New-age paradise

Tucked away in a natural cove on the north east coast of Zanzibar, the Essque Zalu Zanzibar combines the best of contemporary lifestyle with minimalist luxury to offer its guests an ostentatious ambience and sense of place. This boutique hotel has the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean to one side and lush green forest to the other, with just a tint of spice in the warm and fragrant tropical air.

Arguably the island’s best boutique property, the resort was built in the local style to blend into the landscape. Its thatched roofs reflect the contemporary African feel with a traditional Swahili touch while the minimalist décor enhances the sense that luxury is no longer just about material wealth, but has more to do with personal space, freedom to do what one feels like doing and the inquisitiveness to enjoy the flair and flamboyance the location has to offer.

According to general manager Nicolas Konig, “Luxury has a different meaning to everyone however at Essque Zalu Zanzibar; luxury is understood as the coming together of multiple yet distinctive elements that adds inherent value to our guests experiences and at the same time exceeding their expectations time after time.

“We are a family friendly hotel offering bespoke lifestyle experiences to our guests with strong emphasis on personalised service, delectable cuisines and majestic ambience.”

Unique by design, the Essque Zalu celebrates distinctive hospitality experiences that showcase style, service and personality on an intimate scale. Since its debut in June 2011, the hotel has rapidly emerged as the name that defines the boutique hotel experience for travellers visiting Zanzibar – personalised service, memorable experiences, intimate surroundings and the highest level of quality is what sets the hotel apart from competitors. The experience at Essque Zalu can be classified into four categories – Classic, Design, Chic and Contemporary – encompassing eclectic attributes of redefined luxury into one product, Essque Zalu Zanzibar.

Essque Zalu is proudly affiliated with Preferred Boutique, which is an elite collection of intimate hotels and resorts all over the world. The hotel has 40 suites and nine three and four-bedroom villas, making it easy for staff to offer a bespoke and personalised service to their guests. No more arduous hotel check-ins as the hotel moves from the normal “reception” concept and guests are checked-in prior to their arrival and taken straight to their accommodations without wasting any valuable time. Any formalities required are completed at guests’ leisure in the comfort of their own suite or villa.

Each suite has a large en-suite master bedroom, a generous lounge and outside terrace or balcony overlooking the gardens, pool or ocean, while each villa also has its own private pool, massage room as well as dining and kitchen facilities where guests can prepare their own meals. All rooms in the villas have en-suite bathrooms, private television and wardrobe hence offers complete privacy in all the rooms. Guests are offered a combination of Sea Front, Ocean View and Garden View accommodations in both, the suites and villas.

There are three distinctive restaurants which include The Market Kitchen which will serve fresh local organic produce, the A La Carte Fine Dining restaurant with superb fine dining, and the more relaxed Jetty, where guests can dine al fresco on the shoreline of the Indian Ocean and enjoy a Middle Eastern menu theme.

Parents who need a little ‘me-time’ will be reassured to know they will be leaving their offspring in a safe, fun and creative environment. Essque has employed kid’s club experts PetitVip (www.petitvip.com ) to train their own co-ordinators and to manage the kids club in VIP style.

The Zalu Zanzibar Spa healingEARTH Retreat has its emphasis on spiritual re-alignment and revitalisation of the senses using traditional African treatments. Tucked away in a serene setting beside the Indian Ocean, the Spa is an important part of new barefoot luxe Essque Zalu’s resort offering and perfectly suits the hotel’s philosophy that luxury is no longer just about material wealth, but has more to do with time and choice.

The pool view of the Essque Zalu Zanzibar, (below) the posh interiors of the Suites

Konig says, “We believe that travellers are moving away from traditional interpretations of luxury. They want a deeper relationship with the brands they buy into, and that includes hotels and services. Essque’s mission is to provide an inspirational setting and to give our guests a totally individual and enriching experience.”

All treatments at healingEarth Spa begin with an “African Foot Cleanse”, a short ceremony rooted in African tradition where guests leave their worries and negative energy at the door. Special treatments include luxurious grape anti-oxidant facials, individually-tailored deep full body massages and polishes, using African ingredients charged with the energy of the sun to rejuvenate body, mind and soul.

All of the spa products are purchased locally to support farmers, at ‘fair-trade’ prices. The products used are free from petrochemicals, synthetics, colourants, DEA, preservatives and parabens and all packaging is biodegradable and recyclable. This is in line with the resort’s commitment to the local community.

Essque is also instrumental in promoting local artistic talent at the in-hotel Art Gallery which includes paintings, sculptures, photographs and glassworks from local, regional and international artists. Zanzibar’s based ‘unknowns’ and ‘established’ local artists are to be showcased regularly at this art gallery.

While it is an ideal haven for rest and relaxation, Essque Zalu also has something for the more adventurous. With the help of personal navigators, guests can follow in the trail of Dr Livingstone and discover the history of the island, site of one of Africa’s greatest explorers.

If that isn’t exciting enough, guests can scale Tanzania’s volcanic Mount Meru. At 4,566 m it is the fifth highest peak in Africa. Other activities like hiking along the Marangu route, camping, aromatic spice plantation tours or a safari in a game reserve can also be arranged.

Koning adds, “The Middle East region is significantly important to us at Essque Zalu Zanzibar due to multiple reasons. The Arab nationals have a higher disposable income, have more holidays to travel and they prefer travelling with families together for their holidays. For this, Essque Zalu Zanzibar is well positioned to accommodate both the single traveller and also families and groups since we have a combination of suites and expansive villas to cater for the niche requirements of this market.

“There is also a high concentration of expatriates of multiple nationalities living in this region and they have many extra days of holidays as opposed to other countries plus they have a higher disposable income and always looking to try a new destination.”

Zanzibar is easily accessible from all key Middle Eastern cities with options to arrive via Dar es Salaam with Emirates or to arrive directly in Zanzibar with Oman Air.