Over the past months, new lodges and resorts have opened and some products have also been updated. Kim Emmanuel rounds up some of the new offerings.
1.Travessia Beach lodge
Travessia Beach lodge, an eco-beach lodge, which opened in September 2015, is one and a half hours’ drive from Inhambane Airport.
The lodge has four secluded casas with spacious decks and hammocks. En suite outdoor showers offer views over the palm grove and ocean.
All buildings are set on raised wooden decks with roll-up canvas walls under a thatched roof. Facilities include an infinity pool and pool bar, perched on top of a dune with panoramic views.
The lodge is entirely solar powered.
Guests can enjoy strolls through the surrounding bush or palm forest, accompanied by a guide. “It is an uncontrived walk through the neighbouring community, tucked away in the coastal forest – that’s what guests love most about the tour,” says Manager, Julie Gerber.
The tour usually passes private homes or local places of interest, with the opportunity to chat to local residents, and offers an introduction to local food preparation, house visits or stop-overs at some of Travessia’s social upliftment initiatives in the area.
2.Anvil Bay
Anvil Bay is a private and exclusive barefoot beach camp, which opened in December 2015 in Maputo Special Reserve in southern Mozambique.
The camp has nine casinhas (cottages) in the dune forest, on raised wooden decks, each with its own stretch of beachfront.
Anvil Bay can accommodate up to 18 guests. Eight of the casinhas have a king-size bed and one has a king size bed and two single beds. Four of the casinhas can be converted to twins.
Each unit has a stocked minibar and beverage station, luxury indoor and outdoor showers and a private dining deck.
The beach bar lounge and restaurant are centrally positioned on the bay with the accommodation units on either side. Guests can choose either to be close to the action or enjoy more privacy in the rooms further from the public areas.
Activities include beach walks, dune forest trails, beach biking, sea kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, body boarding, snorkelling, ocean safaris, whale watching trips (seasonal), rock pool exploration, shore fishing, ocean fishing, beach games, turtle nesting walks (seasonal), and private picnics.
Self-drive guests can access the lodge only by 4x4 vehicles, or guests can be collected either from the Kosi Bay/Farazela border post with a lodge vehicle, or by road or helicopter transfer from Maputo.
The park gates close at 17h00 in winter and at 18h00 in summer. It is recommended that guests arrive at the park at least one hour prior to closing.
3.Diamonds Mequfi Beach Resort
The Diamonds Mequfi Beach Resort in Pemba opened its doors in August, 2015.
The resort has 40 deluxe rooms and 10 suites, all featuring an outdoor shower and with large terraces overlooking the ocean.
4.Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort reopens
Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort reopened on December 1, 2015 after a four-month refurbishment.
The 12-villa resort off the northern coast of Mozambique now offers larger splash pools for the beach pool villas, new outdoor furnishings for the decks, and new sliding and stacking glass windows and doors.
Dhow sailing lessons, spa treatments, beach picnics and an introductory 15-minute diving class are also offered.
A 400-kilowatt peak solar photovoltaic plant is also being installed with a solar charger feeding a battery bank that can store 1 500 kilowatt/hours of energy. Upon completion in February, this technology will allow the resort to be powered by solar energy.
