Spices scent the Zanzibar air

After packing my bags for Zanzibar to spend a few days at the launch of the Emerald Spa and Resort along the coast of Matemwe, it was time to brush up on my Swahili. 

“Shap shape” and “Hola” are mostly what you hear from the mouths of ever-smiling locals as soon as they realise you’re South African. 

The chartered three-hour flight organised by AfricaStay through Safair lands at the newly refurbished Abeid Amani Karume International Airport at around 1am, fully booked with loud South Africans telling jokes in Afrikaans. 

Zanzibar doesn’t require a visa, making booking so much easier, although a Covid vaccination certificate is mandatory. Upon landing a friendly man escorts our group to a bus distinctly marked with the AfricaStay decal, while another stands outside preparing freshly sliced coconut welcome drinks. 

Entering the bus, I hear a gentleman with an Italian accent asking for the Wi-Fi password. How posh! A bus with Wi-Fi. 

The gentleman is Marian Sandu, director at Africa Stay Tours, which was established in 2004 to service tours around Africa and the Indian Ocean. 

Zanzibar doesn’t seem to sleep, and even in the early morning as our bus drives along the bumpy, unpaved roads, residents can be seen at makeshift corner stores buying fried fish and food. 

We all stare out the windows in awe. 

Our tour guide Salim breaks out in song, singing a popular Swahili tune, Jumbo Sana. I see small motorbikes called piki-piki, the common mode of public transportation, parked on the pavement waiting for riders who want to go home. 

During the one-and-a-half-hour journey to the resort, the road is unlit with potholes but feels like an adventure. In the bus, one of our tour group had opted to play music off of YouTube after Jumbo Sana and others sing along. The local beer Kilimanjaro is passed around for those who want to indulge. 

We are strangers, so at first conversation is tricky. As we approach the entrance to the hotel to the resort, we are greeted by guards at the gate of a stunning white building that reminds us of something out of Casablanca. 

Knowing that buildings in Zanzibar don’t have glass windows but just metal gauze, I’m pleasantly surprised at this well built structure that has intricate wooden carvings, glass doors, and oddly enough, the warm scent of sandalwood wafting through the reception area. 

Friendly staff lined the passages at what felt like three in the morning to welcome us with “Mambo, karibu!” I can string together a sentence in Swahili and respond, “Asante sana”. 

Clearly I’ll have to attend the morning Swahili classes on offer. Zanzibar isn’t an English-speaking region, but the locals try to converse with tourists as much as possible. After some sweet mango welcome drinks and a debrief, it’s bedtime. 

That sandalwood aroma tickles my nostrils again. I finally get to see it. Paradise! 

Mine is a junior suite, which doesn’t feel junior. Along with all the amenities, added toiletries, and shower, there is the most in credible king-size bed covered with mosquito netting in the most stylish way; you’d forget that this is a malaria-infested area. A small bar fridge carries cans of all soft drinks and some beer. I’m told it’s all-inclusive. 

Sandu didn’t “want visitors to have to wear rubber bands as other resorts on the island do”, thus bookings include full costs and no surprises. 

You can eat and drink to your heart’s content without panicking about an exorbitant bill. Isn’t this luxury living? Sunrise brings more surprises. Stepping outside to a well-maintained garden with a pool near my room with some of our travel group doing water aerobics, I make my way down to one of four different restaurants for a breakfast buffet. 

READ: All-inclusive holidays in high demand as South African wallets feel the pinch

Guests are spoilt for choice by chefs who’ve worked all over the world. Speaking to a chef named Michael, he tells me that he takes care to cater for all tastes and makes sure to add local and international dishes to the menu. 

The décor of Omani Arabs, with a touch of the local culture of Swahili, stands out. Maasai accents appear in the artwork that hangs in rooms and wooden carvings make you feel as if you’ve stepped into a room in the tropics. 

My room is enjoyable. The outside hues of the buildings are light sorbets that fit in well with the natural surroundings. Inside the rooms, bathrooms have a shower, which is perfect in the scorching temperatures that reach 26°C before midday. 

Part of the hotel’s charm includes various areas that aren’t offered on the islands of Zanzibar. A trip to Stone Town is planned for the following day. 

It takes just an hour from the resort. All of our excursions are organised by AfricaStay guides who are locals and have a wealth of knowledge about the island. 

Our guides, Jay and Salim, are friendly, fluent in English and even give advice on how to score a deal. My new line to anyone selling me a trinket is “hakuna pesa”, meaning I have no money. 

