Top Hotels in Lamu Island Bed and Breakfast Inns
Lamu Island Bed and Breakfast Inns | Places to Stay in Lamu Island
The main town on the island of the same name just off Kenya's northeastern coast, tranquil Lamu was founded in the 14th century, making it the country's oldest living town and the best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa. Lamu Museum (with its prized siwa horns) and the two-centuries-old Lamu Fort are two of the main attractions. The restored Swahili House Museum is small but quite interesting. About a 30-minute walk north of town, white sandy Shela Beach is one of the island's best.
Restaurants in Lamu Island
1. Banana House & Wellness Centre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 237 reviews
Banana House is a boutique hotel in Shela, Lamu Island. It has all the charms of a quietly elegant private home with 16 rooms spread over three houses situated in a magnificent tropical garden with swimming pool. True Wellbeing is experienced the minute you step through the door. Peaceful, warm welcome, organic food, fresh air, you immediately relax. Our social responsibility, yoga, massage and the love that Monika and Banana have put into the House to give it a warm and homely atmosphere makes Banana House unique. So…welcome to Banana House. Welcome home!
Beautiful charming hotel
Reviewed By Camper12192849585Lovely hotel with a lot of charm. Gardens and pool area particularly beautiful, and great location close to Shela Beach. Staff were friendly and helpful. I work in travel and always choose boutique hotels for their personal service and most of the staff did not disappoint. The owner was around a lot and we saw her daily but it was strange to not have any acknowledgment or welcome from her. Food was very good, really enjoyed the Swahili dinner in particular, and very good value. Breakfast also very good and great to have Oliver serve us each day. He was a credit to the hotel and made us feel very welcome. The spa across the path (I think it is connected to the hotel) is amazing and again really good value. We got a full body 90-minute massage for about £40 a head. Highly recommend. Overall, definitely recommend Banana House.
2. Lamu House Hotel
Overall Ratings
5 based on 258 reviews
Boutique hotel made of 2 Swahili houses adjoin, with 10 superior rooms, plunge pool. Luxury accommodation, in the Old Stone Town of Lamu, located on the seafront. Restaurant & coffee shop. Traditional dhows for comfortable excursions.
Superb!
Reviewed By sophiekF5153YKA beautiful hotel with gorgeous rooms and stunning interior design The restaurant, lounge areas and pool is also very well presented. The people and staff were so friendly, welcoming and kind. The food was some of the best we had in Lamu. It’s location near the centre of old town makes it very handy for getting around by foot or by boat.
3. Jua House
Overall Ratings
5 based on 31 reviews
JUA HOUSE is a new Bed & Breakfast located in the middle of the traditional Swahili village Shela on Lamu island. There are five double rooms, one single room and a rooftop suite available. All our rooms are equipped with king size beds and have their private bathrooms. Each floor provides a comfortable chill out lounge. Enjoy the 360° views from our rooftop terraces!
Beautiful, characterful hideaway in Shela
Reviewed By 296harrylA beautiful, quiet and characterful hotel set back from the more touristy parts of Shela. With its idiosyncratic style and intimate feel, Jua House feels more like a guest house; the personal service provided by Amani and his team was also impeccable, and, as everyone says, the breakfast is superb. I hope I have the chance to go back.
4. Subira House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 85 reviews
The charming and comfortable seven-bedroom historic 200 years old home has two beautiful gardens and plenty of cool terraces to relax and enjoy the tropical breeze as you accustom yourself to Lamu's gentle pace. Right in the middle of Old Lamu Town.Meals on request.Wine licence.Subira House,a 200-year-old coral stone house was built by the governor under the Sultan of Zanzibar now carefully preserved by its Swedish/Dutch owners.
Lovely cozy home
Reviewed By Maggie SGreat house, I enjoyed the hosts. I enjoyed the vegetarian dinner and the breakfast. The hosts give great advice on what to do around Lamu. The house is amazing with a garden and friendly staff. Its situated in a great location
5. Andavelo House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 27 reviews
Andavelo House in Lamu, Kenya is a restoration project of a 300 year old Swahili house made in accordance with the centuries old construction techniques used by the Swahili people. Andavelo is a joint project of three friends who met in Tbilisi, GeorgiaAndavelo House consists of 6 spacious suites ranging from 50-120m2 over a total built area of over 1000 m2 with plenty of lounges, pool area and sea facing terraces.
Brilliant in every way.
Reviewed By Jean RJambo. Visited Lamu in early December two years ago ,but due to personal circumstances beyond my control did not get to write the review. Safari and the team at Andavelo house were absolutely brillian from arrival to leaving, so much so that we opted to going back after 5 days on nearby Shellah beach for another two nights. The chef prepared the most incredible meal for supper on our last night . I would return weekly if I could . Totally exclusive, superb place to unwind, and what an inspirational residence, from the indoor swimming pool to the beautiful bedrooms. A very huge and belated thank you .
6. Shela Bahari Guest House
Overall Ratings
4 based on 49 reviews
Finding an ideal charming guest house in Lamu Island does not have to be difficult. Welcome to Shela Bahari Guest House, a nice option for travelers like you. Rooms at Shela Bahari Guest House Hotel provide a desk and a mosquito net. In addition, Shela Bahari Guest House Hotel offers an on-site restaurant, which will help make your Lamu Island trip additionally gratifying. While you’re here, be sure to check out Peponi Hotel Restaurant, one of the restaurants in Lamu Island with oyster on the menu, which is a short distance from Shela Bahari Guest House Hotel. Should time allow, Lamu Old Town is a popular historic site that is relatively easy to get to. Shela Bahari Guest House looks forward to welcoming you on your visit to Lamu Island.
