Pole Pole Bungalows

A small seaside lodge on the remote, wooded island of Mafia, with Italian management, fine cuisine and stilted, thatched bungalows

When you first visit east Africa, you quickly learn three words of Swahili – they echo about you, accompanied by big grins, from the moment you arrive. The first is karibu, which means ‘welcome’ and is liberally applied to anyone who looks pale enough to have recently arrived. The second is jambo, which means ‘Hello’ (or, from a child, ‘please can I have ten shillings for looking cute?’). And the third is pole pole, meaning ‘take it easy’.

Which is exactly what guests at this understated little beach lodge on the untrodden island of Mafia spend days doing. There is no noise or hassle, just sunshine and silence. No dusty roads, just a mangrove-lined tidal beach. No requests for ten shillings, just excellent service and cuisine from the elegant Italian manageress and her team. No crowded hotels, just a handful of wood-and-thatch bungalows with comfy Italian fittings. So, if you just want to chill out on a remote island, with nothing to disturb your reverie but a gentle sailing or diving trip, then off you go! And take it easy.

Highs

• Dhow trips to remote beaches and idyllic sandbanks, like the one pictured
• Mafia is a stunning, virtually unexplored archipelago with amazing sea-life (it’s a marine park), from tiny sea-horses to giant turtles
• Spacious bungalows with shady verandas
• There's a small spa area on site and an excellent dive school next door

Lows

• It’s only a small strip of beach
• At low tide you can’t really swim
• There’s not much to do on land
• It’s quite a journey to get there (but that’s part of the fun! - see Getting There)