Location : Zanzibar, Africa
Client : Penny Royal
Operator : Anantara
Scope : Master Plan
Budget : Not disclosed
Description : Resort
The visitor will arrive in a welcoming, shaded and crisply paved court space in the dense forest.
The central route passes through the forest, which at night would be lined with flaming braziers uplighting the flowering canopy above and to either side. The visitor passes mangrove-like spaces with decked footways over the water and glimpses into lush gardens of villas among the trees.
The route arrives at the main Hotel building and opens up into a beautiful entrance forecourt with tall, warm and exquisitely arched buildings that frame the space.
Continuing their journey, fountains and falling water can be heard as the visitor descends between two wide dining terraces with water cascading down to the colourful formal terraced gardens overlooking sea-views beyond.
The visitor will then pass between luxury sea view villas, carefully screened with palms and canopy trees and down to where the route bridges a gently curving pool deck area. The pool deck is spacious, with a variety of spaces enclosed with structural planting, shade trees and swathes of scented groundcovers and dotted with thatched canopied resting places.
The visitor will finally emerge onto a sweeping lagoon beach sand a beautiful evening view of the island speciality restaurant, bar and pool. Just along the beach, the guest will be able to dine beneath the waves in an underwater restaurant experience, where the water is kept at a constant level by the lagoon.
A lakeside spa and recreational facilities are clustered near to the main hotel offer. Landscape and villa options can be subdivided into ‘lakeside villas’, ‘spa villas’, ‘hilltop villas’, ‘sea view villas’, ‘beach villas’ and ‘island villas’.
Buildings can be accessed by vehicle via the outer edges of the site, leaving the long central access free of vehicles beyond the entrance forecourt/central courtyard between the two main hotel buildings.
Shared surface routes of only 2.5m-3m width then lead inward to the hidden villas, offering a peaceful and pedesrtian character to the resort whilst allowing permeability and ease of access for servicing and maintenance vehicles.