Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort & Spa

•  All the romantic appeal of being happily marooned on a deserted tropical island
•  Small and personal with very attentive staff
•  Air-conditioning, private dining area and spa plunge pools for each villa
•  Good snorkelling straight from the shore at Medjumbe
•  Good diving & dive centre

This is the epitome of an exotic island paradise with its dazzlingly white sands against a backdrop of the translucent, turquoise waters of the Indian ocean. Medjumbe is one of 27 tiny islands which make up the the Quirimbas Archipelago. The Quirimbas have been recognised by the cognoscenti as the world's best diving and fishing destination.

Anantara Medjumbe is on one such island - set like a jewel within the glittering marine crown of the Quirimbas Archipelago. It is only 1 km long and 500 metres wide and takes about 40 minutes to walk around the entire island. Medjumbe is perfect for those romantic getaways, honeymoons and for dedicated diving enthusiasts, where you can take a stroll along the beach at sunset and feel like you are the only people on earth.

Accommodation

Luxurious ‘Robinson Crusoe’ style accommodation consists of 12 well-spaced beach chalets each with its own plunge pool. The theme is a kind of “beach hut meets Swahili” decor in distressed azure blue and coral, with pale floors. Though simply furnished, they are supremely comfortable with air-conditioning, ceiling fans, mosquito nets, hair dryer, mini bar, satellite TV and tea/coffee facilities. The bathroom has both shower and bath and outside your private deck has an outdoor shower, plunge pool and hammock for those afternoon siestas.

The focus of Medjumbe is on guest’s privacy and so the main lodge facilities are low-key, understated and designed to provide privacy whether lounging at the pool, enjoying cocktails in the bar or relaxing in the sitting room loft with its mesmerizing views (and internet facilities if you really must). The poolside bar is the place for indulgent cocktails and the restaurant focuses on fresh seafood.

A range of beauty treatments and massages are also available from their small spa.

Activities

Apart from the lodge, the island is completely uninhabited and is small enough to stroll around along the beach in under an hour. Activities include snorkelling and diving from the beach or from a boat. Other activities are kayaking, sailing, waterskiing and fishing with the opportunity of hooking a Marlin, sailfish, dogtooth tuna, mackerel, various species of kingfish and the infamous bonefish. Just 18 hectares in size, Medjumbe is teeming with bird life, including the Black Heron.

How to get to Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort & Spa - Medjumbe is one of the more remote lodges in the Quirimbas Archipelago and yet it is relatively simple to get there. It is only 40 minutes by air from Pemba Airport in Mozambique, with its direct flights to Johannesburg. It is about 20 minutes from Ibo island if you want to combine it with a stay there.