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JamboHouse

PO Box 131, Lamu Island 80500, Kenya
Hotel amenities
JamboHouse
Ranked #2 of 22 Lamu Island B&B and Inns
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71 reviews from our community

Traveller rating
    55
    12
    3
    0
    1
See reviews for
Families
4
 
Couples
31
 
Solo
15
 
Business
0
 
Rating summary
  • Location
    4 of 5 stars
  • Sleep Quality
    4 of 5 stars
  • Rooms
    4 of 5 stars
  • Service
    5 of 5 stars
  • Value
    5 of 5 stars
  • Cleanliness
    4.5 of 5 stars
Date Rating
Eldoret, Rift Valley, Kenya
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 April 2013

i stayed with a friend here (I am Kenyan and she is American) over easter holidays. Arnold is the reason why you have to stay at jambo guest house, very friendly and passionate about travel. He was helpful in having us get the best places to eat at and get our moneys value, had trusted associates for the dhow trips... More

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Giriama, Owner at JamboHouse, responded to this review
29 April 2013

Hi Judy, thank you for your review. Yes, I do like traveling so much and over the last few years I traveled all over Kenya - it's a beautiful country. And so, I could also give our guests a lot of information about other places to go or to stay in Kenya. When I have time I also explore other... More

Vantaa, Southern Finland, Finland
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 April 2013

Rooms are clean and simple, breakfast was excellent. Roof terrace was cosy. With this price, I think its very hard to find a place as good as this. Arnold was nicest and most helpful guy, we were not his easiest customers but he showed us a lot of trust and helped us. That loyalty really made our holiday special. Sheila... More

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Giriama, Owner at JamboHouse, responded to this review
29 April 2013

Hi Tuulikki, Hi Lasse, thank you for staying with us. It was our pleasure to have you as our guests. Sometimes some things in Lamu doesn't work perfectly (you know what I mean...) and we try to help our guests as much as possible. You were really easy guests, absolutely no problem. Lamu Town is UNESCO Wold Heritage Site and... More

1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 April 2013 via mobile

Stayed 5 days on return to Lamu after 38 years! As others have said , Arnold and the staff could not have been friendlier, more helpful or welcoming. His advice helped us get the most from our visit and those cold Tuskers from the ice box at dusk on the roof terrace will keep us going through this freezing Scottish... More

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Giriama, Owner at JamboHouse, responded to this review
29 April 2013

Dear Alex, dear Alan, thank you for taking your time to write this review about JamboHouse. We already had some guests who visited Lamu first time during the 70ies. And all of them enjoyed Lamu again. We work with very knowledgeable guides. And we have a very nice rooftop terrace to relax, to chat with other guests from JamboHouse, to... More

Vienna, Austria
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 March 2013

Rooms are simple but very clean, breakfast is served at the wonderful roof-terrace and is excellent, at night you can drink a cold tusker on the rooftop watching the stars from the sunbeds... you get really good value for your money at jambohouse! especially the service is unbeatable: staff picks you up for free from the airport/bus station (a thing... More

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Giriama, Owner at JamboHouse, responded to this review
14 March 2013

Thank you for you review and thank you for having you as our guests. I just realized, when I wanted to reply to your review I slipped one line below and replied to the wrong review. Sorry. To make the start for our guests as convenient as possible we wait for our guests on mainland or at Manda Airport. The... More

The Hague, The Netherlands
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
12 hotel reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 February 2013

The most expensive room (2400 Ksh) was quite nice, with a small balcony and windows on three sides which gave it an airy feeling. Smaller rooms looked to me a little bit dark and stuffy. The house itself, located in the maze of streets behind the fort, boasts a nice terrace on the top floor. An excellent breakfast is served... More

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Giriama, Owner at JamboHouse, responded to this review
29 April 2013

Dear karvam, thank you for your review. We upgraded the room you were staying in just one year ago. It's bigger than the other rooms and has a private balcony. Most of the time of the year tap water is quite warm because we have the water tanks on top of the roof. Most of the guesthouses in Lamu don't... More

