What an environment for one of my transcendent runs! I could jog around the whole island, which is 1.7 kilometers in about 8 mins. This goes down as one of my favourites as I literally ran barefoot, in a pair of boardshorts with no shirt, almost au naturel. 

I love running the terrain along islands: along with the expanse of powdery, perfect sand, at certain parts of the island coconut trees have blown over so you leap right over - it’s the most stunning obstacle course there is…

I enjoyed seeing staff that are normally behind the scenes, like kitchenhands, out on the beach playing soccer in their break. As much as I like being in a beautifully run, five-star environment, I love my runs for breaking me out of the bubble and seeing beyond to the bigger picture.

At times I would jump into the water to cool down and then keep going. Zoe would count my laps as I kept appearing, as would other guests that told me later. It’s an incredible icebreaker over drinks at the end of the day! I loved this ritual so much that I ran twice a day. I also took the mini gym kit bag that appears in most AND BEYOND properties, and prided myself on making the effort of doing my weights and exercises in the ultimate flop and drop setting!

As much as we dreading leaving such an idyllic island, a visit to this historic district on the neighbouring coastline of Zanzibar adds a rich, extra layer to the experience of this region - so we decided to leave Mnemba 3 hrs early to explore Stonetown…

On the way, we passed a small village that really entranced me called MATENWE. The beauty of its simplicity is that there aren’t even dirt roads: the sand from the beach creates the pathways. I saw beautiful, gazelle like women with long, elegant necks: they had scarves in bright, jewel toned stripes or paisleys, wrapped Muslim style around their face, while balancing baskets on top of their heads.

I crave raw rusticity and real cultural texture wherever I go, so I just loved gazing at the stoned wall dwellings and beautiful thatched roofs, with gigantic, thriving palm trees dotting the sides of the road and a few random dogs roaming around. It was really so beautiful in its coastal, rural simplicity.

In comparison, STONETOWN is the big smoke, with its squares, mosques, customhouses and merchants’ mansions that are all a WORLD HERITAGE SITE protected by UNESCO. As soon as we started to walk the streets I fell under the spell of the town’s complex, colonial era ‘Neo Saracenic’ civic buildings - with Moorish arches, balustrades, turrets and domes. My eyes always search out alternatives to the simple, concrete office towers that now rule the earth, so I was in low-rise heaven! 

The downtown squares and meandering lanes looked frozen in time, much as they would have 100 yrs ago. There is a lot of detailing to feast the eyes on, from the Indian influence of the wood latticework to the town’s magnificently carved wooden and metal DOORS with iron studs – past symbols of status. 

The wealth of its old inhabitants sits alongside rundown cafes, rough and tumble wires that loop from one building to another across the street and crumbling plaster work in a charming hodge podge of styles and history. The cars seemed comparatively new, and the streetscape hasn’t been destroyed by modern advertising at all.

I find the aesthetics of Arabic culture quite rich and beautiful, and enjoyed passing Arabic scripture on the mosque walls or seeing men in long white robes buzz by on mopeds. 

Although the ancient cosmopolitan centre’s remarkable history and architecture shows off its melting pot of Swahili, Arab and Indian influences, it still a lively, working port full of fishing and trading boats docking with their wares. I told our host, Abus that I wanted to see the SPICE BAZAARS, so he took us to the big market in DALAJANI ST. It is one of the main hubs for the huge amount of fresh fish caught, or fresh farm produce, along with spices and herbal medicines. 

Just outside the markets, where huge fish were being gutted on the ground, street stalls were selling food for lunch in the sunshine; the locals cooked in open pots amongst a dizzying array of spices, octopi, massive heaping baskets of white bait and fresh fruit. You could see the strong Muslim influence that is non-existent inland on safari: many of the locals wore skullcaps and women covered their hair.

I also enjoyed reconnecting with the Indian Ocean strolling the beachside esplanades lined with green trees, overlooking the unmistakable turquoise water one last time before heading to the airport to leave Zanzibar. This is a wonderful town full of both historical character and local liveliness, so don’t come all the way to Mnemba without passing through Stone Town.