Hello there! Welcome to the Pongwe weblog. I;m and I'm lucky enough to be staying in Zanzibar for a few months to do some travel writing and generally take a bit of a career break. Read more about me and the Pongwe blog on my. I;ve been having a lot of fun with a couple of Italian girls who arrived at the resort this week, Valeria and Francesca. It;s wonderful to have some girlie company after meeting so many honeymooners. The girls are reporters and work for RAI (Italy;s BBC) in Rome so we;ve been swapping stories on the perils and pleasures of working in television. They managed to persuade me to do something I have been avoiding all these months due to my dislike of;group activities;; to come with them on and I couldn;t resist their charms. Hotel management joked with me they would have a good chance of meeting a beau on Safari Blue as plenty of young tourists sign up; especially Italians! We set off in the morning from the beach at Fumba village, 30 minutes drive from Stone Town. Sure enough, groups of pretty young things in trendy swimwear were hanging around, waiting for the tour and Valeria and Francesca were soon spotted by two handsome Italian guys who peeled off from their pack and began making a bee-line for us. I quickly explained to the girls I wouldn;t be offended if they left me out of the matter and moved away to talk to the guide. He explained we would set off by dhow to a sandbank were we could take our time snorkelling and soaking up the sun. Then we would walk along the reef to the desert island of Kwale for a buffet lunch and return at sunset to Fumba. As we waded out to the large dhows waiting for us in the bay, carrying our rucksacks high, the girls turned to me and winked to let me know they were happy with their catch. I too was happy to slip into my own world again. We divided into three groups and guides helped us clamber on the dhows and find a place to sit on on the deck. Then we set off towards the Menai Bay Conservation area, the waves slapping at the side of the boat and covering us with cooling spray. When we were out to sea our guides turned off the motors and explained that if we were lucky we might catch site of either the humpback or bottlenose dolphins. We peered anxiously over the sides of the dhows into the turquoise waters but nothing happened. The guides started up the engines again with the aim of moving us to a different spot but then, as soon as they did so, two fins in perfect harmony lifted out of the water in front of us and slide back in again. There was a frenzied rush to rescue cameras, which we had already packed away but, probably like most people, I only managed to capture two small pools of froth on the waves after the creatures had long gone. There is something so special about sighting dolphins but I wasn;t so sure the dolphins would have been as enthralled with 30 odd cameras pointed at them. By the time we arrived at the gleaming white sand bank it was close to midday and as soon as we splashed our way up onto the beach from the boats, crew who had travelled ahead of us were waiting to hand us refreshing coconuts to drink from and the chance to sit under some temporary awnings. We were invited to pick out snorkelling equipment, flippers and a mask, and left to explore. I felt a little apprehensive about going in to the sea alone, the girls were nowhere to be seen, but I waded in nevertheless and to my delight the reef around the sandbank never dipped deeper than around 15 feet so I felt quite safe. Suddenly travelling with a large group of strangers seemed worth it as an underwater world of exquisite beauty opened up in front of me. Better than any snorkelling experience I had had before, I felt utterly relaxed as I gently glided between coral outcrops marvelling at the multitude of multicoloured fish, shells and wriggly things. I only had one panicky moment when I spotted a translucent jellyfish hanging beneath the surface like a little plastic bag and I had to quickly change direction. It was only when I remembered that I;d forgotten to apply sun cream to my back that I decided to leave the coral playground and clamber awkwardly up onto the beach in my large back flippers. The sun was blisteringly hot and I felt quite dizzy so I sat in the shade for a while almost everyone else turned their bodies on the beach barbecue. After what seemed like an eternity we were summoned to return our snorkelling equipment and instructed that as the tide was out we could walk along the green and crusty reef to Kwale Island for lunch. Any tourists with trouble walking were taken in a dhow. The rest of us had to walk. I can tell you, walking across coral is not easy. It;s slimy, slippy and can hurt the soles of your feet through your flip flops. It took a good twenty minutes to get to the island and by the time I arrived I was starving. We were ushered up the beach to toilet facilities and a lunch area with long trestle benches next to a steaming grill. The guides handed out iced drinks and we queued up to pile our plates with fish, slipper lobster, calamari, rice, chicken tamarind and coconut sauces. Nothing had ever tasted so good! The lobster was out of this world. After lunch the guides cut up a selection of local fruits for us to taste and a shot of amarula and coffee to help us digest everything. We lazed around chatting after lunch; I was sitting with a couple who owned a safari lodge on the mainland; but soon the Italian girls came and grabbed me to take me for a whirlwind spin on a catamaran. About ten of us squashed onto the two floats to balance it out and our guide took us out to sea and back in a 15 minute round trip. We spluttered with laughter as the waves drenched us and the boat rocked dangerously from side to side. By the time we were back on firm ground I had to take a quick nap on the beach to get over it all! At about 4pm we packed up out things and plied in the dhows again to set off back to Fumba. We were taken on a tour of a Mangrove forest on the way back. The tide was high and the guide said it would be wonderful to swim in the waters but I suppose everyone was exhausted by the sun, snorkelling and food as I was because no one volunteered. The guides put the sails up for the way home as the sun began to sink in the sky. It was a very soothing and mesmerizing experience to glide over the waves. Even Francesca, Valeria and their two Italian stallions had fallen silent. The golden light of the sun held us in a trance until we came in to shore where our driver was waiting to take us back to Pongwe. « Read previous entry

