Minor Hotel Group has opened the first Avani branded hotel in Africa, Avani Pemba Beach Hotel & Spa in Mozambique. The former Rani Resorts’ Pemba Beach Hotel & Spa is in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, in the port town of Pemba.
There are 185 guest rooms, suites, villas and apartments, all with a view of the ocean or the gardens from the balcony or terrace. Suites have a lounge area and the two-bedroom duplex villas feature a kitchen, dining and living area with an ocean-facing terrace downstairs and en-suite queen and twin bedrooms upstairs. In addition, the one- two- and three-bedroom apartments have an open living, dining and kitchen area with exclusive use of two swimming pools.
The Niassa Bar offers drinks and an Asian-influenced menu. The resort’s restaurant, Clube Naval, is on the beach adjacent to the yacht marina and offers a selection of international cuisine. Quirimbas Restaurant offers buffet as well as à la carte themed nights with local produce and fresh seafood. An in-room dining service has just been launched.
The newly opened Grab & Go deli sells chocolates, pasta, olive oils, wines from South Africa, Italy and Portugal, and a Segafredo coffee corner. There are four swimming pools, a 24-hour gym and tennis courts. Water sports include snorkelling, sailing, skiing, wakeboarding and kayaking. Guests can also enjoy romantic sunset cruises, experience whale watching and deep sea fishing, or take a scuba course and dive trips to nearby reefs. Trips to the market or to the wetland lake to watch bird life are also available.
There is a 12-seat executive boardroom and a main conference room seating up to 200 delegates and sunset cruises are available.  Avani Hotels & Resorts was launched in 2011 as a sister brand to Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, and now offers six hotels and resorts, with additional hotels to be added soon in Africa and Asia. Visitors can fly to Pemba International Airport from Johannesburg and transfers to the resort take 15 minutes. A taxi service is available and there is a car-rental desk at the resort.