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With swaying palms and soft, white sand caressed by glittering, turquoise water, Diani Beach has many of the ingredients of the perfect tropical holiday destination. It is deservedly popular, and as one of Kenya’s premier Indian Ocean resorts, it has a large and still-growing assortment of hotels and restaurants, some of them extremely luxurious by local and often international standards. Thanks to warm seas and beautiful coral reefs it is also one of the best places to get close to the richly diverse marine life of the southern Kenyan coast, by snorkelling, scuba-diving or joining a boat safari.

Who goes there?

The resort hotels strung out along this 8km (5-mile) stretch of coast are primarily aimed at package holidaymakers, who often combine their visit with an inland game park safari. Prices range from moderate to high, with very few options for budget travellers. It is perhaps no surprise that the European visitors who take holidays here tend to be well heeled.

Where in the world?

Diani Beach lies on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, 35km (22 miles) south of the nearest city, Mombasa, which is in turn 487km (303 miles) southwest of the capital, Nairobi. Its location along a stunning white sand beach, which skirts the shore for an impressive 25km (16 miles) has cemented its position as one of Kenya’s premier resorts.

When to go?

The best months to visit Diani Beach are January to March when the chance of rain is low. Temperatures are fairly consistent fluctuating between 27-31°C (81-88°F) during the day and rarely dipping below 22°C (72°F) at night. April to June are the wettest months with frequent and often heavy rainfall.

Beach

The beach is the area’s major attraction – long, soft, white and lovely, it comes close to the tropical ideal. The offshore reef offers rewarding snorkelling; it also keeps waves at bay, making paddling and swimming close to shore a pleasure, and providing perfect conditions for windsurfing lessons. The only drawbacks are the seaweed that gets washed up from time to time, the tides which, at their highest, cover much of the sand, and the hustlers (known locally as beach boys) who can be hard to shake off.

Beyond the beach

The romantically inclined can cruise the shoreline in a dhow (traditional boat): a favourite destination is Kisite Marine National Park near the Tanzanian border, which offers outstanding snorkelling. Elsewhere in the underwater landscape, there are rewarding wrecks for scuba-divers to explore; you’re likely to see turtles, mantas and barracuda among many other marine species. Whale sharks patrol the coastline between January and March. To spot one, or even snorkel beside one, you can join a half-day whale shark safari organised by the East African Whale Shark Trust , a locally based conservation organisation. To learn about local village culture, take a guided walk with the Kaya Kinondo Ecotourism Project.

Family fun

Diani Beach has plenty of relaxed, family-friendly resort hotels that go out of their way to keep children amused with special menus, sports, games and other activities. The beach is safe for swimming but kids who want to snorkel will have to be strong swimmers to reach the reef – it is better to take a boat or canoe. The Colobus Trust (Diani Beach Road), set up to protect Diani’s endangered black-and-white colobus, is great for monkey spotting.

Retail therapy

Diani Beach’s resort hotels have shops where you’ll find souvenir T-shirts and local crafts such as soapstone sculptures, shell and bead necklaces and sisal baskets. Beach sellers also offer souvenirs, including wooden animals, brightly coloured kangas (sarongs printed with Swahili proverbs), kikois (stripy cotton wraps) and shukas (red Maasai-style blankets).

A night on the town

The after-dark entertainment scene in Diani Beach is thoroughly tourist-oriented, centred on the resort hotels: most of these have nightly music and dance shows featuring local talent, followed by discos ranging from the glitzy to the downright cheesy. The place to go for a more local scene is the inland village of Ukunda, which has a few rough-edged late-opening bars, you’ll also find the Shakatak (Diania Beach nightclub here.

Eating out

Although many tourists see no reason to venture beyond the restaurants of their resort hotels, Diani Beach’s shopping centres and coastal strip offer a good selection of alternatives with broad international appeal, including pizzerias, curry houses and places offering English, Chinese and even Seychellois cuisine. To enjoy a good local meal pop into The African Pot -Coral Beach Cottages. For sheer romance the new seafood reastaurant a the Shaanti Holistic Health Retreat , Buddha on the Beach is hard to beat.

Getting around

Most locals travel by bus or matatu (shared minibus), which are often extremely crowded. They run along the main coast road from the Likoni ferry, just south of Mombasa, towards the Tanzanian border, passing through Diani Beach. Hotel staff can book local taxis and airport transfers for their guests; you can also find taxis near Diani’s main Ukunda junction. Diani has a couple of offices that hire cars and motorbikes.

