So.. as promised a post on my Easter holiday :-).
A little warning that this post is heavy on the pictures.
We started off at the port opposite St. Joseph Cathedral where you can find many speedboats, ferries and sea buses that will take you to Zanzibar in under 3 hours. Make sure to carry some ID and be prepared for the port sales ticket(hooligans if you ask me) vendors to give you hassle into buying tickets from them. You can't purchase these tickets online unfortunately so it's over the counter sales only. You shouldn't spend more than $25-40 per ticket for one way whether a foreigner or local. I took a couple of pictures as we left the port as you can see below it was a grey day in Dar es Salaam.
We arrived in Zanzibar 2 hours and 30 minutes later then took a car from Stone town to the Hideaway of Nungwi Resort which took us about an hour. We were so exhausted at that point not because of the total time it took us travelling but because of all the methods of transport. We received a great welcome at the reception, they ushered us to some cosy seats in the foyer where we enjoyed the sea view whilst sipping on a cold glass of Watermelon juice. Checking in was done very swiftly and while we were comfortably seated. The porter grabbed our bags and lead us to a golf cart which took us to our room after driving us around the vast grounds.
Awwww :)
The scenery was just breath taking, so much so that I feel that the cameras were not doing this place any justice. The gardens are so beautiful plus are well looked after, it's always nice to see some greenery and flowers by the beach. Hideaway of Nungwi looks a thousand times better in person than it does on the pictures on the website too!
Our room was very spacious and beautifully decorated. African ethnic interiors, artwork, pictures, wall hangings and fixtures all whilst remaining chic.The bathroom was my personal favourite, very big with tiney ceramic tiles, wooden furniture and a glass shower *love struck* We had a cute little balcony where we could see the ocean and sunsets from our room :)
Peep our little mini fridge :) The ultimate essentials.
So we spent 4 nights and almost 4 days there. It was completely blissful. We would quit our jobs and stay forever if we could but sadly that's not how life works :( plus my other half is a complete workaholic so that would drive him mad I'm sure lol! We would usually start the day with some Yummy breakfast then either go to the pool or beach. Pool side was mainly to get the drinks in lol, which were never in short supply. Then we'd have lunch and do the opposite of what did that morning, so if we were at the pool we'd go to the beach that afternoon. By the time the sun had set we'd be completely worn out lol. Dinners were always eventful as we'd enjoy a lovely meal then head out to the pool bar to watch the evening entertainment. There was a lot of drunk singing and dancing of which my other half took part of ALOT lol. Below are some general snaps of drinks, meal times, pool side and the beach.
Some lunch after morning activities.. yum yum!
We went snorkeling which was a first for us. My man was looking more forward to snorkeling more than I was but once I started, no one could stop me lol. We were looking for little (scary)treasures on the sea bed... So we would hold hands then dip under water which was lovely and (I discovered)surprisingly intimate lol. Other than seeing shell fish, fish, rocks that would miraculously move, I really wanted to be under water just so I can hold my mans hand and have little moments LMAO! We snorkeled in the morning for a bit, it was gorgeous out and very bright so you could see everything in the water better. My other half paid for a sunset boat ride where we went out in the water, snorkeled some more and watched the sunset(with a glass of wine) so close it was like in 3D!! It was such an experience, one for the bucket list!
How beautiful is this view? No words.
I can not include all the amazing things that we got up to at The Hideaway of Nungwi because then this post would be longer than the Constitution of India lol. But one of the most memorable experiences for me happened at the Spa which you'll see some pictures of below. We went there one night at around 7 pm after swimming in the ocean all day and snorkeling. We had just the right amount of alcohol in our system and decided to soak in the cold jacuzzi which is located in the middle of that octagon swimming pool. The night was still, we had nothing but the stars and the soft sound of the massaging Jacuzzi jets around us, truly magical moment.
On the last day of our stay we paid the spa one last visit.. we sat in the steamer and then in the Jacuzzi again which ensured that we left The Hideaway of Nungwi feeling even more relaxed and less stressed than we already felt.
All in all this was a fantastic Easter Break. This place is heaven for a couple and a family. The food is delicious, the staff are extremely friendly and the resort as a whole have made sure to not forget a single thing. If you're on full board you'll be well fed and hydrated. There are plenty of towels and umbrellas so you don't need to worry about bringing too many of your own. I really can't fault this place at all and even having gone there now I'd definitely go back again.
Hope you enjoyed this post.
Take care xox
N
