Both restless for endless white sands, after an hour s drive, and lots of cultural insights, The Boy

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As one of the world s most romantic private Island escapes, out-of-this-world barefoot luxury and the trip of a lifetime disney cruise ships are yours for the taking at Mnemba Island Lodge, Zanzibar off the north eastern tip of Zanzibar, disney cruise ships Africa.
I am staring at my screen and it has taken me about two hours to actually start writing the review for Mnemba Island Lodge, Zanzibar. This is because I am unsure how to do justice to one of the most magical journeys I ve ever undertaken. Mnemba Island is that rare and elusive disney cruise ships holy grail of travel: a promise to set your imagination free, fulfilled by a fantasy of everything you ve ever dreamed an unspoilt, privately-owned tropical paradise island could be.
In terms of tour and property companies I feel truly honoured to have experienced the company behind Mnemba Island Lodge, Beyond Africa . Having disney cruise ships recently been named one of the World s Top 10 Tour Operators at the Travel Leisure World s Best Awards 2011 Reader Survey, it is a truly deserved accolade.
It all starts in Stone Town, Zanzibar s tiny but bustling capital city, where The Boy and I are met by Suleman, our driver, in his gleaming white jeep. It s September, and here, south of the equator, the dry season generally mimics that of mainland Tanzania disney cruise ships s and lasts from June until October. Today, while it is cloudy in Zanzibar, Sueleman tells us how Mnemba is being favoured with high voltage sunshine.
Both restless for endless white sands, after an hour s drive, and lots of cultural insights, The Boy and I walk out onto the glistening beach at Muyuni which separates Zanzibar from Mnemba Island with a 20-minute boat ride. There s no jetty and so we wade into the bath-warm waters with our bags over our heads over to our private speedboat.
Our preconceptions over this secret barefoot five star experience slip down an imaginary rabbit hole as we walk out into the frothy creamy waters and are transported into a glorious wonderland of wild costal bush and resident shore birds decorating the blue skies above us. The powder white sand beneath me doesn t retains heat, and feels like walking on rolled out carpets of cashmere.
Ali, our butler for the duration of our stay (and the owner of some seriously telepathic guest relations disney cruise ships skills), hands us a cooler and whisks our luggage out of sight. General Manager, disney cruise ships Peter Seibert and his team greet us like long lost family members and give us a short tour of the property as well as a speedy tutorial on what to expect at Mnemba.
There s the tiny Stone Cottage library from which you can help yourself to novels, an open air, roof-covered dining disney cruise ships room where you eat with your toes in the sand. The Pavilion Lounge has an open plan bar where you can treat yourself to drinks on low, creamy Arabian style couches and pillows.
disney cruise ships Walking disney cruise ships around barefoot for your entire stay is part of the package, Peter informs us as he gifts us with two hand-made cotton Kikoi traditional East African disney cruise ships sarongs. Formalities are skipped in favour of a laid-back vibe, and we re told we won t need to wear any footwear even during dinner times because while you re here, this is your home, so go on and relax.
Once we re done taking in the Robinson Crusoe surroundings and I ve digested the fact I won t be required to pull out any of my eager-beaver heels (and bite my lip in regret for having watched the beach boys at Muyuni carry that stupidly overpacked suitcase over their heads on the way to the boat earlier) we head to our room.
There is boundless amounts space between the Island s 10 villas, which means total privacy. It is literally as if somebody has flown in our room - complete with an overflowing complimentary mini bar but importantly, no windows or doors - over the skies and placed it straight into the hidden forest, and a one minute walk onto the white beach and turquoise waters in front.
The villas or bandas as they are called in Swahili - are designed to feel spacious, isolated and homely all the same time. The interiors are distinctly Zanzibar-influenced; dark wood panels, a makuti thatch roof made from woven palm leaves, a four poster disney cruise ships bed with roll-down mosquito net, rolled-up coconut palm blinds, wicker chairs and ceiling fans. The open air, glass-beaded shower is a quirky addition, but the his-and-her sinks with nothing but the ancient jungle in front of you is a sight to behold while combing your hair for the day. At night, the porch to our bathroom is bathed in moonlight and we re serenaded by cooing doves as we settle down to sleep.
