Azura at Quilalea (Quirimbas Archipelago) Mozambique
Location:
Quilalea Island is one of the Southernmost islands in the pristine Quirimbas Archipelago, 30 nautical miles North of Pemba. It has one of the only safe deepwater moorings in the area, where the Portuguese and Arab traders traditionally found sanctuary for their dhows. Along with its sister island Sencar, it is one of the few properties in the entire Archipelago to lie within a fully protected marine reserve, ensuring an abundance of marine life. The island is approximately 86 acres in size and apart from Azura at Quilalea staff and guests, it is completely uninhabited. The island is covered in indigenous vegetation, with statuesque age old baobab groves and stunning flora and fauna, a real nature lowers paradise. There are 4 large sandy beaches on the island, the villas are spread along 2 of them, the main beach always has boat access, and remote and beautiful turtle beach is home to dozens of nesting turtles which our guests are often lucky enough to see. It is also an excellent spot for a private picnic lunch.
Getting There:
Closest major airport is Pemba. There is then a light aircraft flight to Quirimba Island, a short scenic drive across the coconut plantation, followed by a max 20 min boat ride to Quilálea private island. There is always deep water access at the main beach at Quilálea, but a walk through water is needed at Quirimba Island except at high tide.
Accommodation:
Sunrise Villas
The 4 Sunrise villas are open-plan and spacious, with stylish décors of wood, cotton and materials such as rope, pebbles and rattan, all blending in seamlessly with the island surroundings. Guests need only take a few steps to the gleaming white beach, or they may choose to bask on their sun lounger on their private deck.
A haven of rest and relaxation just footsteps from the beach, yet designed with seclusion in mind.
All of the villas have a unique energy control system whereby guests can take control of their own eco-footprint. All mod cons are there if desired, including mini bar and air-conditioning, or guests can throw their villa open to being air-cooled by the natural breezes.
Sunset Villas:
The 4 Sunrise villas are open-plan and spacious, with stylish décors of wood, cotton and materials such as rope, pebbles and rattan, all blending in seamlessly with the island surroundings. Guests need only take a few steps to the gleaming white beach, or they may choose to bask on their sun lounger on their private deck.
A haven of rest and relaxation just footsteps from the beach, yet designed with seclusion in mind.
All of the villas have a unique energy control system whereby guests can take control of their own eco-footprint. All mod cons are there if desired, including mini bar and air-conditioning, or guests can throw their villa open to being air-cooled by the natural breezes.
Villa Quilalea:
The cliff-top Villa Quilalea offers the most astounding accommodation for a couple in the whole archipelago, with a private plunge pool, feature bathroom & dressing room, an outdoor shower, and its own separate sitting/dining area.
A private infinity pool, sitting/dining area, extended decking and relaxation areas
Villa Quilalea additionally has a feature bathroom with free-standing bath and separate dressing room, a romantic draped Kingsize 4 poster bed, and enlarged sitting area.
It also has a private infinity pool, sitting/dining area, extended decking and relaxation areas, and a stunningly private location, including ocean access from a cliff top stepladder.
Facilities:
The main areas at Quilalea offer plenty of comfortable spaces to relax and unwind, with new additions being a clifftop pool, wine cellar and state of the art watersports centre.
Cuisine at Quilalea is focused around the natural produce available locally, in line with the island’s ‘Green Ethos’. Lots of fresh fish and seafood dominate the menu, with dining a relaxed and laid back affair. Guests receive Azura’s trademark Mozambican Butler/Host service, where they try to make the dining experiences different through a range of unique and special venues and set-ups.
The Spa on the headland offers Azura’s signature African treatments, or relax and be pampered in your own villa.
Butler
Hosts
At Azura we care about making your stay special. That
starts with providing a Mozambican Butler-host to look after
you during your stay. They’ll take care of you during your
time with us, including serving your meals, running down the
beach with a table and chairs if you want lunch at the
water’s edge, or serving the cocktail of the day to your
beachside Sala as the sun goes down
They are part of
Azura’s commitment to the community and upliftment of the
country’s people. Many of them have very little in the way
of formal education, but they have a genuine warmth and
friendliness, and will delight in looking after you. They
don’t always get it 100% right, but that’s all part of the
charm. They have big smiles and even bigger stories to share
with you. Our guests come to love them so much they often
ask to take them home!
The whole team at Azura makes looking after you their priority. The chef will chat about your favorite foods, the watersports team will take you out exploring our amazing marine world and the spa therapist will help you relax, even more than you already are in this barefoot paradise.
