Whilst staying at a normal island lodge is often great, if you’re wanting to travel as a group of friends or family there’s often little to beat the appeal of staying in your very own exclusive villa! “But holidays should be about pure relaxation, so why would I want to do all the work myself?” I hear you ask. Well, when the villa in question is Villa Turquoise, you get the best of both worlds: the exclusivity of staying in your own private villa, along with the hands-off freedom of having a team of housekeepers along with a superb chef that will ensure you barely need to lift a finger whilst enjoying your stay! Add in a superb location along one of Zanzibar’s most beautiful sandy beaches and a stay at Villa Turquoise in Matemwe on Zanzibar’s lovely north-east coast becomes a near irresistible option!

Villa Turquoise sits right on the sand at Matemwe, some 50 km from Stone Town and the airport, looking out over a turquoise lagoon towards the famous Mnemba atoll. The villa has around 80 metres of its own beach frontage, and from there the white sand stretches for miles in either direction, perfect for long beach walks and for watching the local fishermen heading out in their boats. The house itself is set in roughly a hectare of lush, beautifully kept tropical gardens, which it shares with the neighbouring Villa Loiki, so it really feels wonderfully uncrowded!

Inside, it’s all about space and easy living. There are five air-conditioned en-suite bedrooms, all with king-size beds and deluxe mattresses, including a large upstairs suite with two king-size beds and its own private terrace, so the villa sleeps up to 14 guests, with extra single beds and cots available for families. For lazier afternoons there’s a library and a games room with a pool table, along with satellite TV and free Wi-Fi, but the our real favourite is the upstairs deck, where you can lounge about with a cold drink and enjoy superb views out over the lagoon!

Like much of Zanzibar’s east coast, the beach here is tidal. When the tide is in, the sea is wonderfully warm and generally calm and ideal for splashing about, but at low tide the water pulls right back across the lagoon and swimming in the sea is off the cards for a few hours. That’s when the gorgeous 10 by 5 metre pool, overlooking the beach and with a shallow end and wide steps for the little ones, really comes into its own!

What really sets a stay here apart, though, is the team at Villa Turquoise! The chef produces absolutely delicious meals and all the food shopping is done for you - and with four different dining areas, including a shaded open-air shelter overlooking the beach, you can ring the changes from one meal to the next. Two housekeepers keep the villa spotless, and the house and guest manager is on hand to make sure everything runs smoothly. Guests consistently rave about the staff and the food - and it’s easy to see why!

The manager is also happy to arrange all sorts of trips and excursions, from heading out with the local fishermen on their boats or a spot of deep-sea fishing, to hiring a speedboat for the day to go snorkelling or dolphin spotting around Mnemba. Closer to home there are 2 SUP boards and 2 kayaks for exploring the lagoon, and massages, babysitting and even cooking lessons can be arranged too. Further afield, a day trip to the narrow streets of historic Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, combines easily with a visit to a spice farm along the way.

Put it all together and Villa Turquoise makes a superb choice for a group of friends or a multi-generational family wanting the privacy of their very own beach villa, without having to do any of the work! It gives you the chance to enjoy Zanzibar at an altogether more relaxed and unhurried pace compared to a busier resort and frankly that's something we're really all in on!