The Gecko resort Watamu is the perfect low budget, family-friendly place to stay in Watamu. Gecko resort is located on dreamy Garoda beach (arguably the best beach in Watamu, particularly at low tide). Gecko Watamu is a no-frills resort with air-conditioned rooms, a choice of gorgeous swimming pools and a decent on-site restaurant.
When you’ve spent the best part of a year in a teeny coastal town, you get to know it very well. In Watamu, I know who owns the houses that line the beaches and shelter in the forest. I’ve visited most of the big resorts either to stay or to eat, and I have very definite opinions on which beaches are the best. So imagine my surprise when I found a little gem like Gecko unnoticed for all these years.
As a rule, I prefer staying in cottages rather than resorts. As a family of 5 we never qualify for a ‘family room’, and the cost of two rooms is usually more than the cost of a house or cottage in Watamu. I also like the privacy that a private property affords you. On this occasion, I was travelling solo with three kids, so as a neat nuclear package of 4, I decided to try a resort.
Gecko Resort Watamu
Gecko Resort sits on the southern end of Watamu, right on Garoda beach before the coastline joins Mida Creek. Despite being visible from the beach, I’ve never paid much attention to the hotel. From the beach, Gecko Resort looks a little dated, and although there are beautiful 4 poster bed style sun loungers, I rarely see anyone on them.
Recently, a friend of mine told me he had stayed at Gecko Resort.
I asked ‘how was it?’ he replied, ‘it does what it says on the tin’.
This sums up the Gecko Resort for me: excellent value, clean, basic rooms with air conditioning, average food, well-made cocktails and dreadful service. There is a beautiful pool within the resort and a slightly tired pool overlooking the beach. As a whole, the experience is mediocre, but what makes it worthy of a blog was the bargain price. For four people, including a buffet breakfast, we paid 120 USD / 12000 KSH / 90 GBP a night.
Facilities at Gecko Resort Watamu
- 2 swimming pools – one enormous pool inside the resort with a swim-up bar. The main pool is next to the restaurant and has lots of sunbeds and comfy couches.
The second pool overlooks the ocean and has blissful views of Garoda beach. The kids loved this pool as it had two levels and a slide, but it’s very dated. - Beach view sunbeds – day beds overlooking a Watamu beach. One of the best spots in town for lazing on Garoda.
- Spa – on-site spa with a hot tub and solarium.
- Le Garodina Restaurant – An international style restaurant with a pizza oven. The food is average serving burgers and pizzas, excellent samosas and some Kenyan dishes.
- American-style swim-up bar – cocktails are fabulous.
Rooms at Gecko Resort Watamu
I stayed in a family room that had a huge double bed and two single beds, all with mosquito nets, heavenly air conditioning and the largest walk-in shower I’ve ever seen. The rooms are basic but immaculate.
Getting to Gecko Resort Watamu
Gecko Resort is along Turtle Bay Road, which is the main road in Watamu, following the coastline from Mida Creek through to the northern end of Watamu. Head to the Garoda beach turning and the sign for Gecko Resort is a couple of metres beyond this.
Getting to Watamu
Flights to Malindi: Watamu doesn’t have an airport but nearby Malindi is a 25-minute drive away. Flights to Malindi run from most large airports in Kenya, including Nairobi.
Train: The SGR train runs from Nairobi to Mombasa and is a 5 or 6-hour journey in a clean, calm environment. Take a taxi (approx. 2 hours) from Mombasa. Read my SGR Train blog.
Drive: the drive to Watamu takes approximately 9 hours.
You can drive down the Mombasa road to Mariakani and head through Kilifi, or you can come off the Mombasa Road and enter Tsavo East National Park at Manyani gate. The journey takes about an hour longer, but you get to spend two glorious hours on safari.
Book Gecko Resort
Check out Gecko Resort reviews on TripAdvisor
Resorts in Watamu
Gecko Resort Watamu is one of the best value resorts in Watamu. If you are a fan of resorts, then Watamu has several.
Turtle Bay Beach Club
Turtle Bay is beloved by parents all over Kenya. Turtle Bay Watamu, is an all-inclusive resort and provides meals, snacks, and drinks (including alcohol). There is an option to include watersports (kayaks, SUPs, pedalos), and a ton of activities daily for the whole family including an on–site dive school. Read my blog on Turtle Bay Beach Club.
Check out Turtle Bay Beach Club
Medina Palms
A luxurious oasis in Watamu. Medina Palms doesn’t feel like a resort, it’s a series of impeccable residences that run alongside a shimmering pool that stretches from the front gate to the ocean. A café and restaurant offers excellent food and drink. There’s a full-service spa, swanky bar and on-site shop to splurge in.
Kobe Resort
Like Gecko, Kobe Resort is on Garoda Beach. Kobe is a more upmarket offering than Gecko, with a fabulous restaurant overlooking the crystalline waters, and sunbeds with unrivalled views over the ocean. Less family-friendly than some of the other resorts in Watamu. I’d save this for your romantic weekends.
Seven Islands Resort
Seven Islands Resort sits on Papa Remo beach, one of the northern beaches in Watamu. An Italian run resort, it has similarities with Gecko in that it’s basic, functional, clean and placed on a fabulous beach. The rooms at Seven Islands are nicer than Gecko’s rooms and if you are lucky, you will get a sea view. The pool is huge and the location couldn’t be better. One of my favorite places to eat in Watamu is Papa Remo restaurant, which is right next to the resort.
Check out Seven Islands Resort
Hemingways Watamu
Hemingway’s is the height of luxury in Watamu, and probably in all of Kenya. A 5* resort with all mod cons, a full range of facilities and fine dining restaurants. It’s on Turtle Bay beach which can be full (and I mean FULL) of seaweed during the winter months.
Ocean Sports Resort
Ocean Sports is a Watamu staple. The bar at Ocean Sports is where the people who live in Watamu hang out, and it’s nearly impossible to visit without bumping into someone you know. The Ocean Sports resort comprises clean basic rooms, a private swimming pool and an excellent diving school. Ocean Sports is right on Turtle Bay beach and is the perfect spot for sipping sundowners all day long.
Check out Ocean Sports Resort Watamu
Book Your Kenya Trip – Insider Tips
Find everything you need for visiting Kenya on my TRAVEL RESOURCES page.
Find everything you need for moving to Kenya in my THE EXPAT GUIDE TO LIVING IN NAIROBI book.
- Kenya Accommodation: Booking.com has the cheapest rates for hotels and guest houses in Kenya.
- Accommodation Reviews: TripAdvisor is my go-to portal for checking reviews on accommodation/restaurants in the local area. I never book without checking TripAdvisor first.
- ESIM: Airalo allows you to access the Internet from virtually any country without paying roaming charges
- Car Rental: Rental Cars is managed by Booking.com – guaranteed reliable.
- Tours and Guides in Kenya : Check out Get Your Guide and Viator – reputable companies that do tours within Kenya and East Africa.
- Travel Insurance: Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I recommend Visitors Coverage, which covers you for East Africa and offers ‘special insurance’ for safaris and adventure sports:
- Visitors Coverage
- Compensair – if you have a cancelled or delayed flight, you may get a refund.