Jumuia Conference & Beach Resort

“All three generations of my family loved our visit”

My family of two seniors, five adults and two children all loved our recent stay at Jumuia Conference and Beach Resort. At one point, we were the only guests, yet we were still treated to great service. We had full, delicious buffet meals of Kenyan and other cuisines in the lovely dining hall wit… more

My family of two seniors, five adults and two children all loved our recent stay at Jumuia Conference and Beach Resort. At one point, we were the only guests, yet we were still treated to great service. We had full, delicious buffet meals of Kenyan and other cuisines in the lovely dining hall with its spacious views of the Indian Ocean. (Kenyan food is now my favorite!) The grounds are large and lovely with stone walkways winding through the grass between trees. The large and small pools under the palms trees were meticulously clean and fun to swim in. The private-feeling, simple, but multiple-roomed bungalows have built-in lounging couches on their porches facing the ocean. The rooms each have their own bathrooms with showers. Mosquito netting (and spraying the room earlier in the evening by the staff) protected the beds at night and the sea breeze kept almost all of the insects away during the day. The rooms are cleaned daily, and towels are arranged in delightful animal designs from graceful swans to a water-bottle-eating crocodile. The sandy beach gives way to a long stretch of water that can be walked at low tide all the way out to the distant coral reef. The center is a Christian retreat, but there is no reason people of all faiths cannot enjoy its serene location; the Swahili and English music playing quietly in the dining hall (and perhaps the kindness of the staff) are the only hints of the religious nature of the center during non-conference times. Jumuia hires nice guards to walk the grounds to assure that every guest feels comfortable. Sometimes, local people working to support their families stand beyond the Jumuia area’s wall and quietly offer lovely jewelry and carvings for sale. They also are willing to take people at low tide along a “water pathway” to safely see urchins, sea cucumbers, starfish and other delights. (Don’t walk randomly beyond the sandy shore area or you risk being impaled by urchins and risk killing the fragile wildlife.) At first, I felt a bit shy and awkward interacting with the local people, but before long, that exchange became one of the highpoints of my stay. We stayed one night at a much fancier resort. I actually preferred the more modest Jumuia because Jumuia does not proclaim as great difference between the very rich and very poor. At Jumuia, some of the drawers in our bedroom cabinet seemed stuck closed, presumably due to humidity, and here and there on the porch a spot of paint could be used, but I didn’t even bother pointing out these small things to management because we were too busy enjoying our pleasant stay. Jumuia’s location was also much better than at the pricier place; we loved the sunrises over the ocean right at our door front. As an American, I would not attempt to drive in Kenya, with its bumpy dirt roads, British-side driving, and sometimes bumper to bumper traffic. But, if you hire a driver, then I would recommend this peaceful and very pleasant retreat. From Jumuia, you can travel to Mombasa or other locations if you wish. (Just add an hour travel time to your plans, since travel always seemed to take extra time… time well spent seeing the sights out of the vehicle’s windows.) PS We asked for a portable access to Wi-Fi and were given it for free.

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“Hidden gem in the village”

Well this property is located in kikambala just after famous Mtwapa known for its nightlife. If you savour silence, quietness and just typical village life, this is the place to go. This is an alcohol free hotel as it is run by a christian organisation. They are right at the beach and we got a grea… more

Well this property is located in kikambala just after famous Mtwapa known for its nightlife. If you savour silence, quietness and just typical village life, this is the place to go. This is an alcohol free hotel as it is run by a christian organisation. They are right at the beach and we got a great room with a sea view. The lodge is quite some distance from the main lodge and this was just perfect as we didnt want to move much. The room was basic with amenities but really kept clean with nice touches done by the housekeeping staff daily. It was pretty hot so ensure to carry enough sun screen and also hydrate as much as you can. Since we were on bed and breakfast, it was the usual english type breakfast but the chef in charge was amazing enough to go out of the way to give us touch of local delicacy as opposed to the usual sausages and the like. However the other meals are limiting and not so fresh and we avoided it. We did a walk to the reef courtesy of James the beach boy who really was the highlight of our stay. Not only did he conduct a fantastic walk to the reef but he also organised for us lunch at the fishermans village with freshly caught sea food that he aptly bargained for us and it was very affordable. With 10 dollars we enjoyed hearty meal at the village prepared with the catch of the day. This ended up being our routine for 5 days we were there. Everyday getting to sample new coastal dishes and boy did we make many friends. We got to sample the fresh made brew from palm and its an acquired taste which we really enjoyed. The village tour is a must when in kikambala. We got fantastic shots of sunrise as well. Notable mentions were the two waiters pauline and the gentleman(apologies for forgetting the name) and Patrick the day guard who checked up on us daily. The biggest let down was despite having a good size of the beach front, it was extremely dirty and was never cleaned entire duration of the stay. We were i think the only guests for that time and the manager never got to come to say hi. You can access the resort by air or SGR or even road and they can plan your pick up and they are affordable. Our overall stay was awesome due to mostly the adventures we got by being in the village and the staff. More can be done to improve on vibrancies. They call it a resort but keeping a guest to enjoy the property is wanting no form of entertainment and personal touch from management is missing. For those who dont mind it slow its ideal and oh they do have dorms for groups as well.

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“Nice ocean view, below average buffet and room ambience.”

Checked into this hotel in December 2018, the lady on the phone (Doreen) was very courteous. I booked an ocean facing room. The room was old with a stuffy smell, mosquitoes were also a nuisance. The view of the ocean was however very refreshing. The buffet at dinner was very basic with a very nar… more

Checked into this hotel in December 2018, the lady on the phone (Doreen) was very courteous. I booked an ocean facing room. The room was old with a stuffy smell, mosquitoes were also a nuisance. The view of the ocean was however very refreshing. The buffet at dinner was very basic with a very narrow range of choices to make. Breakfast buffet was also quite basic. The swimming pool is clean and wide, we enjoyed an early morning swim and beach walk.

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“Nice view, good food, lousy Internet”

I stayed here for a week for a consultation. My room was comfortable with a good AC and fan, important for Kenya much of the year. The cleaning staff did a fine job every day. Our catered meals were fairly good. I really enjoyed the omelets in the morning and the other meals usually featured goat o… more

I stayed here for a week for a consultation. My room was comfortable with a good AC and fan, important for Kenya much of the year. The cleaning staff did a fine job every day. Our catered meals were fairly good. I really enjoyed the omelets in the morning and the other meals usually featured goat or chicken. There is no real coffee, only the disgusting "instant coffee". The times we had fish it was overcooked. The grounds are kept well and the pool is clean and welcoming. Two problems: if you need to get to town to buy anything it is miles away, and much of that over a dirt road which is very bumpy and, if raining, full or deep puddles. Second, the Internet access via w-fi was just terrible. My two phones and iPad picked up the pool and the reception, yet neither worked. In this day and age for a professional, or even someone who wants to get a new Kindle book to read, Internet is a must. I asked the front desk about this and they friendly lady could only say, "My phone is connected and working fine." I gave her my three devices and asked her to connect any one of them. Nothing. So, if you don't care about Internet or convenient access to shopping, this really is a fine place to stay with good food and friendly staff.

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