The Sands Kenya

Chale Island Resort

Chale Island Resort is a private island off Kenya's south coast, for couples who want an overwater suite without leaving Africa. It is about 30 minutes from Ukunda's airstrip and then across to the island, with 60 rooms, three pools, and a dining lineup running from a sushi bar to a beach barbecue. The rooms are the story: one overwater suite, described as Kenya's first, and one Suite on the Rock on its own islet across a stone bridge. Guests praise the private-island atmosphere, the staff, the beach and the snorkelling, the distinctive rooms, and the quiet. The complaints are all-inclusive rates that are restricted to select beverages, transfers and island access that need planning, no kids' club infrastructure, and tides and reef that change the beach around the island. The thing people wish they had known is that all-inclusive is available only on some rate plans, so the rate you book has to be checked. Where a rate carries all-inclusive, it covers the buffet meals, the snacks and selected beverages, with Wi-Fi included; the a la carte and special dinners may sit outside it, and the spa, the diving, the boat trips, the safaris and the airport shuttle are extra, with premium labels no part of the deal. Confirm those restrictions in writing, and ask about tide timing, which decides both the swimming and the crossing. The 65-square-metre Ocean View Banda is the value, while the Overwater Suite and the Suite on the Rock are single units that go early. Families wanting a kids' club should stay on the mainland at Diani.