Kenya holidays - on pristine white beaches.

Pinewood Village is a small boutique Beach Resort offering an experience that is truly special. It is ideally situated on the quiet and deserted shores of Galu Beach, one of the finest beaches in Kenya, South of Mombasa. Pinewood Village is small, private, and very personal. The hotel is set amidst heavy tropical flora and palms and offers an ambiance that is supremely tranquil.

Our accommodation consists of tastefully furnished private suites with air-conditioned bedrooms with ensuite baths, lounge, dining area and kitchen. Each suite is allocated an experienced Chef who is capable of preparing and producing the highest international culinary standard to your individual choice.

In-house facilities include attractive swimming pool, snack bar, "Peponi" Beach bar and restaurant, a dive base, tennis court, shop, beauty salon and conference facilities. In addition to communications facilities, laundry and housekeeping, there is a tours, safaris and excursions desk.

Special wedding arrangements can also be made. Other services and facilities available nearby include diving, deep sea fishing and an 18 hole golf course.

"Pinewood is the perfect getaway destination. Your holiday can be as active or as quiet as you wish."

Stay with us and discover the exotic pleasures of Pinewood Village.

Our suites have been designed to afford you maximum comfort and we offer a combination of services which we hope will make your vacation in Kenya an enjoyable one.

Welcome to Galu Beach located 40 km south of Mombasa.

Here you can enjoy the simple pleasures of an unspoilt white sandy beach, warm blue waters of the Indian Ocean and a tropical forest which is home to an astonishing array of resident and migratory birds. It is also home to the plentiful Sykes monkey and the endangered Angolan Colobus monkey.   

Galu Beach is adjacent to the famous but crowded Diani Beach, the hub of tourist activity. Diani is 7km north of Pinewood and offers all the facilities and amenities of an urban centre like shopping, entertainment, casinos and medical care.

Pinewood Village is ideally situated for sea excursions. Nearby Wasini, Kisite, Chale, Funzi and Shimoni are all havens for snorkelling, scuba diving, deep sea fishing and sight seeing. Golf enthuisiasts will find an international standard 18 hole golf course nearby at Diani Beach.

Pinewood is also ideally suited as a base point to explore the rest of the country - all major attractions are easily reached from Pinewood, and none are more than a days travel away. Visit Mounts Kenya and Kilimanjaro, the National Parks of Kenya including the world famous Masai mara, Amboseli, Tsavo and Samburu.

Access to the rest of the country and International airport facilities are located in by road via Mombasa ( 30 km ) and internal flights to game parks are available from Ukunda only 7km away.

Visit the ancient town of Lamu and the Spice Island of Zanzibar in Tanzania also.

Stay with us and discover the exotic pleasures of Pinewood Village.

Accommodation in Kenya, on the beach.

Our accommodation has been designed to afford you maximum comfort and we offer a combination of services which we hope will make your vacation in Kenya an enjoyable one.

Pinewood Village Beach Resort is a small boutique hotel offering an interesting range of accommodation options.

HOTEL ROOMS - 16
There are eight blocks of two rooms each, all located above the one bedroom suites. The rooms are spacious with en suite bathrooms and a private balcony. The bedrooms have air-conditioning, ceiling fans and mosquito nets. Breakfast is served in the restaurant, lunch at the Tamu snack grill or Dhow Bistro, and Dinner in the Peponi beach Restaurant or the Dhow Bistro.

SUITES - 20
Our suites include a kitchen and a living / dinning area with a choice of meal plans. You can either eat at the restaurant/bistro or we can organize a personal chef who will prepare your breakfast and dinner in your villa from a large selection of menus. We have 1 , 2 or 3 bedroomed Suites all overlooking the gardens and the neighboring woodland teaming with monkeys and birds.

1 BEDROOM SUITE
all our one bedroom suites are on the ground floor and are complete with ensuite bathroom, sitting/dinning area, kitchen and spacious private covered veranda.

2 BEDROOM SUITE
both the bedrooms are upstairs. Both bedrooms are equally appointed with ensuite baths, airconditioning, ceiling fans, mosquito nets and balcony. The downstairs area comprises of sitting/dining, kitchen and large covered verandah.

3 BEDROOM SUITE
one bedroom downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs. All with ensuite baths, airconditioning, ceiling fans and mosquito nets. The upstairs bedrooms open into a balcony. The downstairs bedroom shares the large covered verandah with the sitting/dining area. The kitchen is also downstairs.

Pinewood has a maximum capacity of 96 beds.

Dining out on the Kenya coast

Our suites kitchens are designed exclusively to provide you with your own personal chef and all he needs to prepare gourmet meals for you during your stay at Pinewood.

Each suite has its own private Chef - a speciality of Pinewood.

Each suite is allocated a personal Chef  who is capable of producing the highest culinary standard from a suggested menu, or from a menu of your choice.

