Emerald Zanzibar Resort and Spa Part 1

Wow this place is incredible!! I don’t even know where to begin. From their unique way of checking you in, to how every staff member I pass, from any department, greets me with a beaming “jambo!”

My first day I stayed in my room (see Arusha to Zanzibar post for how amazing my room is!) for breakfast to eat the amazing fruit and macarons waiting for me upon arrival. I still have the chocolates in the fridge…there is so much food everywhere!! I’m always too full!

I had planned ahead and had a pedicure scheduled for 9am so that I would have pretty toes for my stay. The spa is in a beautiful location in a garden, with a private pool and lounge area. The spa is not part of the all inclusive. My pedicure was okay. I’ve had many better at home. And she cut my cuticle too deep and made my big toe bleed - not a big deal and you can’t tell now, but it has been the only blemish in paradise so far!

On the way back I took a lot of random photos in daylight. 

Although it is gorgeous here, on the other side of the wall it is not a resort…

I decided to stop at the bar by my lunch reservation for a cappuccino martini and some cookies - a good mid morning break!

My lunch was at the beachside grill - an a la carte lunch place that requires reservations. So many people couldn’t get in. Again, I made all of my reservations weeks ago, which was such a smart plan!!

I had calamari, fish and chips and almond panna cotta. Yum!

It was water time!! While walking back to my room to get ready, I stopped to sit in a fun looking chair - why not? 4 gardeners walked by and started talking to me. They said that I was a queen and that they were going to eat lunch, but after that they would make me a crown. I didn’t think much of it, but when I got back to the pool they were waiting for me and gave me my beautiful crown. I only wore it for the pictures, I wasn’t about to walk around wearing it. I did see a few others, but not enough to make me feel mine wasn’t special. I saw two on little girls, one abandoned on a table by the pool, and mine. 

Chairs by the pool were like on a cruise ship - everyone has them reserved with towels, but half of them are empty. I found it hard to know of people were coming back, but a pool employee helped me find one and get set up. It’s beautiful. There are 4 pools here, but this is the main one. 

I did not participate in aquacise however I enjoyed the music!

I walked back to my room and took some more photos. The tide had come in so the view was much nicer from my room and easier to see the Indian Ocean. 

I had gone down to the beach earlier, but didn’t take any photos because the tide was out and it looked kind of gross with seaweed covered rocks everywhere. Now with the tide in they were all covered and it looked like photos I had seen online. 

Tonight’s dinner was the chef’s gala dinner (every Saturday). I walked past while they were setting up but I didn’t take any photos of the buffets because I didn’t want to be that person. Ha ha! I have no problem taking photos of my food at my table, but I didn’t want to be walking around with my phone. They had everything imaginable, plus some standard and unique stations: lobster tail station (but not Atlantic so I only had one😉), full pig on a spit, pasta station, stir fry station, leg of lamb carving station, plus a zillion other things! Dessert alone was a huge ordeal - including chocolate fountain. 

Walking back to my room I saw these giant snails that we always see in Maui. Then I remembered that they are an invasive species there and are Giant African Snails - of course they are here! 

My room is in the second floor. If you count over from the right it’s spaces 5 and 6 - big balcony! And I’m happy to be upstairs - better view and I feel safer than on the ground floor alone. I sit out there all the time and never worry. 

Today was beach morning! I happened to be the first one down there…around 9am. Perfect - I got my pick of chairs so I picked one away from all of the boats picking up tour guests (snorkelling out at Mnemba Island across from me) but between the beverage hut and the security guards. Yes…but they are just there to keep annoying people away. It’s a public beach down by the water, but not up by the tree line. Many people who aren’t staying here like to come sit on the private part of the beach, so the security guards keep kicking them out. Also, locals stand right at the boundary and as soon as anyone crosses the (imaginary) line in the sand, they pounce. “Jambo, where are you from? I have deals way better than the hotel, dolphins? Snorkelling? Boat tour?” And on and on. They just stand or sit there for hours watching…and I don’t want to be rude by ignorning them, but “no thank you” doesn’t work - they just keep offering some other excursions. Also there are women walking along selling stuff: dresses, bags, costume jewelry. They just come stand in front of you, 15 feet away and hold them up. There was also a guy walking around selling bags of popcorn. There’s also a kite surfing guy that walks around with his kite - kind of cool. The only part I like is this group of 12-15 male acrobats who walk around with a speaker and do some really cool dances and stunts. Of course they want money. But they can’t come up and get it - so you have to walk down to give it to them, and then all of the others run up and start trying to tell you stuff. Needless to say I didn’t give them anything. The whole process is very fascinating to watch. 

But I had a great time! I went out so far - but never past my waist. The tide was going out so at first there was lots of water and then a little island in the middle and then just the seaweed rocks again. 

Ummm, so they rake the beach each day - they pile up the seaweed that has washed in and bury it until they start the whole thing again tomorrow. Seems futile as there is hardly any seaweed…but that’s the kind of place it is. They wash all of the stone pathways every day and are always sweeping sand off them. They even mop my room’s floor every day!  

I left the beach around noon to grab lunch and head to my spa treatment! I went a bit early to enjoy the pool (all to myself) and the loungers - also just me. So peaceful. You aren’t supposed to have cell phones there so didn’t take any pics today. But I included the package I had - glorious!!

Today I had breakfast, lunch and dinner all in the main restaurant, Aqua. It’s really nice. It’s buffet style, with many stations even when not the Gala. Tonight’s theme was Indian food -  very yummy!

There’s gold on my eclair!

Well, I had so much fun at the beach this morning I’m going to do it again tomorrow! With high tide around 8am again I plan on getting there early. Off to bed!