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Kenya has an idyllic coastline, with miles of soft white sand fringed by palm trees and giving way to aquamarine seas. Small fishing villages bask in the sun, nets hanging to dry on bleached sticks by huts tucked under cashew nut trees.

There are beaches backed by tall dunes where green turtles clamber up to nest, and the many offshore marine parks protect long coral reefs. A short distance from the coast there are a number of beautiful archipelagos, Lamu with its dhows and donkeys, Funzi with mangrove channels and sandbanks and Kiwayu with its miles of deserted sand.

With temperatures averaging 28°C and an average eight hours of sunshine a day, it is easy to see why Kenya’s beaches have become so popular.

Accommodation of the Lamu archipelago

The Tana Delta has a remote river camp and there are some stylishly converted Swahili houses overlooking the creek at Watamu. The islands of the Lamu archipelago offer a variety of accommodation from converted Arabic houses in Lamu Town and Shela Village, to simple beach lodges made of reed and palms on Kipungani Beach and Manda Island.

Barefoot luxury

The Funzi Keys offers the ultimate in barefoot luxury with large chalets tucked into mangrove forests. With such a variety of hotels, whether you want a luxury hotel with every facility or a palm frond banda on a private island, Kenya will have something to suit you perfectly.

Finally, certain parts of Kenya’s coast are busy and best avoided — with Mombasa in particular having large hotels crammed together, countless curio stalls, kiosks and beach boys. However, we have travelled the length of the coast to find quiet spots and small boutique hotels.