The Lawford, located in Malindi Town, within walking distance from shops, boutiques, restaurants and Casino is nestled in a magnificent tropical garden teeming with native plants, and overlooking a wide beach. Its grounds cover over 6 hectares (14.8 acres) and its extensive and immaculate garden hosts 2 swimming pools and landscaped areas for relaxation.
The resort is located 120 km north of Mombasa International Airport, and just 5 minutes from Malindi airport.
The Saint Tropez of Africa
Located on the shores of the Indian Ocean, the town of Malindi is a seaside resort that is grounded in great History and Natural Beauty. Once known as Melinde, a town at the mouth of the Galana River, was an important port in East Africa.This attracted the Swahili speaking people from as far as Zanzibar and Pemba Islands in Tanzania, some of who settled in Malindi to this day.
Malindi has traditionally been a port city for foreign powers. In 1414, the town was visited by the fleet of the Chinese explorer Zheng He. Malindi’s ruler sent a personal envoy with a giraffe as a present to China on that fleet. Later on Malindi authorities welcomed the great Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, from which a monument was built known as the Vasco da Gama pillar which marks the last stop in Africa before Vasco Da Gama sailed across the Indian Ocean to India in 1498.
With the construction of the Portuguese Fort Jesus in the neighboring town of Mombasa (1593) Malindi declined. The Portuguese administration and the customs houses were transferred to Mombasa leaving no administration in Malindi. After 1666 the Portuguese lost complete control of Malindi.
The Sultan of Zanzibar refounded Malindi in 1861. After 1873 slave trade became illegal leading to a decline in agricultural economy, as Arabs were partly unwilling to hire local Africans on a wage basis. The Sultan of Zanzibar later leased his territories, which included Malindi region, to the British East Africa Association.
