A hidden gem
Published in Nomad magazine, February 2021
As we drive along the Kuruwitu dirt road, we pass dusty cattle and enchanting old baobabs. It is not your typical entrance to a luxury establishment, especially when attached to one of Kenya’s most prestigious brands, so our intrigue grows at every turn. Usually limited to members and guests during peak times, we had had to call ahead to make a booking – a “by reservation only” policy that didn’t frustrate but rather confirmed the exclusivity of the venue. It feels as if we’ve been accepted as the newest members of the high society of coastal gentry. We are thrilled to be spending a day at the Vipingo Ridge Beach Club.
Upon arrival, the Beach Club is surprisingly humble and yet magical in its simplicity. It is rustic wooden tables among frangipani and palm trees on Kenya’s soft sand. The gentle beat of music is heard over speakers from the makuti-shaded bar to join the natural rhythm of the ocean. There are sun loungers facing the water and I spy a big swinging chair covered in cushions that has “post-lunch nap” written all over it. The beach in front is blissfully quiet, I wonder if it’s privately owned because we seem to have it all to ourselves. It is reminiscent of an earlier Kenya – a time before chain hotels and package holidays and waves of tourists and beach boys and curio sellers and continual interruptions. This is the coast from our childhood when we spent school holidays on the sand undisturbed.
We are early, it has just gone midday, but there are already a few big tables occupied, a bucket of rosé creates a dewy centrepiece, and I can sense the confident airs of those that belong here - the “glitterati” of Kilifi. One group is in the midst of debating the doubles tennis match they played that morning. Another is ordering from the kids’ menu for the children that are skipping up the beach from the sea, masks and snorkels in hand. My stomach rumbles.
We are seated and handed menus. A giant blackboard is presented with specials drawn in colourful chalk. We are specifically here for the seafood – it could not be fresher, the Indian Ocean mere metres away. I also heard a rumour that the chefs are from Seven Seafood Restaurant in Nairobi, trained by celeb chef Kiran Jethwa (who I fully admit to following on Instagram not just for his recipes but for the eye candy too), and so am eager to try out any of the Beach Club’s signature dishes – lobster, crispy calamari, prawn masala curry. I decide to splurge and I’m not disappointed as a whole grilled lobster is placed in front of me with a garlic dipping sauce and a silver tub of golden fries. The meat is juicy and tender, the fries perfectly cooked (double cooked, triple cooked, I don’t care). I finish my plate and sip my cocktail. My toes wiggle contentedly in the sand as I glance over at the swing seat that is beckoning me over.
I must have dozed off because I wake to my kids squealing with delight. They’ve been trying out the new stand-up paddleboards hired from the watersports centre and have spotted some starfish in the coral gardens. Kuruwitu Marine and Welfare Association are the award-winning outfit, along with Oceans Alive, that have created this sensational marine protected area thriving with sealife. I contemplate going out to join them in one of the available kayaks but I spot an old friend who I haven’t seen in years and wander over to say hi. She tells me they moved to the Ridge recently and send their kids to Kivukoni School in Kilifi – their life now filled with long warm days on the coast. I don’t hide my jealousy.
The sun is beginning to dip behind the palms, the air is cooling. My friend invite us to play a family game of beach volleyball. We aren’t terribly good but we have fun jumping about in the sand and I feel I’ve counter-balanced my decadent meal (and subsequent nap). We have a triumphant post-match drink together and, with heavy hearts, start packing up to head back to our holiday home along the coast. My daughter asks why we can’t stay at the Ridge so she can carry on playing with all the kids that live there. “They’ve got pony stables and new mountain bikes too,” she declares. “Next time” I reply and, because I’m already planning our return trip, I truly mean it.
The Vipingo Ridge Beach Club is open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch. To book a table, please call +254 794 814 165.