Wining
and Dining
Our aim is for you to never eat in the same place twice. At Azura, dining is all part of the experience, from breakfast at the water’s edge, to a picnic on a sandy island, to dining on a candle lit beach beneath the stars. Our Butler-hosts take huge pride in their innovative dining set-ups, and little touches to make your stay special.
Our menus are based on what is fresh and available, with a focus on light meals, simple ingredients, and lots of fresh fish and seafood. It’s a simple understated affair. We always offer a choice of dishes, and our chef will happily try to accommodate any personal requests that you may have, although given the remoteness of our location, your understanding is appreciated if something you have a particular craving for is simply unobtainable! The huge Mangrove Crabs are a particular speciality, as well as Crayfish which is available in abundance.
Lunches may be a picnic if you are out enjoying an activity, or informal dining at the pool deck overlooking the parrot fish below. Enjoy sipping our cocktail of the day in a variety of surprise locations, and nothing beats watching sunset from the headland, while the moon rises behind you, with drinks and snacks in hand.
Dinner is always a special event, eaten on the beach by candlelight beneath the stars whenever we can. We offer a variety of special dining options too, including secluded beach picnics or romantic private beach dinners at your villa.
We ask younger children to eat supper early or in their villa, and our chef will happily make a range of children’s meals in discussion with you on arrival.
Rates at Azura include all meals other than beach picnics and private in-villa dining. Local beers and spirits, house wines, tea & coffee and soft drinks are also included.
Island
Weather
Mozambique has an enviable climate, and is perfect for a
beach holiday in the sunshine. Azura at Quilalea has a
‘humid tropical’ climate, making it hot year round, with
long sunny days and temperatures generally in the low to mid
30′s Celsius for much of the year. Temperatures rarely fall
below 24 degrees even at night. The water temperature is
gloriously warm year round, and ranges from 26-30 degrees
plus.
The East African trade winds do bring some
welcome cooling breezes, north easterly from November to
March (Kaskasi), which also brings the chance of some
showers, and the slightly stronger but dry south easterly
trade wind from May to September (Kusi). Our villas are
positioned to take best advantage of these natural breezes
and seasons.
The Islands, with their low-lying offshore locations, are not strongly affected by local weather patterns, and weather on site can be very different from the mainland forecast. They tend to receive on average a quarter of the rainfall that the mainland does, and there can be several months of the year when there is no rain at all. This makes our landscape very arid, and challenges our water supply, but usually makes our guests very happy!
Weather Summary:
April – October are normally hot and dry months with endless sunshine. June to October brings humpback whales on their migration past our shores.
November and December are hotter still, with a mix of sunshine and some short cooling showers. These are the best bird viewing months, and when our turtles start to come to nest.
January – March is considered to be the ‘green season’, these are the most hot and humid months, where temperatures often hit 35 degrees+, and our weather is characterized by tropical rain bursts, most often in the late afternoons or overnight, bringing welcome relief from the heat. These are great months to see spinner dolphins, and offer some fantastic deep sea fishing opportunities. Our turtles are still nesting, and the hatchlings from the earlier nests are emerging in full force.
Activities:
With the Indian Ocean on our doorstep, many of our activities and experiences are focused around it. The protected reefs in the Quirimbas Archipelago offer some of the most spectacular snorkeling and diving in the world. Snorkeling is accessible off the beaches and around most of the island, the sea patrolled by huge potato bass and schools of hunting jacks, and a spectacular house reef for diving is just a short fin kick away from the main beach. This is paradise for lovers of marine life and marine experiences.
You can saltwater fish or big game fish, watch the sunset as you sail on our dhow, picnic in splendid isolation, or cruise to other deserted beaches. Gaze at the dolphins, often spotted from our boats, or track down humpback whales on their seasonal migration past our shores.
Scuba Diving
Padi 5 Star dive centre
All Mares
diving equipment
Full range of instructional courses from
discover scuba upwards
Dedicated watersports centre
Varied and interesting reefs with several species of turtle,
reef sharks, stingrays, devil rays, moray eels, dolphins,
grouper amongst others and a wonderful array of reef fish
and corals
Snorkeling
The stunning house reef off the main beach
is paradise for snorkelers
Easy access at all times of
the day
Guided night snorkeling on offer
Fishing
Wonderful selection of reef fish for beginners
and advanced alike
Some of the world’s best fishing for
Marlin, Sailfish and Tuna
Azura has a fully equipped
fishing boat with local guides
Range of professional
tackle for both beginner and enthusiast
Tag and release
policy on protected species
Kayaking
Enjoy Quilalea Island from the water while
kayaking on the ocean and around the island
Guided
kayaking available or opt for a kayaking trip through the
mangroves of Sencar Island
Dhow Sailing
Time stands still as you sail on our 40
foot traditional dhow as the sun goes down, one of our
inclusive experiences.