The Island has a circumference of 1.5km, so we were able to walk around it - with direct access into the prehistoric forest - and sink back into the ridiculously comfortable white cushioned sun-loungers in front of our banda in less than half an hour.
We spend most days lolling about in the sunshine and cooling off in the sea. For those who want additional pampering, Megan the resident massage therapist administers selection of treatments directly in your banda.
Otherwise, the Island is especially renowned for spectacular diving disney cruise ships as it sits surrounded by a plethora of reefs within the atoll. Mike and Ruth are the resident dive instructors and can teach beginners in the frothy waters of the Indian Ocean before leading guests on two inclusive dives a day. Most afternoons, with just a snorkel to aid us, we spend hours in the protected, crystal disney cruise ships clear waters spying on some of the 168 protected species of fish including lion fish, stingrays, moray eels, and turtles. Dolphin pod spotting is pretty frequent too.
This brings disney cruise ships me to another incredible highlight. Mnemba s serenity means it s a choice disney cruise ships destination for female sea turtles to come and lay their eggs and the resort has a dedicated conservation project.
On our first evening we were invited to witness a batch of hatchlings struggle out of their nests below the sand and clumsily scamper their way into the ocean. As Mike explained how only one in a thousand baby turtles ever make it into adulthood, I found myself choked up at the sight of this hazardous but extraordinary disney cruise ships fight for survival.
Over at the bar during pre-dinner drinks, all the guests and staff come together for some communal time. I m introduced to Pinotage (it s love at first sip) and learn how Emma Thompson, Naomi Campbell and Bill Gates have all been guests. (Naomi rented out Villa number 10 only a few weeks prior to my arrival, which is a good thing as I d have felt like a jackass loading up on goblets of orange and fennel sorbet with her in a bikini next to me.)
The resort is a stand-out template in responsible tourism. Staff are employed locally from Miyuni or live on site, there s a windmill, a de-salinisation water system and community developed vegetable gardens. Further commitment to the local community can be seen with the free hosted snorkelling excursions for local school kids.
I valued the hotel guests as much as I did the attentive disney cruise ships and caring staff the resort envelops you with a sincere, kindred-spirit as there s only ever 30 or so of us on the island at the same time. We co-exist disney cruise ships with each other united under the rule of uncensored wildlife and a beautiful landscape. Guests also have exclusive use of the resort s dhow boat, and you are given on access on rotation. The prize here obviously, is remoteness. Non staying disney cruise ships visitors disney cruise ships aren t allowed to step foot on the island although they can dive around the atoll. And while solitude is yours, you can t feel lonely in a place where vagrant butterflies and tiny suni antelope come and greet you at regular intervals.
At dusk, the landscape turns even more beautiful. There aren t any mosquitoes distracting us from our pre-ordered bottle of champagne and views of the fierce orange sun setting from the deck chairs Ali has brought over. I ve coerced The Boy into playing the theme tune from Out Of Africa on the iPad and we share a moment with the birds blazing past the sun in the high skies and sinking into pink candyfloss clouds.
Lunch feels like an extended house party as you dine alongside disney cruise ships the other guests. Whether or not you choose to have dinner with them is your bag, but we opted for shared breakfasts, lunches and cocktails but kept dinner a necessary private affair. Marvelling at the fanciful starlit sky above us, as we dined surrounded by candlelight and floor lanterns (the waiters use torches to get to and from the kitchen) had our Oxytocin levels exploding like fireworks. I d challenge even the hardest of hearts to experience Mnemba disney cruise ships on the beach at night and be able to fight off a free-falling, exhilarating romance.
The menu is largely international, comprising of delicately put together dishes such as an addictive fresh spiced watermelon soup, mezze platters, creamy risottos, sashimi, and freshly caught fish. For breakfast we are served freshly sliced fruit, humongous sliced tomatoes and omelettes fluffed to Masterchef disney cruise ships perfection.
Our stay at Mnemba, with days filled with golden honey sunshine, triggered a serious shift in our souls. Without distractio