You can spot leopards and go diving... in a single day
specialises in totaltranquillity. The mostromantic spot to stay on the whole coastisFourTwentySouth,agroupofcottagessetinatropicalgardenrightonthesand.Theyarefreshandwhitecolonialinstyle,withwoodenshutters.
It’s the best of African coast life:babymonkeyspeekatyoufromtheroof,daybedsaredecoratedwithtraditionalfabricsandwhateveryou’d like to drink–ginandtonic,freshmangojuiceoricecold Tusker beer–can be waitingforyou.Justask.You can cook iny ourownkitchen,butyou’dbeafoolwhenalocalchefcanrustleupfreshfish with coconut ricewhile you lie there.
Kenyans try to keep FourTwenty Southasecret:nomatterhowstressedoutyouare,nomatterwhathashappenedtherestoftheyear,thisplacecanfixit.
FourTwentySouthisperfectfor the less-than-strenuoussports ofstaring andpassing out. I started by staring at the bluelagoon andthe coral reef andmoved ontopassing out on the veranda, listening to the Indian Ocean.
ThegardencottagesarerunbyHilaryMartin,afriendly ladywho lives on the site and whocan find you anything from Marmitetoananny.TheMartinshavebeenherelongerthantheroadsigns.‘When Dad bought it,thiswas thebush,’saidHilary.‘Henameditaftertheco-ordinates,sopeoplecouldfindit.’
Dianiisonthemapbutnotintheghastlytouristway.AndFourTwentySouthisafewminutesawayfromShimbaHillsgamepark.Inoneday, you canseeleopardsandgoscuba-diving, andspend the next evening picnickingwithgiraffesor walking incloudsofbutterflies in Haller Park nature reserve and butterfly house.
IlovedHallerPark’sstarresident,Owentheorphanbabyhippo,whodecidedananimalcalledMzee(‘oldman’inSwahili)washislostmum.Mzeeisamalegianttortoise,butOwendidn’tcare–itwastruelove.
ThestoryofhowOwenarrivedattheparkonthebackofapickuptruckisheartwarming.Sure,thepick-upwaschasedbyfrustratedlocalsshouting‘Nyamachoma!’(‘Barbecue!’inSwahili)butthat’snotthepoint.Lackofhipposteakaside,thepeoplehereareincrediblyeasy-going.
HouseshavehelpfulsignssayingHouseNotForSaleasthereisatendencyforestateagentstosellyourhousewithoutconsultingyou.Asecondsignwasmorespecific:IfYouHaveJustBoughtThisHouseYouShouldTryToGetYourMoneyBackImmediately.Yoususpectathirdsignmightsay:OrGo AndSitInTheBarAndMakeAPlanToTakeSternActionLater.
There are some terrific place stole ty our brain turn into blancmange here .The undergroundgr otto Ali Barbour’ s is transformed by hundreds of candles into a wildly romanticwedding receptions pot . It gives you an idea of how bliss fully sleepy life is in DianithatresidentshadtoholdacontesttocomeupwithanameforabarownedbyaMrBarbour.
Somedrinksandpresumablyatonofespressolater,AliBarbour’scametobeing.Byahappycoincidence,thebarnextdoorisnamedFortyThieves,afterthelocalestateagents.
BackatFourTwentySouth,Hilaryfoundaniceblokewhowassellingfreshoysters,crabandsquid.Shethenfoundmeanotherniceblokewhoshuckedtheoystersandwhippedupcrabsouffleandcalamari,andaniceladywhogavemeamassageforatenner.Istaredattheseasomemore,thenpassedout.
Youcanwatchpeopleexercising,butinarelaxedway–kite-surfersfromallovertheworldfloatonthebestbreezesinAfrica.Theyevenhavetheirown beach hotel,Kenya ways Kite Village.
As per Out Of Africa, Kenya is stunning from the air, and you can do an air safari with Safarilink from tiny Diani airport. ‘Sadly, people don’t land their Cessnas on the beach these days,’ said Kenyaways’ boss Tony, a retired pilot from the chivalrous days when you got through an airport with a wave, rather than a molestation.
I’m going to go back and learn to paint: you can have classes at Four Twenty South with artist Timothy Brooke, whose paintings are on permanent exhibition at the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi. But I’ll probably pass out.
On my last day, I walked down the beach for a last lunch at the Colobus Shade, and chose a table with a view. Masha beamed back at me. I had picked a table in the restaurant that was actually his.