In an attempt to escape the changing seasons in South Africa’s chilly Autumn Cape Town, we’ve dreamed up a list of ten seaside retreats where the sand and the sea marry in a tropical and temperate embrace. Sunsets create a cascading backdrop of colour, and days are filled with walking along white sandy beaches, dipping into the turquoise waters, and dozing dreamily under waving palms. From the Maldives to the Cape’s Garden Route coast, the Indian Ocean has some of the most magnificent and romantic spots for scuba diving, sea kayaking, and siestas. Here are our top 10 picks for the moment.
1 Centara Ras Fushi Resort, Maldives
What Maldives dreams are made of! Hammocks slung over the too-blue-to-be-true waters of the Indian Ocean, cradling your bikini-clad body in the perfect spot to sip on a fresh fruit cocktail and zone out under the sun. The Maldives is a popular honeymoon destination, and it’s no wonder why when this is the sort of view that greets you as you disembark your speedboat as a newlywed! This is Centara Ras Fushi Resort, and it really does bring out the beach bum in us!
2 Chuini Zanzibar Beach Lodge, Zanzibar
Sublime is a word that comes to mind as we get lost in this image of Zanzibarian paradise. That sunset, that mirror-like ocean, that balmy breeze we can feel just by looking at it, those wicker chairs inviting us to sit down, and that beachy thatched roof reminding us we are in Africa. Chuini Zanzibar Beach Lodge is what all of our dreams are made of today.
3 Coral Strand Hotel, Seychelles
An a la carte bistro on the beach in Seychelles looks a little something like this: flickering lanterns and gently lapping tidal flow on the sand, while clouds roll overheard to create moody lighting at dusk. With your feet in the sand, while you gaze across the water in between delicious mouthfuls, it’s one place you’ll never forget dining at! Coral Strand Hotel on Mahé Island.
4 Anatara Bazaruto Island Resort
Clear your mind and soak up the Mozambican sun as you dip your fingertips into the warm salty sea and listen to the gentle lap of the water as it dances underneath and around you. This very seductive hammock is nothing less than inviting to look at and even more heavenly to use as your daily dose of time out at Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort. Of course, you’ll have your ocean-view reed chalet, poolside sun lounger, or your spot on the stretch of private beach, but nothing seems quite as alluring as reclining in this simple cradle in the big blue sea.
5 Vamizi Island, Mozambique
Your own personal little length of the beach, layered in white sand, leading to the bluest of blue oceans where an abundance of marine-dwelling beauties flicker and flash on the reef. On land, a garden tree offers a place for afternoon siestas, a nook for a bookworm, a perch for the birds to sing from. The six villas of Vamizi Island insist upon relaxation, each in an exclusive location on the island with similar sea views and beach access. This place takes the cake.
6 Ocean Paradise Resort & Spa
A stretch of beach sand separates the forest of coconut palms and the ocean of turquoise and blue that sprawls out endlessly from the shores of Zanzibar’s northeastern coastline. An African island, rich in cultural wealth and alive with natural abundance, Ocean Paradise Resort & Spa is nestled beneath the trees with a view of it all. Sprawl out under a thatched umbrella and sip on a coconut cocktail with the sun on your legs and a gentle breeze on your face. When it’s time to explore the sea, discover a world of wonder underwater or float on its surface in a traditional wooden Dhow. Take us to Zanzibar already!
7 Mauricia Beachcomber Resort, Mauritius
Mauritius, drenched in the liquid glow of a setting sun, summing up what a tropical beach holiday truly is. Palm trees, thatched umbrellas, sun loungers, and the ebb and flow of the Indian Ocean paints the picture of a Mauritian vacay. Our dreams are at the beach this week and this vision of gold fits right into the music in our ears and the taste of coconut on our tongues. Mauricia Beachcomber Resort, we are coming for you!
8 The Plettenberg, South Africa
We dare you not to crack open a cold one for this sunset in South Africa’s much loved Plettenberg Bay. About a 6-hour drive (or much shorter flight) from Cape Town, Plett is a garden route location with pristine beaches, superior holiday homes, beach hotels and B&Bs. It’s a surfer’s paradise and a top spot among hikers and trail runners with exceptional paths carved along the coastline and through the fragrant indigenous vegetation. If you’re checked in at The Plettenberg, this is the view you’ll enjoy from the pool. A vibey town with superb outlying natural areas, and perfect for tying into a South Africa safari holiday.
9 Santorini, Mozambique
Do you feel like you’re in Greece yet? All the blues coming together in a collaboration of beach holiday colour, but this Santorini is not in Europe and that sea is not the Med. This phenomenally appealing seaside villa is on the shores of Africa’s Mozambique, where the Indian Ocean laps at the shores and a southern hemisphere sun shines from above. Santorini Mozambique is full of Mediterranean charm and luxury, and this poolside view is from their new 3-bedroom ocean-facing villa. A beach vacay to blend with a safari excursion, completing the idyllic African itinerary.
10 North Island, Seychelles
Just the sound of the palm leaves rustling together on the warm breath of the sea breeze while the ocean washes gentle waves over the fine sand, sinking and disappearing immediately into the beach. The sun bakes the earth and we sit, content, under a summery canopy with our feet on a driftwood deck and contemplate the goodness of time spent in nature. This is North Island in the Seychelles; it is an island of renewal and rehabilitation, and the energy of protected wildlife and vegetation is invigorating. Bringing beach tranquillity and natural preservation together – idyllic.
