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3-star hotels in Watamu
A shortlist of the 3-star hotels of Watamu, the village on Kenya's north coast in Kilifi County, ranked by guest score. It is for travellers who want the reef, the lagoon and the forest without leaving the village behind.
Staying in Watamu
Watamu sits on the north coast of Kenya, in Kilifi County, south of Malindi. The Watamu Marine National Park protects the reef and the lagoon, Mida Creek is a tidal inlet beside the village, Arabuko Sokoke Forest is next to it, and the Gede ruins, a medieval Swahili town, are nearby. Visitors come to be close to the marine park and the forest, and the village holds 114 places to stay.
The hotels on this shortlist stand on Watamu's own roads: Peponi Road, Jacaranda Road, Mida Creek Road, Turtle Bay Road, Watamu Beach Road, Kifaru Road and Kanani Road. Several names point to the water and the creek, and the guest scores favour the smaller houses as much as the larger resorts. Couples and short-break travellers fit the village houses and the beach resorts; families fit the resorts with the most reviews behind them.
The shortlist
Ranked by hotel class, then guest rating and number of reviews.
Boutique Hotel Nyumbani Tembo
Peponi Road
Why stay hereBoutique Hotel Nyumbani Tembo sits on Peponi Road and stands out among Watamu's 3-star options for its 4.8 guest rating from 97 reviews. Travellers who value a small-scale boutique address close to the Peponi side of the village are the natural fit here, and the strength of that rating across nearly a hundred stays suggests consistent, well-regarded hosting.
See Boutique Hotel Nyumbani TemboCrystal Bay Resort
Jacaranda Road
Why stay hereCrystal Bay Resort on Jacaranda Road has drawn 399 reviews and holds a 4.5 guest rating, one of the more established 3-star addresses in Watamu. With that many guests weighing in, it suits travellers who prefer a resort whose reputation has been tested again and again. Jacaranda Road also places it on the same stretch as several other large properties.
See Crystal Bay ResortOcean Sports Resort
1 Mida Creek Road
Why stay hereOcean Sports Resort occupies 1 Mida Creek Road, and its 867 reviews make it the most reviewed 3-star hotel in this Watamu shortlist, with a 4.4 guest rating. The Mida Creek setting suits guests who want the creek side of Watamu rather than the beachfront strip, and the sheer volume of feedback gives first-time visitors plenty to go on.
See Ocean Sports ResortJumbo Club Watamu
Kanani Road, Mombasa
Why stay hereJumbo Club Watamu on Kanani Road carries a 4.4 guest rating from 463 reviews. The Kanani Road position puts it slightly inland from the Watamu shoreline, which suits travellers who want a club-style 3-star base and don't mind being away from the beach road. Nearly five hundred reviews back up its standing.
See Jumbo Club WatamuJacaranda Beach Resort
Jacaranda Road
Why stay hereJacaranda Beach Resort on Jacaranda Road pairs a 4.3 guest rating with 420 reviews, a solid record for a 3-star property. It suits guests who want to stay on the Jacaranda Road corridor, where several of Watamu's resorts are clustered, and who prefer a beach resort with a long track record over a smaller guesthouse.
See Jacaranda Beach ResortAnjumasa Village
Kanani Road
Why stay hereAnjumasa Village on Kanani Road holds a perfect 5.0 guest rating, though from only 9 reviews. That tiny sample size means the score reflects a handful of very happy guests rather than a settled reputation. It best suits travellers willing to take a chance on a quiet Kanani Road address and judge it for themselves.
See Anjumasa VillageBlue Bay Village
Watamu
Why stay hereBlue Bay Village is a 3-star property in Watamu with a 4.0 guest rating drawn from 9 reviews. The modest number of reviews means little is settled about it either way, so it suits guests who are comfortable booking a village address with a short feedback history and forming their own view.
See Blue Bay VillageZawadi Residence
Peponi Road Watamu Kilifi County
Why stay hereZawadi Residence sits on Peponi Road in Watamu, Kilifi County, and is listed as a 3-star property. No guest rating or review count is recorded for it here, so there is no feedback to weigh. It suits travellers who already know the Peponi Road area and want a residence-style 3-star base without relying on ratings.
