Life & Work

Unforgettable experience at Baobab hotel

baobab

Baobab Beach Resort in Diani. PHOTO | COURTESY

Everybody knows about Baobab Beach Resort in Diani, 323-rooms sitting on some 80 acres overlooking the beach that they describe as “golden” and “virgin white”.

Baobab has been there since 1974; a favourite haunt for the conservatives who have been going there for years. Few know about the new section; KoleKole and Maridadi. Both high-end, and built for a different modern person. KoleKole built in 2006 is more family-oriented.

Silent as tomb

What might get your attention is the Maridadi wing, a 92- roomed resort built in 2009. It’s rumbling greenery that is a preferred by those who don’t want to meet the noisy holidayers squealing in the swimming pool and shuffling noisily in their holiday sandals. Children are not allowed. Neither are pets.

The landscaping is a rolling vista of exotic trees, six ponds, bridges, green lawns and various species of birds. The units, sitting on this greenery, doesn’t look like a resort, but a high-end estate in a posh address.

Very few people mill about. It’s as silent as the tombs. Except for the birds. And the gurgling three-level swimming pool.
Landscaping was done mainly by Joel Kyalo, who has worked at the property for 14 years.

“I used Pemba grass for most of the landscaping, of course getting in top soil because the grass can’t do well on coral soil,” he says. “This took about seven months, and the trees had transformed this place so much. It’s like being in a forest next to a beach.”

Coconut wood furniture

For those who love details you will find unique detailed furniture in the deluxe rooms, all made from coconut trees. Why would anyone make furniture using coconut wood?

“Because it’s got beautiful grains and has a natural attractive appearance,” Joseph Mwangi who deals with these unique craft in Diani and beyond says. According the Coconut Development Authority, Kenya has some 7.4 million-coconut trees on 200,000 hectares. The products are valued at Sh3.2 billion.

The main products from coconut are wine (60 per cent), nuts (24 per cent), brooms 24 per cent, makuti 11 per cent, and coconut wood 0.3 per cent. There is room for investment in this sub-sector because the annual requirements of edible and industrial oils are huge.

I visited Mr Mwangi’s workshop in Diani where he has made furniture for high-end properties like Leopard Beach Resort, Leisure Lodge, Pinewood and Sarova Whitesands.

“I pioneered this art when people hadn’t caught on to the beauty of coconut furniture.” He says coconut wood is of higher quality than traditional species and looks better given how the grains run on finished furniture.

Golden opportunity

But there is a downside. Since untreated freshly cut lumber can be easily attacked by mould and staining fungi, especially if it is not properly stacked and if exposed to humid environment during the air drying process. Further degradation during air-drying can also be caused by decay fungi and pinhole borers.

Hence, prophylactic treatment is necessary if it is used for the production of high-value products for export. Seasoning remains hard because of sugar levels in coconut wood, Mr Mwangi said.

So kiln drying is done on the coconut wood to bring its moisture level to a point that doesn’t allow cracks and checks on its surface.

Mr Mwangi saw a golden opportunity because coconut shell and palm wood are normally by-products that are either burned or discarded. Internationally, Nusa, Kirei, Omarno and Plyboo are just a few of the known companies striving to create eco-conscious products out of coconut shell and palm wood.

What this means to the farmer in Diani, where Mr Mwangi sources for his raw materials is that they have gained a new source of revenue from unused waste.

But know that the government controls the usage of coconut wood through the Coconut Development Authority that is mandated to regulate the industry—worth an estimated Sh13 billion a year.