Azura Benguerra Island

The Royal Beach Villas feature infinity edge pools and magnificent sea views. Consisting of an opulent 172 square metres, makes these the largest and most lavish of all the villas, boasting a grand, picturesque beach frontage on a large beautifully landscaped plot. The Royal Beach Villas are located at the Northern end of the property, ensuring pure serenity and uninterrupted views. The Villa provides a main bedroom and bathroom, plus guests can enjoy the luxury of their own lounge area connected together via a walkway with glass sliding doors.

The lounge comprises of comfortable sofas around a flat screen television, and has its own bathroom, as well as a tea/coffee area with minibar and Nespresso. The comfortable sofas can be converted to two beds for any children that may want to share. The Outdoor areas are astounding, showcasing an exclusive rim flow pool with a Jacuzzi, plus a poolside sitting pavilion, from which guests have access straight into the pool. The villa also has a double daybed under latte roof, as well as a single daybed on the deck, a dining area, and beachside sala, all of which are perfect for relaxing and enjoying your own private space.

Villa Amizade means friendship villa in native Portuguese. This 2-bedroom en-suite villa is located at the Western end of the property and provides fantastic views out to sea and towards the setting sun. The Villa hosts a sitting area with flat screen TV, DVD, Sound Dock and selection of games. Opening out to extensive decking, Villa Amizade features dining and relaxation areas, including a wine bar. Guests can opt for a private chef service, available at a supplement.

Holiday in your own sanctuary, with a personal infinity swimming pool and spectacular beach-side view. This haven of rest and relaxation, where you can feel at one with the environment, is perfect for families or couples requiring more space and facilities. The Villa Amizade can sleep up to 5 people including children.

The Presidential Villa at Azura has been described as one of the best villas anywhere in the Indian Ocean. It has a very secluded private location, nestled amidst indigenous gardens just a short walk down the beach from main Azura. Staying here means that guests will have their own butler-host and private chef. The epitome of style and luxury, the Presidential Villa features its own unique décor, 3 en-suite bedrooms, indoor and outdoor bathrooms, a media room, sitting/dining area with wine bar, and huge infinity pool spanning the front of the villa. Located just moments from the shoreline at the end of the property to ensure maximum privacy, with a fantastic treehouse to catch the afternoon breezes and panoramic views to Bazaruto Island and the Indian Ocean beyond. This villa is guaranteed to be the beach house of your dreams.

Discover the delicate flavours of healthy eating with a focus on light meals, simple ingredients, and lots of fresh fish and seafood. The aim at Azura Benguerra is for guests to never eat in the same place twice. At Azura, dining is all part of the experience, from breakfast at the water’s edge, to a picnic on a sandy island, to dining on a candle lit beach beneath the stars. The hosts take huge pride in their innovative dining set-ups, and little touches to make your stay special.

Azura Benguerra serves up a choice of dishes, additionally, the chef will happily try to accommodate any personal requests that you may have. Lunches may be a picnic if you are out enjoying an activity, or informal dining at the pool deck overlooking the parrot fish below. Enjoy sipping on a refreshing cocktail of the day in a variety of surprise locations – nothing beats watching the sunset from the headland, while the moon rises behind you, paired with enticing drinks and snacks. Dinner is always a special event, eaten on the beach by candlelight beneath the stars. Guests will have the opportunity to experience a variety of special dining options too, including secluded beach picnics or romantic private beach dinners at your villa.

A fabulous wine cellar allows for special wine tasting events and themed dinners, and even offers a selection of the owner’s wines, especially flown in from their Chateau in the Loire Valley, France.

Detox your body and refresh your soul as you marvel at the beauty around you, enjoy the sea of green swaying palm trees that can be glimpsed from the tree-top spa at Azura Benguerra Island. Azura’s spa signature treatments are based on local ingredients and traditions and offer a pleasingly relaxing and pampering experience. The treatments take their inspiration from the very heart of Africa.

Unwind with a body wrap using a unique blend of African body butters and oils, including the highly prized Mongongo Nut Oil. Or try something different with like the Tribal Traditions massage, where olive and shea butter is poured all over the body, and massage strokes mimic the beating of African drums. Here at Azura’s Spa, wellness comes first as you allow yourself to relax, feel revived and have your body restored.

Discover 5-star Mozambican destinations that will help you create unforgettable memories not only on land, but amongst the vibrant and magical waves. Azura Retreats offers you an ocean safari experience, from excellent diving sites, fun water activities, and whale-watching, to fishing for local species and educational guided marine walks – where crowds of ghost crabs scuttle by and incredible turtle happenings can be witnessed.

