Ease your worries away at a Zanzibar beach resort

If you’ve got your eye on a Zanzibar beach resort for your next holiday, there are several options to choose from. Zanzibar offers an idyllic island getaway off the Tanzanian coast, where Zanzibar tour packages will help you get the most out of your trip.


For those who prefer a more private environment, there is the 35-room boutique establishment simply called Z Hotel. The owners have combined a chic, contemporary design with traditional Zanzibari elements and a luxury approach to the interior furnishings and fittings.


There is no fear of eyeballing your neighbour in the adjacent room if you step out onto your balcony as all the rooms have private decks that provide spectacular views of the sea. The superior Z Suite goes one better with two terraces and an outdoor Jacuzzi.


Z Hotel is set in a tropical garden that leads onto soft white beaches, which beckon you into their warm waters. That’s one of the main reasons to visit Zanzibar: experienced divers will insist on exploring its coral reefs while the less adventurous can happily snorkel among them.


The hotel’s restaurant options and menus are so well planned you might struggle to leave this venue to explore the island but, if you are the adventurous type, it’s worth signing up for one of the Zanzibar tour packages. Just make sure you’re back in time to catch the sunset at Cinnamon Cocktail Bar; it’s said to be the best spot on the island for a sundowner!


Zanzibar tour packages often incorporate Stone Town, the historic centre of the island’s capital city, known as Zanzibar Town or Zanzibar City. Z Hotel is 75km away so the journey there reveals more of the island’s beautiful scenery. It’s also about an hour’s drive from the airport.


Enquire about options for excursions to Jozani Forest (to catch sight of the endangered Red Colobus Monkey) or the Mnarani Turtle Sanctuary, where villagers nurse injured turtles back to health in their natural habitat.


Tours among the spice plantations and to Prison Island are also popular activities at Zanzibar.

Hotels in Namibia reveal the country’s attractions

Beauty is a word that is synonymous with Namibia, not only with reference to its landscape. Michelle McLean topped her win of the Miss Namibia 1991 title with her crowning as Miss Universe 1992, the only Namibian to win it. She hails from Windhoek, which is close to the Etosha National Park.

Hotels in Namibia give visitors different experiences of the country – from the Fish River Canyon to the Namibia and Kalahari deserts found in the Gondwana region. The Gondwana Four Desert Tour is highly recommended.

But Namibia’s desolate landscape is not all desert. Hotels in Namibia like the Etosha Safari Lodge, 10km south of the Etosha National Park’s Andersson Gate, are recommended by reputable tour operators who want to give guests an unforgettable safari experience.

The Lodge is close to this world-renowned, 4 500 square kilometre reserve, which consists of salt pan, woodland and grassland habitats. From a distance, its chalets are barely discernible as they are designed to blend in with their surroundings. Just their tented rooftops peep out above the bush like meerkat sentinels.

Day safaris into the park reveal wildlife incorporating antelope, gemsbok, impala, kudu and springbok; big cats like cheetah, leopard and lion; the mighty elephant and elegant giraffe plus over 300 bird species.

The bush drives start early, to catch the animals at watering holes and before the heat of the sun forces them to seek shelter, and end at sunset. Magnificent photographic opportunities await the keen photographer – of the wildlife, landscape and, of course, the exquisite sunsets.

Those who still want a taste of the city can book a day trip to Windhoek by minibus shuttle or laze around the swimming pool after a morning game drive. This Namibia hotel has disabled access and provides a babysitting service for parents who really need a break.

Don’t forget to take the necessary precautions against malaria, as mosquitoes are found in this area of Namibia.

Seychelles tour packages offer value for money

When it comes to island holidays, the Seychelles is one of the most recommended. The Seychelles comprises a group of 115 islands literally in the middle of the deep blue sea; the Indian Ocean. Part of their attraction is their isolation, which gives new meaning to the need to ‘get away from it all’. Cliché or not, it’s the reality of our existence today.

Seychelles hotels often offer specials in conjunction with Seychelles tour packages, so these are the ones to look out for if you want the best value for money. Expect to have a blissful beach experience, see incredible marine life, and explore captivating coral reefs. These are just some of the significant Seychelles attractions.

