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Baraza is a beautiful boutique resort built in a distinctive Swahili design. Blending Arabic and Indian influences with Swahili arches, beautiful antiques, handmade furniture and intricate brass lanterns it offers a very high standard of accommodation on Zanzibar.
The resort's villas nestle amongst the gardens or along the beach which is fringed by palm trees and scattered with perfectly placed beach sunbeds meaning that everyone can enjoy their own little patch of paradise. Although this is a resort style property it is relatively small with only 30 villas in total, which creates a lovely laid back, and intimate feel.
The hotel is part of the Zanzibar Collection which offers a range of high standard resorts along the same beach and we have worked with them for many years. The staff are fantastic and we often get comments on how welcome our clients felt, and how well looked after they were while they were at Baraza.
Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our Zanzibar Archipelago specialists
The resort has 30 beautifully furnished villas, all extremely spacious and stylish with luxury interiors, beautiful fabrics and hand carved furniture in the traditional style of the island. Outside there are spacious and shady terraces, sun loungers and private plunge pools.
All of the villas are air conditioned and have a bedroom, living room, walk-in dressing room, TV, CD player, mini-bars and en suite bathrooms with free standing baths.
Baraza lies on the south-east coast of the island of Zanzibar, along the award winning Bwejuu Beach.
This is one of the best beaches on the island; with 240 meters of fine, white sand it really is your quintessential tropical paradise beach. The beach shelves gently into the sea and there is a coral reef offshore that runs the length of the east coast of Zanzibar.
With the tides pushing out so far on Zanzibar the resort offers reef walks at low tide where you can wander out and see what creatures have been trapped in the rock pools; swimming and other water activities are only possible at high tide. Baraza shares the beach with a number of other resorts but it doesn't feel busy and there is plenty of space for everyone to find a quiet spot.
The resort is located about ten minutes from Bwejuu Village and Baraza has a strong involvement in the village itself so you will most likely receive a very warm welcome from any villagers that you come across.
There are three different dining spots at the resort, open at different times of the day, giving a variety of different locations and styles.
The Livingstone Terrace is an open air restaurant serving breakfast and dinner is also served here on some nights.
Lunch is served at Sebule, set a little closer to the beach. Fresh buffet lunches offer a selection of dishes as well as a daily menu featuring the chef’s specials, pizza or pasta of the day and fresh salads. Afternoon tea is also served here each day from 4pm to 5.30pm and the bar and lounge is open from 10am to 6pm.
Dhahabu bar and lounge is open in the evenings for cocktails with a wonderfully extravagant Arabic and Swahili setting.
Finally the Sultans Dining Room offers a beautiful setting for evening meals which are either a set menu or buffet. Menus are inspired by Arabic, Indian, Persian, Asian and Swahili flavours using the local spices for which the island is famous, or more familiar Western dishes.
Gentlemen are required to wear long trousers at dinner.
Baraza has a children's area with lots of toys, games and activities to keep them entertained and plenty of comfy loungers, couches and bean bags to relax and play on. For the older children and young teenagers there is a Wii, a ping pong table, table football and a children’s pool table. There is also an extensive library of children's movies.
Most of the year this children's area is unsupervised and children would need to be accompanied by their parents however in July and August and over Christmas there are supervised activities (children younger than four still need to be accompanied by a parent or a guardian).
Facilities at Baraza are extensive and include a swimming pool, spa, tennis court, fitness center, water sports center, PADI dive center and boutique. Snorkeling excursions, trips to spice farms and more can all be arranged. Alternatively, you might want to sit back with a good book on your Swahili daybed outside your villa and relax. Baraza itself also offers an extensive programme of classes and experiences to teach guests about the local culture. Enjoy a Swahili lesson and learn to weave palms or how to play Bao, a traditional African game.
The hotel has a charity Breezes for Bwejuu (linked with sister hotels Breezes, The Palms and Zawadi) which has been responsible for a huge improvement in the quality of life of the local village.
Since its inception, this charity has built a mosque, repainted the Bwejuu health clinic and supplied them with fresh water and medicines as well as building a maternity clinic and donating beds and mattresses, clothes, school supplies, and books. If you are keen to visit the local village, this can be easily arranged. And if you wish to donate supplies for the clinic or school, please ask your Audley specialist to find out what they are currently in short supply of.
Snorkeling excursions, dolphin watching tours, trips to spice farms and more can all be arranged.
Baraza offers great facilities and the place looks wonderful when it's lit up at night. We found the food here to be particularly good, the staff very friendly and we warmly recommend it.
Where possible, we like to offer a range of accommodation for each stop of your trip, chosen by our specialists as some of their favorite places to stay. To help you make the right choice, we give each property a rating based on its facilities and service, but we also look for hotels with distinct character or a location that can’t be bettered.
A stay at Breezes Beach Club & Spa makes for a true Zanzibari experience. Set on soft white sands, it offers guests the chance to completely unwind whilst still providing a good range of activities for those who need a break from the beach.
The emphasis here is on luxury and high levels of service. The property has been beautifully designed with all modern comforts without losing a traditional African feel.
Overlooking the sparkling sea, sprinkled with traditional dhow boats, the focus at Kilindi Zanzibar is on great service, exclusivity, fantastic fine dining and rooms that are so lovely you won’t want to leave them.
Matemwe is a small friendly hotel, built on a low coral cliff overlooking the ocean. The beach has dazzling snow white sand and is very picturesque with its small fishing village.
Pongwe is a peaceful, simple hotel. While perhaps not the best place for party animals, it is ideal for those who enjoy their food and want a relaxed beach experience.
The Serena has an unbeatable location overlooking the Indian Ocean but remaining in the heart of town. It is a superb hotel from which to explore and is a peaceful place to relax if the hustle and bustle of Stone Town gets a bit too much.
Pretty and peaceful, this beachside lodge on Zanzibar’s northeast coast provides simple but relaxing accommodation in spacious cottages. With friendly hosts and tasty Zanzibari food, it makes a rewarding end to a safari, but can also be a welcome escape in its own right.
The Palms is exquisite. It is small, stylish and the staff are excellent. It is perfect for those looking for an exclusive, romantic getaway. We warmly recommend it.
The Residence Zanzibar is a beautiful property situated on the southwest coast of Zanzibar near Kizimkazi village. The villas are spread out across the property, each with its own private pool and sunbathing decking area for complete relaxation.
Unguja Lodge is a small boutique hotel set amongst baobab and mango trees at Kizimkazi on the southern tip of Zanzibar. Perched on a low coral cliff, it's just a 50 meter walk from an idyllic sandy beach.
Tucked away in the Kiponda area of Stone Town, Zanzibar Palace Hotel is a boutique hotel in a beautifully restored Zanzibari house.
