바나나 하우스 웰니스 센터(Banana House and Wellness Centre)

We just popped in for breakfast as we are staying somewhere else. It was delicious. Wonderful fruit, coffee, omelette, pancakes, homemade delicious bread and mango jam, homemade yogurt. Everything super fresh and homemade with healthy ingredients. And wonderful Daniel served us. Thank you!

Fantastic hotel in a fabulous place. Sue, Anna & I spent 5 nights here. Rooms were great, hospitality was even better. Food was delicious. Yoga & massage were first class Sue & I stayed in Room 9. Oliver was our expert host. Great guy. Well done, Jamil & entire team

We first stayed at Banana House in October 2020 and fell in love with the property and Lamu island itself. We dreamed of coming back and finally returned in February 2024. Back then, the only downside was the food. Today, though, we were pleasantly surprised to find the menu has been revamped and the taste and quality of the meals remarkably better. There’s a lot of fresh seafood, as well as tasty vegetarian options. Dinners we had in our room every night, while we enjoyed amazing lunches at Peponi Hotel just for a change of scenery. Furthermore, I credit Banana House for getting me started on my yoga journey after our first visit. It was great to see Kelly and Fred still leading classes. Joy is also a great instructor for building strength. You don’t have to be an advanced yoga practitioner by any means. This is the perfect place for first-timers to give yoga a try. For the best experience, you must book one of the suites, which have lots of space and gorgeous views. The open-air design allows for the breeze to pass through, acting as natural air conditioning. Both visits we have hardly encountered any mosquitos or biting insects, but there is a net over the bed just in case. For both trips, we stayed four nights. Lamu is a place where you can do as much or as little as you’d like. We’re inclined to return for at least a week next time. My only suggestion for Banana House is perhaps they could organize a “happy hour” for their guests or anything to help facilitate a little more socialization. They have a nice courtyard space that’s perfect for it.

This really felt like the most beautiful place. Super friendly and fantastic staff. Delicious food. Felt like staying in your own home. Lovely places to chill, hang out with swaying day beds on each floor and by the pool. Highly recommended. A place to treasure and go back to time and again

Banana House is one of those places that, when you return from your vacation, you realize that they stayed within you. Because a trip is measured in friends, and not in miles, choosing this place was a great success for us. The customer service could not be more exquisite. Not to mention how they cook... wonderful. I quickly realized that there are no journeys that take us far unless the same distance is traveled in our internal world as in the external world.

the room (we were in the Sweet Penthouse), the staff - all were lovely. Breakfast served to our room was a delight. banana house is in Shella and it is easy to get to Lamu town from here. You can do as much or as little as you want... The bed was high and not always easy for me.

Standards remain high and the team is as brilliant as ever. Kaingu the excellent chef is especially at the top of his game at the moment - recommend coconut crisps for a biting, the ceviche (it’s huge - a main not an appetiser), pumpkin and spinach curry. We’re in the Wellness Penthouse which is really very special indeed. Prices in KES seem a bit higher than before but relative to the USD it’s about what it always was. There’s some construction going on next door but doesn’t much effect the tranquility. Bravo Team Banana.

This is a sweet boutique hotel in Shela. It’s a 5 minute walk from the beach but don’t expect sea views unless you’re on a higher floor. The staff were all super lovely and helpful, and they went out of their way to cater for our one-year-old. They picked us up from the airport by boat to take us across to Shela, and Nawas, the guy in charge of boat activities is really helpful and we did some very worthwhile boat trips – the sunset dhow cruise and a Lamu tour – both a MUST while visiting the area. The decor is sweet and charming and the pool area is lovely. There is a shallow part which our baby loved splashing around in. It’s excellent value for money and the food is very nice – the Swahilli dinner is definitely worth signing up for. I would say this property is for people who can manage the night without air-conditioning and who are into yoga and would like to meet other travelers (the communal set up for the Swahili dinner is ideal for this). For a couple with a young baby, although I can totally see the appeal of the place for some, it was hard for us because our room was on the ground floor so it was super hot at night and there is no breeze coming through the property as it’s away from the sea. We felt that given we had come all the way to the coast, we should have looked into having a sea view. If you do stay here I’d recommend trying to go for a room which is higher up as you’re more likely to get a breeze and sea views.

Dear Banana and Monika and ofcourse all of the staff of banana house. We had an amazing two weeks with our two year old and mother(in law). Shela is definetly buzzing around Christmas and New Year’s Eve however once you step into the tranquility of the lush gardens of banana house you immediately feel at peace. The staff makes you feel right at home. You can relax by the pool or hang out in the common areas which there are quite a lot of. The food is always fresh and tastes delicious. There is a variety of activities that you can do like a sunset cruise on a beautiful dhow, day trip to Kipungani, or swimming in the mangroves, can all highly recommend. There is also yoga class multiple times a day. Or you can add a beauty treatment or soundhealing to your menu Or you can go to the beach ofcourse… never a dull moment and there is enough to do if you wish so! The rooms were clean and well equipped and the beds slept quite amazing to say the least….. Two weeks went by to quick but we will definetly come back! If you were hesitating to visit Shela and Banana house, we sure hope that after reading this, you will book your stay immediately 😊😊😊 A Santa sana to all and hope to see you very soon again!