Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort

We took a helicopter from Vilanculas to Bazaruta island, so felt like complete rockstars from the start. Achingly beautiful scenery. We loved our island hideaway and all staff were warm and welcoming. Beautiful fruit basket and bottle of wine welcomed us. Sunset cocktails on the beach are a must. My birthday dinner was very memorable - special table on the beach, amazing seafood buffet, birthday singing and cake to end the magical evening. Another highlight was scuba diving 2 Mile Reef with divemaster Juma - dolphins, turtles, shark and the most beautiful tropical fish. Plus a stop on Pansy Island to look for shells! Finished by the best lunch - prawns and snapper! Fabulous evening entertainment at the club, with a Greek themed buffet rounded off another amazing day in paradise. Thanks again to Haylee at Barefoot Breaks for everything! You made our trip the best!!

From our initial check-in to every morning and evening at meal times, the team could not do more for you. Their beautiful, warm smiles and excellent hospitality made you feel like you were staying with a relative / family member. The food was out of this world with the chefs surprising us everyday with their talent - were we blown away by the Mozambique seafood or what. Unbelievable - Those prawns - actually the size of Lobsters were ‘next level’ and sumptuously prepared. I was equally surprised on my birthday with a cake and warm Portuguese singing by the fabulous team which was the icing on the cake for me so thank you , thank you and thank you. We will definitely return. I would add they do need to promote the Spa a bit more as it is somewhat feels like an afterthought when asked about and this is where they could make their money.

The Staff are extremely friendly, welcoming and always ready to assist. The beach club has a wide variety of amenities aswell as a beautiful sunset view of the archipelago that you’ll never forget, accompanied with food like you can’t believe makes Anantara one of the top spots in the archipelago.

We had the most wonderful holiday at Anantara Bazaruto over ten nights in December. What I wanted to do here is provide as honest feedback as possible, because I noticed a few negative reviews which highlighted specific issues. I feel confident that I can address some of them, hopefully to be of assistance to potential visitors. The reason I have given five stars, and why we had such a fantastic time, is because the resort did all the big things perfectly. By 'big things', I mean the parts of the experience which make or break the quality of the deal. To me, the best example is the two-bedroom villa we occupied. I saw some reviews describing the decor of the hotel as shabby. I consider that to be a fair comment. We were chatting to the general manager while waiting to leave, and he mentioned that there's a refurbishment coming soon. That's good news, because it's needed. But the fact of the matter is that our villa was massive, very comfortable, and well cleaned every day. It had several air-conditioning units, which kept the inside ice cold, which was essential in the severe heat of the island. As a result, our stay was very pleasant, and the slight shabbiness of some parts of the resort made no difference to us. Another example is the gym. The treadmill needs servicing and the gym is pretty basic, but it was more than adequate for my needs (I was too chicken to run outside, despite the beauty, because of the humidity). Another negative comment I read said that there's nothing for kids to do at the resort. Of the ten nights we were there, there only seemed to be a functional kids' club for the last three. I couldn't work out whether that was because there were no young kids at the resort for the first part, or whether they only open the kids' club close to Christmas. I should have asked, just out of interest. Either way, everything depends on the age of one's kids. Ours are 12 and 10, and they had the most amazing holiday. They're too old for the type of activities typical of resort kids' clubs and enjoyed swimming in the kids' pool (with a slide), meeting friends (which they did), horseriding and water sports. But, I definitely appreciate that, for people with younger kids, they might find the entertainment more limited. If you have younger kids, I suggest you make detailed enquiries. This is because, for the last few days of our stay, we noticed some younger kids whose parents had hired designated minders, and those kids seemed to be well looked after, and kept pretty busy. If I had to compare rand for rand (or dollar for dollar) with Mauritius, my view is that Anantara Bazaruto offers much better value for money (at least, if you have older kids, because I accept that the kids' clubs at Mauritius Beachcomber resorts (the only ones we've visited) are slicker and better organised for younger kids). The room was MUCH bigger and more comfortable than what the same nightly spend would buy in Mauritius. For my family's tastes, the food was much better too. Here, again, much will depend on preference. On holiday, I'm a massive buffet fan, because I'm greedy and I also like to be in and out quickly so I can get back to relaxing. My wife, on the other hand, hates buffets. Anantara Bazaruto has buffets only some nights, never for lunch, and always for breakfast. Furthermore, at least while we were there, there was more than one ala carte restaurant, but only one opened per night. And I have to admit when the one which we weren't mad about was the only option (which was twice during the whole trip), we were a bit disappointed. Fair warning: when the buffet is on for dinner, the selection is more limited than what you'd get in a Mauritian Beachcomber resort (for example). But, in my family's view, the food quality was much better than Mauritius. Far better use of local flavours, and absolutely exquisite seafood. Most food was part of the all-inclusive package we were on, but for a $24 supplement, one could order lobster for lunch. We had the two biggest lobsters I've ever seen in my life. They were perfectly cooked and the tail meat alone must have been 600g. I have no doubt that an equivalent meal in Cape Town (if one could even find an equivalent) would be comfortably more than $100. I have to admit that there were minor service issues which arose throughout the trip. Most seem to have been attributable to language issues, because I did feel like I was struggling to make myself understood from time to time. The big issue is that one often has to ask for things which should be provided as a matter of course. For example, our tissues weren't replaced, we had to ask for more as a result, and then that slipped through the cracks that night but was swiftly rectified the next day. Because of the language barrier, having to ask for small things quite often can be a bit frustrating, when one is paying a lot for a 5-star vacation (my point being that, if one has to ask for things or make gentle complaints at a hotel in an anglophone country, it is less challenging). However, almost every member of staff we encountered, in every designation, was friendly and eager to please. Whenever we raised the type of minor issues I've been talking about here, we were left with the sense that the employee in question wanted to make our experience as enjoyable as possible. Again, the things which make or break a holiday (check-in, dining, check-out and departure) were done impeccably well. I saw a complaint about the WiFi in one of the reviews. Overall, I was pretty impressed with the speed and coverage. I was able to access WiFi virtually everywhere in the resort. There were times of day when the speed significantly deteriorated, but I was basically satisfied throughout our stay and was able to watch West Wing reruns in the evenings. All in all, I thoroughly recommend Anantara Bazaruto for a top-notch summer holiday. The weather was boiling hot throughout our stay, which was perfect for the beach and pool. The sea in the archipelago is beautiful, clear and very calm, and so perfect for safe swimming and wonderful snorkeling, diving etc. We loved every minute and can't wait to visit Anantara Bazaruto again.

We arrived at Anantara Resort on the helicopter which was an incredible experience. Would definitely recommend this if it is an option. The views were incredible. The hotel staff was friendly when we arrived and escorted us to our room. The walk to the room can be extremely long so if you have a far suite keep that in mind. The room was a bit outdated and had a foul odor throughout our stay. The view from the room is beautiful and being on the beach and being able to watch the sunset is lovely. The food at this hotel is not 5 star quality. We were served inedible food at times. The staff tried to make up for the quality of the food by offering us complimentary food but we did not have an appetite. The breakfast is also not great as the food is left out and not fresh. The drinks are ok but nothing special. I would not recommend doing the complimentary sunset cruise as the boat is extremely old and rocky. The staff was not accommodating on this cruise at all. When leaving the resort keep in mind that you have to walk through water to get to the boat which is an inconvenience. You end up arriving at the airport wet and sandy. Not great accommodations for a 5 star resort. All in all, the hotel is lovely and the views are spectacular. The rooms are a bi outdated as is the lobby. And the staff could have done a much better job making us feel welcomed.