Destination Malindi

From luxury homes and hotels to clean sandy beaches, Malindi is rivalling Mombasa as the holiday destination of choice. FERDINAND MWONGELA relives the pleasures of this ‘Italian town’

Bienvenuti a Malindi!

Oh well, I would not have been surprised if some pretty lass had said this as I landed at Malindi Airport that evening with the dusk fast falling on this town along Kenya’s coast.

Like in many countries where foreigners are drawn to specific areas, Malindi is an Italian magnet.

As the Kenya Airways fight touched down at Malindi Airport, it was not any different from a few other trips I have taken to this side of the country. A little trepidation as the plane overflew neighbouring settlements and a smile of relief as the wheels touched the ground. Nothing beats being on solid ground.

Destination Malindi, what would its slogan be if the Kenya Tourist Board sold this town as a destination? A throbbing nightlife and a rainbow of cultures.

Off we went to Mwembe Resort, only a shouting distance from the town centre. A nice quiet place seemingly laid back at first, but a gem on its own.

The resort does not look like your typical hotel because it is not. The rooms, set in bunches and spread out on the expansive, carefully manicured grounds, give the feel of privacy and sophistication. I was tempted to scribble on the spotless wall, "I was here".

We checked in and before long, went off to explore the town by dusk. There is a lot you can tell from a town’s nightlife — in Malindi it is its pulse.

Unless you’ve felt the throbbing of the entertainment joints under your feet and seen its population under the cover of darkness, it is difficult to really say what makes a town tick. That reminds me of Nakuru, dark and secretive; but that is a story for another day.

Coming from Nairobi, it is easy to think all other towns’ entertainment joints are jam-packed on Friday after office hours. Not in Malindi. The nightlife here starts well into the night, about midnight to be exact.

By 10pm, Malindi is a ghost town. Seated in a club at this time, I felt what it must be like for the forlorn-looking people I see drinking in an empty bar in the middle of the day in Nairobi. Bored, lonely and at the end of my tether.

The life of a club is in the patrons; noisy, quiet; they all play a part. When it is empty, it is a shell with a random drunkard nursing the odd beer bottle.

A helpful waiter assured us that the nightlife was very much alive and that the place would soon crawl to life. And come to life it did. At about midnight, they came from whatever villa or beach they had been hanging out — almost like wolves answering the call of one of their own.

Mwembe Village

Silhouettes at first, coming out of the dark street corners and slamming car doors quietly. You could feel the heartbeat of the town as the music systems switched fluidly from soul to RnB and back to techno.

In my books, Nairobi chaps will still hold the trophy for holding their pint; heck, Nairobians could drink fishes out of business. Malindi is livelier more dancing than drinking for most people, and more white faces than you would find at Brew Bistro in Nairobi.

Early the next morning, still a bit woozy — given that I slept for about two hours — we set out to check out part of our main attraction here — luxury holiday homes resort, Mwembe Village, right next to Mwembe Resort, billed as Kenya’s first fractional homes property.

Our host, Renzo Quiaciari, explained the workings of the resort; a private butlers and exclusive high end resort. I found myself thinking how beautiful it would be to own a piece of the action. A holiday when I wanted, a lot of pampering and a place in the map of world class resorts.

Not to be mistaken, Malindi is giving Mombasa a proper run for its money in terms of luxury holiday destinations with the likes of Vipingo Ridge not very far off and its soft white sandy beaches.

Mombasa looks like a poor neighbour next to Malindi. It is not difficult to see why Malindi is in a class of its own.

Turquoise blue water

All the towns along this stretch have their own unique attraction. Mombasa with its languid pace, vibrant economy and affordable accommodation, Lamu with its quaint oldish architecture and Malindi with its flashy lifestyle.

Malindi also fascinates on another level. Italian does not appear anywhere on the list of Kenya’s official languages but it sure is official down here. Signposts are in Italian as are the Italian sounding names of establishments. As soon as you land here, you know that this is an Italian town.

In many places, notices are written in English and, right next to them, a translation in Italian. The locals, too, have a grasp of the language.

The soft almost lyrical language pops up wherever you go. If you are in Malindi and you hear a language you do not understand, it is probably Italian.

Driving through Malindi, I could not help but feel that this is a town with a pace of its own. On Saturday there is hardly any place open; it is like the entire town shuts down for the weekend.

Done exploring on land, it was time to go closer to the beach. Not many surprises there, it is just a mass of turquoise blue water spreading as far as you can see, until you look at your feet.

The sand is white and soft, almost powdery. Seated under the scanty palm tree shades at the Rosada Beach Club, I was content to run my toes through the sand and watch a few stragglers battle the waves out in the ocean.

Here you can hear yourself think; a slow crunching of the gear in your head and the click as the curious bulb goes on.

Unlike the public beaches much further down the Coast, even the public beaches here are almost spotless.

Along this stretch lies a number of hotels and resorts, all answering to the title, luxury destinations. This is where you can easily spot dolphins out at sea with a beer at your elbow and your Twitter or Facebook page open on your phone — for those who profess the micro-blogging creed.

artsy place

Not very far from Rosada Beach Club is the White Elephant Resort, an artsy place I would feel much at home at if I could afford to live here permanently. It boasts a mixture of eccentricity and abstract art from media collages to authentic sculptures.

The two galleries on the property offer a decent pastime — at one time I found myself lost in the art, in a world so creative I could feel the taste of it at the root of my tongue. I left reluctantly.

Arguably, Malindi is not the kind of destination you rush through, it is a treasure to be taken in slowly: The attractions, from deep sea fishing to just walking down the cool beach, the cool breeze alternating with oppressive heat depending on your distance from the ocean — they are all here.