Pinewood also offers a unique half board arrangement. Most hotels offering this facility will lay out a buffet bar and hope that you will find enough on offer to satisfy your palate.

Not at Pinewood ! Our arrangements with your private chef enable us to offer you meals of your choice in your suite when you wish them. You can be served inside the suite or outside on the verandah or anywhere else if you so wish. The cuisine is of a very high standard, specialising in seafood.

Snack Bar
Our snack bar is open daily for lunches on the swim-up bar in the swimming pool. The swimming pool area overlooks the Indian Ocean making this surely one of the best areas to relax on the property.

Peponi Restaurant
This informal restaurant and bar is located adjacent to the beach. The bar opens daily in the evenings and the restaurant will cater for groups on an  ad-hoc basis. Speciality evenings are also hosted here at least twice a week.

A perfect setting for meeting people.

Pinewood has a reputation for dining excellence - one of the most important features of your holiday experience with us in Kenya.

Facilities at Pinewood Village

Below you will find a comprehensive list of our facilities at Pinewood and in the nearby area. Pinewood strives to be more than just a Beach Hotel - no service is too small for us.

Pinewood offers a wide range of in-house facilities and outdoor activity and excursions.

There is something for everyone. From recreation to adventure, outdoor sports to watersports, safaris to exotic dinners.

At a loss of what to do ? Read our general information pages. Where to start and where to end ? We have prepared a list for your consideration, as below.

• Deep sea fishing
• Diving and dive sites
• Mangrove swamp trails and crocodiles
• The Sea - a day trip
• Bird watching - some of the best in East Africa
• Bird lists
• On Safari
• The Spice Island of Zanzibar
• The History of Pinewood and this part of the coast

Pinewood village watersports section.

2003 sees the important development of a major new family activity at Pinewood - a consolidated water sports facility. In combination with Aqualand, Pinewood Village is now able to offer all our guests an in-house water sports service - fully catered too !

Our new water sports centre is able to provide water sports activities for all ages - Scuba Diving for beginners to professionals, Snorkelling, Windsurfing and Deep sea fishing. We have excellent instructors and are proud to have introduced many (non-swimmers too!) to the exciting underwater world. Here are just a few of the new services we are able to provide both in house guests and folks visiting us for a short while :-

Scuba Fun Diver - take a short introduction to this exciting and fulfilling sport. The programme starts at the swimming pool with an informative and concise briefing with a qualified professional instructor lasting around 45 minutes. Shortly afterwards you will board one of our diving boats and head out to explore the shallow and safe waters of our house reef at Kinondo. Diving as a buddy team your instructor will guide you through coral gardens and shoals of fish pointing out the highlights of marine life as you experience your first dive in the Indian Ocean. The dive can last up to an hour - a thrilling must !

Reef Seafari - this 2 hours Seafari will bring you to the fantastic white sandbank off the main reef which lies exposed at low tide. After a 20 minute cruise on one of our specialised boats you will arrive in calm and clear waters. An abundance of tropical fish and coral makes this an ideal location for kids and adults alike to explore the underwater world. An experienced guide will both instruct and lead your snorkelling tour of around 1 1/2 hours.

Deep Sea fishing - based exclusively at Pinewood Village MV Scorpio is available for some of the finest fishing off the Kenya Coast. With an exceptional history and crew MV Scorpio offers exciting blue water fishing for the experience angeler as well as tuition and guidance for novice anglers. Top quality electronics and tackle provide for regular caches of marlin, sailfish, Tuna, wahoo, Barracuda and Dorado thus ensuring our clients get the best out of this exciting sport. A tag and release programme is run in accordance with IGFA and is encouraged to protect these prized species.

Robinson Crusoe Safari - a half day tour that takes you back to nature and away from people. Join one of our high speed boats ( max 6 pax ) to an untouched unique and sacred area on Kenya's south coast. The trip starts from Pinewood and cruises past ancient and sacred forests of Kaya Kinondo towards Gazi bay and Chale Island. Shallow and clear waters of this area provide some fine snorkelling and fun diving. After soaking up the sun and the warn Indian Ocean your personal Chef will prepare a lunch of grilled fresh fish, chicken and fresh salads, fruit Robinson Crusoe style. The sacred area of Chale Kaya offers a superb and remote setting for an afternoon of pure escapism and relaxation.

Additionally - ask us for information on Kite surfing, Quad bikes, Kayaks, Sailboats, waterskiing - in short a full watersports programme for special people staying at our Special Place.

Weddings in Kenya.

White Beaches - White Wedding - Beach wedding - combining all three is known throughout the world as one of the most romantic ways to wed.

Picture a sunset, the Indian Ocean lapping onto the beach, a gentle breeze stirring the bride's hair as the couple prepare to enter into holy matrimony.

