Beach Palazzo

A Seafront Palace on Jacaranda Beach

Dominating a long private stretch of secluded East African sand, this opulent residence wows for its staggering size alone. The estate’s multi-storied wings sleep 18 cradled in luxurious Italianate-Swahili styling, with a seductive swimming pool that stretches 40 meters across its colonnaded central esplanade.

Stair-stepping generously over a seafront green along a breathtaking stretch of palm-fringed private beach, this modern palace drives home the adage "size matters" and shows that bigger really can be better. The prodigious property manages to combine its dazzling generosity of space with a lower key atmosphere of beachfront breeziness. 

Newly built, its vivid interior is accented by a blend of Swahili antiques, contemporary photography, gauzy textiles, and Oriental rugs. European décor merges with locally-sourced architectural features like carved “niru” plasterwork, and the property’s vast poolscape fills its heart, overlooking the turquoise sea. Outdoor living options are abundant in dozens of arched porticos and covered pergolas, cushioned patio furnishings and on multiple roof decks, plus numerous shade structures with sun loungers line the beach in front of the property, each lavish space inviting you to kick back in the ocean breeze.

An on-site team, including a manager, chef, waiter, housekeeper and gardener, looks after guests at the property. They are available to plan and cook meals as needed. They can also shop for food and drink, charged at cost with only a nominal charge for transportation.

AROUND

This seafront villa occupies Jacaranda Beach, an undeveloped area that extends for some five miles to the south of the property, and there are a handful of quiet beach taverns and restaurants beyond the property line. The private waterfront stretches between Malindi and Watamu, about 130 kilometers south of the popular city of Lamu. Kenya’s second-largest coastal town after Mombasa, Malindi offers a sleepier, laid-back beach resort vibe and is home to the country’s oldest marine park encompassing over 200 square kilometers of protected ocean and coastline. The park is home to organ-pipe coral, green sea turtles and lush beds of Thalassia seagrass. Watamu’s Marine National Park and Reserve covers three bays of sandy beaches and coral gardens, home to green and hawksbill turtles and seabirds. 

Snorkeling, surfing, boating and PADI diving are favorite watersports in Malindi, and the town is famed for its deep sea and big game fishing for marlin, tuna, shark, and sailfish. Guided fishing trips are available at the local Malindi Sea Fishing Club. History buffs will be fascinated by the Gedi Ruins south of Malindi, the remains of a Swahili Arab town dating from the 12th century, made prosperous by its trade routes with India, China and Europe and mysteriously abandoned in the 17th century. 

Today home to a flourishing community of Italian expats, Malindi’s Old Town combines European delicatessens and osterias with traditional shops offering Swahili antiques and East African furniture and art. North of town, a series of gorges known as “Hell’s Kitchen” gives visitors a taste of Kenya’s “Grand Canyon,” and naturalists will also be drawn to the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Reserve, East Africa’s largest remaining indigenous coastal forest that is habitat for elephants, monkeys, and rare birdlife.

LOCATION

Jacaranda Beach, Malindi, Kenya. Nearest airport: Malindi (30 minutes)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Year round