Standing in the Sun: Kendwa, Zanzibar
Aug 08th, 2015

BUDGET FOR TRIP: ****** (I apologize, I really don’t remember) Gladiators! Lets relive the very first scene of Season 4 Episode 1; pristine white sandy beach, so pure, clear blue skies….Marvin Gaye’s “Sunny” playing in the background and our my favorite TV-series couple, #olake, making out on an isolated beach.

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This pretty perfect scene was the defining moment for me and I knew I had finally found my honeymoon destination! Wherever Olivia and Jake did that is were I wanted to be. And this right here is how we I decided on the honeymoon location. I am a pathetic gladiator and I want to do everything scandal. I even have to drink wine  from my “Olivia Pope” glass each time I watch an episode so I can be in my “Olivia Pope” moment. 

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Sorry, I get carried away when I talk about scandal :). Back to the reason why we are here. Right after that episode, I told my husband to forget Thailand, St Lucia, St Maarten and all the other potential destinations we had penned down. Zanzibar was closer and cheaper and I was going to  have my “standing in the sun” moment. Win-Win for both of us :). This time around, I had no time for my usual read-all-reviews-on-tripadvisor behavior. I planned and paid for everything in a couple of hours. I was going batshit-crazy planning my wedding and I wanted little or no distractions. I basically went on booking.com and paid for the best rated hotel in Kendwa. I didn’t even research things to do because the plan was to laze around and do absolutely nothing for 7 straight days. Thanks to my inadequate planning, we were left with getting information from the hotel and locals which turned out helpful. VISAS: No prior application as you will obtain your visas on arrival for $50. You will need your yellow fever card. FLIGHTS: We flew Kenya Airways, which is the fastest route from Nigeria to Zanzibar. Other flight options are South Africa Airways and Ethiopia Airways. Cost of flight: N426,000 (as per honeymooners, we had to travel in maximum comfort).

Newly wed glow :)
“To-match”

HOTELS: There are many hotel options in Zanzibar to suit your budget which is also dependent on the part of the island you decide to stay i.e North, South East, East or West coast. Being honeymooners, we were looking out for a really fancy beach hotel in a quiet area and Gold Zanzibar, located at the North of Zanzibar, suited our criteria. Awesome customer service, perfect white sands and a very relaxing atmosphere. There were other hotels 5-10 minutes away from Gold Zanzibar which seemed pretty decent like Kendwa Rocks, Eden Village and Sunset Kendwa Beach Hotel. Cost: $320 (N64,000) per night. 

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TRANSPORTATION: Taxis at the airport cost between $50-$100 (N10,000 – N20,000) depending on the distance. Our ride cost us $90 because the North coast of Zanzibar is about 2 hours away from the airport. Our stone town/prison island tour cost about $100 (N20,000) for two which included the boat ride to prison island, tour of stone town and lunch. ACTIVITIES: In spite of my plan to laze around and do nothing for 7 days, I found myself longing for activities during our stay. I guess the adrenaline junkie in me came out to play.

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 I wore these my Mrs. LR shades everywhere :)
I wore these my Mrs. LR shades everywhere

 

An old cannon at stone town
An old cannon at stone town

Our guided tour through the alleyways of Stone Town gave us an insight into the rich cultural history of Zanzibar outside the fancy beaches and clear waters. The town had loads of gift shops and we were able to pick souvenirs for friends and family.

Karibu means welcome in Swahili
Karibu means welcome in Swahili
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A 20 minutes boat ride away from Stone Town was the picturesque Prison Island. From being used as a prison to house rebellious slaves to a quarantine station for yellow fever cases, Prison Island is now a major tourist attraction in the Zanzibar Archipalego. 

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The Island houses large giant tortoise which reminded us so much of Moyenne Island in Seychelles. We were not surprised when the guide told us the tortoise were imported from Seychelles. We arrived to loud moans coming from the animals which the tour guide told us was the sound of the animals shagging/ mating.

Get a room guys!
Get a room guys!

 

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Cost: ****

Definitely postcard worthy.
Definitely postcard worthy.

 

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Back from snorkeling...we all know who snorkeled
Back from snorkeling…only one person snorkeled

 

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I totally blame Zanzibar for my current weight as I gained about 6kg in one week! No jokes. Everyday we ate a huge seafood patter at Kendwa Rocks for lunch and pasta + prawn wrapped in bacon at Eden Village for dinner.

Daily Lunch :)
Daily Lunch

 

 

A little bit of heaven on a plate :)
A little bit of heaven on a plate

 

Unfortunately, I don’t remember how much was spent on most things we did. I was in a totally different world :). However, It was an extremely memorable trip and I loved every bit of it. I will definitely visit again but with an Ijebu mind this time around.

Squatting in the sun, #kunye style :)
Squatting in the sun, #kunye style

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer” – Unknown

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