Hemingways Watamu

You stay at Hemingways Watamu on Garoda Beach, inside the protected Watamu Marine National Park. The resort faces the Indian Ocean, with sixty rooms ranging from ocean-view doubles to four-bedroom penthouses. Each room has a balcony or terrace, and some include kitchens and living areas for longer stays.

The beach is white sand; the water is clear. You can snorkel or dive on the reef, paddleboard through Mida Creek, or take a dhow cruise at sunset. The resort also arranges deep-sea fishing trips and visits to the nearby Gede Ruins, a 14th-century Swahili settlement.

There are two restaurants: the Brasserie serves seafood and local dishes by the beach, and Gede Café offers lighter meals in a setting inspired by the ruins. The spa provides massages and treatments using local ingredients.

The resort is a forty-minute drive from Vipingo Ridge, where you can play golf on a course designed with water features and bird habitats. Watamu is known for humpback whales passing through the marine park between July and September.