Experience an exotic escape in Zanzibar

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  Jetty Bar at Zamani Zanzibar Kempinski

  © Kempinski

It’s not just the Maldives, Mauritius and the Seychelles that can offer luxury escapes in the blue waters of the Indian Ocean. Zanzibar, the “spice island” off the east coast of Tanzania, is another fascinating option.

Reached by a 20-minute hop from the Tanzanian capital Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar displays its diverse heritage from the minute you drive from the airport. Evidence of Portuguese, Omani and British rule – before Zanzibar became a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania – can all be seen in the mixture of the island’s people and buildings you spot enroute to the coast and the Zamani Zanzibar Kempinski resort.

One of the best places to stay on Zanzibar, the luxury resort is on the north-east of the island and offers high quality accommodation and facilities, with top of the list being the outstanding one-bedroom villas with private gardens and large infinity pools.

Each villa comes with a dedicated butler on hand to escort you around the resort via golf buggy – including the short trip down to the Beach Club, with its Grill and Bar on the edge of the ocean and variety of watersports. While you’re away from the villa, your butler will no doubt be busy placing a renewed selection of canapés, fruit or petits fours to await your return.

The other restaurants at the hotel include the excellent Red Snapper, offering fresh seafood, and there are extensive buffets provided all day in Cloves restaurant. During our stay, the Kempinski team arranged a dinner for two on the beach, specially running electricity down for the lighting and a cooking station to orchestrate a peaceful evening meal and a special experience that will live for a very long time in our memories.

The perfect weather, the beauty of the Indian Ocean and the warm and friendly hospitality provided by the staff made it pretty much impossible not to relax on Zanzibar nor to leave the island feeling anything but refreshed.

A final stop at exotic Zanzibar makes for a perfect combination with a safari in Tanzania and Kempinski, which operates hotels in the Serengeti and in Dar Es Salaam, as well as in Zanzibar, now offers an itinerary including all three destinations.

For more information, see either www.discovering-tanzania.com or www.kempinksi.com

By Nick Perry