Bawe Island

Style

Romantic villa thriller

Setting

Castaway coral idyll

Heart rates rise at Bawe Island: this villa-only retreat pulls out all the intimacy-inspiring stops, and pulse-racing watersports occupy moments where you’re not gazing into each other’s eyes. Admire sunrise from your paddleboard or yoga mat; sunset is your backdrop for shorefront aperitifs and alfresco dinners. And with every-shade-of-blue views, private pools and four romantic restaurants, it’s date night every evening on this private isle…

Facilities

Rooms

70, including 44 suites.

Checkout

11am. Earliest check-in, 2pm; both are flexible, subject to availability and an extra charge.

More Details

Half-board rates at Bawe Island include breakfast and dinner; you’ll also get lunch on full board, and all-inclusive stays get drinks as well as all meals. If you’re staying for three nights or more, you’ll get free return airport transfers.

Also

Unfortunately, this remote island retreat is not suited to guests with reduced mobility.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Tennis and padel courts, gym, boutique, bikes to borrow, charged laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, sound system, air-conditioning, fan, Nespresso coffee machine, tea-making kit, minibar, ice machine, free bottled water, Dyson hairdryer, bathrobes and slippers, and Etro bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Early birds should opt for a Sunrise Villa, whose eastern setting sees the sun creeping over the horizon; if you’re more delighted by a red sky at night, opt for a Sunset Suite. Or cast yourself away to an overwater Lagoon Suite, where the brilliantly blue setting encompasses a private pool, the sea and sky.

Poolside

The lagoon-like pool borders the beach – its swirling shape mimicking the waves mere metres away. The palapa bar casts shadows over one end of the pool, and sea-facing sunloungers dot the sun-kissed terrace. Come for leisurely laps from sunrise until sunset, or if you don’t care to share, splash about (or skinny-dip) in your own pool.

Spa

Facials and massages at the Rebirth Spa soothe with all-natural Healing Earth products, and couples can book in for a treatment for two.

Packing Tips

A pedicure wouldn’t go amiss before visiting this barefoot-luxury resort.

Children

Welcome. Extra beds and baby cots can be added on request to most rooms, but the Sunrise Villas, Sunset Suites, Zanzibar Villa and Sultan Palace and are best for families. Babysitting is available on request.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

The resort’s recent opening means the jury’s out on this one…

Dress Code

Come barefoot and in beachwear to Sinfonia and the Sand; Rising Sun and the Jungle call for less breezy and more beautified looks.

Hotel Restaurant

Take your pick from four toes-in-sand dining spots, which are all included in the rate plans; all-day the Sand is the resort’s main restaurant; Rising Sun impresses with Teppanyaki-style dishes; Italian-inspired Sinfonia delivers homemade pizza and pasta, and tuck into fusion fare at the adults-only Beach Club, which is set on the eastern end of the isle.

Hotel Bar

You’ll find bohemian beach bar the View next to the pool, where sunset views are the backdrop for zesty cocktails and other top-notch tipples, and live music accompanies the soundtrack of lapping waves from the shores just beyond.

Last Orders

Breakfast is at the Sand from 7am until 10am. All four restaurants serve lunch from noon to 2pm, and dinner from 7pm to 9pm. The View pours from 10am to midnight.

Room Service

You can dine in your room from a separate menu around the clock.

Planes

Zanzibar’s Abeid Amani Karume International Airport is a 20-minute drive from Zanzibar Port; from here, a speedboat can zip you in 15 minutes to Bawe Island. For stays of three nights or more, return airport transfers are included with the room rate.

Automobiles

The island is car-free, so beach strolls will be your preferred mode of transport.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

The savvy concierge at Bawe Island can arrange plenty of water-based pursuits – snorkelling along the pristine shallows; marvel at reefs on a diving expedition, head for a day-starting paddleboarding session, or venture out for some high-octane game fishing. You could whizz around on waterskis, a jet ski or speedboat; flyboards and seabobs are also readily available. If you haven’t found your sea legs, on solid ground there’s tennis and padel, plus pilates and yoga, or borrow a bike to explore the islet’s wooded interior.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .