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Kijani Hotel is
located in he
village of
Shela, on the
island of Lamu –
just off the
Kenya Coast in a
3,000 sq. metres
of tropical
garden with two
fresh water
swimming
pools.Kijani
Hotel Lamu has
10 rooms spread
throughout the
garden into
three small
separate
traditional
Swahili
buildings which
formerly were
private homes.
 
Two aquamarine
pools glow
gently in the
shade of giant
kunazi trees,
small tables and
beach chairs lie
in the shade of
a profusion of
different
species of palm
trees, and
flowering
flamboyant and
yellow oleanders
branch out over
large terraces
that face the
ocean. ‘Kijani’
means green in
Kiswahili, at
once invoking
the colour of
Islam, the small
hotel’s verdant
gardens, and new
growth.
 
Swiss owner
Pierre Oberson
created Kijani
House to revive
the tradition of
stone Swahili
houses and
create an
authentic
retreat for
visitors looking
to experience
Lamu’s past. It
took Pierre more
than ten years
to rebuild the
hotel from the
ruins of three
old houses, and
he used only
traditional
methods and
materials in the
restoration.
 
Kijani’s
rooms and
gardens are
filled with
antiques or
handmade
replicas of the
furniture,
lanterns,
ornaments, and
utensils that
graced the
stately houses
of Lamu’s past.
Copies of Old
Portuguese
lanterns hang
from white
archways. An
arrangement of
ceramic water
pots stand –
used to carry
oil and water
aboard ships
centuries ago –
stand under the
shade of a palm
tree. Members of
the village even
borrow Kijani’s
ceremonial
chair, crafted
from hardwood
and wickerwork
on the nearby
island of Siyu,
for weddings and
special
occasions.
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