Giriama Residence Watamu Beaches Malindi Kenya

I did a late booking, few days before the my travel and therefore had few options as many places I contacted were fully booked.

When I found Giriama Residence had availability (someone had cancelled a booking) and I went for it...

Honestly I was not sure what to expect... there were few reviews about the place, it was cheap and they did not charge additional fee for my stay which is a common practice on the coast.

So I suspected something else was wrong!

I must say, everything was perfect since the moment I contacted Linda my email to arrange the booking.

Linda, the owner, is very friendly and dedicated to the customers to ensure that they feel welcome and enjoy their stay.

The other guests were also very friendly, so the overall atmosphere was very relaxed and quiet.

Other Beach Hotels and Vacation Rentals in Watamu Kenya

The rooms are large, nicely decorated, tiled with traditional stones which gave them nice character.

The shower had no hot water but really, who needs hot water in that heat? And the water was not very cold since the tank is in the sun on the roof.

There is a little and cosy sitting area outside each room when you can really enjoy the breeze.

There was also a larger and lovely sitting area upstairs where you can socialise with other guest or read your book quietly.

Also, additional rooms and apartments where in construction in the back of the house and can accommodate more people. Which can be convenient if you travel in a family or with a group of friends.

Breakfast is not included, but there is a kitchen where you can cook your own food. Or if you really don't want to bother, it can even be arranged for a little extra.

Water availability was a little bit of an issue (it is a general problem in Watamu), these are things that one faces when travelling in Africa, but what mattered was that Linda made every effort possible to bring water to our room whenever there was shortage.

And the problem is solved by now as a second (massive) water tank was about to be finished and the water truck was there filling the new tank when I left the residence.

The nearest beach is just a few minutes walk away from the residence and the area is really safe. Watamu village is very near and I walked most of the time or used tuk-tuk once in a while.

I was very happy that I chose Giriama Residence, I had a wonderful stay in this friendly and peaceful guest house. Many thanks Linda for her time and efforts.

Giriama is always busy with group bookings so book ahead of your journey, they also have a room with cooking facility, the staff are just great, there was a power cut for 30mins or so but all room were provided with oil lamp and candles for room light, the service and food is absolutely great at Giriama, the beach is just a walking distance and at the beach hotels it was buzzing reasonably with european tourists and at lunch time noticed jugs of cocktails and ice cream going round at the beach hotels,

it was a luxury to enjoy superb sea breeze at Giriama (should try Lamu too for sea breeze wow it was amazing), well next day was on my way to Mombasa to sweat in the hot sun, made my way to Gede Junction and A Matatu cost 250bob to Mombasa.