Our take
Manda Bay is a relaxed, family-run beach lodge on the northern tip of Manda Island. Its open-air cottages, sailing and watersports make this a coastal stay shaped by the sea, rather than a conventional resort.
Remote from Lamu Town and Shela, Manda Bay has an easy, outdoors atmosphere. Palm-thatch cottages stand beside the seawall or among the gardens, with shared lounges, a bar and a swimming pool between beach outings. The lodge is owned and run by the Roberts and Dyer families. Open construction, local materials and informal hosting are central to its character; this is a place to arrive by boat, put shoes aside and settle into island life.
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A closer look at the accommodation, atmosphere and setting.
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01
Accommodation
There are 22 en-suite cottages: 11 Beachfront, five Palm and six Garden rooms. Beachfront rooms sit directly on the seawall, while Palm rooms are slightly further back on higher ground. Both categories have generous double or twin beds and space for children's extra beds. Garden rooms are smaller. Bedrooms have open, unglazed windows, mosquito nets and fans, with chairs and a swing bed on the veranda; there is no air conditioning.
02
Food & drink
Full-board dining follows a simple daily rhythm: buffet and cooked breakfast, lunch with fish, seafood, meat and vegetarian choices, then a three-course dinner. Evening meals are often outside when the weather allows. Dietary needs can be catered for with advance notice. The lodge does not offer a half-board arrangement.
03
What to do
Sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding and windsurfing sit alongside waterskiing, kneeboarding and tubing, with instruction and lifejackets available. Boat outings can include snorkelling, fishing or a picnic aboard the lodge's dhow. Lamu visits offer a change of scene, while nature drives on Manda explore woodland wildlife and the island's ruins. There are also beach games, a gym and spa treatments. Water activities follow the wind, tide and daily sea conditions.
Planning your stay
Room 7 has an attached children's room and bathroom for up to three children. Room 11 is particularly spacious and takes three extra beds. Several other Beachfront and Palm rooms accommodate one or two children's extra beds.
The combination of open-air cottages and a broad watersports programme gives Manda Bay a distinctly active island character. Beachfront rooms bring you closest to the water; the pool offers an alternative when the sea is less inviting.
Access is normally by a flight to Lamu followed by a boat transfer, or a private flight to Manda Bay's airstrip. Stronger south-easterly winds around May to October can affect snorkelling, boat outings and operating arrangements.
Compare the alternatives
Explore the accommodation and setting of each property before choosing your combination.
Lamu
Peponi is a family-run hotel on the waterfront at Shela, where Lamu's village life meets a long sandy beach. Individually styled rooms, seafood dining and a sociable terrace give it a character quite different from a secluded resort.
Explore the property
Lamu
The Cabanas is a small, solar-powered retreat on Kizingoni Beach, on Lamu's quieter south-western coast. Seven individually crafted cabanas, shared dining and easy access to sailing and wellness create a relaxed alternative to a conventional beach hotel.
Explore the property
Lamu
The Majlis is a beachfront hotel on Manda Island, facing Shela across the water in the Lamu Archipelago. Thirty-nine rooms and suites, varied dining and boat-based excursions offer a coastal stay that combines beach time with the area’s cultural life.
Explore the propertyMake it part of a journey
Allow enough time to enjoy both the water and unhurried lodge days after safari. Choose the room category around privacy, sea frontage and sleeping arrangements. For a trip centred on snorkelling or sailing, dates matter alongside the choice of property.
These journeys are starting points. We adapt the route, accommodation and length of stay around your plans.
Explore Lamu or read our Kenya seasonal guide.
Your questions
There are 22 en-suite cottages: 11 Beachfront, five Palm and six Garden rooms. Beachfront rooms sit directly on the seawall, while Palm rooms are slightly further back on higher ground. Both categories have generous double or twin beds and space for children's extra beds. Garden rooms are smaller. Bedrooms have open, unglazed windows, mosquito nets and fans, with chairs and a swing bed on the veranda; there is no air conditioning.
Sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding and windsurfing sit alongside waterskiing, kneeboarding and tubing, with instruction and lifejackets available. Boat outings can include snorkelling, fishing or a picnic aboard the lodge's dhow. Lamu visits offer a change of scene, while nature drives on Manda explore woodland wildlife and the island's ruins. There are also beach games, a gym and spa treatments. Water activities follow the wind, tide and daily sea conditions.
Room 7 has an attached children's room and bathroom for up to three children. Room 11 is particularly spacious and takes three extra beds. Several other Beachfront and Palm rooms accommodate one or two children's extra beds.
Allow enough time to enjoy both the water and unhurried lodge days after safari. Choose the room category around privacy, sea frontage and sleeping arrangements. For a trip centred on snorkelling or sailing, dates matter alongside the choice of property.
Tailor-made Kenya
We will explain how it compares with the alternatives and whether it fits your preferred dates, route and pace.
Start planning