On Location: Mnemba Island, Zanzibar
Bill Gates had rented out the whole island just before we arrived…
By Gray Shealy
You can hardly get more exotic than a name like Zanzibar, and still we found Mnemba – a private island off its shore – for the final stage of our dream trip. Called a destination "at the ends of the Earth" by Condé Nast Traveler in 1995, with just 12 rooms (locally known as bandas), 6 personalized meal times daily, and surrounded by an Indian-Ocean-electric-blue that almost hurts your eyes, some might call Mnemba paradise.
We arrived at what was easily the hottest airport in the world, Zanzibar’s un-air conditioned terminal in desperate need for an update. We stopped by Stone Town’s infamous spice market for bags of fresh cloves and vanilla before high-tailing it to the north side of the island where our truck drove out onto the sand. Our luggage was carried on porter's heads out on the beach and onto a boat where we were transported to Mnemba Island...across that ooh-so-blue water to the speck of trees on the horizon.
As the beach came into view, the hotel management team and our butler were there to greet us with cold towels and cocktails...right there on the sand as our feet jumped into the warm water from the boat’s edge. There was no dock, nor should there have been. No building was visible from the shoreline. Just vegetation. It was the beginning of the silent service perfection we were about to experience.
The daily menu was "suggested" on a chalkboard in the open air lobby, but we were told that the chef would personally greet us at breakfast and make whatever we wanted for all 6 mealtimes of the day, wherever we wanted to have it on the island. They brought me a niçoise salad with freshly grilled tuna as we arrived in the room. It was the best salad of my life. And I can still taste the passion fruit curd they served with bread at breakfast.
The banda, our room, was an open air thatch pavilion tucked into the edge of the woods, with no walls, and no neighbors. White cotton sheets, slip-covered sofas, and hand-woven grass carpets gave the whole place a very romantic appeal. There was a minibar and refrigerator stocked with homemade snacks. There was a gigantic closet where our luggage had already been unpacked. A big (and yes, semi-privatized) bathroom sat amongst the foliage. About 100 meters toward the beach was our separate and private beach cabana, with a huge lounging sofa, another stocked minibar with all the cold beverages we could stand, plus suntan lotion, and towels. Beyond, a white sand beach, with no one on it, and a gloriously blue ocean where Omani dhow sailboats glided.
And yes, there were even animals on Mnemba. The tiny Suni Antelope tread through the woods, curious about our presence. I almost mistook them for a small dog given their petite stature. We took a boat out to colorful reefs, and as we sailed, the captain pointed out the wild Bottlenose Dolphins swimming alongside us. He slowed down so we could jump into the water and swim beside them…some of the most magical 30 seconds in all my travels.
Sundowners (cocktails) happen at every sunset...a kind of ritual on the otherwise sleepy islet.
On our last night, we decided to have a "private" dinner on the beach in front of our room. Our butler spent an hour digging out two benches in the sand, and put up torches to light our table. Above us, a million stars twinkled, more than I have ever seen at any one time. It was romantic enough. But our dessert was interrupted because a 100-year-old sea turtle was laying eggs just a few feet away. The manager came by and asked if we wanted to observe. And, after watching her labor, dig, and finally lay her pearlescent eggs for nearly 4 hours, we watched her turn and head back to the sea, vanishing into the foamy, moonlit surf. (The resort documents each nesting site, and 55 days later when the eggs hatch, visitors can log in and watch the hatchlings.)
Mnemba may be quite possibly the most expensive place we've ever stayed. We were only there for three days, but each second we spent there now lives in memory as pure magic.
Stay: &Beyond Mnemba Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania
12 rooms (bandas) from 2,150 usd per person, per night
Photo Credit: Syllogi
Syllogi’s ‘On Location’ is a series of trip reports reflecting on our personal travels, as we research and experience the bounty the world has on offer.
