Manda Bay is a small, family-owned beach lodge on the northwestern side of Manda Island in the Lamu Archipelago, along Kenya’s northern coast.
The lodge is owned and managed by Andy and Caragh Roberts together with Fuzz and Bimbi Dyer.
It was established in 2003 after the owners acquired the property, formerly known as the Blue Safari Club.
Manda Bay features around 22 cottages built using traditional coastal materials such as wood and makuti thatch.
The accommodation is designed in an open, barefoot-luxury style that blends with the natural environment, with some bandas featuring minimal window structures to allow natural airflow.
The lodge offers a range of water-based activities, including fishing, snorkeling, diving, dhow sailing, kayaking, and boat excursions around the Lamu Archipelago.
Guests also enjoy access to a swimming pool, beach relaxation areas, and cultural visits to nearby sites, including Lamu Old Town and the Takwa ruins.
Manda Bay Rooms and Accommodation
Manda Bay rooms are built using locally sourced materials such as wood, palm thatch, and woven flooring, and are designed in a simple open style with en suite bathrooms, fans, oversized mosquito nets, and private verandahs with seating and swing beds.
The lodge offers three categories of accommodation. The beachfront rooms are located right along the seawall, closest to the ocean and beach at low tide, and are the most spacious.
The palm rooms are set slightly behind the beachfront rooms on higher ground, offering good sea breezes and a similar level of comfort.
While the garden rooms are smaller and located in the middle of the property, they were originally designed for younger guests but are now popular with all visitors.
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Check-in is at 12:00 PM, and check-out is at 10:00 AM, with early arrival or late departure available by booking extra nights at a discounted rate depending on the season.
The rate includes house wines and spirits, one Lamu boat trip with a local guide and museum entrance fee, as well as water sports and snorkeling.
It excludes all fishing activities, dhow excursions, cellar wines, and premium spirits.
The cost is $300 per adult per night, $150 per child per night, and children under 5 years stay free.
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Experiences
Manda Bay offers a wide range of activities, including inshore fishing such as bottom fishing, trolling, and fly fishing, which are tide-dependent and usually done in the morning or evening.
Deep-sea fishing is also available from September to May using the lodge’s sport fisher boat for half-day or full-day trips.
Guests can enjoy watersports such as kayaking, paddleboarding, windsurfing, sailing, tubing, kneeboarding, and air chairing, with equipment and instruction provided.
Other activities include game drives around Manda Island to see ruins, baobab trees, and wildlife such as monkeys, buffalo, dik-dik, and various bird species.
