Fundu Lagoon – Pemba Island, Tanzania

‘Here you can be Crusoe and Cousteau on the same day’

The epitome of Castaway Chic, fashionable Fundu Lagoon is situated in a remote cove on Pemba Island accessible by boat only – great style, great vibe, an unforgettable experience!
Life’s made easy at this secluded retreat, from beach time and dhow cruises to scuba diving pristine, colourful, fish-filled sites. There’s a seafood-heavy menu, spacious, safari-style tents and thatched buildings decorated with African crafts, a sunset-facing pier bar, and a far-away-from-it-all ambience.

If Mother nature made Resorts it would look like Fundu Lagoon,

Fundu has to be one of our absolute favourite lodges it boasts a blissful sense of luxurious isolation – yet it’s funky and fashionable at the same time!
The various suites with their massive lounge areas and private decks with plunge pools are simply amazing – we wouldn’t blame you if you disappear for the duration of your stay as they are the perfect romantic hideaway!
Some of the most memorable bars and dining areas that we’ve ever experienced – enjoying sundowners on the jetty bar with the waves lapping gently against the legs of the jetty is a magical experience!
A superb pool area on the ridge overlooking the bay means you’re always able to find relief from the heat of the tropical day, no matter what the tide is doing
Delicious food is conjured up in the Fundu kitchen – it’s so good in fact, that there’s a Fundu Lagoon recipe book in the pipeline
The dense coastal jungle creates a blissful sense of isolation from the other tents (which you battle to even see in the thick undergrowth)

Pemba, the ‘Green Island’, takes around an hour by plane from Dar Es Salaam, usually flying via Zanzibar. Fundu Lagoon is reached via a 45-minute drive from Pemba ‘s Chake Chake airport and a 15-minute speedboat ride from Nkoani port. It’s right on the beach, with 15 of the 17 rooms and suites looking right out onto sand and ocean. You’re isolated here, in a good way; the hotel can arrange tours of local villages, but it’s otherwise unlikely you’ll leave the hotel and surroundings.

The Pemba Marine Reserve across from Fundu has pristine corals and masses of fish, offering top diving without the crowds. Every morning, local women in colourful robes walk the shore to collect shellfish. A pleasant sight, though it does impact slightly on privacy.

Instead of a bell to ring at reception, there’s a Ngoma (a type of Africa drum), and there are African crafts and artifacts across the property, including traditional masks, decorative shields, textiles and hanging curtains made from Kunguras seeds, most of it collected by the owners, the fashion designer Ellis Flyte and Brian Henson of The Jim Henson Muppets family.

Far away from everything, Fundu is an elegant but laid back beach hangout, with deep sand pathways connecting tents, pool, restaurants and high-ceilinged, makuti-thatched buildings, all with open fronts looking out onto the ocean. A jetty bar is the place for happy hour cocktails around sunset. Monkeys play and groom on the beach, crabs scuttle around holes, and bushbabies sometimes turn up at the restaurant to see what’s for dinner.

The beachfront, safari-style canvas tents have permanent wooden floors and plenty of space to unwind, the fronts opening out onto wooden decks and the beach and ocean. Beds are large, with pristine white sheets, surrounded by mosquito nets. There are more local African crafts, such as dark wood chairs with fish carvings and a waist-high drum, with African masks hanging in the bathroom, plus a powerful electric cooling fan and a fridge stocked with cold drinks.

More-than-ample bathrooms have twin white sinks, rain shower and trad shower, and Fundu’s own products, including fragrant shampoo with lavender, chamomile, and basil. Suites also have their own private plunge pools

Highlights