Five-star One MICHELIN Key Dongwe, Zanzibar
Xanadu Luxury Villas & Retreat
Nine villas under white domes on the Dongwe shore, each with its own pool and a butler. Ganda feeds the house with a kitchen of eight chefs.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- MICHELIN
- One Key
- Villas
- 9, each with a private pool
- Opened
- 2016
- From the airport
- About an hour by road
The hotel
Domes and dhow wood on the east coast.
Xanadu opened in 2016 on the Michamvi peninsula, where the east coast of Unguja runs south past Dongwe. The design borrows from both sides of Zanzibar's past: Arab arches and white domes, African makuti thatch, curved walls and furniture cut from the timber of old dhows.
The villas sit in the forest a few steps from the beach. Each has a name in Swahili. Mawingu, the cloud, is the largest of the one-bedroom villas; Mbingu, the sky, climbs three storeys. Most guests stay inside the walls, leaving for the spa on the sand or the red colobus monkeys of Jozani Forest.
- A butler to each villa One person looks after you from arrival to departure, and meals can be served in the villa.
- Kiota Spa A treatment room and a plunge pool on the beach, with massages on a balcony above the water.
- Low tide Guided walks on the sea floor when the tide goes out, and paddle boarding in the mangroves of Chwaka Bay.
Rooms & suites
Nine villas, nine names.
All villas have a private pool and outside space, in one- and two-bedroom layouts.
- One bedroom Mawingu The largest of the one-bedroom villas, facing the ocean, with its own plunge pool.
- Rooftop Kimwondo The bedroom on the ground floor and the plunge pool up on the roof terrace.
- Two bedrooms Nyota A presidential villa with a large private pool, sleeping up to six.
Dining
One kitchen, eight chefs.
As listed by the MICHELIN Guide. Stays are full board. Shown for information.
- Ganda International, with fresh seafood A team of eight local and international chefs
- In-villa dining Made to order Served by your butler
Recognition
Recognition.
- One MICHELIN Key Current selection
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 2 pm, check-out by 11 am. Return private transfers are included in the rate.
- Children From five years old. There is no kids' club, and the chef adapts menus for children.
- Pets Not accepted.
Getting there
Flying to Zanzibar.
Abeid Amani Karume International, outside Zanzibar City, is about an hour away by road. Private jets land on the same runway and are met by local handlers, and the villa's own car brings you across the island.
- Nairobi 1 h 10
- Seychelles 2 h 45
- Johannesburg 3 h 35
- Dubai 5 h 25
- Milan 8 h 50 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How many MICHELIN Keys does Xanadu have?
- One. The MICHELIN Guide lists Xanadu Luxury Villas & Retreat with one Key.
- Does every villa at Xanadu have a pool?
- Yes. All nine villas have a private pool, and there is a larger shared pool at the centre of the property.
- Can children stay at Xanadu?
- Children from five are welcome. There are no organised activities for them, and the two-bedroom villas suit families best.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Zanzibar?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Zanzibar, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Zanzibar
Other hotels worth the trip.
Staying at Xanadu Luxury Villas & Retreat?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Zanzibar, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.