Paradise with a Conscience
Not only will a stay at Mozambique’s luxurious Azura boutique resort tick all the boxes in terms of paradisiacal surroundings and sumptuous creature comforts, but guests lucky enough to stay here can also rest assured that this eco retreat is planet-friendly too.
Azura, Mozambique’s finest boutique retreat, is situated on stunning Benguerra Island within the Bazaruto Archipelago. Guests are guaranteed to be amazed by its miles of pure white sand, tranquil turquoise seas, swaying palms, endless sunshine and star filled night skies.
Mozambique’s first carbon neutral retreat opened in November 2007, and offers exquisitely designed villas, private pools, superb cuisine, African spa treatments, world class diving, fishing and a water sports centre.
Laidback Living
Accommodation includes 15 spacious beach villas, all just a stone’s throw from the beach. Each villa features air conditioning, a private villa host, double outdoor showers, an outdoor Sala for lazy afternoons, a private sundeck and a sparkling infinity pool for cooling off in. Each villa is nestled among indigenous trees and vegetation, which ensures guests their own private sanctuary for the ultimate in relaxation.
A phenomenal Presidential Villa, one of the most luxurious private residences to be found anywhere in the Indian Ocean, was added to Azura in 2009. It boasts three bedrooms, a sitting room with a fireplace and all the prerequisite mod cons. It also features a dining area, wine bar, tree-house lounge, a private beach area and a private kitchen with a dedicated chef. The second exciting addition to Azura is a two bedroom private villa, called Villa Amizade. With luxurious features such as a private 10 m long swimming pool, a dining area, sitting room and wine bar, Villa Amizade has its own spot on the beach at the end of the property with fantastic sunset views.
Getting Active
Azura caters for visitors of all ages and with the launch of its entertainment programme for children last year, even the adults will be jealous of the amazing adventures on offer. These include big fish fishing (and cooking afterwards), stargazing, a trip to magical Pansy Island and searching for crocodiles.
For kids wanting to try scuba diving in a safe and secure environment, there is the PADI Bubblemaker course. Children aged eight years old and upwards will be taught how to breathe underwater and when ready, they will practice swimming in the dive training pool (with a maximum depth of 2 m). Kids can learn some impressive underwater tricks and will be awarded with an official PADI certificate to take home. Azura also offers the PADI Discover Scuba course for children ten years and older, which includes a shallow dive out to the spectacular reefs, where turtles and dolphins are often seen, as well as Humpback whales on their seasonal migration.
Hospitality with a Conscience
Azura has raised the environmental stakes by becoming the first carbon neutral retreat in the country. Not only does this luxurious hotel paradise offset its carbon footprint, but it also works alongside the local community in setting a standard for resorts worldwide, showing that luxury does not literally have to cost the earth.
The vision behind Azura is to harness the power of responsible tourism for the benefit of the local people, while still conserving the unique cultural and biological diversity of Benguerra Island. Even before the building plans were finalised or the first brick laid, a dedicated team of environmental specialists were appointed to identify valuable and essential local projects that Azura could support.
The marine environment is a priority at Azura. As a result, the local communities are educated and encouraged not to hunt rare species or over-fish certain areas. A “no fishing zone” has also been established in front of the resort’s shores. This has already had a tremendous impact, with a noticeable resurgence of fish life and regular dolphin sightings right in front of the villas. Members of the community and environmental specialists have also reported regular Humpback whale sightings towards the reefs, as well as the occasional sighting of our semi-resident dugong “Antonio”.
Azura is owned and operated in partnership with the local community. Besides employing local islanders wherever possible, the lodge has set up a number of initiatives to help the community. A new school has been built, helped by many guests who have generously contributed to Azura’s Rainbow Fund, Mozambique’s first registered charity of its kind which was introduced to finance a number of initiatives to benefit the community.
The actual building of Azura was done by hand using a local workforce of some 250 people, many of whom were originally subsistence fishermen. Extensive use has been made of natural materials, which were transported to the island by dhow to reduce the amount of fuel utilised in the process. The lodge owns a state-of-the-art sewerage treatment plant, which was installed to recycle the water used, thereby preventing damage to the environment often seen in the area by the use of “soak-aways”.
Azura’s carbon neutral status was certified by the Carbon Neutral Company in the United Kingdom, with Azura offsetting its carbon emissions through contributions to a number of environmental projects around the world.
For more information, visit http://www.azura-retreats.com/. For reservations, contact +27 76 705 0599 or email reservations@azura-retreats.com.
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