The Residence Zanzibar

The main area is large and elegant, with three restaurants and bars offering menus ranging from Middle Eastern meets Mediterranean to relaxed European with a Swahili flair. There's a DVD library if you've had enough sun, a huge swimming pool with glass walls and a very well-equipped spa. Stretching into the sea is a 150-metre jetty; a nautical club by day and, on certain evenings, a yoga studio. Travelling with kids? They'll enjoy the clubhouse with its age-appropriate activities.

Sixty-six private villas are dotted around the property, some with sea views and others surrounded by gardens. All are luxuriously furnished with pieces that reflect the island’s varied influences. All have deep, comfortable netted beds, aircon, large en-suite bathrooms and every imaginable hotel treat, from a CD/DVD player, satellite TV, espresso machine, bath robes and optional butler service to excellent body products and fresh truffles. Outside is your private private plunge pool and sun deck.

The hotel lies on quiet Kizimkazi Beach on Zanzibar’s southwest coast, so it's perfect for beach-lovers. Top up your tan (sunscreen essential), paddle the shallows in a kayak, snorkel, go deep-sea fishing or diving with dolphins. On land, cycle to see the island's sights, explore the ruins of the Persian baths, the Omani palaces and Jozani National Forest (with its giant palms, rare red Colobus monkeys and endemic Zanzibar Sykes’ monkey, bushbaby, 50 butterfly species and 40 species of birds).