Xanadu Luxury Villas & Retreat Zanzibar

We recommend Xanadu to couples on honeymoon or seeking total retreat, far from 200-room complexes. The address also suits affluent families wanting villa space without sacrificing hotel service. Travellers seeking nightlife or social scene should look elsewhere, here one comes for intimacy.

Xanadu comprises five independent villas built in 2019, contemporary Swahili architecture with makuti roofs (woven palm leaves). Walls of coral stone whitewashed with lime, polished terrazzo floors, exposed coconut-wood beams. Each villa measures between 120 and 180 m², with separate bedrooms, living room open to the terrace, equipped kitchen. Common spaces are limited to the main restaurant and the spa, the rest is designed for villa living.

The main restaurant serves Swahili-Mediterranean fusion cuisine, daily catch, local spices (clove, cardamom, Pemba vanilla). Breakfast served in the villa or on the beach according to preference. The chef also prepares private menus on request, candlelit dinners on the sand, seafood barbecues. No formal bar, yet cocktail and wine service available everywhere on the property.

Xanadu stands at Michamvi, eastern peninsula of Zanzibar, 55 km from the international airport (1h15 by car). The east coast is known for its white sand beaches and turquoise waters, less built-up than the north (Nungwi, Kendwa). Michamvi fishing village lies 2 km away, Stone Town 1h by road for cultural visits. The area is quiet, almost residential, with a few discreet lodges spaced along the shoreline.