Baitul Noor House (Oliver House)

Staying at the Olivier house is a cultural and culinary experience. If you are looking for a beach holiday go somewhere else.

The house, actually called "Baitul Noor House (House of Light), is right in the middle of Lamu Town and that means one is surrounded by people and sounds and activity.

However, those sounds are different from a normal town, because one has stepped back several centuries.

Ok, there is electricity and cell phones but there are no cars. Instead there are donkeys, very narrow streets, beautifully carved wooden doors, women passing in black buibuis, calls to prayer throughout the day, and fisherman coming and going in their lateen-sail dhows. 

Other Beach Hotels and Vacation Rentals

The Olivier house is very comfortable with four bedrooms and two baths and a typical Lamu makuti-covered roof area for lounging and reading and catching the breeze.

But by far the best thing about the house is Alia--the amazing majordomo who is expert guide, bodyguard, masseuse, and above all the best cook in all of Lamu.

We never wanted to go out to lunch or dinner because we didn't want to miss one of Alia's exquisite Swahili dishes of crab or prawns or whole fish cooked in coconut and spices.

There are beautiful beaches 10 minutes away by dhow or motorboat so you can have the best of both worlds.