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A world away from the cold UK is Lamu island in Kenya. This tropical get-away is a small slice of paradise, as Susannah Lyon found out.
By Susannah Lyon
"If you were shivering in the cold and needed a tropical island to escape to where would you go?" I looked up at my friend Charlotte and said: "Kenya".
And that was the start of months of researching and planning before we finally set off, leaving the snowy depths of England far behind.
First things first...the beach. Just off the coast of Kenya lies its gem - Lamu, edged by 12km of silky white sand. It's right in the middle of a smattering of islands scattered among the turquoise sea. As I flew in on the tiny tin-pot plane, goats darted and little boys raced beneath us. Our Arabian dhow boat whisked us off to the car-free island and I discarded my grubby backpack with relief and collapsed at the rustic Island Hotel.
Sand Dunes by Shela Beach
It's located in the very shi-shi Shela town where the white-linen-clad, boho' sophisti-cats hang out. Up on the roof I found the Barracuda restaurant. The ceiling was simply the bright, starry night sky. It could have been very romantic had I been with a boy and the squawkings of a free-roaming donkey hadn't permeated the air! The barbequed freshly-caught Talapia fish with coconut rice is melt-in-the-mouth delicious.