The Majlis hotel is a privately owned luxury beach hotel on Manda Island in the Lamu archipelago, off Kenya's Northern Coast.
With a superb beachfront location and breathtaking views over the bay and Lamu Island, it offers the perfect setting and the ideal accommodation for barefoot luxury and informal pampering on your trip to Kenya.
The boutique hotel offers 25 exquisite deluxe rooms and suites divided into three beachfront villas.
The rooms, all presented in timelessly elegant Lamu Island style, are very spacious, well appointed, and fully air-conditioned.
The Majlis restaurant will not fail to impress with a panoramic view of the bay and the finest cuisine.
Additional state-of-the-art facilities include two bars, two swimming pools, and an activity center that co-ordinates a wide variety of water sport activities.
HISTORY
It is hard to believe looking at it today, but The Majlis, a private African home-away-from-home, was never meant to be a resort.
Initially, it was built as a family retreat from the pressures of the world - a place to spend some quality time with friends.
The story begins in 2000, when an Italian gentleman named "Nanni" and his wife Elena were on a global quest to find the perfect place to escape from the cold European winters.
Having travelled extensively, they realized that Africa held a special place in their hearts.
They had journeyed its length and breadth exploring its remote wildernesses and finding delight in the diversity of its people.
For many years, they had owned a textile factory in Ethiopia, and in the twilight years of their lives, they wondered if Kenya might offer the haven they always sought.
Landing in Lamu, they watched the white-sailed dhows glide up the blue water of the Manda Channel; the patient trains of donkeys ferrying sand in baskets on their backs; the black-cloaked figures of the Swahili women; and the jade green domes of the island’s numerous mosques.
They realized that on this remote and beautiful island, time almost stood still.
They had found the "home" they were looking for.
Built from local bleached-white coral blocks and delicately styled to reflect a fusion of Italian style and Swahili culture, the villa rose elegantly above the silver sands.
Inside, Nanni and his interior designer Armando Tanzini filled the rooms with delicate Swahili niches, intricate fretwork, luscious rugs, hand-made furniture, and an eclectic collection of art, sculpture and carvings.
In 2005, the villa was finally complete.
A fabulous party was thrown to celebrate and everyone marveled over the purity and style of the cream-hued coral palace that stood on the sands of the Lamu archipelago.
Two years later, two more villas were built for family friends, and then at the last minute, almost by chance, the family decided to combine the two villas and the main family villa to create a "boutique hotel" on Lamu island, thus providing an entirely new and unique accommodation option.
The family decided to add an open-air restaurant with a rooftop bar equidistant between the various villas.
The rooftop was constructed in a traditional Swahili style fanned by the cool breezes that wafted through its open sides and shaded by a soaring Makuti (palm thatch) roof.
Visible from miles around, rising starkly elegant above the surrounding weave of grey-green mangrove swamps and bone-white sands, the roof features over one million palm leaf "tiles" clothing a central structure of locally sourced mangrove.
Debating what to call the emerging resort, Nanni remembered how a friend had remarked on the fact that the main villa had one reception room inside the house for the family and another eclectic Indian-styled pavilion on the beach for receiving honored guests.
"It's called a Majlis", said the friend, - "The Arabic word refers to a beautiful place reserved especially for entertaining honored guests in the Muslim community".
"Perfect", said Nanni, - "Since Lamu used to be a Protectorate of Oman, we must honor the local community. We shall call it The Majlis".
Officially opened in October 2009, The Majlis welcomed its first guests that Christmas.
Designed to offer an African "home-away-from-home" for all who visit, The Majlis was built with love and finished in beauty.
Not intended as a hotel, it still isn't one, it's simply a very special place in which the honored guests can feel at home.
The Majlis Hotel located on the Lamu Island offers elegant and luxurious accommodation, in understated design complementing the natural beauty of Lamu and its tropical location.
The beach hotel facing Lamu Island comprises 25 superbly appointed Superior and Deluxe rooms, Junior and Royal suites divided into 3 villas.
Each villa opens onto the white sand beach and boasts of a private veranda with panoramic sea views.
Each villa was constructed making use of the archipelago's natural resources, combining white coral blocks with hand-carved timber.
Particular attention was paid to integrating the villas among the indigenous trees and plants, to enhance and to preserve the beauty of the local surroundings.
The rooms are spacious with traditionally high beamed ceilings, large windows and terraces offering spectacular views of the beach, garden, swimming pools and the Indian Ocean.
Tastefully designed and decorated with tailored fittings, all rooms evoke the East African heritage with doors and furniture hand-carved according to the local Lamu tradition.
Suites boast of a large bedroom area with a king-size bed draped with highest-quality linen bedding and roll-down netting, a generous en-suite bathroom, a private veranda, electric fans, and a safe.
Wireless internet access is available in each room, which is also fitted with air conditioning to guarantee a peaceful night.
The en-suite bathrooms feature a hot and cold-water shower and a classic "baraza" seating area covered in cushions.
The Majlis bar and lounge areas are an ideal place to meet with friends in Lamu for a cocktail or to relax during the day enjoying light snacks.
