Reviews of Kaya Mawa

"This place is truly paradise. From the moment we arrived, we started smiling and we didn’t stop.

The location is wonderful and it has been used to good effect to create interesting and beautiful rooms with lots of privacy and taking advantage of the views of the lake. A boat ride around the Island took all morning, stopping for a visit to the local craft co-operative and then the incredible cathedral.

The staff were warm and friendly and nothing was too much trouble. On two nights, staff brought along a village gospel choir and a band to entertain us. Dancing to African drum beats on a sandy beach on the lakeside at sunset was truly a memorable experience.

The food was nothing short of amazing - imaginative with fresh ingredients, all produced from a challenging supply line." See all these reviews: 9n in Malawi; 4n in Zambia; 3n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"This is our second trip to Kaya Mawa in two years, we love it that much. Every meal was amazing & so were the massages. It was so nice to see Michelle, Martin, Harold & MacDonald again! We stayed in the Nkhwazi room for the second time - has its own pool, tons of outdoor space & views of Mozambique. And the lodge now has an adorable dog! We will be back!" See all these reviews: 4n in Malawi; 4n in South Africa

"Kaya Mawa is an absolutely outstanding place.

We just loved everything about it from staff to service to location to activities.

Would definitely seriously consider returning here." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia; 5n in Malawi

"There are not enough superlatives to describe how relaxing, perfect, special & magical Kaya Mawa is. My husband & I stayed in the Nhkwazi premium room, which sits on a hill overlooking the lake. The room is massive & has a ton of outdoor seating spots (which is perfect, as we love to sit outside for hours reading, chatting, drinking & enjoying the views) & a private plunge pool. Also loved the outdoor shower w/ a view of the lake! It was so awesome being lulled to sleep by the cool breeze & sounds of water lapping at the rocks right below us.

Kaya Mawa offers a ton of activities (all non-motorized water activities like snorkeling, paddleboarding & kayaking are complimentary). We were mostly lazy & just laid out on the beach & swam, but did a quad bike tour (super fun!) around the island one afternoon, got massages & visited the Katundu workshop on another afternoon. The workshop is staffed primarily by single mothers & their products are great! http://www.katundu.net/workshop.html Kaya Mawa has many of their products in the rooms & common areas of the lodge & we purchased several of their gorgeous items. We also got fabulous massages on our last full day. Despite it being winter in Malawi, it could get pretty warm during the day (I would guess about 80+ F degrees) & the water is so clear & so refreshing to swim in. On the day we left, I went for a 7a.m. swim & was joined by a family of otters!!!

The food was out-of-this-world amazing. Not one meal was even just average – everything was crazy delicious!!! The food is also very fresh & healthy – lots of fruits & vegetables w/ every meal. Ahhhh-mazing!!!

The people who work there are of the highest caliber. They really went above & beyond to make our too-brief stay there extra memorable & special. They arranged a surprise private Swahili dinner on the beach one night as well as private sundowners on a jetty. They also get the little details just right." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia; 4n in Malawi

"A heavenly location in which to chill out and recover from the delights and excitement of early morning game drives, heat and dust on safari. A safe and friendly island with minimal commercial activity or modern day pressures. The pace of life was gentle and stress free.

Our room was exactly as we had pictured - cool, comfortable and literally on the beach, and a stones throw from the bar and restaurant.. Attractive locally produced fabrics and furnishings, great shaded sitting out area and sundeck with huge sun umbrella. High quality toiletries, robes and kikoys were provided, plus full snorkelling kit - flippers, mask and snorkel.

The dress code was very relaxed, and you only needed flip flops, trainers (for walks), cotton beach gear and swim things.

A quad bike ride was a must, taking in the fabric/furnishings workshop, radio mast highest view point of the island, St.Peter's Cathedral, local market and ferry point. We used the mountain bikes once, which was an interesting way of seeing more of the island, but were discouraged by the poor condition of the bikes - my pedal came off, and the front brake did not work. We understand that maintenance and spares are a problem.

My wife sailed the Laser dinghy a couple of times, and I kayaked every day.

My wife enjoyed a refresher scuba dive, whilst I stuck to swimming around the bay and rocks.

