Unusual Destinations Blog

This is a report from one of our venue scouts checking out a potential Unusual Destinations holiday venue in Northern Mozambique – we have reproduced it unedited as a “behind the scenes” look at the kind of reconnaissance we do before a destination makes it into our catalog.

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I flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg the day before & stayed with a friend, who kindly took me to the airport to meet my group at check-in at 8.30am. Vanessa Roux our Rani Resorts representative was eagerly awaiting our arrival where she assisted us with our luggage & seat bookings. Airlink’s check-in is now in the domestic terminal B (89 – 101) . Don’t forget that even though this is a regional flight, international “liquid rules” still apply. Containers of liquid less than 100ml can accompany you in your hand luggage, otherwise toiletries need to be locked in your soft luggage/togbag max weight 15kg !

We flew out on time at 10.30am to Pemba (SA8206) on a very comfortable aircraft with lovely leather seats. The staff & captain were great and that made for an enjoyable 3hr flight. On arrival at Pemba’s very small & basic little airport, we stood in a queue to go through immigrations. The arrival charge is USD 3 or R17 equiv – Give them R20 and don’t expect change! (Both currencies accepted)

We were met by the local Rani rep, who ushered us into a lovely air conditioned room & were offered some much needed ice cold water. Once everyone, who were connecting onto the islands were through, the Rep introduced himself  & did a manual check in for the local flights by reading our names & destinations off a list – easiest check-in I’ve ever done!! We then hopped onto a bus & were escorted to our CFA charter flight. I was very anxious to say the least, as I have never done a hop on a 12 seater Cessna Caravan before. Matthew, our pilot was fantastic and very cool after I insisted on checking exactly WHERE the life jackets were situated !  10min into the flight, I managed to prise my eyes & hands open and quietly peer out the window! What an amazing sight…we spotted the Pemba Beach Hotel from the air as well as all the other islands we were to visit later on in the week. It was spectacular !

After 25min we started our descent to land on Medjumbe –  A private island in the middle of the ocean. All you see from the air is the pristine white of the sand and their famous lighthouse peeping out from the trees & bush. We transferred to the lodge, 3min away by “golf cart” & were warmly greeted by the staff and the GM, Jani Claassen with delicious cocktails. He immediately advised us to adjust our watches to Medjumbe time – 1 hour forward! We were shown our private beach chalets & advised to meet in the bar for pre-dinner drinks & snacks at 6pm. The 13 beautifully decorated chalets each have their own plunge pool on their verandahs together with table & chairs as well as a hammock.

All chalets have air conditioning, mini bar, outside showers and large en-suite bathrooms. The bath has a massive window overlooking your private beach & whilst you are soaking up the complimentary bubbles & oils & feeling your muscles relax, you can lie & watch the sun set and forget all the stresses of city life. Drinks were served in their loft lounge. Stunning views of the beach with the warm breeze giving you that true island feeling. There are no mosquitoes found on this island as there is no natural, fresh water. It is all desalinated. Over a scrumptious dinner of seafood soup, seared tuna Carpaccio as starters and crayfish, coconut fish curry or beef fillet as main course, Janni told us a little more about this piece of paradise. Just across from Medjumbe is a tiny exclusive island called Quisanga. They will arrange exclusive picnics for couples & this for a romantic experience has got to be 

the ultimate for newly weds. There are possible plans for the future to build a few 7 star chalets here – so watch this space. Steve is the Activities Manager. A wonderful outdoor chap who will take you fishing, diving, snorkeling, windsurfing or skiing. He has a fun, outgoing personality, so a day’s activities with him will sure to be a highlight. 50 staff live on the island & all the locals are proud to be part of Medjumbe. That night I slept like a baby in my 4 poster bed.

The following morning I was up early & very surprised to see how far out the tide goes. I would suggest swimming along the main beach, as this part doesn’t have any rocks & coral for you to stub or cut your feet on if you don’t have booties to protect them. I walked out for miles to the sand spit – which is covered at high tide – and wallowed in the warm water until I had worked up an appetite & took a brisk walk back to meet the group. Due to the accessibility of foodstuffs, the resident Chef makes everything from scratch and that includes the most divine croissants & pastries! Breakfast is buffet style & hot food to order with your waiter. 

At 10.30am we got the call from Janni to advise that the aircraft was spotted coming in. After paying our USD 10 Marine Reserve fee, he loaded us into the cart to get us to the airstrip. One has to understand that there is no specific schedule or timings of the inter-island transfers. It all depends on who’s going where ! The staff are very efficient about advising everyone when they need to be ready & when they are leaving. So warn clients that no times are given on their itineraries!