Guests are invited to enjoy the evening drinks at sunset or admire the stars after dinner.
A wide selection of alcoholic beverages is available at the Majlis including fruit juices, cocktails, beers, wines, champagnes and spirits.
There are two bar areas within the hotel.
The pool bar is situated inside the Majlis building and the terrace bar on the first floor of the restaurant, both offering panoramic views from Manda Island of the Ras Kitau bay.
The pool bar is open from 9.00h to 17.00h, while the terrace bar from 17.30h to midnight.
09.00h - 17.00h
17.30h - 00.00h
wide selection of alcoholic beverages
The Majlis Restaurant is a focal point of the hotel due to its unique architecture and excellent cuisine featuring International, Italian (seafood, pasta, wooden pizza oven and home-made ice-cream), and Swahili dishes.
The restaurant is open for in-house guests as well as external guests.
The Restaurant roof reaches 14 meters high and is built in the local tradition of casuarinas and mangrove poles, covered in very long palm leaves ("makuti" in Swahili).
The Restaurant combines an open-plan veranda on the ground floor and terrace/bar on the first floor offering panoramic views over the Ras Kitau bay.
The Majlis Restaurant offers the finest dining in the Lamu archipelago featuring the best in local produce and fresh seasonal ingredients.
The hotel's team regularly purchases seafood in the morning from local fisherman returning from the sea on their way to market.
The Restaurant's cuisine tastefully combines international dishes with the best local produce.
In-house guests can choose from the a-la-carte menu, which includes fresh fruits, home-baked breads and pastries, cereals, eggs as well as a full English breakfast.
The Restaurant is open at lunch and dinner offering a-la-carte menu with a selection of cold & warm starters, soups, pastas & risotto, fish, meat, vegetarian and desserts.
The offering includes vegetarian, daily-catch seafood, wood-fired pizzas, and a range of international dishes.
The hotel's team also offers romantic candle-lit dining "al fresco" under the stars.
Japanese, Swahili, Italian, International
For the active guests, jogging can be done on the beach seafront or on the back of the hotel where there are several tracks.
The hotel's team offers a range of massages which include basic massage, energetic massage and facial treatments. The treatments range from 30 minutes to 50 minutes depending on the massage chosen.
The natural surroundings of Lamu islands are spectacular and offer a variety of activities to suit all tastes and to keep active all day long.
Lamu's rich history as a former sultanate marrying Arabic and African cultures can be admired though excursions and Boat Excursions trips during safari and beach holidays in Kenya.
The Majlis is one of the best hotels Lamu Kenya and offers a series full day and half day experiences which focus on wellness, Swahili culture, sports, arts & crafts as well as environmentally conscious excursions.
The Lamu archipelago has the most spectacular and beautiful sand beaches that can be a perfect option for spending safari beach holidays in Kenya.
The main activities to enjoy during Kenya safari beach holidays are deep sea fishing, day trips by dhow or by speed boad, kayaking, kitesurfing, paddle surfing, waterskiing, and windsurfing, in addition to Dhow Trips and full moon Dhow Cruises.
If you wish to enjoy snorkeling in Kenya, Lamu Kenya is the perfect destination for you.
The Lamu archipelago, a World Heritage Site, is a biodiversity hotspot with a rich coral reef and mangrove ecosystem.
The guest relations staff and sports coordinator will be happy to provide more details and to organize tailor-made and Kenya holidays all inclusive as per your preferences.
The Majlis is ideally located to offer you the best of Kenya's beach & bush without having to commute too far during your holidays.
Lamu Island is the island facing the Majlis hotel. Depending on weather, the trip around Lamu Island can be arranged clock wise from the open sea or by following the channel between the mainland and Lamu Island.
The Majlis provides an ideal venue also for meetings and special events. The hotel's team can hosts conferences, conventions, seminars, exhibitions, receptions, banquets and retreats.
Lamu is an Indian Ocean destination with an important history and culture. Lamu Old Town was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO's World Heritage Centre in December 2001.
Reef and river-creek fishing in the mangrove channels can be done with traditional hand lines. The boat captain will bring you to the best spots in the area. This is a half day activity.
The Majlis kite school is located on Shela beach, one of the best spots in Kenya and considered among the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world.
The Majlis has several mountain bikes which can be used all day long by the guests. From the back of the hotel, there is a dirt road that leads to the coral quarry of Timboni (6-7 kms) and also to the Takwa ruins (10-12 kms).
Scenic flights are highly recommended as small planes can fly over beautiful stretches of undisturbed beaches, thick mangrove forests, remote islands, or the bush where wildlife can be spotted.
For guests who wi sh for some adventure, the hotel's team recommends to swim from the hotel across the channel to the beach of Shela village on Lamu Island.
The calm waters off the Ras Kitau bay and the Takwa mangrove creek behind the hotel are ideal for water-skiing, wake-boarding and doughnut rides. The Majlis has two speed boats specifically dedicated for these activities.
THE MAJLIS HOTEL
Ras Kitau BayManda IslandPO Box 502Lamu, 80500Kenya