Alfajiri Villas, Diani Beach, Kenya

Alfajiri is owned by Fabrizio and Marika Molinaro who have lived on the Kenya coast for most of their lives. The original Alfajiri Villa, now known as Cliff Villa, set the standards in luxury private villa accommodation on the east African coast. The Cliff Villa is now joined by two more villas built by Fabrizio on the adjoining plot of land – Garden and Beach Villa – both offering exemplary standards of service, accommodation and activities.

The facilities

Fresh seafood is brought twice daily to the villas. Meals are mostly fresh salads, pastas and seafood. Activities include golf, membership to a local gym, massage and scuba. Dhow trips with crab lunches en-route have rated highly. There are nannies on hand 24 hours a day to mind the children. Harpers and Queen recently rated the Cliff Villa as probably the finest luxury beach villa on the east African coast and Conde Nast Traveller rated it in the top 20 in the world. The quotes speak for themselves.

The rooms

All villas are booked on an exclusive basis – the only exception to this rule being that Garden and Beach villas share a swimming pool. All the luxury villas enjoy a private, elevated position overlooking the Indian Ocean off the top of a small coral cliff face. If there is a disadvantage to the Alfajiri luxury villas then it is the fact that the beach directly in front of the villas is often a little thin on the ground – dependent on tides. There is also the odd beach boy, on Diani Beach, left over from the days of mass tourism, which has thankfully gone into decline.