Subira House

Subira house is a pure nest of Lamu for travelers. Every detail has a story and a soul. The place is magical filled with history of the island and beyond. The homemade food is delicious made from scratch, from yogurt to bread and homegrown fruits and vegetables. Christina and the Subira team are incredibly welcoming, kind and helpful. With many suggestions and arrangements they made my stay completely unique and unforgettable. Cannot wait to return Thank you Subira House!

The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. Mama Subira was a very accommodating host and kindly assisted us throughout our entire stay. The breakfast was excellent. Make sure you try the banana bread by John, an excellent and creative chef! The location is ideal - very close to the arrival port from Manda airport and even within a nice walking distance to Shela.

The fan worked through the night. The staff was nice even though clearly unable to keep up this place. They were willing to "upgrade" the room for free to something slightly less horrible than the first (and closer to the description of what we booked). They were also nice enough to give us needle and thread to allow my wife to sew and try to repair the mosquito net provided on site (dirty and full of holes).

It is hard to imagine a worse place in this world. Booking website contributes and deserves a lot of blame since this is rated as four stars and in demand, and appreciated by fellow travelers, and they offered a "deal" charging $65 per night. We payed for three nights and left after one. There is a very long list of major problems, the dry toilet and horrible smell that drifts from the other toilets, or your own bathroom, the eco ethos that prioritizes the wellfare of flies over guests (at breakfast they are all over the food), the holes in the mosquito net and walls, the location (in the medina, UNESCO site, in which live and defecate 6000 donkeys), the deafening sound of hours of Muslim preaching on loud megaphones five times a day starting from 4:30am, no privacy since there are no windows, and no AC, only shutters (so it's either no air, or no privacy) the fact that the owners wrote in the hotel's booklet that it is our duty to give a tip of 10% to the staff, etc etc. The Swedish owners are trying to sell and they have a great reputation for what they might have tried to do to restore this place, but make no mistake, if you expect a decent accommodation you will be profoundly disappointed.

Great historical building with an amazing Swahili architecture. We came back to Lamu after two years and even though we browsed a little bit, there was no other place that we rather wanted to stay at. Perfectly located behind the Fort, right behind the main square, Subira is easy to find, offers the greatest views and privacy. Everyone working there made our stay a true pleasure. Absolutely loved it, also this time. Some part of the downstairs area is now a café for the public which invited people during the day – really nice touch that makes it more lively.

Nothing to complain. I only wished the towels would have been switched more frequently because of the humid weather, but I respect the hotel's commitment to an ecofriendly accomodation style.

Nicely refurbished ecolodge with locally grown food from the owner's garden. The staff were very helpful and arranged outings. The location was easy to find (once found the first time). The balcony areas were lovely in the exceptional heat of Lamu. Breakfast and dinner were amazing.

Personally not a fan of ecosan toilets, but I appreciate the effort that they took in installing them.

I liked the Location, Need to improve on Staff service especially on Lunch and Dinner orders. Not very well scheduled

We loved everything. The serenity of this old Lamuian House is very welcome after a day of exploring Lamu town and Shela. The staff was super welcoming and the food was exceptional and wholesome. The sustainable concept of the hotel with strong focus on farm-to-plate was impressive. If we ever make it back to Lamu: Subira is where we will stay (keep it up)!!

Nothing... loved everything.