Baraza Resort and SPA Zanzibar
With its Middle Eastern arches, carved white-plaster walls, ornate golden mirrors and sparkling brass lamps, Baraza resembles a modern-day Omani palace. The new 30-suite hotel, on Zanzibar’s south-west coast, is set in 70 hectares planted with multicolored bougainvillea, frangipani and jasmine, overlooking a dazzlingly white, powder-fine beach. There’s no shortage of space: each suite (at least 148 square meters) has a private plunge pool and veranda, living room with double daybed curtained with gold silk, four-poster swathed in mosquito net, and a spacious bathroom with a shower and pond-sized bath. Although it’s private and romantic enough for honeymoons, it’s family-friendly, too, with a big swimming pool, a kids’ club packed with games and toys, a water sports center and bicycles for exploring Bwejuu beach. Meals are served indoors and (preferably) out; the food at this all-inclusive resort is plentiful and varied, if not particularly inspiring, and often accompanied by performances from local Swahili musicians. The highlights are the sea – sparkling in almost unreal shades of brilliant blue – and the spa, which could have been built for a princess. The regal interior, with a secluded pool at its center, glitters with mirrors, lamps, mosaics and silk-strewn daybeds and it is staffed by skilled therapists from Bali, Thailand and India.

Dinner and overnight at Kilindi / Baraza Resort & SPA (FB)