Antelope Safaris

Enchanted, romantic and stylish, Fundu Lagoon is your quintessential far-flung island hideaway.

Getting there from Zanzibar is part of the adventure and requires all three modes of transport: planes, taxis and boats. It's quite a fun and scenic trip though, so don't let the distance put you off. On the 30-minute flight to Pemba Airport you'll get fantastic aerial views of Zanzibar and Pemba.

The 20-minute taxi drive takes you through lush fruit plantations and thatched villages, where you can smell the rich aroma of cloves drying in the sun. Then it's a 30-minute speedboat trip to the lodge.

The speedboat pulls up at a 200m-long jetty leading to a white beach and a thatched lodge hidden in-between the greenery. As you walk along the spectacular jetty to the lodge you leave behind your known reality and step into an exotic island dream. Well, that's how it feels for us, especially if you arrive just as the sun is about to melt into the ocean.

You can do as little or as much as you like at Fundu Lagoon. You can go on diving or snorkelling trips to Misali Island, sunset cruises on a dhow, canoe trips to see the mangroves, or try water-skiing and wake boarding.

Some of the best game fishing lies in the Pemba Channel, so fishing is definitely an option at Fundu. Aromatherapy massage treatments are on the way - though this has been promised for a while.

Needless to say, given its remote location, Fundu Lagoon is the only resort for miles around, so there are no other holiday makers about. The local villagers, however, do use the ocean in front of the hotel's beach to collect their food.

The 14 bungalows, reached via sandy walkways in the tropical vegetation, are the ultimate in sumptuous tented lodgings. They're built on hardwood, stilted decks under a makuti roof and have large, private balconies overlooking the sea.

The interiors are spacious and stylishly decorated. You'll find mini-bars in your room and cotton bathrobes and aromatherapy products in the en-suite bathroom. The romantic, large beds are wrapped in flowing mosquito netting.

There the two new Beachside Suites with their own private plunge pool and chill-out lounge. These are truly spectacular.

The venue for dinner changes each evening. It's all part of keeping things interesting at Fundu. Sometimes dinner is served on the deck close to the jetty and illuminated by lanterns. At other times it's in the open-walled restaurant or on the beach under the stars with a fire crackling away.

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