It’s not often on our travels around the islands that a lodge really takes us by surprise – but that’s certainly what happened when we stayed at Seasons. Quite simply, Seasons boasts some of the most attractive, stylish and well-priced (for their level of comfort) rooms of any lodge on the island! They’re also refreshingly different in style from just about anything else we’ve seen on Zanzibar.

It starts when you enter through an authentic carved wooden Zanzibari door, not into your room itself initially, but rather into a very private walled tropical garden. But it’s when you enter the room itself that things get pretty special. Firstly there’s the extensive use of natural rough stone in shades of beige and honey to clad the wall surfaces. These warm colours of the stone work are perfectly complemented by the gorgeous bed throws not to mention the various wooden features including the floors and the base of the huge king sized bed – it all adds up to a very tasteful and attractively neutral yet warm colour palette and gorgeous textural feel. Then there's the massive expanse of glass windows and doors on 3 sides which makes the rooms wonderfully light and airy. At the front are large balconies with comfy coconut wood furniture and steps down to your own beach area. Throw back the folding doors and you’re greeted by the stunning sight of the aquamarine ocean mere metres away – the rooms at Seasons are perched on top of a small coral cliff directly above the white sand and sea below. And perhaps best of all, you enjoy total privacy courtesy of the high stone clad walls on either side, so even with no curtains closed you could romp around completely unseen and undisturbed.

As mentioned before this sense of privacy and style makes the cottages at Seasons the perfect place for a romantic couple or honeymooners to simply chill out and soak up each others company (there are a couple of upstairs rooms too above the lodge’s restaurant but we don’t sell these as the free standing cottages are just so much nicer) You’ll also stay here comfortable in your eco credentials – the rooms don’t have air-conditioning (the rooms are very open with folding louvered doors and windows to maximise the breeze that blows in off the ocean, with fans above the bed if more relief is needed) whilst solar panels provide the hot water as well as power the lodge’s swimming pool (a first for Zanzibar apparently)

Talking of the lodge’s swimming pool, this is the other aspect of Seasons that makes it so attractive. Stroll from your room through the stunningly kept gardens and you enter an enclosure where you’ll no doubt end up spending a considerable amount of your time – a lovely slightly elevated swimming pool looks down over a bar and the ocean beyond. The whole area is covered with fine white sea sand so you get the feeling of being on the beach even if you’re actually above it. Then there are some lovely shaded seating “chilling” areas perched above the beach where you can relax over a light lunch or sundowner. And if you feel like swimming in the ocean itself, that’s just a quick dash down some stairs onto the sandy beach below (note that the beach virtually disappears at high tide when the sea comes up to the cliff face)

Of course there are various activities that can be done from the lodge or arranged by them, including kayaking, mountain bikes to explore the area or snorkelling. But rather than couples looking for an action-packed holiday, Seasons is really probably better suited to those wanting to spend their break just chilling and relaxing in a quieter lodge setting. We found the food at Seasons excellent (and our guests have also raved about the tasty meals they enjoyed) whilst the staff have the wonderfully warm and friendly attitude typical of the locals! Before dinner you can enjoy a drink at the delightfully named “Bar es Salaam” and chances are you’ll then enjoy your dinner out under the stars with your feet in the sand with romantic lamplight setting the atmosphere!