Malindi

Also known as 'Milan-di' or 'Little Italy', this small coastal town has developed over the years into the beach destination of choice for half of Italy, especially during the Italian summer in August and between Christmas and New Year. All the local Kenyans, who have an uncanny knack for languages, now all speak Italian and greet every white face with "Ciao!".

As with all places with a large number of any nationality on holiday, this can be a little overpowering and in many ways, the town loses it's own character and adopts the Italian way. Menus in many of the restaurants are all in Italian...indeed many of them focus around pizza and pasta. You can get great ice-cream and a fabulous latte though. Most of the hotels in the town are large, sprawling resorts with boxy rooms and 'animators' (responsible for making sure that you don't have one bored moment).

One aspect of the town that is impossible to ignore is the prostitution which is rampant and conspicuous. There are a couple of seedy nightclubs in town which are packed during the high seasons with ladies of the night and a motley selection of potential clients. Out of peak season, the town takes on a different feel and looks somewhat deflated but is quieter and less hectic. The beaches here, though white with a nice turquiose sea, are rather narrow and becoming more crowded as each season rolls around.