On the Bwejuu-Paje stretch of Zanzibar’s southeast coast, about 50 minutes from the island’s airport, white sand shelves gently into the Indian Ocean. Behind it, thirty villas fan out behind Swahili arches and hand-carved white stone. The design reaches back to the island’s Sultanate era, drawing Arabic, Swahili and Indian lines into something cool and shaded. Even the name looks to that tradition: the baraza is the stone bench built into a Swahili house as a place to meet and talk.
At low tide the ocean pulls back to expose the reef itself
Along its whole length, this coast is guarded by an offshore coral reef, which shelters the shallows for swimming and snorkelling. Then the tide turns. At low tide the ocean pulls back to expose the reef itself, and a guided walk across it reveals octopus and starfish, sea cucumbers and moray eels stranded in the rock pools, all of them waiting for the water to return.
Sisters Nathalie Raguž Fusillo and Paulina Raguž Macksoud, both trained at Cornell’s hotel school, have been shaping this coast for more than twenty years. They built their first Zanzibar property, Breezes Beach Club, more than two decades ago, then turned to this stretch of the southeast for something far more elaborate. When Baraza opened in December 2008 it became the most ambitious property in the family’s island collection, styled as a modern-day Sultan’s palace in a way Breezes never attempted.
Dining is all-inclusive and drawn from Arabic
That palace spirit runs from the kitchens to the Frangipani Spa, both scented with cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Dining is all-inclusive and drawn from Arabic, Persian, Asian and Swahili cooking. It moves through the open-air Livingstone Terrace, the more formal Sultan’s Dining Room and the poolside Ocean Lounge. When the sun drops, the Dhahabu Bar pours evening drinks beneath brass lanterns.
Step inside and the effect is less hotel room than private palace apartment, cool and shaded against the equatorial light. High ceilings rise over hand-carved wooden furniture made by local artisans, intricate plasterwork and brass lanterns, while plasma televisions stay hidden inside antique-style wardrobes. Each villa opens onto a large terrace with its own plunge pool and sun loungers, and the master bedroom leads through to a freestanding bath and a walk-in dressing room.
For anyone drawn to the water, the days begin at the Water Club, where high tide brings kitesurfing, kayaks, stand-up paddleboarding and sailing, along with beach sports and bicycles for exploring the coast. Divers of every level are looked after through a PADI centre partnered with the Rising Sun Dive Centre, a National Geographic-affiliated facility working the nearby reef. On land, a tennis court, a fitness centre and a library of books on Zanzibari history and wildlife wait for the hours when the sea can wait too.
Swahili lessons take place under the palms, chefs run cooking classes built around local spices
Much of the pleasure here is unhurried. Swahili lessons take place under the palms, chefs run cooking classes built around local spices, and palm-weaving happens on the beach. Some evenings a traditional Taarab band plays, music that would have sounded in the Sultan’s court in the 1880s. Further afield lies more of the island: Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, which shelters the endangered Zanzibar red colobus a short drive inland, the dolphin tours off Kizimkazi, and Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, all within reach.
Families settle easily into the two-bedroom villas, with a kids’ club, sandcastle building, beach volleyball and reef walks for younger guests, and babysitting arranged on request. Behind it all is a family that employs mostly Zanzibari staff, runs in-house hospitality training and English classes, and commissions the resort’s carved furniture locally. Their long-standing support for Bwejuu village reaches into the school, with learning materials and a bursary programme, and into the clinic, with a sponsored maternity and children’s ward, while a marine biologist visits to check on the reef and give educational talks.
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accommodation
Thirty villas, from 148-square-metre one-bedroom villas to a 254-square-metre Royal Beach two-bedroom villa, in garden-view and ocean-front settings. Each has a living room, a Sultan's lounge bed, a mini-bar, a large terrace with sun loungers and a private plunge pool. Master bedrooms include freestanding baths and walk-in dressing rooms.
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activities
Kitesurfing, kayaking, paddleboarding and sailing run from the Water Club at high tide, with diving and PADI courses on the reef through the Rising Sun Dive Centre. Low-tide reef walks reveal octopus and moray eels. Swahili lessons, spice-led cooking classes and palm-weaving run on-site; Jozani Forest and Stone Town trips are arranged off-site.
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conservation
The Raguž family supports Bwejuu village with school learning materials, a student bursary programme and a sponsored maternity and children's ward at the local clinic. A marine biologist visits to check on the reef and give educational talks, and staff receive marine conservation workshops.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
Zanzibar has its own international airport near Stone Town, with direct and one-stop flights from Europe, the Middle East and regional hubs, so you can often fly straight in rather than routing through the mainland. From the airport it is about fifty minutes by road to the resort on the Bwejuu coast in the south-east.
We build the flights and the transfer in so it joins up in a day. Because you can fly straight to the island, Baraza makes an easy beach finish after a mainland safari, and we time the connection to your dates. If you are coming off safari on the mainland, we can arrange a private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, to fly you direct to Zanzibar rather than waiting on the scheduled connections.
Yes. Zanzibar and Pemba lie at sea level, well below 1,800 metres, and current UK guidance from TravelHealthPro lists the islands as a malaria area, so this is not a malaria-free beach stop. Risk is lower than it once was, but the mosquitoes that matter feed after dark, so cover up in the evening, use the repellent and nets provided, and antimalarial tablets remain the real protection.
Health advice can change from year to year, so we always ask you to confirm the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, and to take the usual care against bites after dark.
The coast is hot and humid for most of the year, typically in the high twenties to low thirties, with the long rains of April and May the wettest and stickiest stretch to avoid.
Pack very light, breathable clothing, swimwear and sandals, with a light cover-up for time off the beach and modest dress for Stone Town and the villages. Bring strong sunscreen, a hat and insect repellent for the evenings.
For settled seas and the clearest water, come in the cool, dry Kusi season from June to October, when diving visibility peaks in September and October. February is the standout of the hot season either side of it.
The long rains of April and May bring rough seas and reduced visibility, and many lodges and dive centres close, so we plan around them.
The tidal swing on this coast is large, and it shapes the day. The reef sits offshore along the whole length of the shore, sheltering the shallows for swimming and snorkelling at higher water; then the tide pulls right back to expose the reef itself, and a guided walk across it reveals octopus, starfish, sea cucumbers and moray eels in the rock pools. The swimming is best planned around the higher tides, with the reef walk a highlight of the low.
Yes. The villas run from one-bedroom layouts to a two-bedroom Royal Beach villa, each with its own plunge pool, and the reef-sheltered shallows, the water sports and the spice and cooking classes give families plenty to do.
Tell us the children's ages and we will confirm the villa and what the resort can arrange.
Unlike the remote safari camps, Zanzibar's beach lodges are well connected. Wifi is standard here, generally reaching the rooms as well as the public areas, and mobile coverage across the island is reliable.
So you can stay reachable easily if you need to, though most guests use it lightly. Tell us if solid connectivity matters for work and we will confirm the current setup before you travel.
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
