Essque Zalu, Zanzibar

WORDS: Nicole McCreedy

A generous dose of blue sky and sea, and more space than you’ll know what to do with, await you at Essque Zalu, a brand-new five-star resort on the African coast.

I know I’ve arrived at the five-star Essque Zalu hotel on the north-east coast of Zanzibar when I see the apex of the 40-metre-high makuti thatched roof. Borrowing from the local traditional construction style, the scale of this structure has been dramatically increased to create an airy, modern double-storey landmark.

On first impressions, the reception foyer seems plain inside, the most eye-catching feature being a series of half-funnel metalwork lamps mounted against the walls. The furniture has been kept to a minimum and a large, bare floor area in the centre dominates. Intuitively, I look upwards and it’s then, staring up at the casuarina wood rafters, that the drama hits me, with the sheer vertical scale of the makuti roof. The height – intended to make Zalu stand out from the impending tide of boutique hotels in the area – certainly is impressive.

Passing beyond the freestanding wall that separates the foyer from the rest of the hotel, I’m confronted with the horizontal outward flow of space. Upstairs is an art gallery, a sanctuary of stillness. On the lower level, the walls fan out in gentle curves, fading into a glass-walled restaurant on one side and an open-air bar with its own baobab tree on the other. The wide, flat ceiling, supported by large columns on either side, dramatises the shift in perception.

I pass by a fountain to my right: a rectangle painted Persian blue and framed by dark brown walls. The soothing sound of running water and the cool, Indian sandstone tiles on the floor connect the indoor space with the scene outside. The sight ahead is exhilaratingly beautiful: a split-level infinity swimming pool – two perfectly divided shades of cyan – spreads out into a boundless sea of cobalt, turquoise and sky blue.

In the distance is a wooden jetty and this is where I first meet Nicolas König, general manager of Essque Zalu. He spots me and strides in my direction, hand stretched towards me. He directs his attention to my escort, “I’ll take it from here, Mohamed.”

Clever use of space and symmetry

The jetty where we drink coffee has an alfresco restaurant, bar and lounging deck. The decor is neutral, simple and sophisticated and the deep browns of eucalyptus and mninga wood are contrasted by the grey and white rattan-style furniture.

It’s only upon speaking to Nicolas that I begin to appreciate how the use of space and symmetry are integral elements that reflect the principles of the hotel. The resort’s open-minded philosophy is focused on empathy for the needs of its guests. “When you come from Europe, you live in a small space,” Nicolas points out. Essque Zalu offers guests the luxury of space – ample room to breathe.

The jetty is an extension of the hotel’s spaciousness, and a clever way of optimising access to the sea. A perceived disadvantage of this coastal region is that, at low-tide, the sea retreats to the horizon. “Although when the tide does come in and crashes over the reef, it is beautiful,” adds Nicolas. Here, however, you can contentedly spend the day lying on a recliner, staring at nothing but the sea, the sky and the dhows sailing past. Stairs lead down from the deck and in the afternoon at high-tide, it’s a small step into the sublime aquamarine ocean for a swim.

Lazing about on the jetty I happen to spot Nicolas stop at one of the restaurant’s tables to straighten the cutlery – a gesture which reminds me of something he said earlier: “It is the small details that are important.” And if it feels completely easy and effortless to be here, it is because of the deliberate thought that has gone into the minutiae that make it so. As German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said, “God is in the details”. 

More information: www.essquehotels.com, sales@essquehotels.com

Don’t miss out on VISI 56, our “Into the Blue” issue, on sale now.