The Pongwe Beach Hotel - The Best Beach on Zanzibar. Traditional Zanzibar Accommodation. The resort;s beautiful gardens surround sixteen beach front Zanzibarian cottages. You will find various local hand crafted Zanzibarian doors and traditional beds. All cottages have bathrooms, with Moroccan style walk in showers. Each cottage also has its own private terrace where guests may enjoy the sunrise and a leisurely breakfast. The sea view cottages have traditional lime wash walls, and thatched roofs made from woven palm leaves. The size of our resort allows us to maintain a high standard of service, and even during peak-season the atmosphere at the Pongwe Beach Hotel remains relaxed, intimate and exclusive. If you would like take a trip around the island, or to. the historic, bustling, cultural core of Zanzibar we can arrange a car. Alternately, if you prefer a bit more freedom, you could hire a 4×4 jeep, or a motorbike. Or you may prefer to take to the ocean, and go out for a day cruising on our long boat, and combine it with some big game fishing and snorkeling.

At the Pongwe Beach Hotel we offer good value accommodation, while not sacrificing quality. We believe in encouraging our guests back time and again, and so offer our rooms at the very reasonable prices you see below. To book, please. Overnight stay with breakfast included. ** Subject to seasonal supplements / discounts. Double Rooms (per person). Single room supplement. Airport pickup (each way). Motorbike hire (per day, ex. petrol). Game fishing (max 4 people - half day inc. lunch). Snorkelling equipment hire. Padi Discover Scuba Dive. Padi Scuba Diver Course (2 days). Transport per vehicle per day. Rates may change without prior notice. Lunch dinner menu available to guests non-residents.

The Pongwe Beach Hotel, Zanzibar; A Paradise Island Retreat. Life on Zanzibar Blog. Welcome to Zanzibar; Welcome to Paradise. Relax and absorb some of the laid-back lifestyle on Zanzibar in our weblog. Updated regularly, this a travel journal that should inspire anyone with a desire for a little paradise. Read our weblog now ». Situated on one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, the Pongwe Beach Hotel is a true paradise retreat, set within a secluded bay on the east coast of. an island in the Indian Ocean just off the coast of Tanzania, Africa. We are a modestly sized hotel, with sixteen traditional beach-side cottages, and an intimate atmosphere. Pongwe Beach Hotel offers the perfect paradise island experience. The bay's clear blue waters; protected by the reef one kilometre from the shore; are ideal for swimming and snorkeling. If the midday sun becomes too strong you can retreat into the shade of the palm trees that line the white sandy beach, and sip a long, cool drink. Pongwe Beach is a tranquil location; the ideal place to relax and enjoy Zanzibar;s distinctive, mellow pace. You can dive into the crystal clear waters of the Indian ocean, or stretch out and soak up the sun on the beach. It is the ideal retreat for those looking for that extra special honeymoon, or a holiday with an air of exclusivity. We have our own traditional wooden long boat with which our guests may gain access to deep waters before and beyond the reef. This provides the ideal opportunity to go game fishing for tuna, marlin, barracuda and king fish. We also have snorkeling out at where you can will find many coral species and marine life; and at where sharks, dolphins and turtles can be found. Scuba diving can be arranged whether it be a day dive or a Padi open water course. Our consultant chef from England who has spent time in the kitchens of the. London; and the famous. one of Paris; finest 3 star Michelin restaurants has advised and trained our own in-house chefs, so you can be assured that the crab, king prawn, and other fine local food will be prepared and cooked to the highest of international standards. ] Pongwe Beach Hotel | Zanzibar | +255 (0)784 336 181 | UK Tel: + 44 (0)1424 440 889 Copyright © 2003-2008. All rights reserved.