Sands at Chale Island Resort – Private Island in Kenya

The Sands at Chale Island Resort is a tiny private island located off a remote part of the Kenyan coast. Just 15 acres of pristine beach, sacred mangrove forest and indigenous flora. Chale Island has Kenya’s first overwater bungalows and the idyllic Suite on the Rocks.

Check pricing at The Sands at Chale Island

I have wanted to visit Chale Island Resort ever since I gazed across the shallow lagoon. “A deserted paradise island”, I gasped, and only the blistering heat and my three kids stopped me from swimming across the lagoon.

It turns out Chale Island isn’t deserted at all, it is home to The Sands at Chale Island. A private Island resort 30 minutes south of Diani beach.

Four years later I found myself motoring across the shallow lagoon of baby blue water. A closer inspection of the private island revealed two overwater bungalows and a shoreline speckled with thatched bandas.

Chale Island is cut off from the mainland except at very low tide. Twice a day it is possible to walk the 600 metres across sand flats festooned with sea spiders. The baboons make good use of hidden clams and whelkish wonders and can be admired foraging for scraps in the inch deep water. Behind the island is the sweeping Gazi Bay which is the outlet of the seasonal Mkurimuji River.

The Sands at Chale Island is the sister resort of the popular Kenyan boutique hotel The Sands at Nomads. The style and services are all warmly familiar, a soothing mix of Swahili /Italian architecture, fortified with sturdy Lamu furniture, seaside paraphernalia and African art.

Chale Island Resort is pocket-sized. I walked around it in less than 10 minutes. The private island is covered with palms and flowering trees that monkeys call home. The wonderful Colobus are particularly prevalent, you need to watch your food but they are harmless and part of the charm. The tiny Kenyan island has an ancient mangrove forest with the largest mangrove trees in East Africa. A sacred space where terrapins flap and birds flutter. Daily kayak trips can be made into the sacred ‘Kaya’ forest.

Chale Island has cleverly kept the resort to one side of the island leaving the rest of the 15 acres island to nature. Its prized jewel is the 10,000 square meter white sand bay protected by a vibrant coral reef. The remote beach is sprinkled with snow-white powder-soft coral sand, where turtles frequently lay their eggs.

Chale Island resort facilities

Chale Island has 3 pools. There is a small freshwater pool near the jetty, a large sheltered pool near the restaurant and a sea-facing infinity pool on its southern side. It has two restaurants: the main – where the buffet-style meals are served, and the chapataria which is al la carte, plus two bars. The island has a fairly well-equipped gym, a gorgeous spa with little private huts spread out on catwalks within the mangroves, and a dive and watersports shop. The diving at Chale Island is some of the best in Kenya. Read my blog on diving in the nearby Kitisuru Marine Park here. Diving the Crab has a wide range of watersports including:

• Beach snorkelling,
• Boat snorkelling,
• Kayaking,
• Game fishing (half and full-day),
• Local Catamaran sailing.

Food and all-inclusive meals

The meals were exceptional. Food can be a bit hit and miss in Kenya, but I stuffed my gluttonous tummy full of fresh seafood and deep-fried Kenyan goodies. In the all-inclusive package, the food is buffet style. When we stayed at Chale Island you could choose from fish carpaccio, soups and salads to start, followed by fresh line-caught fish: grouper, octopus, snapper and calamari. Meat: Osso Buco, braised beef and Indian and Kenyan meat dishes. The standard of food is similar to that of The Sands at Nomads, but the selection in the a la carte menu is far smaller.

Similarly, the cocktail and wine menu was smaller at Chale Island Resort and priced quite highly (3500 for the cheapest bottle of white wine / 600 KSH a glass/ cocktails 600 KSH)

Chale Island Accommodation

Chale Island accommodation is in 60 rooms which sounds enormous but most of it is in two towers. The tower rooms aren’t bad (except for the howling wind that banged the doors and shook the floors) but for an extra 2000 bob ($20) you can upgrade to one of the bandas which are a world apart.

The bandas where I stayed are large thatched huts with huge four-poster beds, large bathrooms, a desk. Outside there is a seating area and a day bed. They were private and serenely perfect. We had lagoon bandas which are cheaper than the beach bandas. However, I would recommend the lagoon side accommodation to everyone. Chale Island is one of the few beachside places in Kenya where you can see the sun setting and the sunsets were unparalleled. Lagoon side bandas are more private and more sheltered from the wind.

• The Sands at Chale Island offers 5 types of accommodation:
• 28 Standard rooms (those in the towers) with verandas facing the oceans
• Bandas (where I stayed) either facing the lagoon or the beach with private lawns front lawns and large verandas
• Penthouses – top of the towers, four storeys high with views over the entire island. Separate sitting rooms and an upstairs grotto

• Overwater Bungalows Chale Island- everyone’s tropical dream. The Chale Island overwater bungalows are the first of their kind in Kenya. They face the lagoon but disappointingly are also located right next to the jetty. It’s a private island so traffic is minimal but I would have preferred something as special as an overwater bungalow to be more private. Maybe the owner will take our suggestion and convert it into a sundowner bar. The bungalows have a large bedroom with an en-suite bathroom that looks out over the channel and a separate sitting room.

• Suite on the Rocks Chale Island – Now, this is special, a private island off a private island. The honeymoon suite is connected to Chale Island by a stone bridge. The enormous thatched room has a circular construction that plunges in the middle allowing rainwater to fall directly into a mini garden in the centre of the room. A circular stairway leads to an upstairs lounge, while the front veranda overlooks a private Jacuzzi on the cliff face and sunbathing deck.

Chale Island Resort rates

I travelled to The Sands at Chale Island on a half board package. The Chale Island rates were 14000 KSH ($140) per person per night for accommodation, breakfast and supper. It was exclusive of lunch and drinks. You can upgrade to fully inclusive with alcoholic drinks for an extra 8500 KSH ($85) per day.

The cost is COVID pricing and cheaper than usual, so if you have always dreamed of going then now is the time.

Book The Sands at Chale Island today

How to get to Chale Island

Chale Island is in the far remote south of Kenya’s glorious coastline, past Diani and past sleepy Mswambweni, the only way to reach it is by car.
International flights land at Mombasa airport. From Mombasa, you can arrange a taxi yourself (6000 KSH / 60 KSH) or ask the hotel to send their transport (an eye-watering 17000 KSH $170).

From locations in Kenya, it is easier to fly to Diani beach airport at Ukunda. From Ukunda it is a short half-hour taxi ride to Chale Island Resort (2000 KSH / $20 local taxi and 4000 KSH / $40 Chale Island transport).

If travelling from Nairobi you can take the SGR train to Mombasa and travel by car from there.

Entry visa – From January 1, 2021, all travellers to Kenya requiring an entry visa will need to have an E-visa, having applied for it ahead of travel online. Visas on arrival will no longer be available.

Beach resorts in Kenya

Kenya has over 500 km of white sand beach little touched by tourist. My other favourite hot spots are Watamu, Diani Beach, Tiwi and Malindi.

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