Since 1999

Our Story

The Alfajiri Story

The house on the coral cliff

How a young Italian, a stretch of Kenyan coast and a lifetime of hospitality became Alfajiri — the family home Fabrizio and Marica have shared with their guests since 1999.

Diani Beach, KenyaSince July 1999

Fabrizio and Marica sitting beneath a mosquito net in a safari tent — Fabrizio and Marica, in the early days.

IFabrizio

Thirty-eight years ago, a medical student from Italy travelled to Kenya to discover a new part of the world. The journey revealed an undeniable connection with its landscapes, wildlife, people and culture — but what stole his heart was Diani Beach, the place he would call home for years to come.

Alfajiri was the natural extension of Fabrizio and his wife Marica’s passion: to share their experience of Kenya with the world. Today the Alfajiri family still owns and runs it — three villas above the Indian Ocean, made for honeymoons, romantic escapes and family adventures.

Sometimes in the wave of change, we find our true direction.

Fabrizio, owner of Alfajiri Villas

Fabrizio and Marica with their children on the rocks by a river — The Alfajiri family, in the early years.

IIMarica

Built from the ground up, every villa is Marica’s own: she was the mastermind behind the design and curation of each one — the carved doors, the makuti roofs, the colour of every room — and the creator of Alfajiri’s award-winning kitchen.

Together with their staff, the owners have made a truly authentic African beach experience, with the highest level of service, privacy, luxury and exclusivity.

Alfajiri welcomed its first guests in July 1999. Five years later the Garden and Beach Villas were completed, and Alfajiri became three.

Today Alfajiri is run by the next generation of the family — Sofia and Giulia — an extension of the house their parents built, and of the care that has always defined it.

An Italian jewel on the ocean.

Condé Nast Traveller

The years

More than twenty-five years

Before
A first journey
An Italian medical student arrives in Kenya — and finds Diani Beach.
1999
The first guests
In July, Alfajiri welcomes its first guests to the villa on the cliff.
2004
Garden & Beach
The Garden and Beach Villas are completed, and Alfajiri becomes three.
Today
Still at home
Still owned by the family, and now run by Sofia and Giulia — the next generation.

IIIThe team

Alfajiri has always been a small team, led by the Alfajiri family. Many of the butlers, chefs, housekeepers and child-minders who look after you have been with us for more than twenty years.

They know the villas, the coast and, before long, you — how you take your coffee, where you like to eat, and when. Their service is discreet and never too much, and it is their attention to detail that has made it award-winning and so personal.

This is the Alfajiri family.

A butler in white and red looking out to sea from the veranda

01 / 03

Giving back

The Alfajiri Foundation

The wellbeing of Kenya’s biodiversity and its people matters deeply to the Alfajiri family. The Foundation protects the marine environment and the coast’s primates, and supports the education of local children.

$10: per adult, per night
$5: per teenager or child, per night

Every stay contributes. Guests are welcome to give more, and to visit the partners’ programmes during their stay.

Marine
Diani Turtle Watch
Protecting the sea turtles that nest on Diani’s shore, and teaching schools, communities and visitors why they matter, from its Marine Education Centre.
Coral
Reefolution
Growing coral in underwater nurseries and replanting it on degraded reef — around a kilometre of coastline restored so far.
Primates
Colobus Conservation
Securing the forests of the south coast for the threatened Angolan black-and-white colobus and the other primates who share them.
Children
Word of Life
Sponsoring local children through school and camp programmes — somewhere safe and nurturing to learn, play and grow.