My driver and guide took me to Mbweni ruins. The ruins are situated in the richest area of the island. A piece of land apparently goes for about $4000. Not that bad if you ask me. I have no idea what happened at the ruins and why it is there (note to self: google!), but it is gorgeous and a great venue for weddings.
The next stop was Hotel Melia in the North East of the island. After about an hours drive we reached it. I was not expecting anything fancy, just to meet with a guy I found online about outdoor catering. What we found was completely different. At the entrance the general manager was waiting for me with a fresh coconut and frozen towel. The coconut was disgusting, but the idea was refreshing and very tropical. I guess I just don’t like fresh coconut juice/milk. The hotel has been open for 15 days and not completely finished althought it’s already fully function. It’s run by a German so you can imagine everything works like a well oiled machine. It’s a massive property that runs over 2.3 km’s down the coast. The beach on this side of the island is 10km’s long so you can imagine how big and beautiful this property is.
The hotel has 110 spacious rooms with all their own balconies, beautiful rooms and massive gorgeous bathrooms equipped with bath, shower and out side shower. They have 4 restaurants, which off only one is not included in your accommodation. They have monthly beach parties with the inhouse DJ and a jetty that goes approximately 250m into the sea. Every evening for sunset they serve tappa’s and drinks there – all on the house, and the jetty stays open till 01h00 in the morning.
After our inspection the general manager took my driver and I for lunch by the pool side. We got ice cold drinks and a club wrap. For the first time in my life I saw a Muslim eating bacon. Off course all of us only realized when he did and he was very disappointed, mad and sad at the same time. He phoned his ‘teacher’ and was informed that it is not a sin if you didn’t know. Phew. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before but Zanzibar is predominantly a Muslim island – 93% of the island to be exact. They ask travelers to cover up when walking around Stone Town and to respect the local community. Also non-muslims are not allowed to enter mosques and they are in general very strict on what you take pictures of. When you want to take pictures of the local people you have to ask first. The reason for this is that they don’t know what you are going to do with the picture. They do not understand the medium of photography, it’s completely strange to them.
I think one of the things that draw me to Zanzibar so much is its raw beauty. It’s raw, it’s poor, it’s rural, it’s primitive. Most local houses do not have electricity and none of the house are painted. Everything as far as you can see is hand made, even the stallations they use to build houses are made from wood and rope. It’s incredible to see the simple life these people lead and it makes you wonder why we always depend so much on technology – these people know nothing of this. Everything on the island happens very slowly – it’s a reall island vibe. You see a lot of men walking around, or more wondering and then resting and wondering again. Sometimes they just nap somewhere under a tree.
Neptune Pwani was my next stop and my accommodation for that night. It does not have the same feel as Melia, but is still really nice. It has more of a resort feel and is also fully inclusive. On check in you get a welcome drink and a bracelet showing that everything you do is included. I was showed to my beautiful seaside room and enjoyed a free coke on my balcony.
I had an hour to kill before my sight inspection started so got dressed immediately and went to the pool. I dove in head first (it was scorching) and the rest of the time tried to tan. Not sure if I managed too, but got points for trying :)
The site inspection didn’t take long as I’ve already seen the rooms and some of the general area. I was shown the main restaurant, another pool and the spa/wellness area.
Dinner was next to the pool with a life band playing – beautiful but kinda depressing. Having dinner al by yourself in such a beautiful place definitely gets to you. I had a glass of wine and delicious food, o and don’t forget the dessert. Death food cake – a very chocolatie cake thing and white chocolate mouse. I’m not a mousse girl but for that white chocolate mousse, man I could eat tons!
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