NAOMI Campbell is always on the go. If she isn't gracing the catwalk, featured in beauty and fashion campaigns or acting, she finds time to escape to her luxurious villa in the seaside town of Malindi in Kenya.
The 50-year-old model came to Malindi in 1994, but it was only in 1999 when she fell in love with the African destination, so much that she invested in a villa just a stone throw away from the beach.
The supermodel, who recently gave Architectural Digest a tour of the villa, showcased the airy property that boasts a makuti thatched roof and strong Kenyan art and decor inspirations.
"What I love about being here is you are really living outside. I feel this is what people want right now, to be outside all the time.
"We want you to feel where you are. I wouldn't want to have a place that takes away from the feeling. We have the best of both because we are on the beach, we have modern. But here it is authentic Kenyan African art and artefacts," she said in the video.
The Empire star's villa has four pools, including a salt-water pool that extends outdoors from her living room, a Henri Chenot inspired spa and individually decorated bedrooms that include glorious artwork and ample space for her guests.
Her room has a living area and chic bedroom space with impressive artworks of a young boy draped in red and a fierce lion.
Campbell has always professed her love for Africa and enjoyed countless visits to South Africa.
She said: "People have such a wrong perception of Africa. It is a beautiful place. This is definitely my go-to place for chilling, relaxing and completely shutting down. This is the place I shut down."
She described Kenya as a "natural gem".
"It has the safari. It has the bush. It has the coast. It has dunes. It has all the elements, and people don't realise that."
She said she heard about Kenya from her mother's elder sister named June and later from model Lauren Hutton, who would escape to Kenya to revitalise after working.
"I remember the first time I was coming to Kenya, and I said to Lauren: 'I am going to Kenya.' She said: 'Look at your smile when you come back from Kenya, you're going to have a real smile.' And I so understood what she meant. She's 100% right," said Campbell.
Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife recently announced Campbell as the Magical Kenya International Ambassador.