Xanadu Luxury Villas Zanzibar

Xanadu Villas features 9 unique and individually designed villas located on one of the finest beaches in Zanzibar.

Xanadu Villas & Retreat is an experience, a lifestyle, and an awakening of what life can be and what it should be. It exceeds tranquillity, luxury and expectation. Six uncompromising villas surround a pool area so magical it excites images of African and Arabian folklore and a private beach with the warm Indian Ocean a few short steps from each villa. Unmatched in Zanzibar, Xanadu Villas & Retreat was conceived and crafted by her owners Eileen and Marcus out of a desire to breathe.

Xanadu is situated on the South East Coast of Zanzibar on a beautiful stretch of beach, just South of the luxury Baraza Lodge. It is relatively new but establishing a quick name for itself as one of the best luxury villa options on the island.

Since its opening, Xanadu has only had Michelin-starred chefs, so naturally, the menu is a big focus and the food is incredible. There is no dining room as such, with guests free to choose where they want to eat, whether it be in the privacy of their villa lounge or in the main pool/bar area.

Both diving and snorkelling can be organised from Xanadu, as well as excursions to the spice farms and into the bustling Capital of Zanzibar, Stone Town.

The hotel is perfect for all Tanzania holidays, honeymooners and families alike. It does come with a fairly hefty price tag, but it certainly doesn’t have many rivals in Zanzibar. If you are looking for other honeymoon recommendations, please see our blog on the most romantic options for a Zanzibar honeymoon.

The accessibility of Zanzibar makes it a great destination after a safari in either the North or the South of Tanzania. If you have time constraints then a Southern Tanzania Itinerary is better suited due to the easier and shorter internal flights. Getting from Dar es Salaam to the lush and vibrant Selous or the arid Ruaha is very straightforward as is flying from them to Zanzibar. Nothing quite compares to sipping a cool drink on the beach after an enthralling and exciting safari full of late nights and early mornings.

Private Villas at Xanadu

Mawingu (meaning ‘clouds’ in Swahili) is the newest and largest one-bedroom villa at Xanadu, and it certainly was impressive. There was a long private entrance to the villa, past a large sectioned-off private beach area with both natural parasol and sun loungers, and a perfect area for us to have either breakfast, lunch, or dinner all of which were included in the daily rate.

In terms of outside space, as well as the extensive beach area, raised up a set of steps was the villa itself. The building itself consisted of a large circular dome as the extensive bedroom and living space, adjoined by another circular pod containing the super-large bathroom. Outside there was a decent-sized open deck area with sun loungers, as well as a very large thatched roofed canopy where there were two large beautifully upholstered patterned sofas, a large coffee table and a small dining table, again with African design upholstery. From here, the balcony seemed to extend out onto the beach with stunning views to the ocean. While Kimwondo villa was lovely (we would later have a tour around it), it was very clear to see why a premium price was charged for Mawingu being much bigger, having more extensive space, and a better location; albeit the rooftop pool in the smaller villa is its incredible asset.

What I hadn’t appreciated from the Xanadu website, but I did from meeting the Director/Owner Eileen who introduced herself one day, as to how much of a focus Xanadu had on sustainability, recycling, and upcycling. So many of the villas were using reclaimed wood, which was good to see. Our main bedroom and living space was huge - this had (yes!) three large sofas, again all with varying African designs, a massive bed, a wardrobe made from recycled wood, a SMEG fridge for complimentary drinks (wine, fizz, beer, juices, water etc.) which were replenished daily, or on demand, and a separate tea/coffee station