Bathed by the waters of the Indian Ocean, under the sun of Africa and in full nature, you will find only 5 Nyumbas (houses) The Red Pepper House, a place where you can live a unique experience. A journey back in time, surrounded by the luxury and adventure of a millenary culture and colonial times.
Declared a World Heritage Site, Lamu is a rare jewel of hundreds of years perfectly preserved by its isolation. Located within an archipelago on the coast of Kenya. Lamu is place where the ancient Swahili culture is best preserved and where the history, charm and fascinating natural scenery of this land of adventure coexist.
Just a stone´s throw from Lamu Town, The Red Pepper House opens up its doors to showcase the very best of Swahili culture. Its architecture is considered to be among the most beautiful in Africa and every one of its five Nyumbas (houses) enjoys a sea view. Perfectly integrated into its surroundings, The Red Pepper House is covered by a gigantic makuti thatched roof, which rises and falls, creating natural forms.
The finest artists and fundis (artisans), using techniques inherited from their ancestors, took part in its construction. The decor and the furniture mix the Swahili way of life with the colonial style of Lamu´s palatial residences, taking us back to days gone by, complemented by African artworks and antique objects brought from different countries of the world.
The majority of the spaces in the hotel do not have any walls, allowing guests to make the most of the tropical climate and the views of the beach and the forest.
The Red Pepper House aims to be somewhere really special, where you will be able to fully enjoy a unique experience. With friendly, faultless service, here you will be able to enjoy yourself, relax, soak up the light of this magical place, its moon, stars, dusks, sounds… along with all of the other wonderful, unique moments waiting here for you at The Red Pepper House. Welcome!
The Red Pepper House offers just five exclusive Nyumbas (houses), each with the essence and luxury of Swahili culture, in natural surroundings and with views of the sea and the forest, allowing you to relax and enjoy with all five senses.
Designed to be bright and cool, each Nyumba is made up of five spaces:
– Bedroom and bathroom finished in the traditional Nyeru manner and with a spacious shower. All of the sleeping areas follow the style of the luxurious traditional architecture, which is given its ample dimensions by the wooden beams adorning the ceilings. The bedrooms have either one large bed or two single beds of different styles: Tundabel, Pili Pili or Indian Pili Pili, with mosquito net, so you can enjoy the sea breeze.
– Living area, under the cover of the makuti ceiling
– A veranda under the sky and the stars
– Private boma enclosure with beach sand, plants and open-air African shower, where you can relax, sunbathe or have dinner with candlelight and charming kerosene lamps
-Outside private space on the beach, with two large sun loungers under the shade of a Makuti
The Acacia Nyumba is a larger, more spacious suite, which also includes:
– Indoor living area
– Large, complete, open-air bathroom, underneath the open sky and a large acacia tree
Each Nyumba has a discrete private butler to attend to your needs at home and to accompany you on visits and excursions if you so wish.
Each guest is given a kikoy and flip-flops, so that you can start enjoying your experience right from the moment you arrive. Plus, each Nyumba contains: safety deposit box, hairdryer, towels, bathrobe, scales, minibar, gym kit, CD and MP3 player, wind-up torch, drawing kit, walkie-talkie, and more!
The Red Pepper House offers its guests an authentic journey of tastes, ranging from traditional Swahili cooking to the flavours of the Mediterranean.
Hotel's team cook with an eye to light, healthy cuisine, produced using only the finest ingredients. Fresh organic vegetables, fish, seafood and barbecues, all washed down by delicious wines and drinks.
And you decide when mealtime will be – just like at home.
Breakfast: In the Nyumba or in the dining area, served with the area’s marvellous fruits, delicious fresh juices and a collection of Swahili specialities, and all accompanied by a magnificent freshly ground arabica coffee and a marvellous range of teas. If you prefer, team can arrange for you to have breakfast on the seashore, with sparkling wine, so that you can enjoy the sunrise and the sounds of the breaking dawn.
Lunch: You can savour soups, samosas, pasta, pizza, salads, fish, ice creams and cakes, as well as special dishes cooked to order according to the tastes of each guest.
Dinner: Delicious food can be enjoyed in an informal atmosphere or, if you prefer, on a Dhow (a traditional Arabian boat) in the middle of the sea, under the stars, in the private boma of your Nyumba, around the pool, on the seashore or wherever you prefer (the Dhow is not included in the price). To complete the culinary experience, hotel offers a Swahili-style barbecue. (Dinners on the beach, in the forest and on the Dhow will be available as long as the weather permits).
All throughout the day, next to the pool, you will find a table with delicious appetizers to sample between meals, under the shade of a makuti. Team is extremely flexible and can take guests’ orders to whichever place they choose.
The bar offers a spectacular space within the “circle”. The “Pili Pili” (Swahili beds) and the colonial loungers are perfect for relaxing and taking in the views of the sea and the forest, upon returning from an excursion or at any time of the day. This is the ideal place to cool down, with natural tropical juices and all sorts of other drinks on offer.
A drink at dusk: At half past five in the afternoon, the pier, the beach and the dune are transformed into magical places from which to watch the African sunset, with the beautiful play of light upon the water, whilst listening to the sounds of Africa all around. You can enjoy this special time of day with all sorts of drinks and appetizers.
Surrounded by the sound and air of nature, a total scape into luxurious serenity to relax and restore body and mind.
One of the best things to do here at The Red Pepper House is to do nothing at all… just relax and let time go by, watch the sun come out, take your time over breakfast, lunch or dinner, go for a swim, stroll through the forest, listen to the birds or to some music if you prefer, watch the sunset whilst having a drink, enjoy the incomparable view of the stars and moon of Lamu, or have a chat in the “circle”.
But if you’re looking for something a little more active, hotel's team can give you plenty of ideas for activities or visits, accompanied by your butler when you need them, so that you don’t miss a thing.
On the beach you can find crabs of all sizes, including hermit crabs, and turtles during the egg-laying season, and the mangrove swamp is replete with oysters and all kinds of shells.
Visit the workshops where the traditional dhows are built and discover the handicrafts known as Jamwi. The Masai market of Shela, with the typical crafts of the Masai warriors.
It’s easy to appreciate the beauty of this Arabian-influenced boat, used for hundreds of years along the Swahili coast by merchants and adventurers alike.
From the beach, in motorboat or Dhow: pick up a traditional rod and try your luck in the channel, where jacks, kingfish and barracuda are plentiful, along with rock cod, needlefish and both red and white porgy.
This marvellous unspoilt forest is inhabited by a great variety of trees and birds, which we care for and protect within their free, natural habitat.
Lamu Town is in a class of its own within Kenya and never fails to both surprise and captivate.
Each year, tourists and diplomatic delegations from all around the world come to the cultural festival held here to take in the sights and sounds of the regattas, music, dance, percussion, parades, Bao contest, Swahili poetry, donkey races, and the Somalian and Sudanese camels.
Flying at low altitudes in light aircraft over the African continent and the bay, with magnificent views of the plains and herds of buffalo and zebras in their natural habitat. Flights over lakes filled with hippos and many other species.
Can you imagine a romantic dinner lit by candles and lamps in the intimate surroundings of your private boma, the pool or the beach?Experience a magical night that is truly out of this world.
Shela, a fishing village blessed with 12 km of white sandy beaches and large dunes, the retreat for many westerners with their magnificent Swahili-style mansions.
Take a boat trip out to visit these 14th century ruins which, for the Lamu archipelago, once constituted a nearly impenetrable fortress protecting the local people against their neighbours.
THE RED PEPPER HOUSE
Coconut BeachLamuKenya