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Aerial view of The Cabanas Lamu at golden hour — pool, palm-shaded beach and dhows on Kizingoni Beach, Lamu Island
Karibu — Welcome
02° 19′ 55.5″ S · 40° 48′ 57.4″ E

Kizingoni Beach · Lamu Island · Kenya

The Cabanas Lamu

A soulful retreat on Lamu Island, where palms, dhows, ocean air and slow luxury shape the day.

7 Cabanas Beachfront Full Board · Dhow Sails · Watersports & Wellness
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As featured in

  • Condé Nast Traveller
  • Country Life
  • The Mail on Sunday
  • Dossier
  • The Independent
  • The Daily Mail
  • The Scotsman
  • Secret Trips
  • Cabana
  • Yolo Journal
  • Konfekt
  • Cultural Union
  • Rough Guides

001 · The Origin

Born from the belly of a love story.

Born and raised on opposite sides of the globe, each surrounded by a contrast of culture & creed. Shawn, a professional kitesurfer in the waters of Hawaii and Anna, a neuroscientist turned filmmaker in the wilds of East Africa.

To put an end to the commute between Kenya and Maui, they flipped all prior life plans and blindly followed their hearts in creating The Cabanas.

Here, they share their passion for authentic hospitality, barefoot luxury, with a sprinkle of creature comforts.

— do all things with love

Read our story

002 · The Place

Not just another island retreat — your island home.

Nestled amidst the swaying palms of Kizingoni Beach, The Cabanas Lamu is more than a beach resort. It is a love letter to a stretch of sand our family has tended for three decades, and an honouring of the people who shaped it.

Here you will find refined off-grid living. Cool trade winds filter through the palms and indigenous woodland; the ocean waits patiently at your door. Breathing slows, shoulders drop, and you fall into that peaceful, easy feeling.

This is a place to slow down, to reflect, to connect with what is important, and then, gently, to forget what time it is.

“Your blood pressure drops straight to zero stepping onto the beach at Kizingoni.”

— a guest, Tripadvisor
Sunset behind tall palms over the swimming pool at The Cabanas Lamu
pole pole — slowly, slowly

003 · The Rooms

Sleep under palm.

Barefoot luxury, with the ocean at your door. Each cabana is private, breezy, and beautifully considered, tucked among palms, birdsong, and salt air, with the sea just beyond.

Inside, the rooms are layered and full of character: carved Lamu doors, white linen, netted beds, hand-plastered walls, natural textures, collected pieces, and soft details that make the space feel both elegant and deeply relaxed. Nothing feels over-designed. Nothing feels generic. The architecture and interiors simply make space for the island to come in.

Many of the collected pieces — the brass, the textiles, the quiet ceramics — come from our sister design house, Blue Rhino Africa, scattered softly through each cabana.

no key cards. no televisions. no rush.

See the Cabanas
White macramé hammock strung between palms over the swimming pool, dhow on the ocean beyond
deep sleep, palm-woven roofs, ocean lullaby

004 · A Day

A day here has no fixed shape.

It moves with the sun, the tide and your appetite.

Morning

Birdsong & still water.

Dawn swim,ski or SUP, Espresso under the palms or tea in your cabana. Yoga in the studio. Nourish Bowl. Cultural tour.

Midday

Long lunch, longer pause.

Swim, drift, read, wander, nap, order something cold, follow the shade, find the hammock. Rest & digest.

Afternoon

Beach walk, ocean float.

Snooze on a swing bed, long walk, ocean float. Next chapter. Natter in the pods. Learn to Wakeboard.

Evening

Sailing & stars.

Sunset dhow sail, cocktail in the pool, dinner barefoot. Shooting stars, fire pit stories, magical swim in phosphorescence. 

005 · Six Ways

Choose your version of Lamu.

Same beach. Same rhythm. Different reasons for being here.

Aerial view of Kizingoni Beach with footprints in soft sand beside the Indian Ocean
01

The Slow Stay

For two. For reading. For the kind of week where nothing happens... beautifully.

 Arched colonnade beside the swimming pool at The Cabanas Lamu, framed by palms and indigenous coastal trees
02

The Family Week

Cousins, grandparents, sandcastles, dhow picnics, the captains table at dinner.

 Firepit glowing beside the lit pool and arched colonnade at The Cabanas Lamu, full moon above the makuti rooftops
03

The Safari Comedown

After the Mara dust, soft sheets, bare feet, an ocean and absolutely nothing to chase.