See Zawadi ResidenceMvuvi Lodge Watamu
Ocean Sport Road, Meru
Why stay hereMvuvi Lodge Watamu is a 3-star lodge on Ocean Sport Road in Meru. No guest rating or review total is recorded in the data, so the choice rests on its position near Ocean Sport Road rather than on guest feedback. It suits visitors who want a lodge rather than a full resort.
See Mvuvi Lodge WatamuQueen K Cottages At Chrystal Homes
Jacaranda Road, Mombasa
Why stay hereQueen K Cottages At Chrystal Homes is a 3-star property on Jacaranda Road in Mombasa. There is no guest rating or review count recorded for it, so nothing here reflects past guests' impressions. It suits travellers looking for cottage-style 3-star accommodation on the Jacaranda Road side.
See Queen K Cottages At Chrystal HomesWatamu Beach Cottages B&B
38 Turtle Bay Road
Why stay hereWatamu Beach Cottages B&B is a 3-star address at 38 Turtle Bay Road, which places it on the Turtle Bay side of Watamu. No guest rating or review count is recorded for it in the data. It suits guests who want a bed-and-breakfast cottage format rather than a large resort.
See Watamu Beach Cottages B&BLatannas House
Watamu Beach Road
Why stay hereLatannas House is a 3-star property on Watamu Beach Road, the road that runs along the village's beach frontage. No guest rating or review count is recorded for it, so no guest feedback can be cited. It suits travellers who want to be on the beach road itself and prefer a house over a resort.
See Latannas HouseWatamu Sunflower House
Kifaru Road
Why stay hereWatamu Sunflower House is a 3-star property on Kifaru Road. No guest rating and no review count are recorded for it here, so its appeal rests on the Kifaru Road location rather than on a documented guest record. It suits visitors who want a house-style 3-star base in Watamu.
See Watamu Sunflower HousePashmina House
Peponi Village Watamu
Why stay herePashmina House is a 3-star address in Peponi Village, Watamu. The data records no guest rating and no review count, so there is no feedback history to report. It suits travellers drawn to the Peponi Village area who want a house rather than a hotel or resort.
See Pashmina HouseNyumba Tulivu
Jacaranda Road
Why stay hereNyumba Tulivu is a 3-star property on Jacaranda Road. No guest rating or review count is recorded for it, so nothing can be said about how past guests rated it. It suits travellers who want a house-style stay on the Jacaranda Road corridor among Watamu's larger resorts.
See Nyumba Tulivu
How to choose
Top-rated picks
Anjumasa Village on Kanani Road holds a guest score of 5.0 from 9 reviews, the highest on this shortlist. Boutique Hotel Nyumbani Tembo on Peponi Road follows with 4.8 from 97 reviews, and Crystal Bay Resort on Jacaranda Road with 4.5 from 399 reviews.
Anjumasa Village · Boutique Hotel Nyumbani Tembo · Crystal Bay Resort
Most reviewed
Ocean Sports Resort on 1 Mida Creek Road carries 867 reviews and a guest score of 4.4. Jumbo Club Watamu on Kanani Road has 463 reviews at 4.4, and Jacaranda Beach Resort on Jacaranda Road has 420 reviews at 4.3. These are the best-known addresses here.
Ocean Sports Resort · Jumbo Club Watamu · Jacaranda Beach Resort
Small and quiet
Blue Bay Village, Zawadi Residence on Peponi Road Watamu Kilifi County and Latannas House on Watamu Beach Road are 3-star houses with no guest score or review count on record. They suit travellers who prefer a small address to a large resort.
On Jacaranda Road
Four of these hotels share Jacaranda Road: Crystal Bay Resort at 4.5 from 399 reviews, Jacaranda Beach Resort at 4.3 from 420 reviews, Queen K Cottages At Chrystal Homes and Nyumba Tulivu. Staying on this road keeps you among the village's larger cluster of 3-star stays.
Crystal Bay Resort · Jacaranda Beach Resort · Queen K Cottages At Chrystal Homes · Nyumba Tulivu
Where to stay in Watamu
Peponi Road
Peponi Road runs through the village and carries three of these hotels: Boutique Hotel Nyumbani Tembo, Zawadi Residence and Pashmina House in Peponi Village. The street gives you a village setting a short way from the marine park and the lagoon that visitors come to Watamu for, with Mida Creek and Arabuko Sokoke Forest also next to the village.