Local walks were fun - everybody walks on this island of 7,000+ inhabitants and less than 10 vehicles - very welcoming local villagers, lovely views. we would have liked a more accurate local island map to plan our walks and avoid getting hopelessly lost - quite a lot of new dirt roads have been added. Perhaps production of a new map could be given as a project to pupils at one of the local schools.

The staff at Kaya Mawa were very attentive and well trained in looking after guests. They struck the right balance between providing good service, giving information on island life and the villages, and avoiding being intrusive. They put on a delightful evening performance of singing, dancing and drumming, with numbers supplemented from the local village. The room was serviced several times per day and laundry returned promptly. Management should be proud of what they have achieved.

Meals were healthy, tastey, and in keeping with the KM offering, using local produce and imaginative recipes. We had chicken, beef and pork, served with fresh vegetables and fruit. There was no choice, but the variety and quality of the dishes of the day was excellent. KM does not cater for fast food addicts - thank goodness! We really enjoyed dining on the beach by the lakeside - great for romantics!

Set backs were minimal. One morning our loo started to leak from the base of the pedestal (not an unusual occurence, apparently), but the works team were on the case quickly, and we were presented with a half bottle of champagne at sundowner time to compensate for the inconvenience. On our last day the weather broke unexpectedly early with a fierce rain storm - roof maintenance had not been done since the last rainy season, and one or two guests had to be moved to alternative accommodation to avoid being flooded." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 7n in Malawi

"A perfect end to a perfect holiday. Food out of this world, fabulous accommodation and attentive staff. Quiet,peaceful and no need to socialise with anyone else if you don't want to." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 7n in Malawi

"great" See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 8n in South Africa; 5n in Zambia; 4n in Malawi

"Kaya Mawa was a disappointing experience. Despite booking lakeside rooms back in January, which had been confirmed by Expert Africa, we were alarmed to be told by Michelle that she always got out of breath going up to our room, Mbamba,, which was not what we had booked. It was the former restaurant up on the highest rock. She said Expert Africa had 'upgraded' us so we told her we would take it up with them. It appears this was not so. Not for us a room with a view - unless we were prepared to sit on the bed or take a chair indoors and look out of the window. The alternative was to look at a concrete plunge pool or sit surrounded by trees. We envied those guests who could take advantage of room service.;when we tried we had to eat indoors on our knee because the flies were so bad under the trees round the balcony.

Our meal on our first evening was excessively salty - we mentioned it when we were asked but were told we were probably suffering from sensory overload. How rude!

If you have any hankering for exploring Likoma Island independently after safari, forget it unless you are happy to report your plans in advance. It is hotel policy to inform islanders what the guests will be doing/ where they are going which we found very disconcerting. If you are happy to stay at the hotel and access the many water sports then that may not concern you.

We are not picky, difficult travellers and this is the first time ever that we have had a sufficiently disappointing experience.to feel so aggrieved despite many years of travelling. We certainly don't agree with the judgement in Lonely Planet." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia; 4n in Malawi

"The Island is lovely. The rooms are ok but spoilt by a lack of air con and power. The service is ok.

The owner was faultless at dealing with things. The manager was very weak. Shortages were a bore. They ran out of many wines. Tonic ran out on day one. Bacon ran out. This wasn't a problem anywhere except at this lodge so the too-often quoted "well, this is Malawi" was weak." See all these reviews: 11n in Malawi

"Kaya Mawa is stunning, the staff are lovely everything was just great and exactly what I had hoped for. The setting is truly beautiful, a crescent bay with the rooms set around it and up and around the granite out crops. Our room was huge with incredible views out over the lake and so private, very comfortable very clean just perfect

The managers were sweet and couldn't do enough for you as were the staff and waiters who would move heavy umbrellas and bring you drinks where and when you wished. The food was excellent and varied and the dinners at tables dotted along the beach by the water was magical and very romantic with lanterns and candles lighting your way.

A lovely end to a wonderful holiday I recommend it especially after a safari and try to go for more nights than you think you need, you won't want to leave, I didn't" See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia; 5n in Malawi