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Driftwood Beach Hotel,
Mombasa |
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The
Driftwood Beach Club is a friendly 3 star hotel on
the Kenyan coast, close to the town of Malindi. It
is easily reached by car and approximately 5km from
Malindi Airport. The Club is right on the beach and
overlooks the beautiful blue waters of the Indian
Ocean.
Driftwood is quite popular amongst the residents of
Malindi and even those further up country. The Club
is privately owned and only sleeps a maximum of 70
people, ensuring a high degree of personal service
and attention to detail. The place started out as a
house some 40 years ago. The owner, Dick Soames
regularly had visitors over and consequently decided
to turn it into a guesthouse. Business started to
boom and the guesthouse soon turned into the
successful resort it is today.
We had three accommodation options to choose from -
Sea or Garden View Bandas, Director’s Cottages and
self-catering Villas. All three are fitted out to
please, and we had a hard time picking our favourite.
We loved the fact that the rooms were all within a
few meters of the private beach with its white
sands.
The Club’s restaurant is known for its good food and
a great tradition is the Sunday lunch curry - really
hot but really good! And if you’re looking for
something different there are also a couple of great
Italian and Swahili restaurants to choose from in
town. The staff at reception will be happy to
suggest the best ones.
Deep sea fishing is a big attraction at Driftwood
and the Club has its own boat for avid fishermen.
They organise regular expeditions where you can
catch anything from a small acrobatic Sailfish to a
Tiger Shark. Other popular catches include the three
Kenyan Marlins (Black, Blue and Striped), Broadbill
Swordfish, Bull, Hammerhead, Silver Tip, Black Tip,
White Tip, Mako and many other types of shark,
Yellow Fin Tuna, Kingfish, Wahoo, Barracuda, Dorado,
and Black Runners.
And if that’s not enough, you can also do a bit of
fly-fishing. Who knows, you might even hook a
Sailfish or two - quite the prize catch in this
region.
The Club encourages a practice of Tag and Release
for Billfish. The tracking info is sent to the
African Billfish Foundation who keeps track of the
whereabouts and social behaviour of the fish. One of
the foundation’s specimens, a Striped Marlin first
tagged in Kenya was actually re-caught off the coast
of Australia!
You won’t be at a loss for game viewing as Driftwood
is conveniently close to the Malindi marine and
Tsavo East National Park. Watamu Marine National
Park is also an option as it is only 30 minutes’
travel by road. Driftwood has its own boutique
on-site, selling basic items, curios, t-shirts,
kikoys and sarongs. The bar is also quite cool,
offering what they call ‘Informality Hour’ on
Fridays from 7.30 to 9.30 pm - where all the drinks
prices are cut and guests and locals can enjoy a
mini barbeque.
The Malindi area offers tons of exciting activities
and sites to visit, ranging from the historical Gede
Ruins, Portuguese Chapel and Vasco Da Gama Pillar to
the crocodile and snake farm, horse riding, tennis
and Dhow sailing trips. You definitely won’t be
bored at this place!
We really liked what Driftwood Beach Club had to
offer. The rooms were great, the food was hearty and
delicious and the atmosphere relaxed and friendly.
We definitely recommend this one!
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| The
rooms |
Driftwood Beach Club offers
accommodation for 70 people, in a variety of thatched
bandas (cottages).
32 of these are double/twin or triple rooms in detached
units located around the picturesque property. These units
are very comfortable and unpretentious with large bedrooms
and en-suite bathrooms with showers. All the rooms are
air-conditioned and have mosquito nets to ensure a good
night’s rest.
Nine of the rooms have a sea view while the remainder look
out onto the property’s tropical gardens. All the bandas
are in close proximity to the beach and swimming pool.
There are also 2 suites and 3 villas on the property. The
suites, or Directors Cottages are named Lamu and Manda
after islands of the Lamu Archipelago. Each of these has 2
bedrooms and 2 en-suite bathrooms, a lounge and a small
bar area. These units are quite exclusive and have their
own pool and private walled garden. They also have
verandas overlooking the pool area.
The 3 villas named Pate, Kiwayu and Shella, are situated
across the road from the main areas and therefore quite
private. These units are self catering, giving you a great
chance to exercise your culinary skills. But don’t worry –
if you don’t feel like cooking, you’re more than welcome
to dine at Club. Each villa has 2 double bedrooms and 2
bathrooms, a kitchenette and lounge area (One of the units
has an extra single room). The villas also share a nice
big pool with small Jacuzzi area.
The rooms are clean and spacious, and fresh linen, towels
and soap are supplied daily.
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| The
facilities |
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Location: The Drift
Wood Beach Club is situated on the Silversands beach in
Malindi, approximately 120km from Mombasa and 5km from
Malindi Airport. The nearest town, Malindi is 3km from the
resort.
General facilities:
• 3 pools (2 private)
• 2 bars
• Squash court
• Private beaches
• Water sports centre
• Telephone facilities
• Boutique shop
• Safe deposit boxes for hire on a daily basis
• Baby cots on request
Room facilities:
Bandas:
• En-suite bathrooms with showers
• Air-conditioning
• Mosquito nets
Suites:
• En-suite bathrooms
• Air-conditioning
• Mosquito nets
• Lounge
• Small bar area
• Pool and private walled garden
• Veranda overlooking the pool area
Villas:
• 2 double bedrooms
• Air-conditioning
• Mosquito nets
• 2 bathrooms
• Kitchenette
• Lounge area
• One of the units has an extra single room
• Big pool with small jacuzzi area
Activities:
• Deep sea fishing
• Water Sports: surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing and scuba
diving, scuba diving, snorkelling and water skiing
• PADI diving school
• Crocodile/Snake Farm
• Falconry of Kenya
• Nine-hole golf course
• Horse riding
• Tennis
• Gede ruins
• Kipepeo Butterfly Farm
• Crocodile/Snake Farm
• Tennis
• Kipepeo Butterfly Farm
• The Arabuko-Sokoke Forest
• Dhow Trip
• Marafa Depression (Hell’s Kitchen): Malindi’s answer to
the Grand Canyon
• Bird watching on the Sabaki Delta or in the Arabuko-Sokoke
forest
• Day Trip to Mombasa: including visits to the akamba
woodcarvers, Hindu temple, Old Town & Port, Fort Jesus and
spice market. Lunch is served on the famous Tamarind Dhow
followed by a visit to the Bamburi Nature Trail
• Tana River Delta
• Lamu
• Tsavo National Park (famous for its huge herds of ‘red’
elephants)
Services:
• Laundry
Open: Driftwood Beach Club is open all year round.
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| Bookings |
Bookings
for Driftwood Hotel are done through this website:
Contact:
African Encounters |
Postnet
Suite 45
Private Bag x 12
Roosevelt Park
2129 |
Tel:
(011) 880 3079
Fax: (011) 447 6773
email: info@africanencounters.com |
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