National Geographic Traveller (UK)
THE BEST NEW BEACH RETREATS
AZURA MARLIN BEACH, MOZAMBIQUE
BEST FOR: Diving and snorkelling
Rebuilt and relaunching in 2022, Marlin Beach on Benguerra Island in the Bazaruto Archipelago is the fresh and funky little sister of Azura Benguerra, Mozambique’s original Indian Ocean island eco-lodge. Set on the site of an old sport fishing lodge on Benguerra’s southwest shore, it has its own PADI five-star dive centre. Between scuba sessions and lazy boat trips by dhow, guests can relax in villas with crisp, beachy decor, right on the sand. azura-retreats.com
SUNDY PRAIA, SÃO TOMÉ & PRÍNCIPE
BEST FOR: Jungle hikes and waterfall swims
This unique retreat on the island of Príncipe is wedged between the rainforest and the ocean in a little-visited UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, one degree north of the Equator. Relaunched in 2021, it invites you to step out of your canvasroofed beach villa and explore. Expect boat trips, visits to artisan cocoa plantations and expert-led jungle hikes, searching for endemic bird species such as giant sunbirds and the Príncipe speirops, then cooling off in crystalclear waterfalls. hbdprincipe.com
KISAWA SANCTUARY, MOZAMBIQUE
BEST FOR: Marine conservation projects
Kisawa’s blow-the-budget beach bungalows, vast but cosseting in their minimalist comfort, opened on Benguerra Island in spring 2021 in a WWF National Marine Park. Carefully designed to blend in with the coastal forest and built by island artisans, skilled in using natural materials, each bungalow comes with a dedicated butler, infinity pool and kitchen. By staying here, you support Kisawa’s nonprofit offshoot, the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies, Africa’s first permanent ocean observatory. kisawasanctuary.com
LEKKERWATER BEACH LODGE, SOUTH AFRICA
BEST FOR: Whale-watching
Close to South Africa’s much-loved Garden Route, this luxurious off-grid lodge in the De Hoop Nature Reserve, opened in 2019, has soulhealing sea views and direct access to a pristine beach. Though only 45 miles northeast of Cape Agulhas, Africa’s southernmost tip, the Indian Ocean here is typically at least 2C warmer than the Atlantic in Cape Town. In migration season (July to November), you can watch southern right whales without even leaving your private deck. naturalselection.travel
TIME + TIDE MIAVANA, MADAGASCAR
BEST FOR: Ultra-luxurious lemur-spotting
Celebrating its fifth year in 2022, Time + Tide Miavana is still Madagascar’s newest ultra-luxury island lodge. Set on Nosy Ankao, in the Levens Archipelago off the mainland’s northeastern shore, it’s gloriously remote, with a spacious, stripped-down, beach-chic vibe conjured up by celebrated Johannesburg-based architects Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens. The environmental team monitors Nosy Ankao’s crowned lemurs, translocated here from an area of high poaching and habitat loss. According to the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership, they’re in glowing health. miavana.com