This luxurious lodge is to be found on a wonderfully secluded peninsular on the north-western tip of Manda Island, an easy 30 minute boat ride from historic Lamu town. Here nestled amongst the myriad gently swaying palm trees lining a gently sloping beach are found 16 of the most gorgeously rustic barefoot luxury bandas imaginable.

The lodge was originally built here over 35 years ago as the Blue Safari Club, which virtually invented the barefoot luxury beach lodge concept. A couple of years ago the lodge was bought by Caragh and Andy Roberts, 2 real characters who host their guests in absolutely charming fashion. They’ve optimised the lodge’s great position by upgrading it superbly, with enlarged bedrooms and a spectacular new bar and sitting room area right on the seawall amongst the highlights.

There are 16 bandas in all – 11 of them are set right on the seafront with the other 5 rooms set in-between and slightly behind on higher ground both for privacy and to specially site them to catch the prevailing cooling winds of the sea. All rooms are furnished in vibrant Kenyan fabrics, specially designed to compliment the setting. For extra comfort each of the bandas have large ceiling fans, whilst the spacious en-suite bathrooms have new twin basins and vast showers.

A perfect spot to relax is your veranda – chill out in the comfortable chairs or lounge on the suspended Lamu day bed with a good book and an ice-cold Tusker and soak up the ocean views (in the front rooms these verandas extend tight down to the sea wall itself, so you can almost pretend that you’re on your own ocean liner!

If there were a prize for the beach lodge with the most spectacularly beautiful position, then Manda Bay would definitely be one of the prime contendersA great place to relax with something ice-cold and refreshing is the newly built bar and lounge complex, a huge new building positioned smack on the sea wall – you can enjoy lazing in either of the two sitting room areas, each with large comfortable Lamu style sofas and lots of colourful cushions. Alternatively swap fishing stories with fellow guests at the long bar situated between the 2 areas. At high tide the sea literally laps against the sea wall, which all makes for an unforgettable place to enjoy a cocktail. Right next door is a gorgeous new pool, perfect for escaping the heat during low tide.

Take a sundowner dhow cruise or enjoy a bush walk through the 200 acres of natural woodland situated behind the lodge, where you’re likely to see bush buck and small dik dik antelope and a wealth of bird life (buffalo are also frequent visitors to the lodge airstrip!) - drinks served on the crest of a sand dune above the tree canopy at sundown or a bush dinner set under the spreading branches of an acacia tree are experiences not to be missed! Meals at Manda Bay are a wonderfully informal affair either in the dining area or on the beach outside under the stars where casual kikoi’s make for perfect evening dress and you can delight in the feel of the sand between your toes.

Manda Bay is a secluded beach paradise for romantics or families alike. All the elements are in place to satisfy those looking for the perfect romantic retreat – memorable candle-lit dining on the beach under the stars, pampering massages, luxuriously flowing mosquito nets over huge double beds, and sunset dhow cruises on the lodge’s own beautiful 60 foot dhow, the Utamaduni, to name just a few.

But there’s also plenty to keep the whole family happy. The games room overlooking the sea with its pool table, darts board and table tennis will occupy the kids for hours. Manda Bay is also an absolute paradise for water-sports lovers with the sheltered mangrove creek and bay being the perfect playground for waterskiing (there’s also kneeboards, a 6-place Banana, and wakeboards), wind-surfing and sailing, whilst there’s excellent snorkelling on some shallow reefs a short 20 minute boat ride from the lodge (Manda Bay is not the place to come though if you’re into scuba-diving as the dive sites are a long way from the resort and hence it’s a very expensive exercise) Finally there’s some of the best deep-sea fishing in East Africa on offer with marlin and sailfish in abundance.

Position, position, position - perhaps the finest location of any beach lodge in East Africa

Wonderfully spacious and airy bandas make for an extremely comfortable stay

Very romantic but also a great place for watersports enthusiasts, including water skiing and sailing

Manda Bay lies in the heart of some of the finest deep sea fishing waters on the planet

If you're a scuba diving enthusiast this is not the place to stay as the reefs are a fair distance away