P.O box 59 , Shella, 00100 Lamu, Kenya
#19 of 20 B&Bs and inns in Lamu
Guests' ChoiceBased on 10 hotel reviews
7.4Cleanliness
8.0
Comfort
7.0
Location
8.5
Facilities
7.0
Staff
8.5
Value for money
7.0
Real Bookers. Real stays. Real opinions.
Read more– opens a dialog boxEach review score is between 1 and 10. To get the overall score you see, we add up all the review scores we’ve received and divide that total by the number of them. We use a weighted review system, which means the more recent the review, the bigger the impact on the total review score calculation. Guests can also give separate “subscores” in crucial areas like location, cleanliness, staff, comfort, facilities, value, and free Wifi. Note that guests submit their subscores and overall scores independently, so there’s no direct link between them.
You can review an accommodation that you booked through our platform if you stayed there, or if you got to the property but didn’t actually stay there. To edit a review you’ve already submitted, contact our Customer Service team.
We have people and automated systems that specialize in detecting fake reviews submitted to our platform. If we find any, we delete them and, if necessary, take action against whoever is responsible.
Anyone who spots something suspicious can always report it to our Customer Service team so that our fraud team can investigate.
Ideally, we'd publish every review we get, positive and negative. However, we won’t display any reviews that include or refer to (among other things):
To make sure reviews are relevant, we may only accept reviews that are submitted within 3 months of checking out. We may stop showing reviews once they’re 36 months old, or if the accommodation has a change of ownership.
An accommodation can reply to a review.
When you see multiple reviews, the most recent ones will be at the top, subject to a few other factors (e.g. language, whether it’s just a rating or contains comments as well, etc.). You can sort and/or filter them by time of year, review score, and more.
Sometimes we show external review scores from other well-known travel websites, but make it clear when we do this.
These guidelines and standards aim to keep the content on Booking.com relevant and family-friendly, without limiting expression or strong opinions. They're also applicable regardless of the comment's tone.
Contributions should be travel related. The most helpful contributions are detailed and help others make better decisions. Please don’t include personal, political, ethical, or religious commentary. Promotional content will be removed and issues concerning Booking.com’s services should be routed to our Customer Service or Accommodation Service teams.
Contributions should be appropriate for a global audience. Please avoid using profanity or attempts to approximate profanity with creative spelling, in any language. Comments and media that include hate speech, discriminatory remarks, threats, sexually explicit remarks, violence, or the promotion of illegal activity are not permitted.
All content should be genuine and unique to the guest. Reviews are most valuable when they are original and unbiased. Your contribution should be yours. Booking.com property partners should not post on behalf of guests or offer incentives in exchange for reviews. Attempts to bring down the rating of a competitor by submitting a negative review will not be tolerated.
Respect the privacy of others. Booking.com will make an effort to obscure email addresses, telephone numbers, website addresses, social media accounts, and other similar details.
The opinions expressed in contributions are those of Booking.com customers and properties, and not of Booking.com. Booking.com does not accept responsibility or liability for any reviews or responses. Booking.com is a distributor (without any obligation to verify) and not a publisher of these comments and responses.
By default, reviews are sorted based on the date of the review and on additional criteria to display the most relevant reviews, including but not limited to: your language, reviews with text, and non-anonymous reviews. Additional sorting options might be available (by type of traveler, by score, etc...).
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, express or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
End of dialog content
Showing 1 - 10
Reviewed: April 19, 2025
Jean
FranceThe restaurant is not up to expected level I must mention that I was the only tourist
Perfect location Extraordinary view Nice BR
Stayed in April 2025
Reviewed: November 27, 2022
Maria
ArgentinaAt the beginning the hotel wanted us to cancel our booking, stating there had been a problem with Booking.com and that they were completely booked. After we complained, they asked us to book in another place for the first night. We asked if they could ensure an early check in on the second day, and finally they apologized and offered their penthouse at no extra charge, for which we were most grateful. Things to take into account regarding the hotel: the inn only accepts payments in cash (KS or USD). The rooms have only fans and it can get veeery hot. The restaurant is super clean, but maybe because of the location it has many flies. When we arrived there was no light on our floor (this was immediately fixed), and half the lights inside the room were out of service. The shower has almost no hot water, but the weather is so hot, you don't really need it. There were some parts of the floor that showed water leaks all the time, small though. Things to take into account regarding Shela: The call to prayers at 5 is really loud (my friend did not hear it but I was woke up twice). Transportation is by boat. Dress accordingly to a Muslim country (though people in Shela are very nice)
The hotel is spotless clean and beautifully furnished. We were at the penthouse which was huge. The private terrace has a bed great for taking naps, two armchairs and a beautiful view to the sea. The beds were very comfortable and huge, with nets for insects. Rooms lack toiletries, but provide towels. The hotel has a very good restaurant and serves an equally good breakfast with many choices (not buffet, you chose an option for carbs/protein, a fruit or juice, and coffee or tea). The checkout is strictly at 10am and you have not the option to use the common areas, but you can leave the luggage at a deposit for free until your departure time from the island. The staff is kind an eager to help (tips are welcome). The hotel arranged our pick up from the airport at an extra cost. Then we arranged different activities with the boat captain. It would be great if the hotel could offer activities in the island. The hotel is very close to good restaurants and some shops, and the Shela beach is reached in less than 10 minutes walking. All the restaurants we tried were very good (Peponi, Pizza 0 and Bahari).
Stayed in November 2022
Reviewed: October 5, 2022
Matt
KenyaEveryone was very attentive, the location is great and I had a nice stay.
Stayed in September 2022
Reviewed: February 2, 2023
Asaph
KenyaAfter booking here, we arrived at the hotel and they said they did not have our booking. We had to look for another hotel to stay in. Poor management.
Stayed in January 2023
Reviewed: January 31, 2023
Bassam
KenyaNOTHING
Stop over is one of the first guest houses you notice when arriving in shella situated directly on the oceanfront.It is such a great place! Very nice rooms clean, and beautifully furnished.The staff could not be more welcoming and friendly! Breakfast was decent! The view of the ocean from the guest house was simply mind-blowing!!! For sure the best place to stay in Shella for that price bracket, talking from experience having visited a couple others before which are way inside the village. Will definitely come back here! Highly recommended
Stayed in January 2023
Reviewed: December 1, 2022
Teagan
South Africaif you want more privacy, I recommend booking the rooms on the second or third level which have spacious balconies
Superb location in the picturesque town of Shela. the sunrises from the balcony are wonderful!
Stayed in December 2022
Reviewed: March 31, 2025
Glyn
FranceThere are no comments available for this review
Stayed in March 2025
Reviewed: November 9, 2023
Emily
United KingdomThere are no comments available for this review
Stayed in September 2023
Reviewed: January 10, 2023
Wandia
KenyaThere are no comments available for this review
Stayed in January 2023
Showing 1 - 10
Booking.com is part of Booking Holdings Inc., the world leader in online travel and related services.
We have more than 70 million property reviews, all from real, verified guests.
1
The only way to leave a review is to first make a booking. That's how we know our reviews come from real guests who have stayed at the property.
2
When guests stay at the property, they check out how quiet the room is, how friendly the staff is, and more.
3
After their trip, guests tell us about their stay. We check for naughty words and verify the authenticity of all guest reviews before adding them to our site.
If you booked through us and want to leave a review, please sign in first.
End of dialog content