Subira House

Paul and I met in 1975 in Lamu. 1990 we came back from Sweden with our children on a holiday and bought this magnificent building, the former "Liwali's House". We restored the old walls and ceilings in a traditional way. In 2006 we moved to Lamu after selling our Dala- Floda Hotel Restaurant in Sweden which we restored and run for 30 years. Sweden's first Slow Food Restaurant!

The property is a magnificent grade one historical building from 1880 of high architectural interest in Lamu's UNESCO listed Stonetown. You find Subira right behind the Lamu Fort in the middle of the Old Town. We have added two Top Terraces with a sea view. Spacious terraces, courtyards and gardens make Subira House very special. Lamu Town has no proper sewage system , therefore we have - in line with our environmental values - decided not to install regular flush toilets. Lamu, by tradition, used long drop toilets that discharge into a pit latrine. We have 2 types of toilets here at Subira House. The Swedish Separett waterless toilet system (which separates urine and solid waste, then usable for compost), and the traditional Lamu long drop toilets. We are eco certified since 2011.

Subira House is located behind the big Lamu Fort not far from the magic Mkunguni, Lamu Square. No cars only hand carts and donkeys help distributing the incoming goods from the busy sea front .You will stay in a World Cultural Heritage Site. Lamu Town dates back to the 11 th Century. Life is slow and peaceful and time has gone by here much like today. To go to the beach you easily catch a boat from the nearby jetty. You have Shela Beach on the southern part and Manda Beach across the channel. Unspoilt and beautiful. If you wish to make a nice walk we let you come along to our "shamba", a three acres piece of land where we practice Permaculture. 3 km walk to get there. We show you our work, you rest on the terrace in the winds from the Ocean. We serve a simple shamba lunch with organcfood that grows there. Towards afternoon we help you find the way across the sand dunes to the sea. You walk another 6 km to Shela Village. Back to Lamu maybe by boat. A lovely interesting day out much appreciated by our guests. A Sunset Sail Tour is a must. Our captain comes by to pick you up to take you by a big "Kassa|" Dhow out to sail along the Mangrove boarded shores to watch the setting sun.