Quilalea Island is one of the Southernmost islands in the pristine Quirimbas Archipelago, 30 nautical miles North of Pemba. It has one of the only safe deepwater moorings in the area, where the Portuguese and Arab traders traditionally found sanctuary for their dhows. Along with its sister island Sencar, it is one of the few properties in the entire Archipelago to lie within a fully protected marine reserve, ensuring an abundance of marine life. Your own private island in paradise…
The island is approximately 86 acres in size and apart from Azura at Quilalea staff and guests, it is completely uninhabited. The island is covered in indigenous vegetation, with statuesque age old baobab groves and stunning flora and fauna, a real nature lowers paradise. There are 4 large sandy beaches on the island, the villas are spread along 2 of them, the main beach always has boat access, and remote and beautiful turtle beach is home to dozens of nesting turtles which our guests are often lucky enough to see. It is also an excellent spot for a private picnic lunch.
The birdlife is abundant on Quilalea, with more than 60 birds that can be spotted. Madagascan Bee-eaters and Little Bee-eaters, amongst others, nest every year on the island, close to the many nests built by the Weavers in their trees. The Paradise Flycatchers are seen all over the island, feeding their young, as well as the many different types of starling, storks and sunbirds to name a few.
Enjoy:
• Turtle Beach picnics
• Quissiva Island
picnics
• Birdwatching
• Turtle sightings
• Baobab
walking trail
• Guided bird/nature walk
• Baobab baths
• Stargazing and astronomy talk
• Ibo Island tour
•
Quirimba Island coconut plantation tour
The Clifftop Spa
Azura offers unique African Spa treatments at the beautiful clifftop spa. Lie back and relax to the calming sounds of the ocean lapping against the headland cliffs, while you indulge in one of our signature treatments.
We use only natural ingredients sourced from the wilds of Africa, for the ultimate relaxing and pampering African Spa experience. Every treatment starts with a foot bath with scented water, where your therapist will discuss your specific needs and the natural ingredients that will be used.
If you would prefer, you can enjoy most of these world class treatments in the comfort of your own villa, or on your deck, to take advantage of Azura’s beautiful romantic setting.
Nothing is hurried at the Azura Spa. Relax, lie back and be pampered.
Our signature treatments take their inspiration from the very heart of Africa. Try ‘African Beginnings’, a traditional African ritual that starts by polishing your skin with crushed wild apricot kernel, specially blended with chamomile, vetifer and eucalyptus to cleanse and refresh and added vitamin E to protect and smooth. This is followed by either a detoxifying and cleansing traditional African mud wrap or a rich and hydrating shea butter wrap. Smooth, glowing skin African style! Or try something different with our Tribal Traditions massage, where olive and shea butter is poured all over the body, and massage strokes mimic the beating of African drums.
Ethical Sustainable Tourism
Our dedication to conservation and the community lies at the heart of everything we do. Being a luxury resort with all mod cons we are not ‘eco’ in the traditional sense of the word, but have defined our own ‘eco’ in terms of our focus on the community and the preservation of the pristine environment that we find ourselves in. We are one of only a handful of resorts in Mozambique where the community are major contributors and stakeholders.
Azura is seen by the Mozambican authorities as a model for ethical sustainable community based tourism. We have a firm policy of upliftment at Azura, which means all of our butlers, housekeeping staff, gardeners and so on are Mozambican. Typically they have grown up in disadvantaged communities with poor education, and are being trained by Azura. By staying with us you are helping them to advance their skills.
Please remember they are welcoming you to their home, a country which until recently was amongst the poorest in the world. In return, with your help, we do our best to make their home a better place for them and their families.
Rainbow Fund
Our Rainbow Fund is the first registered charity of its kind in Mozambique. It supports a variety of social and environmental projects large and small, from building a new school, to environmental protection initiatives. We now have some 400 children in education on Benguerra Island, compared with just 40 when we started out. We work alongside the National Park and local communities wherever we can and have a dedicated environmentalist and community officer at Azura.
We will add $10 a night to your stay towards our Rainbow Fund. It’s not compulsory, but we hope that you will want to be part of helping preserve what you will have discovered during your stay at Azura.