Elewana AfroChic Diani Beach

Each room at Elewana AfroChic Diani Beach is individually designed in a traditional African style. There are three ocean view rooms and one garden view room. All have warm, cream, red and orange tones with soft lighting and large, comfortable beds romantically swathed in mosquito netting. Ensuite bathrooms include a bath or shower, and all rooms come with air conditioning, so guests can escape from the heat and sleep in comfort. Get ready for dinner with tunes of your choice, from the I-Pod sound docks, and relax and take in the breathtaking views of the endless horizon and sparkling Indian Ocean, or luscious garden with a tea or coffee from the in-room tea and coffee making facilities.

Continuing the individual, traditional African design, the junior suite at AfroChic Diani Beach centres around a large wooden postered bed, with crisp pure cotton linen and authentically designed scatter cushions. With dark wooden features and cream walls, this room feels authentic and cosy. With two wicker armchairs, guests can wind down and enjoy a drink from the mini-bar or a tea and coffee from the in-room tea and coffee making station.

The executive suite at Elewana AfroChic Diani Lodge places guests in the heart of deluxe African interiors. A large, snug bed – infront of authentically designed room dividers – is generously draped with mosquito netting and scattered with zebra print cushions. Similarly to the other rooms, warm tones envelop the room, creating an atmosphere of comfort and homeliness, with the added touch of luxury. Wake up with a refreshing shower or de-stress and relax at the end of the day in your jacuzzi bath. This room offers mesmerising views of the Indian Ocean and the endless blue horizon which guests can enjoy with a drink in hand from the tea and coffee making station or mini bar.

Every dining option at Elewana AfroChic Diani Beach ensures privacy and intimacy. Guests can have a long relaxing lunch or dinner poolside or beachside. This al fresco dining experience places guests in the heart of the Diani beach life, hearing the gentle lapping of waves and smelling the fresh beach air is a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience. Guests can enjoy a candlelit intimate dinner on the restaurant terrace, enjoying freshly prepared, delicious food whilst taking in the luscious garden view.

Guests can explore the ocean on a scuba diving excursion. Through the Diani Marine 5-Star PADI Drive Centre, guests can learn how to scuba dive in the training pool and then go out and dive in the ocean. Guests may not only just be exploring the waters, but may find a new hobby. For a slightly less intense – but no less fun – activity, guests can go on a snorkelling excursion. Explore the Kistie-Mpunguti Marine Park, reputedly the most beautiful marine park after the Great Barrier Reef. Clear, warm waters are home to dolphins, turtles, sting rays and sensational coral formations. Limited numbers are taken out by PADI diving instructors to offer a personalised experience.

Explore the life of the reef at low tide with a ‘beach boy’ or a local fisherman for an opportunity to learn about starfish, corals, seas spiders and sea urchins. Various different water sport activities are available from Elewana AfroChic Diani Beach including stand up paddle-boards, wind surfing, body boards and kayaks. Paddling on the glistening Indian Ocean is an experience like no other.

The Mombasa Island tour allows guests to see the historical port town of Mombasa. Built on a coral island, the town is built in a merge of ancient and modern styles with a cosmopolitan population bringing a buzz of culture. Quaint shops in the old town sell a variety of crafts and curios. A visit to the Kamba carvers village is also available, where guests can watch carvers at work and then have the opportunity to purchase the finished product.

Shimba Hills National Reserve is the nearest national park to Elewana AfroChic Diani Beach. Set inland, the luscious hills offer unspoilt nature and cooling, fresh breezes and a paradise for nature. The mixture of soft meadows and dense forest is home to elephant, elusive leopard and the rare Sable antelope. Breathtaking views over the vast Indian Ocean and on clear days, the towering Mount Kilimanjaro.

Guests can visit the elephant sanctuary for a close-up look at calf and bull elephants. Their elephant families visit during the mating seasons or they end up crossing the area as they travel to find food and water. A rare sight to see in the Mwaluganje elephant sanctuary is the gathered elephants during the rainy seasons, usually around 200 females and calves.

For a more relaxing afternoon spent at AfroChic Diani Beach, guests can treat themselves to a manicure, pedicure or a specialised massage by a highly trained member of staff. Relax tension, alleviate acute and chronic pain and improve your sense of wellbeing, so you can leave both physically and mentally enhanced by your stay. An 18-hole golf course is located close to AfroChic, surrounded by tropical, lush vegetation and species of monkey and bird, it is guaranteed to be an exciting game.

All properties owned by Elewana Collection are actively trying to minimise their environmental impact by employing state-of-the-art power systems. They use both solar and power-storage technology to make sure their emissions and fuel use are minimal. One of their main eco initiatives is their reduction of single use plastic and plastic waste. At arrival at an Elewana property guests receive a reusable aluminium bottle that can be filled from filling points within the property.

This eliminates plastic water bottles being used, and when this initiative was implemented in six Elewana camps in Kenya it prevented over 160,000 single use plastic bottles from ending up in landfill a year. Guests of Elewana properties are encouraged to “go to war with the straw.” Elewana Collection are members of The Global Sustainable Tourism Council, which establishes global sustainable standards and aims to “increase sustainable tourism knowledge and practices among public and private stakeholders.”

Food and supplies are sourced locally wherever possible at Elewana properties, helping to ensure that the surrounding communities feel the benefits of tourism. Conservation efforts are promoted with the communities which they work with as well as staff and guests. In most Elewana properties, 50-75% of the staff are employed from local communities. With each staff member supporting around 8 dependents, a lot more people in the community benefit from this employment, and families which may have previously been reliant on livestock for their living can now enjoy a steady income.

Elewana is part of the Land and Life foundation which is a charity committed to help support the local communities and preserve wildlife and their habitats in and around the areas of Elewana’s properties. Elewana covers 100% of their operational costs which means all donation can go towards these projects. The Foundation focuses on four projects to help achieve its goals: the Wildlife Warrior Program, medical and education support, and nature conservation.

Healthcare in some of these communities can be lacking, due to poor education, lack of supplies, lack of facilities, and stretched workforces. Through donations, Elewana and the Land and Life Foundation have “provided free healthcare to over 1,285 patients, as well as trained clinicians from 5 clinics across Kenya, serving nearly 40,000 people.”

The Land and Life Foundation support the Aitong Health Clinic in the Maasai Mara for 8 years through providing medical supplies and holding free clinics, and in 2018 they partnered with Ewaso Dispensary in Laikipia. So far, 4,520 patients have been treated free of charge and donated vast sums of medical treatments/equipment including syringes and needles, oxygen pumps, antibiotics, hormonal contraceptives and pregnancy tests and blood pressure machines and cuffs.

Elewana understands that the land on which their properties lie, and the nature within it, needs to be protected. There are programmes designed to negate these hostilities by protecting farming lands and providing safe deterrents to ward away elephants crossing into farming land, without harming them before they damage crops. In Kenya, as well as Tanzania, Elewana supports “Parks Beyond Parks”, which is conservation efforts in areas that lie outside the national parks.

Elewana AfroChic Diani Beach supports the local Diani Turtle Watch, guests are encouraged to support this program as a whole section of beach in front of AfroChic “provides the ideal egg-laying conditions for Sea Turtles”, and AfroChic monitors, collects data and provides security to the turtles on the beach.

Education initiatives, such as the Wildlife Warrior Program, are in place to educate the new generation about the importance of the conservation and protection of these diverse landscapes. With the help of donations, by 2018, 40 children have been granted scholarships for the remainder of their schooling. The  Land and Life Foundation supports a number of school in key conservation areas across Tanzania and Kenya as they understand the need of ensuring that local communities can actively benefit from tourism.