The magic of Zanzibar
Steeped in history and ringed by coral reefs, the spice island of Zanzibar offers powder white beaches, crystal clear seas – and is perfect for a luxurious wellbeing trip. By Gareth Roberts
As your plane begins its descent into Zanzibar – in my case, an Ethiopian Airlines 787 Dreamliner, a plane so spankingly new it was practically squeaking – the first thing you’ll notice is the colours. A watercolour tray of blues, cyans and cobalts swirl between the shore of mainland Tanzania and the impossibly green spice island, 25 kilometres offshore. It’s at this point you’ll realise that you’ve not packed enough superlatives to adequately bolster your envy-inducing Instagram account.
The coral reef that rings the island is marked by a margin of white surf as the Indian Ocean stretches out into the horizon, and it’s exactly how you imagine this island to look from the sky – impossible. Below, Stone Town builds itself up from narrow country tracks to an increasingly elaborate
patchworked landscape of galvanised roofs, rust red and gleaming zinc.
In the far distance, the east coast and the Baraza Resort & Spa is a 40-minute minibus ride through ancient colonnades of mango trees. The driver tells us they were planted by the sultan’s wife, the sultan being the Sultan of Oman who once presided over this tiny but hugely significant island. The Arabian influence is everywhere but especially at the Baraza resort whose low-rise, low-impact architecture is a homage to the majlis and palaces of Muscat fused with local Swahili and Indian design.
On arrival, you’ll be served chilled hibiscus juice and handed a iced face towel. After all it’s 32C in middecember, and well, this is a five-star retreat. The entire property is facing the sea and accommodation comes in the form of your own personal villa, each with a shaded terrace, sun deck and plunge pool. All villas are separated by gardens exploding with bougainvillea and frangipani.
The villas are a master class in distilled luxury; there are no gaudy chandeliers or gold taps, and the Arabian aesthetic runs through the resort like a stick of rock. Each is an oasis of calm, with massive walkin showers featuring gigantic brass showerheads to blast off the salt from the sea. The bed is a crisp landscape of Egyptian cotton that you’ll never want to leave, and if like me, you like to sleep like Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man then this is the scratcher for you.
There are 30 villas spread across the estate but it’s really quiet. Despite full occupancy the only time you’ll really bump into other people is in one of the restaurants, bars or at poolside – and you won’t have to fight over a beach lounger and palm-frond parasol as each villa is allocated its own. This privacy and sense of exclusivity is a key selling point; if you’re going to fly half-way around the world you’re going to want some personal space. What Baraza offers is all-inclusive tranquillity served on a hand-engraved silver plate. In Zanzibar you don’t really buy land, you buy the coconut tree that happens to be on that land, such is the value of this local resource. Stroll down to the shoreline and these massive trees sashay along the beach like tipsy supermodels on a halogen catwalk.
The onsite Frangipani Spa offers some amazing treatments and comes with its own private courtyard pool complete with an underwater sound system, so your zen playlist can
continue as you plough a few lengths before being massaged into tranquil oblivion. Many of the treatments are inspired by traditional Swahili medicinal herbs and spices, and the resort is virtually plastic and paraben-free.
The wellbeing theme seemed to be a big draw for many of the guests who were enjoying, if that’s the word, a New Year’s detox. Vegans are very well catered for here, and if you love fish look out for the wok dishes or have your dinner roasted on an open fire-grill.
We ate skewered, flame-grilled sea bass on lemongrass skewers and barbecued lobsters; this is fusion cooking at its finest. The Arabic, Persian, Indian and Swahili influence is represented at every meal, including breakfast where you can help yourself to Maandazi Makavu, which is what the locals go to work on of a morning: small triangular pastries filled with spiced honey, caramelised cashew nuts, passion fruit and coconut.
Swahili cooking workshops can be arranged at the resort, and during our stay we were taught how to make the most rock and roll of all meals, Freddie Mercury’s Chicken Dhansak. It was, we’re told, his personal recipe and it’s not half bad. In fact, it was kind of magic…
While the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody continues to collect awards around the world, there is very little in the film that details Mercury’s early life on Zanzibar. However, Zanzibar has not forgotten Mercury and his childhood home is now a hotel and shop, the exterior of which is adorned with fading images of the great man.
A trip to the Jozani national forest should also be high on your must-do list as it’s home to the rare Red Colobus monkey. Endemic to Zanzibar, these curious, thumb-less primates are a protected species and the forest itself a primordial wonder. The trip can also take in a tour of the nearby mangrove swamp, a glistening, black alien landscape complete with strange crabs and trees that spear their seeds into the earth below.
Our visit to Baraza ended with an obligatory sunset cruise on a traditional dhow. African sunsets are peerless. We watched as the Indian Ocean turned red and the velvet night cloaked the island to reveal a billion stars. It really happens.
While the staff at Baraza are busying themselves looking after your every need, the Zanzibar Collection does a pretty good job as a responsible local employer. We were invited to tour the nearby village of Bwejuu. Our guide Makame “Chende” Makame is a village elder, and having spent 30 years as a school teacher he radiates an almost superhuman level of calmness. Life in the village is slow with the men fishing and the women making nets from woven coconut husks. Education is everything, and your tourist dollars will help build new schools. Gareth Roberts travelled with Ethiopian Airlines who fly four times
per week from Manchester Airport to Addis Ababa and on to Zanzibar with a modern fleet. Return fares start at £486 economy and £1,616 business class, inclusive of all taxes, bookable online at www.ethiopianairlines.com; tel: 0800 016 3449 or via travel agencies.
Zanzibar has not forgotten Freddie Mercury – his childhood home is a hotel and shop