Hawaii
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 February 2013

Consider this 6 reviews. I just got back from a visit with my family and we occupied the upper floor of Jambo House for 4 nights. I must say that Lamu is changing, but Jambo House is as awesome as ever. Arnold is the same, charming, helpful guide/host/friend as always. Breakfast is awesome (best eggs ever) and you can't beat... More

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See 3 more reviews by cajang for Lamu Island
Giriama, Owner at JamboHouse, responded to this review
21 February 2013

Dear cajang, thank you very much for your review. We try to keep our good standards so that our guests can fully enjoy their stay with us. Lamu is changing but it's still a great place. We already had some guests who visited Lamu first time during the 70ies (of course not at JamboHouse; we are operating since end of... More

Witten
1 review
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 February 2013

We stayed for 10 days at JamboHouse - after 2 days we wanted to extend our stay because Lamu is a great place and JamboHouse is very good guest house. There is everything you need: a clean bed- and bathroom, a nice roof terrace where you can meet other guests, good breakfast and very friendly staff. The price-performance ratio is... More

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Giriama, Owner at JamboHouse, responded to this review
21 February 2013

Dear Johanna, thank you for your review. Quite a lot of our guests extend their stay because they like Lamu (and JamboHouse) so much. We are looking forward to see you again in April. Best wishes from JamboHouse Team More

porto heli, greece
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
16 hotel reviews
Reviews in 17 cities Reviews in 17 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 February 2013

We had a fabulous stay on Lamu Island and a lot of the credit has to go to Arnold & his team at Jambo House. We only had a few days here but thanks to Arnolds (the owner) excellent map and local knowledge we felt we made the most of our days whilst still having time to relax. He made... More

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Giriama, Owner at JamboHouse, responded to this review
9 February 2013

Dear poseidonsailors, thank you again for staying with us. Just last month I designed a new map with all the interesting places to visit/shop/eat in Lamu Town. Also, the people I'm working with (boat captains, tour guides,...) I know them since a long time and so I'm sure that our guests are enjoying the activities in Lamu. Some of the... More

Amsterdam
Top Contributor
68 reviews 68 reviews
64 hotel reviews
Reviews in 46 cities Reviews in 46 cities
60 helpful votes 60 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 February 2013

I booked Jambo House for 8 nights in December and a very good rate was offered. My room was very nice. I had the best room in the house, with balcony. Really recommended this room. The bathroom is open, which was ok for me, since I was alone, but maybe less suitable for 2 friends sharing the room. I found... More

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Giriama, Owner at JamboHouse, responded to this review
9 February 2013

Dear Malkia, thank you for your review. And it's also good to get feedback from a collegue. About chairs, today I talked to a carpenter. I will replace the chairs on the balcony from the room you were in. On the terrace we already have wooden sunbeds and a typical swahili bed to relax. We hope to see you again... More

los angeles
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
5 hotel reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 February 2013

I think if you are looking for a lower budget option, and location isn't an issue then Jambo may be for you. But I have to say it wasn't really for me. If you are looking for the beach experience then Jambo may not be for you. We arrived at Lamu airport and were greeted by our Jambo contact and... More

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Giriama, Owner at JamboHouse, responded to this review
9 February 2013

Thank you for your review. Let me just clarify a few things: JamboHouse is located in Lamu Town - it's never being advertised that we are located right on Shela Beach. I remember, before you left you took some pictures from our rooftop terrace because you liked the view. Well... Generally, 98 % of our guests are very happy with... More

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Additional Information about JamboHouse

Address: PO Box 131, Lamu Island 80500, Kenya
Region: Kenya > Coast Province > Lamu Island
Amenities:
Free Breakfast Free High-Speed Internet Room Service
Hotel Style:
Ranked #2 of 22 B&Bs / Inns in Lamu Island
Price Range: $
Official Description (provided by the hotel):
In JamboHouse we provide in our 5 friendly in Lamu Style furnished rooms an enjoyable stay at reasonable rates. All our rooms (with mosquito net & ceiling fan) have private bathrooms. JamboHouse is ideally located to explore the Old Town of Lamu. From there it’s just a three minute walk through narrow lanes to Town Square with Lamu Fort. When you book JamboHouse we wait for you at the airport or at the bus terminal. ... more   less 
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JamboHouse
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