As a South African couple, when we think of honeymoon destinations, Mauritius and Zanzibar are the first paradise islands that pop to mind – being both beautiful and nearby.
Zanzibar is what honeymoon dreams are made of – a short flight to a foreign island, greeted by turquoise water and palm trees, an abundance of culture to balance out all the day-bed napping – and very conveniently, an array of world class all-inclusive beachfront resorts.
We spent two incredible weeks on this African island – ending our trip with what we like to call our romantic, honeymoon-style, luxurious resort stay. In other words – Dream of Zanzibar !!
Honeymoon goals at Dream of Zanzibar
Watch our favourite moments in just 1 minute:
Island Resort Life in Kiwengwa
We spent 4 dreamy nights at this all-inclusive 5 star resort in Kiwengwa (North East coast) .
Dream of Zanzibar almost feels like a small town – it’s such a large property with so much to see, eat and wander through. We will save on the details (as you can visit their website for that), but here are a few of our favourite moments!
First to mind is definitely sunrise at Dream of Zanzibar!! We woke up every morning for sunrise – we would love to say it was because we’re that amazing at life, but honestly it was because it’s the best time to take photographs (no people plus beautiful lighting).
But really, we could not recommend a better excursion, activity or expensive spa treatment over having the entire resort to yourself at its most beautiful hour. The golden light literally rises over the ocean and up through the palm trees. The beach is still and the water looks like glass. The fisherman are out, gliding across the beachfront in their traditional dhow boats. It is absolutely breathtaking and well worth the early rise!!
Another stand out moment for us was just the endless time spent relaxing by the pool or the sea. It really is the best of both worlds having both the pool area and the separate beach area to relax by. The wind-protected pool for swimming, reading and drinking pina coladas, and then the beach area for the ocean views, tall palm trees and people watching on the beach below.
The sun-bed beach area is elevated a few steps above the public beach of Kiwengwa below. This is a huge benefit as this area is private and therefore out of reach from the local beach sellers that flood the beachfront below. You can still hop down to the beach and buy your sarongs, woven bags and other handmade souvenirs from the locals (I bought a stunning woven bag) – but the private section provides a much needed escape from the constant bartering and selling when you’re just looking to put your hat over your face and fall asleep listening to the tides.
We really loved the evening festivities. They have themed nights almost every second night, our favourite being the ‘African Night’ (every Thursday). The traditional Ngoma dance group were absolutely incredible to watch and the dinner set up on the beach was magical.
We recommend taking a peak at their instagram page: @dreamofzanzibar if you want to do some more stalking. We love using instagram to see real traveller photos rather than just professional ones. But the resort really was even more beautiful than any photo we had seen before arriving.
There is just something so exciting about being greeted with a coconut cocktail and whisked away by friendly local staff to your room, where a second coconut cocktail awaits (not joking).
We arrived in a room covered in petals, our names spelt out in bits of greenery spread across the bed, with matching white gowns and ice cold champagne at the ready. Our expectations were set high upon arrival and they remained there throughout out stay. The only disappointing part of the entire trip was that we had to leave.
Just some notes about the resort:
The Tides – The East of Zanzibar is known for extreme tides. Therefore the beach won’t always be ideal for swimming and this often catches first time Zanzibar travellers by surprise. However, we feel that the extreme high and low tides give you such a full experience. At high tide you can swim neck deep straight off the resort, with dhow boats sailing just metres from the resort entrance. But then low tide is beautiful in its own way – with 3kms of beachfront before you reach the sea to explore and wander.
Family friendly – Although we have written from our personal experience (as a couple), the resort also seemed to be a great place for families with children.
View our Zanzibar page for more posts from this beautiful island.
