Think secluded island paradise, abundant and protected wildlife, unspoilt beaches and coves and one of the only “resorts” in Zanzibar that can offer both an ocean sunset AND sunrise. The most romantic private island in Zanzibar that we’ve visited thus far!!

Welcome to Chapwani Private Island

This small island floats just 15 minutes by boat from Stone Town harbour, and in view of Prison Island. It has been leased to a local family by the government who has taken equal efforts to celebrate it’s natural beauty as they have in protecting it.

As a couple who loves to travel – this place was quite overwhelming for us!! It checked almost every imaginary box we have:

• Turquoise beaches and snorkelling coves.
• Sunset and sunrise views across the ocean.
• Remote, secluded, uncrowded space.
• Local management and staff who love/respect wildlife.
• Rooms from which you can fall asleep listening to the sea.

An interesting thing to consider,

Staying at this private island is almost the same price range as staying at an all-inclusive luxury resort on the mainland. The big resorts have more modern facilities, restaurant options, 24/7 wifi, air-con and fancier pools, gyms and activities. Whereas this island has far more space, is far less crowded, has more opportunities to engage with wildlife and nature, has rooms much closer to the ocean and operates in a more earthly sustainable manner. Which one is better, well that just depends on you.

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So although this is a luxury island experience – it is what we like to call natural luxury. The luxury of being able to be only one of 10 rooms on an entire island, the privilege of being able to experience Zanzibar’s paradise without sharing every moment with another tourist 5 to 10 steps away.

So yes you may get a bit hot in Summer when the fans turn off at 12am until 6am every night, and you may get bitten by a mosquito during your candlelit dinner on the beach – but wow did Chapwani Private Island make us feel like absolute royalty.

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We spent our two full days just relaxing between our day beds, beach lounges and the natural ocean pool. The constant and uninterrupted “white noise” from the ocean was so therapeutic. An ideal setting to simply switch off.

We saw they offered free kayaks to paddle around the island, but we took a swim instead. Although we wouldn’t pin Zanzibar as a “snorkelling hotspot” compared to other reefs we’ve experienced in Southeast Asia, it was a beautiful turquoise swim with lots of sneaky caves and friendly fish.

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This romantic private island in Zanzibar was a true escape for us. Being away from the noise and the wifi, it made us really relax – the kind of chill feeling that you hope for when planning your holiday from your desk back home.

It’s easy to get caught up being busy when on a trip or holiday. You want to make the most of your leave, experience everything and attraction and restaurant the area has to offer. You want to capture the best vacay pics, go shopping, go on every tour or excursion possible, watch every sunset and perhaps even learn a bit of the local language. All awesome things – but getting home from a holiday, needing a holiday, is not always the best feeling.

We get very caught up in wanting to experience absolutely everything a destination has to offer. If there’s a cave or a hike or a sunset bar we want to see and do it all. But we have started to learn to calm down a bit ;). When we’re too busy we often don’t get time to process the amazing things we’ve seen, or just have time to relax and be happy, and chat. This island stay gave us time on our trip to do all these things and for that it will always be a top recommendation for us.

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Our best moments at Chapwani in just over 1 minute

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Chapwani Private Island Accommodation

Here’s a little more on the accommodation if you’re eager to visit. They have 10 seaside cottages and one sunset villa – all of them on the beach with equally amazing ocean views. You can look into the details more on their website.

We were absolutely spoilt with the sunset villa, which is all the way at the end of the beach and completely private (yes this means walking around nakey – HOLIDAY GOALS). This villa is perfect for romantic stays, family stays or group stays. It has its own private pool and an upstairs deck.

As already mentioned, the electricity goes off in the night, leaving you with the day to enjoy the fans and electrical points. They come clean your room daily and always leave beautiful flowers on their way out.

We could have happily lived here forever.

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