Beachfront Zanzibar vacation home

Villa Magnolia located on the beachfront of Matemwe . Fortunately, there are still places where the sun always shines, palm trees grow right out of the fine white sand and long midday siestas are considered an important part of everyday agenda. Our views are world class, postcard perfect and the property boasts perfect views of the Indian Ocean and the  coral reef around the Mnemba Island. A stay at our  standalone five bedroomed villa  is  a treasure trove of sensory delights offering you an escape into serenity with  very special ambiance which we are certain would send you home with great memories. It is surrounded by landcaped gardens and several terraces to laze the day away.

Matemwe beach is the longest stretch of beach In Zanzibar and is relatively unspoilt with a few boutique hotels and bars nearby. We can offer a driver and guide to take you around the island ( extra cost) or you can arrange with nearby hotels . This area is famed for its exellant diving / snorkelling as its located next to Mnemba Atoll. The house is well equipped and spacious. We have a security guard on site , 1 cleaners and a gardener to look after the property. Please note cleaning will be charged at extra cost of 10US$ per visit if required and a checkout cleaning charge of 50USD f(we usually do not charge this if you will not apply any cleaning charges on our visit).

This is a second home and is available for non simultaneous exchanges . We prefer to swap with homes that offer non simultaneous swaps in return.

We have security dogs on the property that are let out at night.

Villa Description:
 
Bedroom 1:This bedroom offers a king sized bed with a framed mosquito net, attached living room and its own bathroom ensuite shower . This room has its own entrance/terraced patio from the garden as well as main house.
 
Bedrooms 2 : offers a queen sized bed with framed mosquito net.This room has use of the bathroom and shower room shared by the main house.
 
Bedroom 3 - This bedroom offers a king sized bed with a framed mosquito net, its own bathroom ensuite shower  and changing room.
 
Bedroom 4 -  This room is accessed through Bedroom 3 entrance and has a single bed with a framed mosquito net. This is normally used as a childrens bedroom

We have newly built a 5th bedroom in the upstairs terrace area with its own en-suite ( sorry no pictures yet), this is standalone from the house but of needed can be used if requested.
 
There is an open plan living, dining room and kitchen which has access to the terrace and gardens
There are a further two additional terraces  located at the front of the garden for relaxing or entertaining.

Matemwe :

Matemwe is approximately 50 km north east of Stone Town and is a 45min drive from the airport. You will be heading to NE of the Island.
Some important facts about Matemwe: the ocean is extremely tidal due to the coral reef that fringes the lagoon. Over-fishing has caused sea urchins to proliferate to an extent in the lagoon, which makes a reef-walk at low tide quite a tedious task. However, the reef is wonderful to explore and most hotels offer walking if not cycling tours, village tours as well as possible kayak hire and sailing trips (these can also often be arranged cheaper through local fishermen). Snorkeling and diving trips as well as excursions to various attractions on Zanzibar can be easily arranged through most hotels.
As it is tidal swimming is only possible at high tide. We have an agreement with two nearby hotels (100m) that if you eat/drink at their place you can make use of their pools also.

The beach is gorgeous and it is fascinating to see all the village activities going on at low tides. At high tide this is best time to swim with the kids and the high tide reaches our compound walls so not far to go.
Daily activities on the beach involve Fisherman dragging large nets across the low water, Others hit the water with sticks, scaring the fish into the net. Women harvest seaweed, throwing it across their backs. On the beach, young children kick around something that resembles a football. They clothes are colourful and torn, faces covered in the fine white sand. All around the beach are scattered the sun bleached wooden fishing boats. They have to manoeuvre the shallow waters, and are fitted with two catamarans like floating rafts on each side. Some fishermen are busy perfecting them, burning the outside of their boat to make them water tight.

Matemwe, which runs its own PADI dive center, has one of the best scuba diving sites around Zanzibar, providing an endless variety of fish and corals to see. Whether a novice, experienced diver or snorkeler, you will be amazed at the sheer abundance of species in these waters. We have two diving instructors who live in a separate villa owned by us at the back of our compound that work for zanzibarocean.com , you can make a booking with them directly and will be well looked after.

If underwater sports are not your cup of tea, you might enjoy a sailing trip in one of the local Ngalawas, a truly unique experience not to be missed. There are a few places along the beach which offer this.

The village is small, but there are many small-scale hotels by the beach that offer wonderful food at reasonable prices starting from $6 pp. For self catering you will need to make trips to Stonetown (35km away) to get provisions as there are no local supermarkets. We normally take supplies on arrival and then ask a driver we use to deliver some groceries to us 4-5 days later.

There are also plenty of day trips that can be booked privately – spice tours, the Kidichi Persian Baths, Changuu (prison) island to see the giant tortoises, the red colobus monkeys endemic to Jozani Forest, Chumbe Island Coral Park, the creepy slave chambers at Mangapwani, the capital Stone Town and nearby Prison Island.

WE usually recommend if you are coming all the way to Zanzibar then why not combine a Safari. Parks such as Ngorogoro Crater and Serengeti can be reached from Zanzibar Airport direct in around 1 1/2 hours.