After a quick thanks & goodbye & sadness of course, to leave this hypnotic tranquility, we waved good bye to Janni & the staff & headed off with Matthew at the controls to Matemo Island. This is only a 15min hop and on arrival were met by Chelsy & Roelof. Unfortunately the GM, Toni Vernon-Driscoll was on vacation & Chelsy was standing in for him as Assistant GM for 3 weeks. Roelof is the Activities Manager and both were friendly & charming. Again we were welcomed with cocktails in the lounge area, which was open & airy with high ceilings, couches & day beds, covered in bright local fabrics.

We were shown to our private chalets. There are 24 in total & they are all spread out along the unspoilt beach. All have private outdoor showers, en-suite bathrooms with robes & slippers & deck hammocks offering uninterrupted views of the passing dhows. We were all very excited to be spending 2 nights here – enough time to relax, unwind and feel the vibe of the island. You can choose to be as active as you wish and do all the water sports on offer or alternatively lie on your beach loungers or by the beautiful pool, tanning, reading or dozing. Roelof took as all snorkeling.

Unfortunately the visibily wasn’t too great but was fun none the same & one of the girls in the group did a dive with him. She was so excited as she saw 3 different species of turtle as well as tropical fish and colourful coral & anemones. We also managed to do a half day Ibo Island tour with Eliseu, who works on the island. He speaks different languages and is also the liason officer between the locals, staff & management. He has incredible knowledge about the history of the island which was nominated for a World Heritage status. From Matemo Island to Ibo Island takes 40min by boat.

For the last 500 years the island was a trading post and the history, slave trading, culture & ruins dates back to the early 1500’s. It’s very interesting walking around the old fort & watching the Silversmiths make their intricate, lacy silver jewellery. We did a sight inspection of Ibo Island Lodge. Three original historic buildings have been renovated to accommodate 14 ensuite rooms. They are large & lofty, elegant & simple & have been furnished by some original pieces. The original walls, some 1 metre thick still stand in the original house. The have an awesome roof terrace where they serve their dinners using freshly grown vegetables & herbs from their garden. I personally wouldn’t stay here, but would prefer to do a day tour across from Matemo but for clients wanting to “live” the ancient culture & experience this first hand, then it’s a must !

Meals at Matemo Island are served by the talented chef, Douglas & his variety of fresh seafood & traditional specialities were delectable & compliments must go to him for his imaginative menu’s.

After our 2 nights of gracious hospitality we flew to our last port of call Pemba Beach Hotel & Spa, a mere 30minutes by light aircraft.  This is a large hotel with 101 rooms & very obvious East African & Arabic influences in its style & architecture. The Assistant GM, Mossaine has been employed by the hotel since the start, first as front office and now as top management. What a fabulous, on the ball, humourous gentleman. He certainly knows his hotel & staff and runs it like a well oiled ship! He personally took us for a sight inspection & showed us all the room types from the standard deluxe rooms, classic rooms, suites, presidential suite to the 8 x self catering villas. A great option for a long stay guest as it is fully equipped with washing machine, dryer, fridge, stove as well as 2 rooms upstairs & 2 bathrooms, lounge & dining room. This hotel is very corporate & can accommodate groups & conferencing for up to 200 delegates. They have a gym with hi-tec equipment as well as a tennis court and a magnificent sanctuary spa spread over 500sq m where you can indulge in some tranquility and let one of the therapists pamper your needs with an array of treatments. Pemba Beach Hotel has 2 restuarants. The one which offers fine dining and Clube Naval, lighter more local options, with a vibey bar which is frequented by the locals & pilots ! We were taken on a city tour by Rui, a South African of Portugese descent who has been at the hotel for 6mnths and loving it. It was amazing to see the old buildings, the markets and the local friendly folk, smiling & waving to us as we passed or stopped for photographs. Rui took us straight to the airport  for our flight SA8205 for 12.45pm departure. Security checked all our bags before checking in and again we paid a USD3/R20 departure tax. 

It was with sadness that we all boarded our Jo’burg bound flight but we all left feeling elated that we had this unique experience in the Quirimbas Archipelago.

Thank you Rani Resorts & Airlink for affording us this opportunity of bringing home wonderful memories of heaven on earth and we will certainly encourage & inspire our clients to visit and see for themselves that this is an all inclusive Paradise !