Most hotels and villas in Kilifi are either on the beach front or near the beach. They range in prices, and when visiting during peak season it is recommendable you book your ideal accommodation as early as possible as most places are already fully booked. In places like Watamu it would be recommended that you consider booking at least half board if choosing to stay in a hotel or if staying in villa include a chef as part of your package, as there are limited options of restaurants in the town centre.
We had a chance to explore the accommodations available to book in different locations within Kilifi and below we have listed places that have something special to offer:
Bofa Beach Resort
Location: Kilifi
This hotel rated a 3-star is located by the residential area in Kilifi, it is 6 km away from the town centre and is a 3-minute walk to the beach. The focal point of the hotel is that in addition to the standard rooms they also have ten self-contained luxury tents that have a small kitchen and en suite bathroom, one can book a studio luxury tent, but there are only two available, but the rest of the other tents can hold a maximum of three people in each tent.
Kilifi Bay Beach Resort
Location: Kilifi
Kilifi Bay Beach Resort is a 4-star hotel that is part of the Mada hotels, it is located on Kilifi’s Beach front and only has 50 rooms, and about a third of the rooms have the ocean view. This is a family friendly hotel with two swimming pools, with various seating area spaces where one can either work, or just relax reading a book.
They have one main restaurant and a secluded seating area for those who smoke, however they do also set up eating space by the garden space by the pool. There famous Coconut Bar is by the beach front of the hotel and one can enjoy the beach views while sipping on a cocktail.
Distant Relatives Ecolodge & Backpackers
Location: Kilifi
This is a great alternative for those travelling on a budget as their typical clientele are backpackers. The ecolodge is near Kilifi town centre, it is located between the Giriama village of Fumbini and Kilifi Creek. They have a range of accommodation options from camping, dormitories, safari tents, private rooms and uniquely designed en suite bandas with their own private courtyards.
They have a communal kitchen, and they also have separate storage spaces for those who are vegetarian and vegan. If you don’t want to cook you can also buy food at their restaurant. They provide their residents with a range of activities from movie nights to yoga, and they organise recreational activities around Kilifi from dhow sailing to snorkelling.
SabaSaba Villa
Location: Watamu
This is a nine-room villa which is by a gated community, it has beautiful Swahili architecture influence from wood-carven doors to the curvings on the walls. Each room has a private bathroom, air conditioning and most rooms have a balcony overlooking the ocean. The landing lounge bay area villa offers a relaxing seating area for its guests and as you walk through there is also a dining area and more relaxing seating points with sleeper seats.
You can also enjoy the pool which is warm all through and can be used at night too, there is also sunbeds one can relax on after a swim. For those looking for further entertainment the villa also has a games room with a pool table and darts board.
We recommend that in the morning, you wake up to enjoy the beautiful sunrise views by the creek, which offers serene and heavenly views, it is so still and quiet that you could hear a pin drop. You can talk a five-minute walk outside the villa to enjoy stroll by the beach when the tide is down which is recommended to be on most days after 11.00 am.
You can choose to stay in the place fully self-catering as you get access to the kitchen or hire a chef. If you’re a big group, the villa is available for 14- 20 people stay and they have a range of options of booking available too. The villa is also near the town-centre, and you can have the opportunity to explore what the town has to offer while enjoying your stay.
Medina Palms
Location: Watamu
This is a one-of-a-kind hotel, with truly spectacular grounds from entry point. It is a 4-star hotel that boast 50 units ranging from one-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom villas. Residents can both own and live in the resort permanently and/or rent them too when they are not using them. The accommodation is managed by the Medina management and individuals can also choose to sell their place too. They currently have limited units available for sale, and if one is interested they can reach out to the property sales department for further details.
Each apartment or villa can accommodate a minimum of two people per room, bed and breakfast is included as part of the booking, however one can order lunch or dinner from the restaurants or hire a chef at an extra cost. There is also the option of changing your booking to half board or full board but the charges of this are dependent on the season of the visit.
Medina Palm is a beach front hotel with three swimming pools, two are child friendly but the infinity pool is for adults only. They offer body-boarding, windsurfing and kayaking for free, and they also organize a range of excursions for their guests. One can also have access to the gym, treat themself to a spa treatment at an extra cost and if you want a break from the children, you can book them in the kid’s club at an extra cost.
Temple Point Resort
Location: Watamu
Temple Point Resort is the last hotel on the beach front of Watamu and is hotel built by the creek. It is known as the Temple Point as its built on a ruin of a fifth century old temple right at the end of the creek where one can enjoy the beach front view of the ocean too. The current 104-unit 4-star hotel is currently being transformed into a 45-unit hotel and as of end 2022 they aim to do away with their current standard rooms, and this new change aims to make it a more family friendly place too. They want to predominantly focus on promoting their boutique garden rooms and add to creek deluxe rooms which are full en suite with their own bathroom, and in each room, there is an AC, fan, kettle, and hair dryers too.
Residents can enjoy playing volleyball, table tennis, participate in yoga, which is free for inhouse guests, they have two pools and only one is child friendly. It is a two-minute walk to the beach. They also organise excursions in house from dhow rides, visit to the Gede Ruins, stand-up paddle boarding on a mangrove tour to scuba diving and snorkelling too. Next year they will be bringing back their kaleidoscope festival, which is a 3-day festival, that aims to support local creatives and vendors combined with a range of DJs playing and this will be in February and August.
They have two restaurants and one can also enjoy a barbeque by the creek too. The resort also provides residents an option of long stay, this is for a minimum of 30 days and as part of their renovations they will be including a co-working space area, this add on is because since the global pandemic they have attracted guests who want to work in a different environment from their current living area.
Kilifi county offers a range of accommodations and if you search properly, you will surely find something within your budget and one that will offer you what you are looking for. We hope this list has got you excited about visiting Kilifi and exploring its beaches and attractions.