Described as an ecologist’s dream, because so much of the country’s land is preserved, it even has a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Aldabra. This island in the archipelago is the second largest atoll in the world, and is noted for its giant land tortoise population.

Coco de Mer is one of the Seychelles hotels on Praslin Island, which is the second largest of the Seychelles islands covering just 38 square kilometers. It is named after a rare palm tree found in the archipelago. On the subject of the sea, look out for ‘fruits de mer’ on the restaurant and Seychelles hotels menus. These promise some of the tastiest seafood you will ever savour.

Getting to Praslin Island is a fun excursion in itself, made easier if you work through a trusted tour operator. You can fly there in 15 minutes from Mahe Island or take a 45-minute ferry ride across the water. The hotel grounds cover 200 acres, adjacent to Anse Bois de Rose, a popular beach for swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving with a special section for Seychelles hotels’ guests.

For something different, ask a tour guide to show you sights like Praslin’s ‘Garden of Eden’ – the Vallee de Mai Nature Preserve with its plentiful Coco de Mer trees and vanilla orchids is worth a visit.

Take time out at hotels in Maputo

Sun, sand and sea… It may sound simplistic, but it’s one of the best prescriptions you can get for relaxing and unwinding.

You can get it all and more with holidays in Mozambique.

There is something about the salt air and the warm water of the Indian Ocean that attracts holidaymakers from around the world to these shores, which are all the more appealing for their relative isolation.

Hotels in Maputo believe their third-world location with all the luxury you could ask for, if that’s what you look for in a holiday. Mozambique has two main archipelagos – Bazaruto in the south and Quirimbas in the north.

Some say that it is the undiscovered jewels in the Quirimbas crown that make it so special. And they’re right. The Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique is where you’ll find the 32 coral islands that create this archipelago as well as several top hotels in Maputo and tour guides happy to show you around.

Pemba Beach Hotel and Spa is described as the gateway to the islands as well as the Niassa National Reserve. This is the largest conservation area in Mozambique. Covering 42 000sq km, it’s also double the size of South Africa’s famous Kruger National Park. There you’ll see three endemic species: the Niassa wildebeest, Boehm’s zebra, and Johnston’s impala, which are considered rare anywhere else. Its teeming bird population includes several majestic raptor species too.

Matemo Lodge provides alternative accommodation in the Quirimbas Archipelago while the resort on Medjumbe private island is just that − an exclusive retreat par excellence. The island is only one kilometre long and 500 metres wide. For romance, it’s hard to beat. With pristine beaches, pretty coves, inimitable palm trees and magnificent marine life, what’s not to love? PS. There are only 13 beach chalets in the resort.

Hotels in Namibia reveal the country’s attractions

Nambia offers tremendous opportunities for keen travellers wanting to explore an African country that incorporates a diverse array of sights, vegetation and wildlife.

It’s one of those destinations where you can lose yourself in the peace and quiet of a safari location at a Namibia Hotel, where you can tune in to nature and its special sounds after shedding the stress of your busy daily life.

Hotels in Namibia give visitors access to aspects of vegetation at opposite ends of the landscape spectrum, with corresponding wildlife. This country is on the west coast of Africa, bordered on one side by the Atlantic Ocean. It has 14 vegetation zones including desert, woodlands, and savannahs.

Visitors who go on safari with good tour guides will learn about some of the country’s more astonishing attributes. For example, the Namib is the oldest desert in the world and the only one where you will find elephant, lion, giraffe and rhino.

On the subject of big cats, Namibia has the biggest free-roaming cheetah count in the world (one estimate counts 2 500), so it’s not surprising to learn about conservation efforts that have been established to protect the beautiful beast.

However, these cats also enjoy the habitat provided by the Etosha National Park, close to Namibia Hotels like the self-catering Etosha Safari Camp. This is a no-frills set-up, in close proximity to a slightly more sophisticated lodge complete with restaurant and bar.

Visitors must take the necessary malaria precautions to make sure they get the most out of this part of the country, without fear of infection by mosquitoes.

Day safaris will entertain guests with potential sightings of resident elephant, buck and cat species, giraffe and zebra, among others. Early morning sightings as well as those at sundown comprise some of the most memorable, so charge your camera batteries and invest in a long-distance lens to make sure you don’t miss a thing.