MHG Opens 12-Key Anantara Resort in Mozambique

Minor Hotel Group has expanded its portfolio of hotels in Africa with the opening of a second Anantara resort in Mozambique.

Located on a tiny private island in the Quirimbas Archipelago off the country’s northern coast, the 12-key Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort & Spa is reached by a 45-minute light aircraft transfer from Pemba International Airport on the mainland.

Currently being considered for World Heritage Site status, the Quirimbas Archipelago is one of Mozambique’s best-kept secrets – a 250 kilometre string of tropical islands that are both marine wonderland and historical melting pot. Environmentally pristine, the archipelago’s 32 islands are surrounded by dazzling coral reefs and a wealth of untouched marine life. Within its waters, the 1,500 square kilometre Quirimbas National Park provides sanctuary for sea turtles, dolphins and whales, as well as tropical and game fish.

A collection of just 12 thatched Beach Pool Villas with panoramic Indian Ocean views line the beach. All offer direct beach access, a private pool and hammock.

At a resort that feels miles away from the rest of the world, chefs at the island resort’s Jahazi Restaurant dish up a range of culinary diversity, from local specialties to refined western classics, including feasts of locally caught fresh seafood.

For a truly unique dining experience, guests can indulge with Anantara’s signature Dining by Design experience. Choosing from a selection of gourmet options or collaborating with a dedicated chef to craft their own menu, dinner is served at a table for two in an idyllic location – from a secluded, feet-in-the-sand set-up on the beach, to a sand spit under the stars, with a private butler tending to every need.

The Anantara Spa is a private retreat featuring a treatment suite and en-suite bathroom. Carefully selected therapies promise a deeply relaxing and rejuvenating experience. The Glacial Marble Massage, for example, combines the wellness properties of cooling stones with the ancient healing powers of touch to release specific points of stress. The Moya Crystal Experience comprises salt poultice exfoliation, a crystal gem massage, followed by hair and scalp therapy. The indulgent Me Time personalised journey, offers bespoke treatment sequences tailored precisely to the guest’s goal and mood.

Most of the activities at Anantara Medjumbe Island enable guests to delight in the island’s natural wonders. For those who enjoy water sports, the resort offers windsurfing, water skiing and tubing, along with both wake and knee-boarding. A hand crafted dhow sailing boat takes guests on a sunset voyage of ocean discovery or to a remote island for a Robinson Crusoe-style picnic. Nature and bird-lovers can spend time exploring the island’s unspoiled shores and watching the many Palaearctic migrants and waders that frequent the area.

In the clear, tropical waters of the Indian Ocean surrounding the island, guests can discover a marine ecosystem that is absolutely pristine. With unexplored coral reefs and an astounding diversity of marine species, the resort boasts some of the finest diving in the world. The 12 known dive sites offer a range of underwater experiences taking in fringing reefs, coral banks and vertical and sloping reef walls. A dazzling array of fish from Moray Eels and Stingrays to Barracuda, Kingfish and other pelagic gamefish can be seen whilst diving here, and dolphins are commonly sighted. Leatherback, Loggerhead and Green Turtles are often seen in the water, coming ashore to lay their eggs on the sandy island beaches – often right in front of the beachfront villas. Humpback Whales also frequent the island waters between July and October.

The Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort & Spa is only available to guests aged 16 years or more.