You eat at Ali Barbour's in a coral cave ten meters below ground, its ceiling open to the sky. The cave is part of a network thought to be hundreds of thousands of years old, formed by shifts in sea level. The restaurant occupies several chambers, with the main dining area under the open roof — candles light the tables at night, and you look up at the stars between courses.

The kitchen specializes in seafood: lobster bisque, whisky-flambéed prawns, and crab in garlic-ginger sauce. There are also options like duck breast with passion fruit reduction or peppercorn-crusted beef fillet. The bar mixes cocktails under threaded palm leaves, and dessert might be crêpes flambéed at your table.

The cave sits two hundred meters from the high-water mark on Diani Beach. Its natural skylights are uncovered in good weather, sliding shut when it rains. The stone walls and floor are as they were found; only the kitchen and lavatories were modified for use. You reach it by a short transfer from Diani hotels, often arranged by your lodge.