Watamu is a good place for family relaxation,good food,a swimming pool and a superb campsite for barbecue and camping. The hotel offers a comprehensive range of conference halls to cater for groups of between 30 and 700 participants, all equipped with presentation audio-visual equipment, computer laptops, public address systems and LCD projectors.

There is so much to do here – learn to kite-surf; get your PADI certificate, take a sunset dhow cruise on Mida Creek, play a round of golf on the nearby world class golf course, Vipingo Ridge; or go on safari for a few days in Tsavo or the Maasai Mara. If that all sounds a little too energetic, relax around the pool with a good book as you work your way through our cocktail menu.

Spacious and with easy access to the beach and the botanical pool, our ocean view rooms are found in the North Wing of the hotel on the ground and first floor.

En-suite bathrooms and a beautiful balcony overlooking the Marine Park provide guests with the utmost comfort and luxury. The quiet grassy area in front of the rooms is a relaxing place to read and soak up the coastal sunshine.

Watamu – meaning “home of the sweet people” in Swahili – is a small village on the Kenyan coast approximately 120kms north of Mombasa – Kenya’s second largest city. It is also 20kms south of Malindi – Vasco de Gama’s first landing point on the coast of East Africa. Watamu’s shoreline features pristine white sand beaches and offshore coral formations arranged in different bays and sheltered by a reef.

The area is protected as part of the Watamu Marine National Park and is considered one of the best snorkeling and diving areas on the coast of Africa. The Marine Park is renowned worldwide for its natural beauty and boasts a diverse marine life from the visiting whale sharks and manta rays to three species of sea turtle.

The low-lying coast of Kenya creates a tropical climate with wonderful sea breezes. It is at its hottest in March but cools off in July with temperatures ranging between 26C and 32C throughout the year. The monsoons bring two distinct seasons – when the warm air moves south in March, the longer rains follow in April and May.

It moves north again in September bringing the shorter rains of October and November. The southeast wind, called Kusi, blows from mid March to November, cooling the waters. The northeast breeze, called Kaskazi, brings warmer, calm seas throughout the months of December, January and February.

The Swahili culture of the coast is an exotic mix of Omani, Portuguese and Bantu influences. Built on trade, the coastal town of Watamu was once an outpost for ivory, slaves, spices and shells. Local people are predominantly fishermen and farmers and the coast is rich in exotic fruit and sisal plantations.

There is a languid pace to life here, quite different to the hectic rush of Nairobi. Middle Eastern influences are more apparent at the coast in the architecture and religion and both Malindi and Watamu have elements of an Italian feel with great pizzerias and delicious gelato available.

Dining al fresco at the beach with a gentle breeze is one of life’s great pleasures. Whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner, our signature menus focus on fresh produce cooked simply and served expertly. There is something to everyone’s taste at Hemingways Watamu. Served in our main restaurant, breakfast offers a range of options to suit all types from the super hungry, the health conscious or the continental.

For a mid morning treat, specialty coffees, cakes and the finest gelato are available at the Gede Coffee Gardens.The Gede menu also includes a varied selection of delicious wraps, sandwiches and sharing platters plus a variety of grilled meats and seafood along with healthy salads, perfect for lunches and more casual evenings.

In the evenings we offer a full white linen service a la carte restaurant for dinner, providing a wealth of flavourful options freshly caught from the Ocean at our doorstep. If seafood is not to your taste we always have a variety of land based favourites ranging from aged beef steaks to traditional favourites such as Tandoori Chicken. A selection of pastas and vegetarian dishes are also available.

Hemingways Watamu is renowned for deep sea fishing and has also recently pioneered humpback whale watching excursions during the months of June – September. The migration of the majestic humpbacks along the coast of East Africa is truly something to behold. As host of the ILTTA World Championships, many ESPN, DSTV and SKY televised events and numerous other Tournaments annually, Hemingways Watamu is a focal point of fishing off the East African Coast.

The waters off Watamu offer hugely diverse fishing opportunities and it is one of very few places where three types of Marlin, Sailfish, Broadbill Swordfish and Short bill Spearfish are all available. With a series of underwater mountains easily accessible offshore, bait and the predators are concentrated unlike the situation in the open Ocean. Hemingways Watamu was the pioneer of the practice of ‘tag and release’ of billfish on the Kenyan coast. We continue to wholeheartedly recommend this to guests and award certificates to anglers in recognition of their catch.