Exploring further afield

Many visitors to Diani build a safari into their stay. With a few days to spare you could head inland to Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks, which together form one of the largest game-viewing areas in the world. Far less crowded than Kenya’s more popular parks, they are home to lions, hippos, elephants, zebras and a great many species of antelope and gazelle. Alternatively, to experience another side of coastal life, travel north through Mombasa to the beaches and marine parks of Malindi and Watamu, great for snorkelling and diving, or immerse yourself in Swahili culture on the island of Lamu.

Okay, so my bedroom is “beach/Hawaii” themed we r moving in2 a new house and I want to go more elaborate with my interior desgining (yes I am young if ur wondering I am 13 years old) In my old room I had a bed comforter that is Hawaiian flower printed and I have that Hawaiin skirt thing around the edge of my bed. I also have this fake sandcastle decortated with real sand , I bought this in Maine when I was there with my friend and her family in the summer, and I have real seashells I used 2 set out. What else can I do to go more elaborate with this theme, I also have decrotive pillows tht r bright warm colors and I have these bamboo curtains 4 my windows. what else can I do to go more elaborate with the theme what other decrotations can I use in my bedroom. Can u give my links to websites tht wouldd have anything? thanks.
Please give me links.

I really appreciate all answers so thakyou for your ideas.

Beach skirts should go well with a woman’s swim wear. They should look good when you play volleyball. Beach skirts should be easy to match you swim wear since they come in a variety of prints and colors. They are usually very loose and very comfortable. The fabric should be very soft. A woman will find that most beach skirts have a slit to help make them comfortable.

The style that most beach skirts come in is the wrap style. A woman will find that the wrap skirts come in two size: long wrap skirts and short wrap skirts. When a woman goes on a tropical vacation, she should wear soft cotton skirts. The best selling beach skirts have an elastic waist and short fit.

These are some of the beach skirts that a woman has to choose from.

One of the beach skirts that a woman could buy is the junior’s Antille Skirt. It comes form the company called Billabong. It is made of cotton. These beach skirts have elastic paneled voile constructions. There is bead detailing these beach skirts. The length of the out seam is 25 inches.

A woman could buy beach skirts called Woman’s Duway Skirt. They come from the company called Patagonia. You could possibly wear these beach skirts for active, tropical travel. They wear about 4.8 ounces and should be soft and low maintenance. They are made of polyester and have a been treated with a DWR finish. A woman will find that they are cut low to ride on woman’s hips. If the woman feels modest, she can use the built-in shorts to cover up even more. There is a zip pocket on the left size. No mater what your size is, you should find that these beach skirts are roomy enough for a lot of motion and comfort.

Beach mini skirts are shortened versions of skirts, tubular garments that women wear around the waist. These mini skirts could be worn as a solo garment or as a garment that covers the bottom bikini. Beach mini skirts could come in peculiar shapes and eye-catching colors.

These are for women who like to be stylish and fashionable.

Beach mini skirts come in a variety of patterns, colors and styles. They could be like batik skirts. They could be like embroidered skirts. They could be like ruffled mini skirts or Hawaiian printed mini skirts. They could be skirts with tie strings that are usually worn by young girls. Young girls find these beach mini skirts cool. Some women wear beach mini skirts since they are shy about wearing a revealing bikini.

Beach mini skirts are made in many fabrics. These fabrics are usually fabrics that are soft and cozy to make the women feel comfortable. Some fabrics that are used for beach mini skirts are cotton, lycra, rayon, silk and nylon.

These are some beach mini skirts that women could wear.

One of the beach mini skirts that a woman could wear is called the Charlotte Solnicki Gauze Beach Mini Skirt in Navy. These beach mini skirts are made of cotton and should be hand-washed in cold water. They are about 12 inches in length. They come in the sizes XS, S, M, L and XL.

One of the beach mini skirts that a woman could wear is the beach skirt bikini bottom. They are low-rise mini skirts with short ruffled hems. They could come in the color resort pink.

These beach mini skirts are reversible. They are called the Reversible Mini Skirt. They have double snaps and Velcro flies. They have prints on both sides. The prints could be split leaves that are beige or solid blue or solid red or the sky.