Smoking-friendly vacation rentals in Manda Island

i went to Shela to have some quiet days after a few crazy weeks and Abdillah's place was the perfect spot. i spent countless hours on the balcony reading with a breathtaking view. for my budget I don't think I could have found a better place. the appartment is extremely well situated in the village, few meters away from any restaurants, docks and beach. their is no hot water in the shower but it didn't bother me at all as it is so warm. i would recommend this place to anyone who wants to visit Lamu and looking for something simple and confortable. Abdillah was the perfect host, he was very kind and caring. He arranged my transfer from the airport and walked me around the village to show me grocery stores, restaurants, shop and activities.

FANTASTIC! Ivor is an amazing and responsive host. He organized our transport from Manda Airport for a very cheap price. This location couldn't be better. Top-level professionalism when I needed *anything at all*. And because he owns so many places he is extremely flexible with catering to your schedule/shifting desires. Also, I want to give a shout-out to Sulaymān, who went above and beyond to make sure we enjoyed our stay. I'm sticking with Ivor's properties for my travels on the coast.

Great place and great host. Ivor is very helpful and always responsive. We were traveling as a group of friends and he was communicating mainly with my friend, everything went very well. The place is amazing, peaceful pool in a beautiful garden, plenty of places to chill and hangout in the house. The house is walking distance from Lamu town and Shela, and it is in front of the sea. You can even see the sunrise from the terrace. Staff was helpful and nice. Only note, mattress in the bedrooms can use a renovation, they were not very comfortable. We will surely come back. Thank you Ivor.

We booked it with a very short notice maybe 2 hours prior to the check in time. Still was the host very helpful and quick to organise everything for us. We had a great experience and enjoyed the location. It was very central and this gave us a great exponents of lamu! Will gladly come back!

I loved my stay! Suleiman was particularly great. The room did leak during some very heavy rain, but the hotel staff were able to move me straight away. Beautiful place and people.

It really wonderful experience. place is beautiful, clean and easy to accece. Checked-in was very smooth. Ladies came to the beach to pick us also carried all the laggages. I'll come back the place and reccomend to stay.

Nice apartment in the middle of town, easy to access and with a nice chilling area outside in the balcony. Only disadvantage of being in town is the noise at any hour. Nevertheless, highly recommended.

Authentic Swahili Town House on three floors. Lovely roof terrace. Amazing housekeeper Elizabeth who is very helpful and on hand.

Wow Wow Wow, what an amazing place. If you are looking for absolute peace and tranquility then Shanti House in Lamu is the place to go. Amazing setting right on the beach with breathtaking sunset, great beach walks, etc. The staff where great and Steven the house assistant was there to help with anything when needed. Although there is great restaurants around, no need to go out and look for restaurants as the chef Katana was amazing and his food was spectacular. I highly recommend Shanti House for anyone looking for an amazing beach holiday experience.

Amazing location. The service provided by the staff in the house was impeccable. We will certainly come back. Everyone loved the stay. Worth noting though that it is five stories and the rooms are all split between the different floors so lots of walking in stairs.

We had a great stay! The location of the house is excellent, and Millicent was incredibly helpful throughout our visit. George and the staff at the house were warm, welcoming, and cooked delicious meals. Overall, a great experience!

Mtende house is beautifully charming, each detail seemingly handpicked with thought and attention to detail. From the characterful doors, windows, lighting fixtures and furnishings, to the elevated ceilings in the bedrooms to the breezy dining and sitting area at the top of the 3 storey house, everything about the house makes you feel at home and simultaneously on vacation. The staff were wonderful. Patrick is a terrific cook and assisted by George, everything went perfectly smoothly regarding every aspect of our stay. If you are lucky enough to visit Shela, make Mtende House your home away from home … you won‘t regret it. Thank you Jax for being an amazing host and sharing your special home with us.

Spectacular. I don’t think any words can justify our incredible stay at Forodhani House but I’ll try. The house itself is jaw-dropping. Charming Swahili architectural elements with an open floor plan that maximizes the 180 degree sea view. The bedrooms are generous to say the least, with well designed en-suite bathrooms that rival 5-star hotels. Yes. You will be wowed by how it looks. But the best part of the house is how it feels. The way it’s designed, the cross breeze flows beautifully through the entire property. And still, somehow the house isn’t the best part of our stay. The best part is the house staff. Without too much fuss or fanfare, the staff preemptively cared for our every need. They remembered how we liked our tea and how we liked the lights to be at dinner. 5-star service from beginning to end. Then there was the food. every meal prepare by the in-house chef Cylus left us speechless. We didn’t eat dinner anywhere else. Core memory stuff.

We had a lovely stay, beautiful house close to Shela beach. Raphael and all the staff were great. We loved the pool for cooling down. Lots of low ledges and high drops so be very careful with little ones

We really enjoyed our stay at Tunusuru House. It is just off the beach front in the centre of Shela, meaning everything is within easy walking distance. Chef Robert and his team cooked exceptional food - some of the best fish that we have ever eaten. The rooftop is a particular highlight - stunning views out onto Manda Island and a very welcome breeze. The house were able to organise numerous excursions and all of our water taxis and were incredibly responsive. If I was being picky, although traditionally designed, the house was a little sparse on furnishings (e.g. there could be some bedside tables), but overall this didn’t detract from the enjoyment of our stay. I’d thoroughly recommend Tunusuru House!