January 21, 2009

Africa & Mideast | Zanzibar

Island Smart

By Nicole Cotroneo

Surrounded by underwater walls of coral, Africa's newest island retreat is a diver's paradise.
Originally published on December 4, 2007.

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Surrounded by the warm Indian Ocean and a pearl of protected reefs, Zanzibar is a water-lover’s dream. Now Fairmont aims to be the archipelago’s sea-sport mecca with a new beachside resort on Unguja, the largest island, just 15 miles off the coast of Tanzania. Set along 1,000 feet of white-powder shore, the just-opened retreat boasts its own certified dive center accommodating all levels. Experienced underwater explorers can dive the “Big Wall,” a coral reef off nearby Mnemba Island dropping 150 feet below the surface. Not to worry, though — Fairmont’s dive center has one of only three decompression chambers in Africa.

If you’d rather keep your head above water, there’s windsurfing, paddle-skiing and fishing charters, too — after all, Zanzibar has some of the best game-fishing in the world. And even when you’re not splashing around, you’re never far from the sea: Fairmont’s “signature villas” are beachfront with private terraces and prime ocean views. And at sunset you can stake out a daybed overlooking the waves at Zama lounge, where tapas and shisha pipes are served and the dress code is, we are told, “island smart.”