The experience of arriving at Mnemba Island, a private resort two miles from Zanzibar, was exactly as I remembered. When the speedboat neared the pearly shore, a crooked line of hotel staff dressed in white and navy began to wave. As I disembarked, my bare feet sank into a soft sand, as fine as icing sugar. It sparked another memory: Here on Mnemba, shoes aren’t required. In fact, they’re discouraged.
I first visited this idyllic isle 14 years ago, during a trip around the Zanzibar Archipelago. The teardrop-shaped landmass, just over a quarter mile wide, had only 12 open-air bandas, or traditional East African cottages, ensuring guests an unparalleled level of privacy. It also struck a unique balance between luxury and low-key comfort. Yes, your suite had its own butler, but it wasn’t so precious that you couldn’t track in a little sand.
Looking at Mnemba from Zanzibar.
Courtesy of andBeyond
Preserving that sensibility was a key goal of its recent renovation, sparked when andBeyond—the hotel company that runs it—renewed its lease on the island for another 33 years. The challenge, according to CEO Joss Kent, was “How do we take Mnemba up a level without spoiling it?” Over the course of 10 months, the property added a shop, a yoga deck, a spa, and an expanded dive center with ocean activities including clear-bottomed boating and tandem kayaking. The dozen ocean-facing rooms were completely rebuilt—tucked into the casuarina forest for maximum seclusion—and augmented with private beach lounges that roll onto the sand outside your room. The slick upgrades in my suite were so understated that I didn’t notice all of them until I saw the before-and-after pictures.
By contrast, nearby Zanzibar has transformed into a resort brimming with beach umbrellas. Tourist vessels now chug up and down the channel in between the islands, which was once so empty that Bill and Melinda Gates could land their seaplane slap-bang in the middle. Today, this would be impossible.
The bandas, or cottages, are tucked into the forest for privacy.
Courtesy of andBeyond
The increased activity meant Kent’s team took other steps to retain Mnemba’s “magic.” That included building an erosion wall along the eastern shore and extending the protected ocean area around the island from 1,312 feet to 2,296 feet.
These efforts were felt most strikingly on the beach at dinner, when dusk made the blinking lights on the opposite shoreline more apparent. They served merely as a reminder of what Mnemba isn’t and—thanks to andBeyond—will hopefully never be.