Pinewood offers completely personal and private service and one person organises and oversees the wedding in its entirety. Also no hidden costs. The bridal couple receive :-

• For her: Massage, pedi and manicure
• For him: Massage
• One tier non-fruit wedding cake
• Cocktail for guests and for bridal couple
• Decorated beach area for wedding
• Optional reception in Peponi Beach Restaurant
• Sparkling wine on ice in room
• Small bridal couple present
• Day trip away "alone" on our Robinson and Crusoe trip
• All expenses for registrar, legal fees and registration fees in Kenya
• choice of a Beach Wedding or a
• Wedding at Sea
• And Honeymooners - welcome to honeymoon paradise !

Beach and Sea Dhow Weddings
Beach and Sea Dhow Wedding photo gallery

Imagine having your wedding on the beach, or on a Sea Dhow ? Picture a sunset, the Indian Ocean lapping onto the white beach, a gentle breeze stirring the brides hair...

Yet she is not on the beach, she is in a Ssese canoe, which is taking her to a traditional Arabian Dhow where her groom awaits in anticipation of a wedding in the Mangroves of the Indian Ocean ! Pinewood Village and Africa Renaissance have brought about the most idyllic and romantic setting yet to be found on the Kenya coast for a wedding.

At Shirazi bay lies "Popo" the Arabian Dhow which takes the bridal couple through the Mangroves and amongst bird life towards the ocean, where as the sun begins to set, the wedding takes place. Each wedding is tailor made according to size and personal wishes such as traditional choir or purification ceremony. Once the couple are wed, sparkling wine is served and the Dhow sets sail for Shirazi in the last glimpses of a perfect day.

At Shirazi the couple enjoy a candle lit dinner on their own, or if with a party, then the reception is held. The honeymoon begins at Amani House ("Peace" in Swahili ) a Sultan's bridal Suite. On the roof of Amani House is a Jacuzzi which overlooks the mangroves and Bay of Shirazi and with a bottle of sparkling wine on ice …

Popo the Dhow is a small size Dhow that in the case of weddings has a limited seating capacity. Weddings in this part of the world revolve around nature, which are based upon tides and winds. A degree of flexibility is needed though the scenery and complete isolation of this wedding, makes it truly special and different.

WEDDING PHOTO GALLERY:

Here you will find a selection of photos of weddings at Pinewood - please click on the image to obtain a larger view.

Enjoy ! the Pinewood village weddings

Honeymoons in Kenya.

Pinewood Village is the ideal point of reference for your honeymoon in Kenya - a quintessential exclusive retreat ... coming soon.

The Ndovu Bonde Tree House ....

Dynamic and innovative ideas abound in the Village - coming soon is this latest creation.

The mystique mood of Karen Blixen and the sepia days of “Out of Africa” can be re-lived only forty minutes away from Pinewood Village, way up in the Shimba Range of Hills.

Ndovu Bonde Treehouse is situated on the verdant crescent of the Shimba Valley amid surrounding hilltops. This crescent forms the boundary to the National Reserve forested wildlife sanctuary. So this tree house is exceptional on the coastal area of Kenya – forested and elevated from the coastal plain.

Here, there is an almost spiritual ambiance. Breathtaking views of the valley, the occasional Sable herd passing close by and an elephant family coming to graze for a pachyderm sundowner. A natural phenomenon, Sable are not known for their numbers in Kenya – indeed this is the only place you will see them.

The balcony of Ndovu Bonde has been placed with deliberate care. Here you can watch the moon rise in the East and the sunset in the West, and overhead, the romance of the African night sky. Have you dreamt of sleeping beneath these stars ? The Ndovu four-poster bed can be safely wheeled forward beneath the panarama and star gazing accomplished in comfort …

The Treehouse has been designed and constructed using local materials and resources. It offers an interior design of surprise and exception. An African finish drawn on tradition. Close by the Treehouse there is a lapa area overlooking the valley, and your personal Chef serves a candlelit dinner here, on a table set for two. For a pre-dinner dip the pool is yours alone.

The veil of dawn will lift with the song of bird life in morning and you may awake gently. Perhaps there may also be the odd elephant making his or her presence known below you as you reach for the bell to summon your morning coffee, tea and fresh juice to be enjoyed with the views fall before you. Breakfast is served on the verandah.

This tiny slice of Paradise offers more. There are several walks down to the river, and there are forested areas close by. The local residents are both warm and welcoming, and you may be able to spend time with a somewhat reclusive ornithologist and fauna specialist who has spent 30 years of learning in these hills.

This is Ndovu Bonde.

It does not get any more romantic than this……

Images of Kenya.

Here you will find a selection of photos of Pinewood - please click on the image to obtain a larger view.

Enjoy !

© Pinewood Village / Choices Wild Limited, 2005. All Rights Reserved.