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Pemba Island
Fundu Lagoon is an Enchanted, romantic and stylish, your quintessential far-flung,
Pemba island hideaway.
It is impossible not to fall in love with Pemba Island, situated way
out on the isolated West Coast of Pemba Island. This exclusive
resort was created by Scottish fashion designer Ellis Flight and is
aimed at a young and trendy clientele. This place is all style,
romance and fantasy – the epitome of rustic chic.
Getting here from Zanzibar is part of the adventure and requires all
the three modes of transport: planes, taxis and boats. It is quite a
fun and scenic trip though, so do not 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 is a
30-minute speedboat trip to the lodge. With all these logistics to
consider, you will begin to understand why prices at Fundu Lagoon
are so steep.
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 own
reality and step into an exotic island dream. Well, that how it
feels for us, especially if you arrive just as the sun is about to
melt into the ocean.
Billowing cotton drapes sway in the gentle breeze in the passageways
of the open-plan lodge. African masks, wooden artefacts and Moroccan
lamps mix harmoniously with the natural cream tones of the couches
in the airy lounges and dining room.
Sandy pathways lead to the
luxurious tented bungalows, which are either hidden in the lush
forest almost on the beach or on a gently sloping hillside with
views of the ocean.
We have always found the staff at Fundu Lagoon fantastic, from the
management down to the cleaners. Everybody at Pemba island makes you
feel welcome and relaxed. There is never any pressure to do things,
so it is the perfect place to just unwind.
You can do as little or as much as you like at Fundu Lagoon. You can
go on diving or snorkelling trips to Mesali Island, sunset cruises
on a dhow, canoe trips to see the mangroves, to 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.
Look out for the phosphorous in the water, which occurs at certain
times of the year. At night, you can see the marine life under the
water and watch the fish. You can also put your hand in the water
and see it light up like a torch. This does not happen all the time,
but when it does, it is incredibly special.
The rates at Fundu lagoon include all meals, drinks (including alcoholic
drinks), laundry and selected activities (Mesali snorkelling, canoe
safari and dhow cruise). Rates do not include diving, non-motorised
water sports or transfers from Chake Chake Airport (US$60 per
vehicle one way for a maximum of five people).
Needless to say, given its remote location, Fundu Lagoon is the only
resort for miles around, so there are no other holidaymakers about.
The local villagers, however, do use the ocean in front of the
hotel’s beach to collect their food.
The 14 bungalows at Pemba island, reached via sandy walkways in the tropical
vegetation, are the ultimate in sumptuous tented lodgings. They are
built on hardwood, stilted decks under a makuti (palm-thatch) roof
and have large, private balconies overlooking the sea.
The interiors are spacious and stylishly decorated. You will 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. It is the kind of room you do
not really want to leave, except to laze about on the sandy beach.
One of the advantages of the canvas walls is that you can hear the
harmless forest creatures moving about in the shrubbery outside.
Listen to the chatter of birds, shrieks of the bush babies and swoosh
of the flying foxes sweeping through the branches.
There are the two new Beachside Suites with their own private plunge
pool and chill- out lounge. These are truly spectacular and most
highly spectacular and most highly recommended should you be able to
afford them.
There were originally 20 bungalows at fundu lagoon, set apart what we thought was a
fair distance on the verdant hillside. However, guest complained
that they were not secluded enough.
So the owners of Fundu Lagoon reduced the number of bungalows to 14,
giving each suite even more privacy. They’ve also bought a piece of
land next door and plan to build six new bungalows there.
The venue for dinner changes each evening. It is 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 is
in the open-walled restaurant or on the beach under the stars with a
fire crackling away.
The fare varies each day, but is mainly international in style with
some use of local ingredients. Seafood is regularly on the menu for
dinner, as is fruit for breakfast and dessert. You will also find
chicken and meat, which is not common in these parts. There is a
choice of dishes and courses for lunch and dinner.
Breakfast is usually a buffet with a variety of pastries, fruit and
yoghurt. You can also order a cooked breakfast.
Fundu Lagoon is a remote lodge situated on Pemba Island, in the
southwest, on the shores of the Wambaa Peninsula. It is a short
flight from Zanzibar to Pemba Airport. From there, you take a
20-minute drive to Wesha Port, where Fundu’s speedboat will take you
to the lodge (a 30-minute boat ride).
General facilities
* Two restaurants
* Two bars
* Lounge
* Fully-equipped dive centre
* Dhow for sunset cruises
* Games rooms with satellite television, darts and pool table
* Boutique
Room facilities:
* Ceiling fan
* Mini-bar
* Bathrobes
* Mosquito nets
* Aromatic bathroom toiletries
Activities:
*Go scuba diving and snorkelling on Mesali Island
*Set sail on a sunset dhow cruise.
*Take a canoe trip through the mangroves.
*Try wake boarding or water-skiing.
*Test your skills at deep-sea fishing.
*Day trips to Ngesi Forest.
Services:
Laundry
Room service
Open: Fundu Lagoon is closed between 16 April and 14 June each year.
Rates include,
*All meals
*In house selection of wines, spirits, cocktails, beers, bottled
water, soft drinks, juices, teas and coffees, Mesali island
snorkelling trips, mangrove canoe safaris, dhow sunset cruises,
laundry.
Special honeymoons offer – 30% discount for bride ONLY in Ocean View
rooms for honeymoon couples. Valid from 15 June-15 April and
excludes 20 December to 10 January, Champagne on arrival, private
dinner on the beach, sunset dhow cruise.
Fundu Lagoon is not suitable for children under 12 years of age.
Accommodation ranges from US$ 400 per person per night.
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