The last time I went to Diani Reef Beach Resort and Spa the weather was grey and gloomy. It rained every single day and I never really got to wear my palm hat, sip cocktails by the beach, flaunt my new swimwear, get the powdery sand between my toes and lazy around the resort as I wait for sunset. Luckily, Diani Reef is a self-contained Resort and not even bad weather stopped me then from enjoying a nice holiday. I wrote a post about the hotel and its facilities from a previous visit and here are more reasons why you shouldn’t miss a chance to visit Diani Reef on a sunny day.

Chic Accommodation

There are different types of suites and rooms to choose from. But the one blew me away with its luxurious features was the presidential suite. The beautiful part is that you don’t have to be a president to enjoy this rare VIP treat ?. It has a lounge, bar,conference room, dining area, a private beach facing balcony that can even host a cocktail party, a private chef, guest washrooms, two interconnected self contained rooms for your security detail,a walk-in closet, a master bathroom fitted with jacuzzi that gives a nice spa feel and lots of potted plants.
Check out this video on facebook I recorded showing the inside of the suite…

Inside the Presidential lounge(Dining area)

Another angle inside the presidential suite.

Bedroom of the Pres.suite.

Bathroom.

Bathroom+jacuzzi.

Balcony.

In addition to the two presidential suites, they have  pent houses, junior suites then standard and deluxe rooms in that order. The beauty in almost all these rooms is that they have a nice view of the beach.

The Junior suite where I spent my nights was one of the best rooms I have ever stayed in most hotels.

It had a sitting room furnished with these comfy couches, a table, a flat screen TV, and a fridge. On extreme end of the lounge was a dining table, fully supplied with a fruit basket and a plate of welcome dessert, the dining space opened up to the balcony. The suite was very chilled,classy and relaxing. Apart from monkeys, that disappear as soon as you open the sliding door, you are guaranteed to have an undisturbed you-time with the background sound of the whistling palms and ocean waves as they beat the floor of the beach rhythmically. The rest of the space has a queen size bed,a closet and a master bathroom with a Jacuzzi bath.

Inside the Junior suite.

Dining space to next to the balcony.

Bathroom.

Fins Seafood Grill

My all time favorite restaurant was Fins Seafood Grill. The Chef never ceased to amaze my taste buds… If you are a seafood lover,do not say I did not tell you. What could probably be better than a beach front restaurant,hot tasty food and a variety of cocktails and mocktails only unique to Diani Reef?

The chef with the magical hands.

Eating nice food was one thing…but getting an invite to a quick cooking class at this award winning resort was something else! In fact it was one of the highlights of my mini vacay. Under the able guidance of executive chef Daniel Deche, I cooked freshly caught Octopus in coconut milk. (You can now call me chef Bonita 🙂 )
Check our cooking  video out…

I introduce you Chef B and Executive Chef Ndeche.

Lobster,jumbo prawns,crab,octopus, red snapper and coconut dishes are some of the dishes to enjoy at Fins. I wrote about another of Diani Reef’s restaurant here.

Marinated Jumbo prawns served with saffron vegetable rice.

Citrus salad.

Diani octopus in coconut sauce.

Parsley and garlic marinated lobster served with vegetable salad and hollandaise sauce.

Pan seared king fish fillet served with mashed potatoes and herbs,lemon and cream sauce.

Grilled pork chops.

Garlic bread.

Entertainment

I must say the in-house animation team called The Zuri Team can bring the house down with their powerful performances. They have curated some of the best choreographed moves to popular beats across the globe and have magically fused an afro touch with each of their performances.

Entertainment with Zuri team.

They have a beat and moves for everyone. What I loved best about their performances was how after an electrifying performance, they involved the already musically charged audience to shake a leg on the dance floor.

Maya Spa…

If you want a taste of Asia on the African soil in the form of relaxation and rejuvenation,then Maya spa is where you need to be. The spa is surrounded by the humongous no kids swimming pool on the left and a lagoon on the right. It is easy to assume that it is a floating spa. The extended dock at the exit of the relaxation room has sun beds overlooking the beach. Maya Spa houses a salon,a nail bar,massage parlous, steam and saunas,Jacuzzi and a relaxation room.

Jacuzzi in the spa.

Salon and nail bar.

Sauna.

Cold water dip, for use after sauna.

Relaxation room.

Beach facing relaxation room.

I highly recommend a spa date whenever you visit. You may not come out as new person but for sure you will be completely relaxed.

Coco Jumbo club..

Can you imagine going on holiday, then having a dedicated team take care of you babies as you enjoy? Coco Jumbo club will not only look after you kids, but also engage them in different activities like swimming,dancing and memory games. For older kids, the club has pool tables, foosball set and badminton. The vibrant colours,space and toys is guaranteed to keep all the kids busy. Depending on the ages and number of kids, the chef can organize their own meals and serve then buffet style, or they can still enjoy meals with their parents.

Zuri team engaging kids in a memory game.

Play area.

Foosball

Beds inside coco jumbo club.

Pool

Badminton.

Right at the corner of the kids club, is an in-house Cinema theater with a capacity of twenty two. They screen some of the latest movies. See why I say it is practically impossible to just be bored at this resort?

Cinema hall.

Swimming pools

During the hot season, nothing beats a cool dip, a cooler drink and deep siesta by the pool. the shoulder length deep pool is darling to many holiday makers. Zuri team have these curated water games for an hour or two depending on their program. During my stay, they did lots of aerobics and water polo.

Early morning view of the swimming pool.

Relaxing, yes?

On the far end of the hotel,There is yet another swimming pool surrounding Maya Spa. The pool is mainly for adults who want to have a quiet time. it is much bigger and they don’t allow kids in this pool.

Gift Shop

You’ve packed for your week long vacation and everything is going on perfectly. Just as you are about to have a time of your life, you find out you forgot your beach bag containing sandals, sunscreen and swimwear…. or worse still, you are done with your vacation and would like to carry some souvenirs home…what do you do that case?Relax.The boutique at Diani Reef has you covered. It has all the small things that we tend to forget while packing for holiday and gifts for family and friends.

Inside the gift shop.

Gifts…

Sundresses

Senegalese baskets.

The perfect place for a destination/beach wedding

I love beach weddings. If anything,I would like to have a beach wedding. The simplicity, the breeze, the sand and the cool vibes make it so simple,lovely and practical. It is amazing how Diani Reef can put together a jaw dropping decor for someone’s  special day…If you are planning a beach wedding, then perhaps this is what you’ve been looking for.

Wedding set up.

Dinner reception…

A private beach

When I say private beach I mean, a fully secured beach no outsiders,residents only. So safe was the beach that I left my camera on the sun bed for like two hours, and when I came back, it was just chilling over there enjoying the breeze.  The resort’s beach stretches a whole 380m long! Everything about the beach is so chilled and picturesque. You can have you drinks served from the beach.

Nothing beats this view.

Life’s a beach.

Vitamin Sea.

Cocktails and sea breeze.

Like they say,’you can shake the sun from your feet but it will never leave your soul.