Our picks here: Boutique Hotel Nyumbani Tembo · Zawadi Residence
Jacaranda Road
Jacaranda Road is the busiest of these addresses, with Crystal Bay Resort, Jacaranda Beach Resort, Queen K Cottages At Chrystal Homes and Nyumba Tulivu on it. Watamu is a village on the north coast of Kenya, in Kilifi County, south of Malindi, and this road places you inside it, close to the reef and the lagoon protected by the Watamu Marine National Park.
Our picks here: Crystal Bay Resort · Jacaranda Beach Resort · Queen K Cottages At Chrystal Homes · Nyumba Tulivu
Kanani Road
Kanani Road holds Jumbo Club Watamu, with 463 reviews and a guest score of 4.4, and Anjumasa Village, the highest-scoring hotel on this shortlist at 5.0 from 9 reviews. The road is one of the village's own streets, in a place where the marine park, Mida Creek, Arabuko Sokoke Forest and the Gede ruins set the day's itinerary.
Our picks here: Jumbo Club Watamu · Anjumasa Village
Watamu Beach Road
Latannas House stands on Watamu Beach Road. Watamu is a village on the north coast of Kenya, in Kilifi County, south of Malindi, and a beach road address keeps you within the village that the Watamu Marine National Park's reef and lagoon, Mida Creek and Arabuko Sokoke Forest surround.
Our picks here: Latannas House
Plan your stay
Getting there and around
Watamu is reached by road from Nairobi. The straight-line distance is about 425 km southeast of Nairobi, and travel times vary. The village sits on the north coast of Kenya, in Kilifi County, south of Malindi. Stays in the centre are searched and booked through IMPT, the booking partner behind this site, and each hotel page is built from the booking supplier's record, with availability checked live for your dates rather than a rate quoted.
Things to do near Watamu
Questions, answered
Which of these hotels is closest to the centre of Watamu?
The addresses place several hotels on the village's own streets: Peponi Road, Jacaranda Road, Kanani Road, Watamu Beach Road, Kifaru Road, Turtle Bay Road and Mida Creek Road all lie in Watamu itself. Blue Bay Village is listed simply as Watamu.
Which is the top-rated 3-star hotel in Watamu on this shortlist?
Anjumasa Village on Kanani Road, with a guest score of 5.0 from 9 reviews. Boutique Hotel Nyumbani Tembo on Peponi Road is next at 4.8 from 97 reviews, then Crystal Bay Resort on Jacaranda Road at 4.5 from 399 reviews.
Which hotels here have the most reviews?
Ocean Sports Resort on 1 Mida Creek Road has 867 reviews at a guest score of 4.4. Jumbo Club Watamu on Kanani Road has 463 reviews at 4.4, and Jacaranda Beach Resort on Jacaranda Road has 420 reviews at 4.3.
Do these hotels have parking?
The booking supplier's record for these hotels lists no facilities, so parking is not confirmed in the data behind this shortlist. Check with the hotel directly before you book if you are driving, as Watamu is reached by road from Nairobi.
Do any of these hotels have a pool or a spa?
No facilities are listed for the 3-star hotels on this shortlist, so a pool or a spa is not confirmed here. The Watamu Marine National Park's reef and lagoon, Mida Creek and Arabuko Sokoke Forest are the village's main draws for time outdoors.
Which hotels suit families?
The resorts with the largest numbers of reviews are the safest bets: Ocean Sports Resort at 867 reviews and a 4.4 guest score, Jumbo Club Watamu at 463 reviews and 4.4, and Jacaranda Beach Resort at 420 reviews and 4.3. Crystal Bay Resort, with 399 reviews at 4.5, also fits.
Are pets allowed at these hotels?
Pets are not mentioned in the data for any of these 3-star hotels, so none of them can be confirmed as pet-friendly here. Contact the hotel on Peponi Road, Jacaranda Road or wherever you plan to stay to ask directly.
Which hotels are good for a short break?
Boutique Hotel Nyumbani Tembo on Peponi Road, at 4.8 from 97 reviews, and Crystal Bay Resort on Jacaranda Road, at 4.5 from 399 reviews, combine a high guest score with a village setting near the marine park, the lagoon, Mida Creek and Arabuko Sokoke Forest.