Far from civilization, it’s surrounded by nothing for miles but grass-covered sand dunes and the occasional mud-brick village.
Diamonds Mequfi Beach Resort – with 50 sea-view rooms and suites – is an ambitious hotel in an unspoilt part of northern Mozambique, Africa.
But this member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World is run with such spit and polish that it outshines all expectation.
Beach bungalow rooms and suites
Air-conditioned accommodations are in white-washed, duplex beach bungalows with soaring thatch ceilings, all scattered wide apart for privacy.
The 40 rooms each occupy one half of a duplex bungalow; the 10 suites have their own bungalow each (occupying both sides of a duplex).
All rooms and suites have a covered stone terrace facing the turquoise Indian Ocean.
Inside, we were blown away by the solid quality of construction and serene beachy décor.
A four-poster, king-size bed dominates the bedroom, where polished tree stumps serve as night tables.
In the bathroom, wood-framed mirrors hang from the ceiling by jute rope, and an indoor glass shower opens onto an outdoor stone shower.
Welcome discovery: Small jars of mosquito gel and sunscreen in faux pearl-studded amenity boxes.
It’s all designed to look great on an Instagram feed…
Housekeeping at Diamonds Mequfi Beach Resort is immaculate too – our whole suite was virtually redone at turndown each night.
And despite the remote location, we could catch up on world news on our flat-screen satellite TV and surf the Internet via high-speed WiFi.
Kiteboarding, horseback riding… lots to do!
The grounds are expansive.
You may want to grab a bicycle to navigate the concrete paths meandering around the sand dunes with newly-planted palm trees.
When it’s windy (kite-surfing season May to September), a giant oval-shaped pool set back from the beach offers respite.
We did all sorts of activities in this part of Mozambique.
There’s horseback riding on the beach.
We also went kayaking along a mangrove-lined river, as well as bicycling by moonlight past fields of wild cashew nut trees and banana palms.
Take me to the beach
The beach is miles and miles of white sand perfection – no houses or resorts, no footprints, no other people (at least when we visited in June).
And it’s so clean, with no washed-up garbage on the beach (unlike some places in the world like, sadly, Bali, which is otherwise beautiful).
Occasionally you come across seaswept rocks with interesting arch formations that you can walk though at low tide.
Chill time
But we were happiest lounging on our terrace – napping, reading and listening to the waves.
Diamonds Mequfi Beach Resort, Mozambique
Number of rooms
There are 40 deluxe rooms and 10 suites, housed in beach bungalows set far apart from each other for maximum privacy.
Dining
Whether you choose the half-board or all-inclusive option, meals whipped up by a talented Indian head-chef are delicious.
Season
If you want a total getaway from the world, Diamonds Mequfi Beach Resort is one such place, depending on the time of year.
We understand it’s popular with European guests and is often full in July and August, so if you visit then, you may not experience the same absolute peace and quiet that we did.
Getting there
To get to Diamonds Mequfi Beach Resort, fly to Pemba in northern Mozambique. Pick-up from the Pemba airport will be arranged by the resort.
To book
Experience more of Africa!
Safari in Chobe National Park: You won’t believe all the animals (especially the ellies!) when you go on a Chobe safari in Botswana.
Wine tasting in South Africa: There are more than 185 great wineries in Stellenbosch. We hit many of them!
Cape Town: From beaches to botanical gardens to cool art, the Mother City has lots to offer. Check out the best things to do in Cape Town.
Photo credits: 2, 5, 6, 10 to 12 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | Remaining photos Diamonds Mequfi Beach Resort
We stayed at Diamonds Mequfi Beach Resort as media guests. But if a place isn’t up to snuff, we won’t write about it. (This place is definitely up to snuff!)
About the authors
Luxury travel journalists and SATW, NATJA and TMAC “Best Travel Blog” award winners, Janice and George Mucalov are the publishers of Sand In My Suitcase. Between them, they’ve traveled to all 7 continents. See About.
Find destination guides, global food-and-wine stories, luxury hotel reviews, articles on cultural explorations and soft adventure trips, cruise reviews, insanely useful travel tips and more!
Carol
Wednesday 20th of December 2017
It sounds so magically isolated and perfect. Sounds like a good place to learn wind karting, something I've never heard of.
Bella
Wednesday 20th of December 2017
Oh wow you go to some seriously beautiful places, love the look of the views on the coast!
Ryan Biddulph
Wednesday 20th of December 2017
Hi Guys,
Absolutely stunning. Seeing the words "air conditioned" does make quite the difference too. Sometimes being in paradise taxes you a bit. I recall living in a Bali villa that checked marks across the board. Save the fact that the owner wanted to be as organic as possible, and skipped the AC. Horrible idea for a villa sitting in the middle of the rice fields, in a hot steamy clime. Loved the place but sweating our rears off did take away from the experience a bit.
Excellent review Janice and George. Thanks for sharing.
Ryan
Irene Levine
Monday 18th of December 2017
Somehow the term "bungalow" seems like a misnomer:-) The bungalows at Diamonds Mequfi Beach Resort look simply elegant!
Janice and George
Monday 18th of December 2017
Yes, "villa" might be better descriptive word :-). But bungalow or villa, these accommodations are indeed very elegant!