Finding a nice villa available to rent on Zanzibar is pretty rare – finding one that’s luxuriously appointed and boasts such features as its own swimming pool, air-conditioning and even a private speedboat for your personal use and you’re into the rarer than hen’s teeth category! Well we’ve managed to find an absolute gem that ticks all these boxes – a 4 bedroomed luxury villa situated on a gorgeous stretch of beach on the island’s north-east coast that goes by the name of Villa Loiki.

The Belgian owner, who has been coming to Zanzibar for more than 25 years, spends around 2 months a year here – so as you can imagine this really is a very comfortable and practical home. The good news is that for the remainder of the year it’s available for small family groups or friends to rent (or perhaps even a couple that wants a romantic break with plenty of luxury, privacy and space)

So what do you get? Well, there are 4 lovely and very spacious air-conditioned bedrooms – 2 of them upstairs with separate en-suite facilities boasting excellent quality fittings; and 2 on the ground floor which share a bathroom, these being ideal perhaps for parents with young children. Whilst naturally sleeping 8 people, a couple more guests can be accommodated on comfortable air mattresses. Also inside is a state of the art kitchen equipped with a Siemens fridge/freezer as well as such mod-cons as ice-making and bread baking machines. Of course being on holiday you’re unlikely to want to spend too much time in the kitchen, so you’ll no doubt be delighted that the villa also comes complete with its own highly capable chef and 2 ladies who’ll cheerfully clean everything up on a daily basis!

Inside there's a comfortable lounge area but to be bluntly honest you're likely to spend most of your days luxuriating in or around the pool or chilling on the generously sized veranda area! The style of the villa is not the traditional Swahili style that we have to admit to preferring - so rather than a makuti thatched roof there are red tiles for example, whilst the interior décor is given over to a quirky African feel with plenty of faux animal skins and the like.

But as we said earlier, the real focus of the villa is the gorgeous shaded front veranda area which itself is just a couple of steps away from the inviting pool – we’ve no doubt that the majority of your holiday will be spent relaxing in this very inviting space accompanied by a good book and some long and very cold drinks! Another fantastic feature of the villa is the huge, wonderfully kept garden. In fact the huge plot of more than 1 hectare is home to just Villa Loiki and one other villa – the result being a fantastic feeling of space not matched by many places on the island!

Of course, there’s plenty to do away from the villa itself – the beach in front is a superb stretch of the softest white sand and perfect for swimming at high tide or going on long strolls. But the real clincher is that Villa Loiki comes with its own speedboat complete with captain, who’s skilled at taking you to the best snorkeling spots on the famous Mnemba reefs that lie just 10 or so minutes boat ride from the villa. The use of the speedboat is shared on alternate days between the Villa Loiki and the neighbouring villa. Keen fishermen can be whisked beyond the reef in pursuit of trevally, barracuda or kingfish; or you could head instead to a pristine sandbank for a picnic or fish barbeque. Having this freedom is pretty unique on Zanzibar and elevates an already excellent villa holiday into an unforgettable experience!