 Aerial view of the lit central pool and arched colonnade at The Cabanas Lamu after dusk
04

The Exclusive Takeover

The whole place. Your people. Your wedding, your reset, your private island week.

 Aerial view of a thatched beachfront cabana at The Cabanas Lamu, set among coastal trees on Kizingoni Beach
05

The Health Retreat

A private reset. Quiet bodywork, ocean swims, healthy food. Recovery you feel for weeks.

 A plated Swahili-coastal lunch at The Cabanas Lamu — sesame-glazed fish, mango chunks, white rice and herb puree on a deep blue plate
06

The Wellness Week

A 7 day Cabana ritual. Small group, expertly hosted; yoga, breath, sea, sound, nourishment. 

006 · Kitchen

Food tastes different when you arrive barefoot.

There is no buffet. No clipboard. No fixed dinner hour. Dining at The Cabanas is personal, relaxed, and beautifully unfixed. Meals follow the rhythm of the island, fresh fish when the sea has been kind, local produce, homemade bread, coconut, lime, spice, and the coastal flavours nostalgic to Lamu.

Eat at the pods, barefoot on the sand, the Captain’s Table, or somewhere quiet with the sea close by. Generous, unhurried, and shaped around your daily flow.

Nourishment nooks
The long wooden dining table at The Cabanas Lamu, set beneath glowing raffia pendant lamps under makuti thatch
wellness bowls, smokey fish, tropical desserts, happy belly

007 · Wellness

Let your nervous system exhale.

It is saltwater, slow breath, sun on your back, palms above your head. It is sleeping deeply, swimming before breakfast, moving because you want to, and putting your phone down with ease.

Yoga, massage, quiet bodywork, ocean sail, nourishing meals, and long unhurried days by the sea, all held by a place that seems to soften the edges.

We also host private retreats, our location offers something rare: space, privacy, beauty, and the natural stillness of Lamu.

See wellness
Yoga in the studio at The Cabanas Lamu — cobra pose in white linen, palms beyond the open Lamu doors
Move, breathe, begin again.

008 · Lamu Island

The island is not the backdrop. It is the experience.

A UNESCO old town. Donkey-only streets. Ancient doors. Dhow-builders. Coral mosques. The Indian Ocean breathing in and out for a thousand years.

Explore Lamu

009 · How to Arrive

A short flight, a quick boat, a long exhale.

Fly to Manda Airport from Nairobi or Mombasa. We meet you at the jetty. The island does the rest.

SHELA MANDA AIRPORT LAMU TOWN THE CABANAS

010 · Sustainability

Responsible luxury island style.

Behind the palms, the linen, the dhow sails, and the long lunches is a quiet network of systems that make The Cabanas possible: solar power, carefully managed water, local materials, coastal craft, thoughtful waste choices, and a team rooted in a passion for mother nature.

Our water comes naturally filtered through the sand. Our power comes from the sun. Our buildings are shaped with local knowledge wherever possible. Our hospitality is carried by people who know this island not as a backdrop, but as home.

Sustainability here is not a marketing pillar. It is daily practice, practical, imperfect, ongoing, and deeply important to us.

The arched colonnade and palm-shaded swimming pool at The Cabanas Lamu, hand-built in coral stone and lime plaster
Built with nature, not against it

Local hands

Local fundis, craftsmen, boat builders, gardeners and a team rooted in island life, building, restoring, hosting and caring for the space every day.

Solar

100% solar-powered, quiet eco friendly infrastructure working behind the scenes to keep the hotel running gently and respectfully, day and night.

Sand-filtered water

Water naturally filtered through the dunes. Used responsibly, rest the wells, reuse greywater in the gardens, respect natures balance.

Hand Made

Local materials where possible, coastal craft, natural shade, open air, repair before replacement, and buildings designed to sit quietly in the landscape.

011 · The Story

A place built from love, not market research.

The Cabanas began with a couples dream, to build a small, soulful place where friends and strangers could feel the Lamu we grew up in. Slow. Kind. Salt-bleached and sun-warmed.

We did not sketch it on a deck in Dubai. We sketched it on the sand, with the people who would build it, in the language they speak.

Karibu. Welcome. We are very glad you are here.

Read our story
Sandy garden path winding between weathered palm trunks at The Cabanas Lamu, dappled by leaf shadow
Quiet coffee decks under trees, watch the world sail by.

012 · Journal

Notes from the island.

All entries
The lit pool and firepit at The Cabanas Lamu under a full moon
Field notes · 4 min

The dhow-builders of Matondoni.

