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WEEKEND AWAY<br />
My boyfriend and I have<br />
been on a trip across<br />
the north coast, booking<br />
stays at boutique<br />
romantic beachfront<br />
owner-run properties<br />
where our days are<br />
spent going on romantic<br />
sunset cruises, sipping<br />
good wine and going<br />
on long walks along pristine beaches<br />
(and somehow still managing to have the<br />
occasional argument). We save the best<br />
for last; The Cabanas at Kizingoni Beach<br />
in Lamu. This property was actually my<br />
suggestion, having visited it previously in<br />
2016 and vowing to one day return with a<br />
partner.<br />
Arriving at the all-too familiar Manda<br />
Airport, a prearranged speedboat with a<br />
friendly captain picks us up from the jetty<br />
and pretty soon we’re darting across the sea<br />
past mangrove forests towards the southern<br />
end of the Lamu archipelago. Set a little far<br />
from the airport (we wanted somewhere<br />
secluded where the only other people we<br />
would bump into would either be staff or a<br />
fisherman passing through), it takes us about<br />
35 minutes to get there. “Is that it?” he asks<br />
eagerly as we approach Matondoni, then<br />
Kipungani. “When you see it, believe me,<br />
you will know it,” I respond.<br />
Everything falls into place as we advance<br />
upon a golden stretch of beach where staff<br />
members dressed in breezy white shirts are<br />
smiling and waving at us. Kizingoni beach<br />
looks like a dream, and to be back here with<br />
somebody it’s like straight out of one of those<br />
romantic novels I spent afternoons poring<br />
over under my desk during boring history<br />
classes in high school. Perhaps due to the<br />
fact that I always had my head buried in<br />
books about faraway places as a teenager,<br />
I’ve always wanted to be marooned on an<br />
island, Robinson Crusoe style - albeit with all<br />
the haute style and luxuries of a chic room<br />
with clean linen - and this would be just the<br />
place to live out those fantasies. As our bags<br />
are carried to our room, we are ushered<br />
to the bar area for a refreshing welcome<br />
drink and an orientation of the property. The<br />
bar looks different from what I remember<br />
with swing sets serving as bar stools and a<br />
comfortable lounge on one end.<br />
Perched on a sand dune and nestled<br />
amidst trees right on the beach with<br />
unobstructed views of the sea, walking<br />
up our two-storey villa, one of eight in the<br />
property, is like going up a tree house.<br />
Rightly so because given the elevated<br />
position of our room, we might as well be<br />
staying in one. The rustic structure, too,<br />
blends with the environment as the high roof<br />
is palm thatched and the walls are made<br />
from woven mats. Wooden accents are also<br />
everywhere, from the Swahili-style balcony<br />
chairs to the large intricately carved mirror<br />
above a bed so large it could fit an entire<br />
family. Lying on this bed during high tide,<br />
you can see the water shimmering under<br />
the sun right in front of your balcony. There<br />
is also a loo with an absolutely incredible<br />
view and one could be content to just gaze<br />
at the landscape from there, but alas, there’s<br />
an even better spot downstairs where two<br />
hammocks, set side by side, bring you eye<br />
to eye with the ocean. Bare feet, messy hair,<br />
swimsuits and cocktails at hand, we spend a<br />
bit of time bonding and enjoying the breeze<br />
from here.<br />
It takes a certain kind of romantic to<br />
run a place like this, and should you meet<br />
Shawn and Anna, it will all fall into place.<br />
These two, much like my partner and I, come<br />
from opposite ends of the world - Shawn is<br />
from Hawaii while Anna is from Kenya. The<br />
NOMAD MAGAZINE 2020 25