Christmas Plans in Watamu

Have you started making your plans for the upcoming holiday period? Watamu remains a popular choice for the festive season- and not just over the Christmas and New Year week. December and January are a great time of year to visit Watamu, with excellent conditions, perfect weather and plenty of things to do for all the family.

Here are some of the options available to you over the holiday period in Watamu:

Watamu has a long tradition as a place to celebrate the season, and the best known hub of social activity at this time has to be Ocean Sports. With their ever popular bar and restaurant playing host to their legendary New Years Eve Party Ocean Sports is always the most lively place to meet up with friends and they have a range of accommodation available. Check out their festive schedule here.

One of the most popular Watamu options has always been to rent a beach house, which is ideal for families or large groups of friends. While renting an entire house may seem extravagant it can actually be more economical than booking multiple hotel rooms. It’s a fantastic way to have total freedom and privacy, and most houses come fully staffed and serviced with your own personal cook.

There is a great range of houses available for all tastes and budgets. While the Christmas and New Year period is booking up fast, there are houses available during December and January. To see the full range of properties and enquire about rates and availability please contact Discover Watamu.

There are also apartments, villas and penthouses available at the luxurious Medina Palms if you’d like to spoil yourself this festive season. Rated by TripAdvisor as Kenya’s best hotel, Medina offers guests modern, well appointed accommodation and excellent international cuisine and spa treatments at the world class Sakina Ocean Spa.

If you are looking for a relaxing all-inclusive family Christmas then Turtle Bay Beach Club is the place for you. An ever popular favourite that keeps families coming back again and again, Turtle Bay has something for every member of the family from parents looking to chill out to kids looking for action packed holiday fun. Known as ‘Kenya’s Responsible Resort’ Turtle Bay recently won the Silver Award for hotels and resorts at the Responsible Travel Awards in London.

For a break with a real difference think about Watamu Treehouse, easily one of the most stunning beach houses on the coast. This artfully built tower rises from the forest floor high above the beach, detailed with beautiful recycled glass and with every room framing breathtaking views. The house is a centre for yoga and meditation, with frequent retreats and regular sunset sessions held for locals and visitors. But you don’t have to be a yoga devotee to stay here, and anyone can rent a room to relax, chill and just enjoy this natural haven.

Set to reopen soon after extensive rennovations is another Watamu landmark Hemingways. Long known as a one of Kenya's leading small luxury hotels, Hemingways will be reopening in time for the holiday season and offering the personalized luxury experience that they have become know for.

And when you do Visit Watamu over Christmas, you’ll find yourself with plenty to do as well. There is so much on offer.

If you are a watersports enthusiast or always wanted to learn one, then make use of your Christmas break with Tribe Watersports. They specialize in Kite surfing, but December is also a great time to try Stand Up Paddle Boarding with perfect conditions and flat seas. This is a fantastic way to see fish, coral and even dolphins from a unique perspective.

If you’d like to learn about Kenya’s rare reptiles then you have to stop by a real Watamu Institution- Bioken Snake Farm where you can see Kenya’s best collection of snakes and other reptiles. Don’t like snakes? Then you should definitely pay Bioken a visit, and let their professional snake handlers and guides teach you about these fascinating species and their importance to our ecosystems, and you may well come away with a change of heart.

Anyone interested in wildlife will want to explore the natural wonders of Watamu- including the little known Arabuko Sokoke Forest, ideal for walks or mountain biking.  Mida Creek is also a great place to explore by kayak or on a sundowner boat trip.

Lastly, no visit to Watamu would be complete without stopping in at Local Ocean Trust to see the amazing work they do with rescue and rehabilitated turtles and their ongoing projects to conserve the local marine habitat. In fact, why not make a New Year Resolution to help keep Watamu beautiful into the future and commit to coming back to Local Ocean as an eco visitor and do voluntary work with the project.

This way, we can be sure that Watamu will always remain the ultimate Kenya Christmas getaway.