Temple Point Resort Watamu

History

The open and friendly Giriama tribe which dominates Kenya’s coastal region enriches Watamu with its colourful way of life, artwork and history. Places like the Gede ruins are relics of the Arabic past and date back over 600 years.Entangled by ancient baobab trees, the ruins of this once thriving Arabic-Swahili settlement rise from the heart of the Kenyan jungle. Listen to the mystical silence of the ancient buildings and learn about their history. To this very day nobody knows why they were so suddenly abandoned in the late 16th century.

Accommodation

Our 100 Swahili style rooms are nestled into the privacy of 20 bungalows. Each offers a view over our enclosed botanical garden or the calmness of the Mida creek national park. In our garden rooms you will have a view into our botanical garden, a private terrace, a queen size bed, air-conditioning & fan, mosquito protection, television, a safe and the a kitchenette for coffee & tea. In our Bayview Rooms you will have a view on to the Mida creek, a private terrace, a queen size bed, air-conditioning & fan, mosquito protection, television, a safe and the a kitchenette for coffee & tea.In our Superior Rooms you will have a view on to the Mida Creek, a private terrace, a king size bed, air-conditioning & fan, mosquito protection, television, a safe and the a kitchenette for coffee & tea.

Beach

The location of the resort at the peak of the Watamu peninsula offers you the choice to explore all of our 3 white sandy beaches. The 2 beaches at the foot step of the resort create a more exclusive environment where you can enjoy the sun bed and drinks service of the hotel. Watamu’s long beach was voted Kenya’s best beach in 2017. It is reachable from the hotel by foot at low tide and is the perfect place for kite surfing, sun bathing, long beach walks and discovering Kenya’s marine life.

Dining

Our kitchen team prepares daily buffets and à la carte dishes with locally sourced ingredients from community markets, balancing tastes from all around the globe as well as introducing our guest to traditional Kenyan cuisine.  Our bar team shakes up your day with the art of drinks. They serve you loved classics or let you discover exciting new tastes.

Pool

Grab yourself a drink, kick back and relax at one of our pools. Our small pool is the perfect spot to escape to in the company of a book, whilst our main pool offers subtle music, a lively atmosphere and the ideal place to work on your tan.

Diving

This new and secret diving paradise of the Watamu marine park surprises us with its diversity of very small and very big marine life. The large migrating groups of humpback whales, whale sharks and dolphins are the joy of Watamu’s coast line. Most diving sites are located within the marine national park of Watamu where you can find the most versatile diving spots. Big overhangs, slights dips, channels are the perfect cornerstones for many different marine species. Whether you meet tiny sea slugs, turtles in all sizes or whale sharks – every dive is just so different. The water temperature is between 75 -80 degrees Fahrenheit all year long.

Kite surfing

Watamu is simply one of the best kite surfing spots worldwide but not many know that yet. This means miles of incredible kite playground just for you. Kilometres of white sandy beaches, perfect on shore cross winds for almost the whole year and an award-winning kite school partnership make our kite spots a paradise for every kite surfer at any level.

Archery

Want to try something new? Check out our archery and hit the bullseye. Our guest experience team will help you practise your focus and you might be aiming at a new passion.

Deep sea fishing

Watamu is probably the best place in the world to catch every type of billfish, and we collaborate with experienced local fishermen who will help you to fish them. We are supporters of Watamu’s marine conservation program, so we are encourage you to catch & release. But of course we will prepare your catch for dinner if it’s grown big enough!

Tennis

Our tennis courts invite you to practice your back hand or goof around with your travel buddy. Get your sweat on and have fun.

Snorkelling with dolphins

Mingle with the fish and discover the colours of recovering and healthy coral reef. Nando, our captain, will take you out to find dolphins and if you have your lucky charm with you, you might end up swimming with a majestic whale shark.

Spa

Release the tension with a deep tissue massage or simply pamper yourself with one of the many treatments we offer.

Conferences

Our 2 conference rooms and several other event venues offer high flexibility and feature state-of-the-art WiFi – Fiber connections with speeds up to 60 Mbps, powered by Ubiquity Networks. Combined, the resort offers business and events facilities able to accommodate over 400 people.

Team building

Come together and boost your team’s productivity goals by changing up your work environment and breaking up long days of meetings. Colleagues and teams get the chance to bond and increase their effectiveness whilst competing, solving riddles and powering through activities.

Events

Our dedicated events team creates some of the truly most unique experiences. The special location of the resort offers many beautifully tucked away spots with amazing views. Let us set up your event. Birthdays, music performances, festivals, conventions, company meetings, small or big we will make it special.

Nightlife

Watamu offers a variety of nightlife entertainment. The international ComeBack club lets you dance through the night to African and western music. Bars such as Red Lion, Car Wash or Pilipan create the perfect setting for you to mingle with the locals, party on the beach or enjoy the sunset with a drink in hand.

Safaris

Thanks to our special location our guests can enjoy the excitement of a safari not only in the Kenyan savanna but also visiting the residents of the Indian ocean and the Mida creek. Our hotel boat and its captain are waiting for you with a very special day out on the water. This safari takes you out to see the dolphins, swim and snorkel at the marine park’s coastline and end the day inside the creek’s mangrove channels, with its diverse bird population. As a special add-on we will take you on a private BBQ to one of our secret spots in the creek.

Dhow cruise

Dhows are the traditional boats of the Indian Ocean. They are believed to have been developed by Arabic or Indian cultures between 600 BC to 600 AC. The design of the boats hardly changed since, giving them a rustic and cosy feeling. At the hotel we offer private hires, sundowner trips, special dinners and booze cruises until the sun lets the moon take over. This is one of our favourite trips because of its incredible setting under the stars.

Tuk tuk trips

Visit Watamu and its surrounding areas, enjoying Kenyan culture in the back of these quirky and fun little rides. Let the driver take you to the local community restaurant Crab Shack, where you can see one of Kenya’s most amazing sunsets. Or go grab an ice cream at Non-Solo Gelato – it is to die for, take our word for it.

Bio Ken snake farm

Visit the internationally renowned Bio Ken Snake Farm, the most important producer of antidote in all of East Africa. Discover 30 different poisonous and non-poisonous species. Learn about these feared but also fascinating creatures. In the end you might want to pet them, because they’ll let you.

Conservation

One of the highlights in Watamu is clearly the local ocean conservation, also known as Watamu’s turtle watch. They monitor and protect nesting female sea turtles, their nests and hatchlings. If turtles accidentally get caught by local fishermen they tag and release them to save these majestic animals and monitor their population. Sick turtles are brought to their rehabilitation center where you can visit the turtles and learn everything about their incredible work. During nesting season you can adopt a nest and will get informed as soon as the hatchlings crawl into the ocean.

Marafa

After millions of years, the forces of sand, wind and rain have created one of the most fascinating natural spectacles in all of Africa. Not far from Malindi, the bizarre canyons and colourful rock formations of hell’s kitchen, as the locals refer to it, rise into the sky. According to an age-old Kenyan legend, the deep abysses of Hell’s Kitchen were formed by divine anger. Rumour has it that there once was a rich but decadent family that took great pleasure in bathing in the highly precious milk of their cows. God punished them by ordering the ground beneath their village to open up and swallow the entire family.