Diani, just south of Mombasa, Kenya, is one of Africa’s great beaches. The fine sands blaze with white, stretching for 11km along an azure and warm ocean, protected by an offshore reef. It’s tropical, always warm, the breeze floating over your skin.

But what really makes Diani is that it still holds the power to charm. There is no overexploitation here (yet?) as opposed to some of the world’s most popular beaches like Chang Mai on Koh Samui in Thailand, and beaches on the North West coast of Mauritius.

Here one fairly jostles for space as the world’s tourists fly in for a spot of sun, and resort after resort stand shoulder to shoulder along the sand’s edge.

Diani, by contrast, is quiet and unassuming. It still has the feel of an old family holiday house. Stroll along as the tide recedes and the powder-like sand squeaks underfoot. The resorts are sparsely set, and lie well back among the waving palm trees, intermingled with a private beach house or two for those lucky enough to have secured a patch of the sublime.

In an hour-long walk in midmorning seven other beachgoers passed me, quietly chatting. In the shimmering distance a single group of sun worshippers lay around chatting as three kite surfers were trying to control their craft.

Two rather polite Kenyans offered the standard “Jambo” and enquired whether I would like to take a ride out to the reef. It’s that laid back. And where do you drop your bags so you can use this beach? We were accommodated at the Neptune Palm Beach resort, run by the Plan Hotels group, which owns hotels in Italy, Maldives, Kenya and Tanzania.

The hotel ticked all the boxes for a grand beach holiday. The rooms are lux and big with a daybed on the verandah. There is the ubiquitous sprawling swimming pool, loungers, a verdant tropical garden with swaying palm trees (and some giant baobabs), with the ocean stretching beyond. The food was very good, and beaming staff looked after our every need, Kenya style.

A day trip was taking a dhow to the Kisite National Marine Park. It was rather a rough trip out for an hour to the shallow waters where we snorkelled over some stunning coral reef, a myriad of fish flashing green, blue and yellow as they swashbuckled past our masks.

The Kisite coral reefs are about 3-4km long running along edges of the Mpunguti Islands to the tiny coral island of Kisite itself. Forty-five varieties of coral have so far been identified.

The sheer numbers of fish (more than 250 species recorded) feeding around the coral is glorious – another world beneath the ocean. Dolphins are common, but we did not see any on a windy day. Nearby Mombasa (meaning island of war) has always been a great trading centre, and was fought over as a strategic site in the trade between Arab north and African south.

It’s a good day trip to see the colourful old city streets. African, Persian, Arab, Portuguese and British influences thread their way through the history of the city. The Jordanians were here in the 6th century, Persians in the 9th and 10th century and then the Arab traders came, developing trade routes and commercial centres.

This led to a bloom in the city, with grand houses, mosques and monuments springing up.

The Portuguese arrived, building the impressive Fort Jesus which still dominates the entrance to the old harbour, between 1593 and 1598. The city was ruled by Omani sultans and then became a British protectorate.

Gripes: be prepared for bone-jarring, teeth-rattling road trips in Kenya. Although Diani is only 40km from Mombasa and the airport, it took us nearly two hours to get to the hotel after our flight. The food at the hotel was very good, but not up to the excellent international standard of top class hotels in Mauritius and Thailand.

Some rough edges need to be smoothed by Kenyan tourism.

On the dhow trip we had two elderly ladies with us, and one fell from her seat in rough seas. To transfer from our dhow to an island restaurant, we had to hop into knee- deep water and wade over fairly stony ground to the shore. Very difficult for elderly travellers. In a different group on the snorkel, two or three people apparently walked on the coral. Not done.

When to go: Hot and humid, Mombasa’s weather is cooler than many tropical countries. June to September is the high tourist season due to a combination of summer holidays and mildly cooler weather. The rainy season is in April, May and June, when visiting is not recommended. See prices below. It is well worth it to spend the extra money staying at the Palms resort. - Cape Times

l 1Time airlines and the Plan Hotel Group hosted the writer.

Package prices from 1time holidays to Diani beach:

l 5 star Diamonds Neptune Palm Beach Resort – R10 870 per person sharing in a double room Pay 6/stay 7 nights

l 4 star Sandies Neptune Paradise Village – R9 980 per person sharing in a double room Pay 6/stay 7 nights

Includes: Return flights from Joburg direct to Mombasa on 1time airline, Return airport/hotel transfers (including ferry crossing), 7 nights accommodation at the resort on an all inclusive basis – all meals, all soft drinks, local beers, wines and selected spirits daily as well as the daily entertainment programme

Excludes: Items of a personal nature.

Valid for travel March 5 – April 29, 2012 (departures on Mondays and Fridays). All prices are subject to availability, currency fluctuations and standard terms & conditions.

l 1Time has launched direct flights from Joburg to Mombasa: The tickets vary in price from R2 477 – R4 377 (JHB - MOM) one way and (MOM-JHB) range from R2 296 to R4 266.

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