Beauty, simplicity and great food
Reviewed By itsmayamisikirMy stay here was so enjoyable - the staff are very friendly and accommodating. The rooms and lounge areas have beautiful Swahili furniture with a great view, depending on which rooms you stay in but there’s a shared veranda accessible to all (with an incredible view)..The food was consistently good (fav snacks were samosas). Right by the jetty too, so you can grab your water taxis to anywhere easily. Downstairs area perfect for chilling or getting coffee and getting a bit of work done as well. Definitely will stay there if (when) I return to Shela, love it!
7. Jannataan Hotel
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 14 reviews
Everyone needs a place to lay their weary head. For travelers visiting Lamu Island, Jannataan Hotel is an excellent choice for rest and rejuvenation. Well-known for its charming environment and proximity to great restaurants, Jannataan Hotel makes it easy to enjoy the best of Lamu Island. Guest rooms offer a kitchenette, and Jannataan Hotel makes getting online easy as free internet access is available. In addition, guests can enjoy a pool during their visit. If you’re looking for a cafe, consider a visit to Whispers Coffeeshop, which is not far from Jannataan Hotel. Should time allow, Lamu Old Town is a popular historic site that is relatively easy to get to. Jannataan Hotel is sure to make your visit to Lamu Island one worth remembering.
It has SO MUCH potential, but needs action! For now, good budget option for few days
Reviewed By ErikaFiuzaThe moment I walked in I started wondering every thing I would do if I managed this place to make it #1 in TripAdvisor. It doesn’t really need a whole lot of money as the building itself already has so much potential! First the good: - The terrace has a great 360 view over Shela. You can see the sea, the neighboring buildings, etc. It was by the best rooftop view we had while in town. - The verandas are lovely… Spacious, with plenty of places to sit/lay down and just relax! They also come and serve breakfast/meals in the verandas which is lovely. - The staff is GREAT! They make everything they can to help you and always with a big smile on their faces!!! - The pool is quite big and looks nice, although it wasn’t very clean when we were there (I’ll assume it is because it was low season and we were the only guests and showed up by surprise! There’s no excuse to not be clean the rest of the year!) - Breakfast was fulfilling and we had lunch there one day which was simples (grilled chicken, rice, fries) but tasty! - They have a fridge in each floor where we can keep our outside drinks, food, etc. - Location is great.. Shela is lovely and this place is just few steps way from Shela beach. Now, the improvement opportunities… small things that can make a huge difference: - Need to do some maintenance in the rooms… Ex: rusty metal around the windows, our window wouldn’t fully close because of that, fan was rusty (although it worked perfectly), etc. Also need to add window nets to prevent mosquitoes to come inside (the mosquito net on the bed was good though) - Desperately needs to do maintenance in the bathrooms… In our room the toilet seat was half missing, the water hole in the floor was totally opened, shower was rusty and had a hole in the wall. - Need to make sure the place where the linen/towels are kept does not smell like an old closet. During low season they can put the clean linen/towels in the sun every now and then (or re-wash) so they don’t get this smell. - Get rid of ugly furniture… Our room had beautiful Swahili furniture…. plus a modern ran down wardrobe that had nothing to do with the rest. Just get rid of these things that don’t add to the property and room will feel more spacious and well decorated. - Provide WHITE toilet paper… doesn’t need to be fancy, but the grey one is overly cheap like what you’d get in a busy and dirty train station. - Keep the pool clean AT ALL TIMES. It is such a big plus of this place, but when you go upstairs and look down and see the sand in the bottom is a big letdown... - There’re 3 types of rooms: double room, twin room and family room. Twin room and family room are fine, spacious, good ventilation and the bathroom is slightly better. Double room feels a bit small - I'd skip them (and if I managed the hotel change them to single room to gain space). It is worth paying a lit big extra for the big room or sleep in the twin one for the same price. With this changes, this would make this the best budget place in the island, by far! To make it Top 3 in Tripadvisor (considering value for money as I found the better hotels a bit overpriced - I truly believe it has potential), then it need some investment (but not too much) in renewing the bathrooms as they look quite ran down and adding some fine touches (e.g. better linen, redoing the beach chair covers, investing in a beautiful decoration in the ground floor, add more green to the garden, etc.)
8. Stopover Guest House
Overall Ratings
4 based on 50 reviews
Great location, comfortable and spotlessly clean
Reviewed By WarairdnthNote: there are two Stopover guest houses on Lamu Island - one in Lamu town and the other in Shela. This review is for the one in Shela. Stopover in Shela, is a lovely place to stay for a couple of nights. It's right next to the sea in a really quiet location. The rooms are spotlessly clean, furnished in Swahili style. The one slight negative is the scope of the food menu, especially for breakfast. Essentially it is limited to eggs cooked in different ways and toast. There is also fruit and tea/coffee. The cooking is pretty basic overall and lacks any of the delicious coastal Swahili flavours. I'm sure that if they overhauled the menu they would get more business because the rest of the place is lovely. If you want a hot shower, have one in the evening because in the morning the solar-heated water is cool. Finally, there are great balconies to sit and watch the sun go down or come up!
9. Shiban House
10. Mangrove House
