For our honeymoon, my husband and I decided to explore more of Africa, since we would already be in the motherland for the ceremony. We have been looking for opportunities to see more of the continent especially because we would be visiting my family in Ghana often.
Why Zanzibar?
We were looking for a ‘beachy’ vibe, a place to relax by the water, explore the towns and really experience the culture. We narrowed our options down to two places - Malawi and Tanzania.
Malawi is like a second home to me and, we decided, would be more fun to visit as a group trip with our families. Even though Malawi has the fourth largest lakes (by volume) in the world, and we would get the 'beach vibe' we were looking for, we wanted to be by the ocean. So we decided to go with Zanzibar, Tanzania.
We had heard interesting stories from a good friend who’d visited years back, as well as seen pictures and read articles about the island - Zanzibar checked all the boxes for us!
Planning Our Trip
We planned our entire itinerary through Ahsante Tours. Initial cost was higher than expected, so we gave them our budget and they worked around it for us! If you’re looking to book with a tourism company, I advice you do your own research on prices, compare with other companies and create a reasonable budget for yourself.
We had the best time during this trip; getting to relax as well as touring and learning more about the island and its people. So I am sharing 5 major things that I believe were worth experiencing during our trip.
Sunset Dhow Cruise in Nungwi
The sunset cruise is a must-do in my opinion.
We were picked up at 3:30pm for a 45min drive to Nungwi Beach where we boarded a local dhow for a beautiful private sunset ride. It was a 2 hour long experience that included incredible traditional drummers playing and singing live for us on the dhow. We were given water, fruits, and local snacks to munch on while watching the waves, birds and the unique views of the island. It was such a beautiful experience.
We returned on the shore before the last light where we were picked up and taken back to our resort.
Stone Town Tour
Getting to learn more about the history of Zanzibar was very important to us. We were picked up from the resort in the morning, and rode with our very informative tour guide, Masoud. He gave us so much history and current affairs on Zanzibar as we journeyed about 45mins to Stone Town. Upon arrival, Masoud led us through the markets, the churches and slave dungeons, explaining all the unique details in the streets of Stone Town.
Like many African countries there is a sad history due to slavery, but the resillience of the people and their ability to build a better community for themselves is absolutely incredible.
We shopped the stores and got some spices, coffee and souvenirs. Masoud was very patient with us which I loved, because we didnt feel rushed at all. We got through the tour learning about the island, the town itself, interracted with the locals, saw Freddie Mercury's house (Yes, fun fact, Freddie was from Zanzibar), and even tried some local icecream. It was a very good tour and I am glad we did it!
Snorkeling and Mnemba Atoll Tour
This was my absolute favorite activity that we tried on this trip! It was my first snorkelling experience and it was so much fun. Masoud was our guide once again which was perfect. There were four of us on the boat, my Masoud, the captain, my husband and I.
The plan was to first swim with dolphins, then go snorkeling. There was a bit of a chase down of the dolphins which was a little crazy with many boats trying to get to them. I personally thought it was quite traumatizing for the dolphins, and we didn't care for that, so we moved on to our snorkelling adventure instead. We saw so many different fish and coral in the most crystal clear blue water I have ever seen! One thing about Zanzibar, the water's extremely beautiful.
After snorkeling for a while, we were taken to a sandbar where we were given fruits, took pictures and just chilled for a while before we made our way back.
The Beach
Our resort was massive and the beach was simply stunning. We made sure we spent as much time as possible by the beach - swimming and laying in the sun. Our resort had a restaurant on the beach, so we we’re sure to have most of our lunches there.
We did not want to end up needing a vacation from our vacation, so we made sure that the full day before we checked out, we got a relaxing beach day in.
It was exactly what we needed.
Melia Zanzibar Resort
We stayed at the Melia Zanzibar all inclusive Resort and I have to say, this was a 10/10 experience.
Upon arrival, they upgraded us to a bungalow suite in celebration of our honeymoon, and led us to our home for the next 5 days. We were then served a beautiful cake, and drinks to show more love! The suite was so spacious with a massive shower and bath and a seperate toilet. I loved the 'his and hers' sinks and large mirrors. There was so much space for our clothes and shoes as well. We each got robes, slippers, umbrellas in case of rain and a fridge that was constantly restocked with drinks, water and snacks.
The view from our balcony was insane!
The food was delicious!
There was a total of 6 restaurants on the property. Five were included in the all inclusive package and one that served more local dishes, was not included in the package. A unique thing about the main restaurant where breakfast lunch and dinner was served consistently was that it had a different theme every night. The theme which inspired the food, was accompanied by live performances as well. We experienced African night (of course) Meditteranean, Indian and Carribean themed nights.
The fun amenities on the property included multiple outdoor games, infinity pool access and access to the pool bar, carts to transport guests wherever they wanted to go, a fabulous beach, a unique spa experience and views for days.
Overall the resort is stunning! I could see how some people would choose to stay solely in the resort and not try exploring the island.
If you are thinking about taking a trip to Zanzibar, do it!
I hope you enjoy your stay as much as we did!
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