Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort Hotel

Mozambique

A private island is within your reach off the coast of Mozambique, where minimalist chic meets golden sands and your neighbours are dolphins and dugong

If retreating to a private island is on your 2023 travel list (and if it isn’t, perhaps it should be), look no further than Anantara Bazaruto Island
Resort. Situated on the almond-shaped Bazaruto archipelago – some 30km off the eastern coast of Mozambique – you’ll find no shortage of natural beauty since it’s part of a protected National Park. The resort is surrounded by golden sands, opal waters and aquatic wildlife, making the ideal beach escape for the active traveller.

True to Anantara’s style, arriving via boat or helicopter (aerial views of the picturesque island are spectacular) is as every part as glamorous as you’d hope and once settled in, laid-back luxury continues with wooden, thatched beach huts with minimalist, chic interiors – choose between a private pool or beach-view villa. Boasting year-round
sunshine, relaxing poolside is a given and on the culinary front, you’ll find fresh, grilled seafood – thanks to 2,500km of Indian Ocean coastline.

Couples have the option of side-by-side massages at the spa and an adult-only pool (there’s a child-friendly one too) and for days when activities beckon, try horseback riding, sand dune boarding and, of course, diving to see over 2,000 species of fish, plus migrating whales, dolphins and the endangered dugong.

Villas from £670. 00 258 84 304 6670, anantara.com

Words by Megan Dickson.

This review was taken from the April 2023 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.