Unspoilt charm on Medjumbe island

Travel2015

FOR THE better part of the halfhour hop from Pemba on the Mozambican mainland to the island of Medjumbe, the Cherokee prop plane flew over a delta of dense mangrove swamps, a grand integrity broken only by brackish, swollen arteries of rivers which belch into the Indian Ocean.

Suddenly, the mainland loses its grip and you are over the sea, flying freely now over a tableaux of myriad shades of blue, defined by the depth of channels and sand-banks, before the Quirimbas Archipelago comes into view.

A string of low-lying offshore islands dot an indigo sea, mirrored by random clouds which drift by in silent stillness, the remote Quirimbas – 32 offshore coral islands which run for some 250km along the country’s northern coastline – never fail to captivate on first sighting.

For here the sea has an unbroken sense of isolation with but fragile, white- sailed dhows venturing occasionally into the azure vastness.

Indeed, as the Cherokee heels to land at Medjumbe Island, you are overwhelmed by the distinct feeling that you have entered a different, uncorrupted, more authentic world.

It’s a revelry broken only by the sudden jolt of the prop plane’s wheels on Medjumbe’s runway, the door opening to a roguish humidity and Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort & Spa GM, Ann Procope.

“Welcome to Medjumbe. Leave your watch and cellphones in the room,” grins Ann passing us cold peppermint towels to ward off the stickiness.

Like the myriad shells which wash up on the pristine beaches every morning, originally from France, Ann has found a still point at Medjumbe, a suspension of time which we’d learn to embrace in the days ahead.

Certainly, the setting could not be more charming and idyllic as, scattered along its sugary beach, the resort’s thatch bungalows are set amid waving palms and coastal greenery, all sea-facing and very private.

With discrete Afro-Arab décor, villas have bathrooms which look out to sea and, as I’m a big fan of outdoor showers, this is as good as it gets as you wander in from the beach.

The beauty of it all is that great care has been taken to not compromise the aesthetic balance of the island, the 12 villas augmenting rather than competing with the resort’s intrinsic, barefoot essence.

The Quirimbas, it would appear, is also a place of miracle. Staffed largely by Mozambicans, who are gracious and genteel in manner, our concierge, Jackson, said he was mute from birth until the age of 15, when he suddenly started speaking, a blessing he attributed to Jesus.

That night, after a dinner of fresh grilled lobster, beneath the

UNSPOILT: The beauty of the island is that great care has been taken to not compromise its aesthetic balance.