An hour with Bakari, who has been carving keels by hand since he was nine.

The coral stone colonnade and lime-plaster archways at The Cabanas Lamu
Building · 6 min

Coral stone, lime plaster, makuti.

How Lamu has built its houses for a thousand years — and why we still do.

Yoga in white linen — cobra pose by an open Lamu door at the studio
Practice · 5 min

Why mornings here heal .

A short note on tide, breath, and the particular way Lamu light enters the body.

013 · Practical Magic

A few useful things.

How do we get there?

Most guests arrive by plane into Manda Airport on the mainland. 

Flights to Lamu. Jambo Jet, morning flight from Jomo Kenyatta Airport.

Safarilink, afternoon flight from Wilson Airport.

Skywards Express, also flies from Nairobi Wilson and Mombasa Airport.

From Manda Airport our boat and captain will pick you up. Beautiful boat journey through mangroves, 25 minutes to barefoot at The Cabanas. See you there!

Is it good for families?

Yes we have a number of family Cabanas to choose from. No roads, no crowds, feeling of safety, child friendly pool, the pods and the calm waters of Kizingoni beach were made for multi-generational stays. We can arrange family dhow picnics, cousins' sandcastle afternoons, wakeboard lessons and fireside story telling.

Can we take the whole place?

Yes. Exclusive-use bookings of all seven cabanas are available for weddings, milestone birthdays, family weeks and corporate retreats. We design these privately, please ask.

For Wellness hosts we are experts at health retreats. We've got you covered from itineraries to nourishing meal plans.

What's the food situation?

The Cabanas is full-board, and food is a big part of the stay. Each day includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, generous two-course meals, with afternoon tea and homemade cookies in the slow stretch between lunch and evening. We are not a fine-dining restaurant, and we do not try to be. Our food is more personal than that: fresh, coastal, abundant, colourful and cooked with real care. Think local produce, seafood off the boats, warm breads, good salads, Swahili flavours, tropical desserts, cold drinks, and meals that feel relaxed but beautifully done. There is no buffet and no stiff hotel format. Meals are hosted around the rhythm of your day, at the pods, by the pool, or around the Captain’s Table, wherever the mood and weather feel right.

We can accommodate most dietary requirements with advance notice. For serious allergies, please tell us before booking so we can discuss what is safely possible in our island kitchen. Because we are remote and cook in a shared environment, we are not able to accept guests with life-threatening allergies.

Is there Wi-Fi?

Yes — and it is quietly fast. The Cabanas has strong Wi-Fi across the property, including the cabanas, main areas and shared spaces. We hope you come here to slow down, swim, read, sail and forget your phone for a while — but we also know that good Wi-Fi is what makes longer trips possible. So whether you need to check in with work, take a call, send photos home or quietly disappear into island life with the comfort of being connected, you can.

When is the best time to come?

Lamu weather is guided by the two trade winds.

Kaskazi season - December to April- warm, blue, calm mornings and breezy afternoons.

Kuzi season - June to August - strong wind, waves, lively ocean. Gloriously energised. Quieter beach.

May - still air, long rains.

November - still air, short rains.

We enjoy Lamu all year round. Every season brings a different kind of magic.

015 · Sister, in the Highlands

Our safari sister,
at the foothills of Mt Kenya.

When the salt of Lamu calls for cooler air, our sister property Mukima Manor waits in the highlands — a century-old stone house, perfectly restored, set within a 300-acre private nature sanctuary in the foothills of Mt Kenya.

150 acres of rewilded forest for walks among Bushbuck and 200 species of bird.  A private lake mirroring the snow-dusted peaks. Horses, a cedar-wood sauna, wood fired hot tub, private chefs, and 100% off-grid and powered by the sun. A love letter to nature.

The century-old stone-and-timber manor house at Mukima Manor, willows in the foreground at the foot of Mt Kenya
Mt Kenya peak rising above the foothills, mirrored in the private lake at Mukima Manor
The arched-window conservatory dining room at Mukima Manor, table set with garden roses
Aerial view of the circular swimming pool tucked into the indigenous forest at Mukima Manor
Visit Mukima Manor

016 · Get in Touch

Begin your island stay.

Reach the right pair of hands directly  and we will reply personally, often the same day.

For Wellness Inquiries

Retreats & bodywork

Private health retreats, hosted wellness weeks, and quiet bookings for practitioners.

wellness@thecabanaslamu.com

karibu sana — we look forward to meeting you.