Welcoming 2018 from the Michamvi peninsular on the southeast coast of Zanzibar

In my search for that picture-perfect white and turquoise beach escape on Zanzibar, I came across Michamvi Sunset Bay. Set on tranquil Chwaka Bay, this laid-back resort surrounded by palm trees is 65km east of Stone Town. 

LOCATION

JJ and I planned to spend New Year’s Eve on Zanzibar. We wanted to make sure that wherever we ended up staying was all about relaxed seafood and cocktails on the beach.  The thought of some hectic backpacker party-centric place didn’t really appeal. I also wanted somewhere that seemed a bit luxurious but didn’t cost thousands per night.

Michamvi Beach is beautiful and quiet. There are a couple of bars and another resort but they couldn’t be seen or heard from Michamvi Sunset Bay. We weren’t hassled at all by ‘beach boys’ selling souvenirs during our stay, the location couldn’t have been better!

Michamvi Sunset Beach

On our first morning, we took a walk to the nearby mangrove forest. The walk was about 500 metres along the beach from the resort. You can also kayak at high tide, which is a fun activity if you’re into wildlife spotting.

Beach near the mangrove at low tide

RESORT FACILITIES

Michamvi Sunset Bay arranged a transfer from our hotel in Stone Town and on arrival we met Brad, one of the owners and Simone, part of the management team. Both Brad and Simone were super friendly and helpful and always accessible if the guests needed anything, their service felt very personalised.

I booked a double ocean view room with private balcony on the first floor of Michamvi Sunset Bay, it was the ideal place to chill out when we wanted to escape the sun for a while. All immaculately clean rooms have air conditioning, ceiling fans, mosquito nets, full bathrooms and WiFi. The resort only has 20 rooms and when we were there it was fully occupied, so the bar, restaurants and pool weren’t open to non-guests.

View from our balcony

The resort has a beach centre kiosk where you can borrow snorkelling gear, kayaks and SUP boards. There’s also a box of reef shoes near the pool, which are recommended to wear if you go in the ocean as there are sharp shells and urchins around.

If you feel like taking an excursion during your stay, the front desk staff can organise a number of activities for you. Some of the options were; Stone Town tour, local village tour, Jozani Forest trip, Safari Blue etc.

On New Year’s Day, I decided to treat myself to a massage at the Sea Breeze Spa – it was such a blissful experience! The spa also offers body scrubs and mani-pedis, I found it really reasonably priced.

FOOD + DRINK

Michamvi Sunset Bay has two restaurants. The Sea Breeze restaurant, located directly on the beach overlooking Chwaka Bay and the Garden restaurant. Breakfast was always served in Sea Breeze restaurant and dinner was served in a different location every evening. All meals were buffet-style and there were always plenty of tasty local-spiced options to try. I especially enjoyed the seafood BBQ on New Year’s Eve, the slipper lobster was delish.

Tables were set on the beach for NYE dinner

One of mine and JJ’s favourite spots was the Sunset Bar. As the name suggests it was the perfect place to enjoy the sunset and also offered a wide variety of cocktails and other drinks. Complimentary tea and coffee with cake or biscuits was served daily at the bar between 4-5pm. There was also cable TV, a small library and some board games. On New Year’s Eve, the owner Brad set himself up as DJ for the evening in Sunset Bar, the vibe was spot on.

Are you even on holiday until someone serves you a drink in a coconut?

Sunset from the bar

We took our shoes off when we arrived in Michamvi and didn’t put them back on again until it was time to leave. I can sum this place up as being all about stunning views, relaxing ocean swims, delicious dinners, warm service and lovely walks on the beach. What more could we possibly want? It would have been great to stay longer!

Local fishing boats

The team at Michamvi Sunset Bay arranged a transfer to our next hotel in Kizimkazi via Jozani Forest. Read about hanging out with the Zanzibar red colobus monkeys below.

More posts from this trip:

Stone Town (Old Zanzibar City)

Jozani Forest National Park – Monkeys + Butterflies

Kizimkazi – Scuba Diving South of Unguja Island

8 Days in Rwanda – Primate Tracking

3 Day stopover in the United Arab Emirates

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