Hotel Merry Crab Beach Safari Lodge (Watamu, Kenya)

Merry Crab Cove is unique, not only because it's off the beaten track but because it also enjoys the enviable position of being in a secluded bay within the reef, where the creek merges with Indian Ocean. For those after the 'bright lights', besides the star-studded sky, the only bright lights you'll see are the lights of the deep-water yachts across the bay. It's a beautiful romantic spot, a nature lovers paradise with monkeys, bird-life and water-sports. A private marina serves as ideal mooring for the resort's own boat, always at the ready to take guests the 5 minutes across the bay or on a snorkeling excursions out to the reef where manta rays, turtles and dolphins are often sighted. A cruise into the creek in the late afternoons usually rewards guests with thousands of flamingos feeding on the sandbanks and a spectacular sunset. Spacious, airy bedrooms offer sea views, extra long king beds draped with mosquito nets, private bathrooms (showers), basins, flush toilets and hand bidets, beach towels, rustic Swahili weave couches, a tea and coffee making facility, mini-bar fridges, fans and hair-dryers. A palm grove, hammocks, sun beds and a cool salt-water pool adjacent to a private beach area are only steps away. Inviting clear, warm coral waters lap the secluded beach. Enjoy a cocktail at the Beach Bar and Water's Edge Cafe while waiting for delicious, freshly prepared vegetarian cuisine or barbecued seafood.