Five-star Diani Beach, Diani Beach
Swahili Beach
Rooms in Swahili and Arab style, carved plaster on the walls, and a pool that drops in seven tiers from the lobby to the edge of Diani Beach.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Rating
- Five stars, Tourism Regulatory Authority
- Rooms
- 140 rooms and suites
- Opened
- December 2011
- From the airport
- About 10 minutes from Ukunda airstrip
The hotel
Plaster, arches and seven pools.
Swahili Beach opened in time for Christmas 2011, designed by Tibor Gaal and Associates, the Kenyan practice behind many of the coast's beach hotels. It opened with 140 rooms and suites and four restaurants. The look comes from the old Swahili towns of the coast, with carved plasterwork in the rooms. Some penthouses have roof terraces that cannot be seen from below.
The site slopes towards the sea, and the main pool follows it down in seven tiers from reception to the sand. A renovation in 2019 resurfaced the pools, added an infinity pool and three sea-view penthouses, and opened a Beach Club kept for guests over eighteen. The beach in front is one of the narrower stretches of Diani, and the tide covers it.
- The seven-tier pool A run of pools stepping down the slope from the lobby to the beach, crossed by a footbridge.
- The Beach Club A club on the sand for adults only, included every day with the Club Rooms.
- The spa Six treatment rooms, steam rooms, a jacuzzi, a gym and a juice bar.
Rooms & suites
Big bathrooms and Swahili plaster.
Sizes as published by the resort. Bathrooms are large, with double basins and a sunken bath in many rooms.
- Room Superior Room 66 square metres, with built-in baraza day beds, a bath and a separate shower, and a balcony or terrace. Room for two children.
- Room Club Room 66 square metres, a Superior Room with a concierge from 7 am to 9 pm and daily use of the Beach Club.
- Suite Executive Suite 134 square metres, with a lounge, dining area, kitchenette, walk-in wardrobe and balcony.
- Penthouse Penthouse 125 square metres for two, with a separate lounge, a kitchenette and a balcony.
Dining
Swahili, Indian and the catch of the day.
Restaurants as described by the resort and by Expert Africa. Shown for information.
- Majlis Buffet The main dining room, breakfast and dinner
- The Spice Route Indian and Swahili À la carte
- Beach restaurant Seafood On the sand
- Beach restaurant Italian and pizza On the sand
- Kahawa Coffee lounge Coffee and light bites
Good to know
Before you go.
- Children Welcome. Swahili Juniors runs for children under twelve. Balconies are not suited to children under six, and the children's pool sits beside the main pool without a barrier.
- The beach This stretch of Diani is narrow, and the sea covers the sand at high tide.
- Getting around Rooms can be a long walk from reception, across a footbridge over the pools.
Getting there
Flying to Diani Beach.
Ukunda airstrip, about five kilometres away, takes scheduled flights from Nairobi in daylight and is roughly ten minutes by car. Private jets from abroad clear customs at Moi International in Mombasa, about two hours by road with the Likoni ferry.
- Zanzibar 40 min
- Nairobi 55 min
- Seychelles 2 h 40
- Dubai 5 h 10
- London 9 h 50 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How far is Swahili Beach from the airport?
- About ten minutes by car from Ukunda airstrip, five kilometres away. From Moi International in Mombasa allow about two hours, depending on traffic and the Likoni ferry.
- Is the Beach Club at Swahili Beach for adults only?
- Yes. The Beach Club is for guests over eighteen. Club Room guests have daily access included.
- Is Swahili Beach good for families?
- Families are welcome. Swahili Juniors looks after children under twelve, and the Superior and Executive rooms take two children and a small child.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Diani?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Diani, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Diani Beach
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Diani Reef Beach Resort & Spa One hundred and forty-three rooms and suites on a thirty-acre plot, raised to five stars by the Tourism Regulatory Authority in 2019.
- Leopard Beach Resort & Spa One of the first two resorts south of Mombasa rated five-star by the Tourism Regulatory Authority, in 2016.
- Diamonds Leisure Beach & Golf Resort Rated four-star by the Tourism Regulatory Authority, with its own golf course.
Staying at Swahili Beach?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Diani Beach, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.