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Tamani for us was a refuge, we had been needing a break like this for so long. It had all the comforts of a house and all the conveniences of a hotel…It was the perfect combination.

As a hijabi, it was an added treat to have a pool in the house which was completely private for our use. The cook and the manager were discreet and welcoming, each meal was accompanied by fresh juices of the most amazing combinations which tasted so good…Can you imagine Avocado with ginger and lemon juice…my absolute favourite..except that it filled me up quite a bit.

The kitchen was a no go zone for me. All I knew is that the food that I had requested and at times chose to be surprised was served on my plate by pleasant Ali the overall caretaker of the property.

The day was spent lounging by the pool dipping in, walking out dipping into the sea which is right there (although not as secluded as the pool) there is such as a thing as a picture perfect beach and it is there in Matemwe. Rush hour thankfully consists of a couple of bikes in the morning and a few more crossing each other in the evening.

Mornings started early for us as we didn’t want to miss out on the sunrise on the beach. We would take our mugs of tea and coffee and just wait for the glorius sun to rise. Another morning we chose to take the bikes out (hired for an additional charge but well worth it) to go cycling on the beach before the tide came in. That was a treat and a half. Our evenings would be spent walking across the beaches watching the kids playing football before the sun went down.

Ali was also kind enough to suggest a snorkelling trip for us. He packed us some fruits and the boat came to pick us up from the beach. We snorkelled off of the legendary Mnemba atoll in addition to other sites. It is rumoured the diving in the area is out of this world and there were a number of PADI joints further up at another hotel who were willing to take us on, but alas we weren’t certified at that point.

The house itself was sheer luxury. It was a four bedroom house of which three were en suite and one additional common bathroom. Two of the rooms were overlooking the ocean and faced the eastern horizon enabling occupants to watch the sun rise from their beds. All the rooms opened up into the common area with the dining table, lounge and the kitchen to the side. All the beds were four poster, and there was a turn down service a little before sunset when the mosquito nets in our room were drawn and the additional pillows placed to the side. I felt taken care off, and for the short period of our stay I didn’t have to worry about a thing in the world…

The lounge had a TV and a selection of DVD’s and the most comfortable set of couches I’ve ever sat on. I just sort of melted into them and dozed off whenever I wanted. In the evenings when the sea breeze is at its best the four of us would just sit on the couches after dinner talking drinking tea, reading with the patio doors wide open waiting to get tired enough to head back to bed.

Time slowed down, while we were there and it was utter bliss.