We came from Watamu so we took a taxi from Watamu to Che Shale which was about an hour 10min drive. You might think that’s a bit of a drive but when you realise that you are headed to paradise, then it doesn’t seem that long. In case you’re flying in via Malindi airport, Che shale Eco hotel Kenya is 21km away from the airport.
Che Shale hotel and kitesurf Center is a laid-back beachfront hotel located in Mambrui. The Eco hotel is run by a small family who put good effort into making the en-suite 8 bandas built with locally sourced materials as chic and as eco friendly as possible.
This hotel is where you can choose to either go disconnect completely or get your remote work done in a relaxed slow environment.
Your journey after the main road will be absolutely adventurous. The deeper you go, the more you feel that calming ocean breeze and the closer you feel to tranquillity.
The first friendly faces we met when we arrived were two helpful staff who helped us with our heavy luggage. As we were going through their easy check-in process at the reception, Justine and his lovely family came to say hi, show us around, and to remind us that this is a place where you come to slow down. Their easy, relaxed and gentle vibe rubbed off on us within the few minutes we got to spend with them while being shown around.
It felt like everyone was in some kind of a zen mode at Che Shale. The friendly staff and guests we interacted with were also completely chilled.
Why is it an Eco hotel?
Che Shale is an inclusive hotel that caters for a large family, a group of friends, couples, or single people. Like any good eco hotel, Its designed to naturally fit its surrounding. The bandas(Rooms) are crafted from local materials like weaved palms, mango wood, driftwood and doum.
Water is a precious commodity here and you are reminded to save water where possible. To avoid single-use plastic, our banda had refillable glass water bottles when we arrived and there was no single-use toiletries.
They have different types of Bandas(rooms) to fit everyone. We got Songoro banda because we were two adults and 3 children. With one double bed upstairs, and two single beds downstairs plus an extra bed in the lounge area, we fit the Banda comfortably.
Because of the wide-open banda at this Eco hotel, I was prepared for a night up on my first night. I thought I could never fall asleep in the middle of nowhere with no doors and windows but my kids fell asleep so fast and I remember listening to the sound of the ocean and waking up at 7 am the next morning. My kids slept till 10 am. The second night was also bliss.
In case you are travelling with kids, they have a large play area where if you’re lucky, you’ll catch the friendly Mali And her little brother hanging out.
Where to eat
The Eco hotel offers a big menu to pick from. They focus more on sea food and locally sourced fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. The reason why real eco hotels and restaurants focus on locally produced food is because the food does not have to travel so far. This is practiced in order to reduce greenhouse gass emision.
Something that impressed us is that you can order your meal any time(there’s literally no hurry in Africa) and the best part is that the chefs will serve your meal at the exact time you asked for it to be served. Psss… make sure you order your meal early so that if it’s a certain type of edible plant they have to find, they’ll find it earlier for you 😉 . If you like a good cocktail at the bar, Harrison is your guy at the bar.
Don’t miss their healthy selection of big breakfast by Che Shale. They set a table with different kinds of tea and coffee to kick-start your morning then someone from the kitchen with take your breakfast order.
What to do?
Kitesurfing is quite popular in Kilifi, Kenya and one of the major kitesurfing spots is Che Shale. This is an activity I really want to try while still here.
Dhow Trip – When you visit Che Shale, I highly recommend a dhow trip. Captain Bongo took us to a place I still believe in my head is a little secret island kept by the guys at Che Shale. Water was crystal clear and there was no signs of any other human besides us.
Why I loved Cheshale Eco hotel
Water preservation
Beautiful eco friendly design and building materials
Reusable glass bottles
Friendly Staff
Relaxed food timings
Dhow cruise experience
Big kids play area
Shower amenities not in single-use plastic
Encourages you to slow down and appreciate the little things in life.
What to keep in mind
I know I always recommend you leave your hotel area and eat one or two meals from the local restaurants but because Che shale hotel is far from the hustle and noise and we couldn’t see any local shops so this is something you will have to think about.
As usual, I really appreciate your thoughts. Feel free to leave a comment below. If we’re not yet connected, let’s get social via social links below.
Wow this is so interesting! I have never been to any place like this. I think I would struggle with the open Banda at first also. But otherwise this looks wonderful.
What a great way to get back into nature and to live somewhere simply. I love that the place also tries hard to be eco friendly with the conservation of water and products it uses.
Oh my gosh! I LOVE this so much! Kenya is such an incredibly beautiful place and to find an eco lodge – win win!
That was my thought. I think Kenya is the hub of lovely eco spaces that I‘m still uncovering slowly.
the hotel looks great! I really enjoy the photos, it looks so welcoming! It makes me think I do need a vacation somewhere warm
Thank you Lyosha. Thanks for visiting and reading.
This is such a beautiful place to relax. I miss the beach. I havent been to the beach for a long time since covid but now we are planning a big holiday. If all goes well, we will be visiting the other hotel you wrote about. I think it was Koba if I‘m not mistaken. Thanks for these recomendations.
I hope you will enjoy Kobe Wesley.
What a beautiful way to enjoy a slow paced and nature-filled trip. Looks amazing
Thank you for reading Renee.
Wow, this is a totally different but great experience. I would love to try this! I am so into eco-hotels!
You should try it for sure. I think you will love the whole experience.
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