The beach might be wild - but the Pili Pili House is certainly  the most sublime private villa retreat on the upper west coast in Zanzibar. Elegant, artsy and most importantly - 100% private. Ahmed and me had a ball here. He nurtured his killer instinct, I my fishing abilities.

Wild, wild West. What more can a man say to you than: "I wanna be alone with you forever."

Such was our start at  the Pili Pili House which is less than an hour away from Stone Town on the rarely visited upper west coast of Zanzibar just near the Slave Chambers - a sightseeing site - and the Mwangapani Beach of Serena Hotel. While a visit to the slave chambers is still worth it, the Serena Beach seemed rather deserted and not well utilized any more. A few monkeys jumped around in the beach café. After pressing hard we did get a beer and chips but it was all a bit ghastly.

You need to know that because you gotta take either your own food and drink supplies with you to Pili Pili villa. (We bought some veggies and potatoes in local dukas just before we reached the house.) Or, alternatively, you let the fabulous caretaking lady cook for you. We heard great stuff about her cooking abilities including 5-course-menus and handmade pasta. But we cooked - and killed - ourselves with the support of a gardener and watchman. A bata, a duck, from neigbour's fields, was quickly bargained for; the second day a yeye fish freshly caught at the fishermen's beach just a stroll down from the house. You can also watch an original fish auction here daily.

What is Pili Pili House? A villa with 2 master-bedrooms, sufficiently apart, and an extra children's or guest room, all in all sleeping six. Situated in the middle of wilderness, with direct sea view, wide palm gardens and rock scenic beaches and ngalawa fishing boats, dozens and dozens of them, the thatched-roof villa is an oasis of calm. Swimming is rough, but it can be done. However, Pili Pili is more a refuge for the senses than a swimmers'paradise where you can spend days and days in lazy tranquility just looking at the sea, sipping tea or wine (you have to bring the latter along), reading books or playing chess, talking to your partner, cooking together... all this in an elegant, perfect African-Arab-European style mix with exquisit paintings, deco items, modern and old lamps. The owner is a well-known Zanzibari family affiliated to Hiliki House, a boutique hotel in town.

The house is surrounded by a huge verandah with deck chairs and an outside dining table.

Bekannt für...

• ... absolute Privatsphäre: Hier siehen Sie garantiert keinen einzigen anderen Touristen als sich selbst!
• Stil! Britisch-afrikanisch-arabisch, dieser Stil scheint fast nur auf Sansibar möglich. Moderne Kunst neben Afro-Deko-Stücken wie schwerem Silberschmuck in jedem Zimmer, aber doch alles lässig. Koloniale Wanduhren als Stilleben. Eine offene Küche. Verblasste Orienttepiche und Kelims vor romantischen Betten. Lamu-Wandintarsien in den Bädern
• Glorious sunsets, Sonnenenergie und Strohdach: Blackouts können vorkommen - dafür stehen Duftkerzen bereit 
• Fata-Morgana-Schiffsdock: Wie aus dem Nichts geboren, halten bisweilen direkt vor dem Haus riesige Fährschiffe wie die Serengeti, die hier ins Trockendoch gehen oder Rast machen - der Nachbar ist Schiffsunternehmer

Für mich das Besondere am Pili Pili Beach House?

Wenn Sie ein paar Tage mit guten Freunden oder ganz allein mit Ihrem Partner verbringen und dem Trubel der Welt einfach mal entfliehen wollen, sind Sie hier richtig. Ahmed und ich haben uns gerne inspirieren lassen vom Geschmack und Lebensstil einer Besitzerfamilie, die Sansibar auch politisch entscheidend mitgeprägt hat.

Ideal für...

...stilbewusste Romnatiker mit Survival-Fähigkeiten... nette Großfamilien ...

For stylish lovers with survival skills... civilzed families and jolly groups of friends ...even for commuters who work in town for a short stint leaving the family in this oasis

Preise

A swimming pool is planned, as is an extension with more rooms.

Übernachtung/Frühstück im  Pili Pili Beach House

210$ per night, breakfast included, for the entire house, up to 6 pax

80$ per room B&B

cooked dinner or lunch 30$ per person

For bookings go first to the page of Hiliki House here on our blog where you will find their offspring Pili Pili, or use the following direct link

ZUR HOTELBUCHUNG - BOOK THE HOTEL HERE