I get a few snarls and dirty looks as I repeatedly use it, but most people appreciate any response. 

Stone Town Tour 

Established around the 1830s as a fishing village, the appearance of the architecture in the town remains mostly unchanged and unaffected by modern times. 

The town played a role in Africa’s shameful history of slave trading. It has been said that 600 000 slaves were sold throughout Zanzibar between 1830 and 1863. As you enter Stone Town to your right, you’re shaded by a tall building called the slave market for those who want to learn more about the tainted part of African history. 

There are no skyscrapers, but high, old-style stone buildings built by Arab traders. A bustling town with small winding alleyways that house homes, stores, hotels, restaurants and the popular Freddy Mercury House which looks like a block of flats. 

The Queen frontman was a native of the island and is highly revered; the house where he grew up is now a national monument with tours and great photo opportunities. Our group doesn’t stay there too long as the show must go on. 

Bargain buys 

Among the reasonable buys in Zanzibar are tanzanite stones. The price is lower than in other parts of the world as tanzanite stones are exclusively found in the Simanjiro District of the Man yara Region in Tanzania. 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:  A welcome escape – In Zanzibar life’s a beach

It’s a pity I can’t afford one on a journalist’s budget, but I’ll be back. Maasai tribesmen are the indigenous people of East Africa and can be seen all over Zanzibar selling specially made beads, sandals and other handcrafted goods. As we walk down the narrow road, a tribesman hands me a flower and says, “Muzri”. 

I know exactly what that means. Stone Town traders are up for negotiating prices. I’m up for it too as I negotiate handcrafted bracelets to a lower price. As a lover of body art, I ask our guide, Jay, for a henna tattoo. He’s quite the celebrity in Zanzibar; having been on newspapers and TV, everyone recognises him. 

We weave through the myriad of what seemed like a maze of passages to an old fort that is now used as a market to show me ladies who could do the most interactive henna body art at a negotiable price. 

Spice Tour 

We spend a half day at Kizimbani, a rural village, for the Spice Tour. Tours are undertaken daily, and a local guide walks you through the scent-filled wild paths and gardens and explains which spices are grown in each area. 

An area is so rich in spice that you can smell it wafting through the atmosphere. The original perfume oils sold on the tour are a steal. For refreshment, pure coconut water is served, prepared in front of you by slicing into fresh coconuts with a machete. 

I even receive a surprise a wedding proposal in the form of a bended knee and a small palm ring from a male villager. All in jest, I suppose. 

Under the sea 

The sea safari is a must-do. Sailing on the silent Zanzibar Sea to parts where snorkelling is easy and the sea life is vast. It’s basically “swimming with the fish”. 

An experience that brings you closer to nature and, depending on the time, closer to dolphins who have become accustomed to the humans that visit them daily. 

A dhow boat, a traditional wooden sailing boat with one or two masts, operated by locals who work in conjunction with AfricaStay, takes us out to sea and life jackets and full scuba gear for safety are supplied. 

Keeping busy 

For those who want to engage in water sports, three swimming pools are available for all hotel guests to use – the garden pool with an infinity bar, the popular Beach Club Grill restaurant, a large adult infinity pool and a smaller kids pool. Options are plenty for those who don’t enjoy swimming in the ocean but being immersed in a body of water, including jacuzzis. 

A shop on the property sells local trinkets. The highlight of the resort is the captivating spa, which has the scent of tranquility as soon as you walk in. On one of the less busy days, I visit the spa. Decorated in a more Thai type of architecture, the spa has numerous treatment rooms for singles or couples and a menu where tired bodies can get massaged and revived. 

A gym is placed in the same quarter with friendly instructors. One of the best services is the night room service, which runs until late. The menu changes at night to accommodate night owls and anyone wanting a midnight snack will find the fish and chips with a flavourful tartar sauce highly recommended. 

White Nights 

On the final night of our stay we are treated to an all-white themed dinner for our tour group. The menu serves the best the ocean has to offer. 

The whitesanded beachfront was turned into an evening utopia with fairy lights lined across all the trees, silverplated table settings and live music. 

It is the ideal place for marriage proposals, weddings, private parties, renewal ceremonies or a group getaway, and with a weak rand, South Africans can afford to visit and live lavishly while there. Visit Zanzibar; you won’t regret it. 

READ NEXT: Dreaming of a getaway? Go Zanzibar