During your ocean safari family adventure at Azura Benguerra Island, you will be given the rare opportunity to dive or snorkel in some of the most spectacular scuba diving spots in the world, allowing you to discover an underwater world that is visited by just a few lucky divers each year. Bleach-free coral reefs and the deep drop-off of the Mozambican shelf, means that you and your family will be able to dive in some of the healthiest coral reef systems in the world. Additionally, if guests are interested in learning to dive, then the friendly diving instructors will be sure to assist.

A Red Dune and Crocodile Lake drive entails guests adventuring on a game viewer vehicle, heading out to some local island exploration spots. Pass through the Island’s many villages where you’ll have the chance to encounter some of the local island communities. Along the way you will have the opportunity to taste wild fruits from indigenous trees, remembering to keep an eye out for the rich variety of reptiles, birds, and insects some of which are only found here. For those brave enough, there will be a chance to see some of the large Nile crocodiles that inhabit in the 3 lakes. Guests can take a walk on the ‘wild side’, along the beach with its strong wind and waves. Finally hiking up the Red Dune – an easy climb for incredible views of Benguerra Island itself.

You will depart Azura by boarding a sumptuous speedboat before setting of for the 1-hour trip to Paradise Island, in the far North of the Bazaruto Archipelago. As you glide along the inviting waters, look out for dolphins and dugongs along the way. Paradise Island is home to a ruined hotel from the days of Portuguese rule and was named Paradise Island for its beautiful white beaches and fantastic snorkelling. The ruins of the old hotel and church are fascinating, and your guide will recount you the tales of yesteryear. Later, you’ll settle down on a deserted white beach for a picnic lunch, relaxing for a few hours before making your journey back. The snorkelling is also amazing and provides you with a different experience to the reefs closer to Azura.

Supporting the Local Community

“Our Azura Rainbow Fund is the first registered charity of its kind in Mozambique. It supports a variety of social and environmental projects large and small, from building schools to environmental protection initiatives. We have a dedicated environmentalist and community officer at Azura, and we work alongside the National Park and local communities wherever we can to protect and enhance the environments on which they depend.”

Benguerra School

“At Azura Benguerra the funds collected from the Rainbow Fund initiative built our first school which now has some 400 children in education compared to 40 when we started, as well as teachers’ housing blocks. We also sponsor a local football team.”

Benguerra Community Clinic

“In 2018, the Azura Rainbow Fund provided a total of US $65 000 for the building of the first Community Clinic and Nurses’ Residence on Benguerra Island. This much-needed health clinic and its registered nurses provide essential services to local residents who previously had little or no access to basic healthcare or medication.”

With conservation and the community being at the heart of everything Azura do, their luxury resorts are not ‘eco’ in a traditional sense, instead they have defined their own ‘eco’ in terms of their focus on the community and preserving pristine environments. In Mozambique, Azura are one of only a handful of resorts where the local community are major contributors and stakeholders. At Azura Benguerra Island for instance, Gabriel and his family, after whom the site is named, first established a tourism business here some time ago, and are now major stakeholders in the resort, and continue to be involved daily.

Building Azura Retreats

“Rather than bring in outside contractors with no benefit to the local community, we trained the local islanders in vital building skills, which enabled them to find new employment in the booming construction industry afterwards.”

Local and Sustainable

“We used sustainable building materials where possible, the window frames and doors made locally, our roofing jekka sourced from local women who we established in their own business to supply us, and some of our huge supporting beams came from trees that had fallen in a storm. Many of the furnishings were handmade by the local community, and as you look around Azura several the things you see were made by disadvantaged communities across Southern Africa. We have installed solar powered showers for all our guests and use only eco-detergents in our laundry.”

Pack for a Purpose

“We are proud members of Pack for a Purpose, an initiative that allows travellers like you to make a lasting impact in the community at your travel destination. If you save just a few kilos of space in your suitcase and take supplies for area schools or medical clinics in need, you’ll make a priceless impact in the lives of our local children and families.”

“We put an environmental and community specialist on the ground at Azura Benguerra before even making the first brick (we made our own), as we wanted advice on ensuring a minimal environmental footprint without compromising on the luxury elements that our clients require. We have state-of-the-art sewerage treatment plants at each of our hotels and recycle our grey water for the gardens to prevent environmental seepage.”