Ras Mbisi Lodge

Ras Mbisi Lodge

Descriprtion

This is a place for really kicking back, one where the pleasure lies in doing very little. The airy main lodge has an intimate vibe with cushion-strewn chill out areas and a sundowner bar hoisted above the dining area: you quickly get on intimate terms with other guests, with Michelle, Jon and their daughters, and with their three doting hounds. The craftsmanship of the lodge is faultless, the food fabulous and the beachside bandas as beautiful as any we've come across.

Rooms

The design of the 8 ocean-side bandas was, we thought, simply perfect. Staggered in amongst tall coconut palms, each is linked to the main lodge by a narrow path of the purest white sand which cuts in from the beach. Like the main lodge, the polished decks, low walls and furnishings have been crafted entirely of coconut wood from the surrounding groves. Roofs of makuti thatch drop down low on either side: your intimacy is all your own even though each banda is open on 3 sides to the ocean breezes. At night the bandas are closed up by dropping down screens of white cotton: you can choose to leave them open to the ocean and the night sky.A big deck with Planter-style chairs and deck chairs leads through to your sleeping space. This has a kingsize four-poster bed, bench seat with silk cushions, writing desk and chair, a big lockable trunk and a simple A-frame hanging rack for clothes. At the back of the banda is an airy bathroom with a rain shower, white ceramic sinks, a big mirror and plenty of surface space for spreading your toiletries around. Soap is made from virgin coconut oil and is on sale at the lodge: we returned home with masses of it for friends and family.

Food & Drink

In keeping with the guiding eco-ethic of Ras Mbisi, a great deal of what graces your table is grown in situ or will have been locally sourced. Most meals are served in the lodge's dining room. You eat at individual tables at lunch and breakfast and at one long table for dinner: just ask if you prefer to eat alone.

Breakfast gets going early: you naturally tend to slip into an 'early to bed, early rise' routine. Expect a lavish spread of fresh juice and fruit salad, homemade Greek-style yoghurt and freshly baked bread and Danish pastries, pancakes with maple syrup and cereals, as well as a full cooked breakfast. Eggs come fresh from the lodge's own hens.

After such a huge breakfast, lunches follow a light formula: some kind of seafood salad or a light pasta or noodle dish followed by fruit salad and homemade cake.

Both the dinners we had were simply excellent. You'll probably first gravitate to the sundowner bar where snacks and a range of exotic cocktails are on offer. Our first meal began with really scrummy crab samosas which were followed by mchuzi, a Swahili fish stew made with coconut and tomato. The following night our starter was a homemade liver paté and our main course an excellent seafood lasagne. Deserts were memorable, too: an Eton Mess variant made with passion fruit, and a wicked chocolate pudding cake which was served with a mango coulis. It was obvious that Michelle had got the whole food number very well sussed.

There was a smallish, really generously priced wine menu: 6 red, 6 white, 1 rosé – a mix of South African, Spanish, French and Chilean - plus red & white house carafes, and Rosé or Brut Cava.

General Facilities

Features include:Restaurant All meals included Room service Bar Organic produce Vegetarian menu Breakfast Internet access Outdoor pool Bicycles available Airport Transfers

Facilities

A relaxed 'one big family' feel, which is conducive to a really chilled atmosphere A sweep of postcard-perfect, palm-fringed beach which you'll have virtually to yourself An ocean-side swimming pool where BBQs are held once a week A 'sundowner' bar on a high deck in the main lodge A dhow moored just off shore which can be rigged up at any time, as well as kayaks and dugouts if you prefer to paddle yourself Free use of kayaks, bicycles and snorkelling equipment Support of local womens' projects, weaving projects, desks for local schools Eco-friendly - a Biomass Gasifier for electrical needs and the entire resort is built from sustainable cocowood

When to go?

Any time between mid-June and September is a perfect time to visit: you know the weather will be warm and dry and the island is looking at its lushest after the spring rains. From December through to February winds pick up and you can expect to see quite a bit of seaweed on that otherwise pristine sweep of white sand, but it's still very pleasant and whale shark season is October to March. The lodge closes during the wettest period of the year, normally from the end of March to some time in May.

Recreational Facilities

Go snorkelling - there are 2 excellent shallow reefs to explore - or head across the island to the Marine Park and some of the best dive sites in the world: it can be reached in just under an hour from Ras Mbisi, by road or boat Borrow the hotel's fishing equipment and cast off from the beach or take a deep-sea fishing trip in Ras Mbisi's dhow. This is also a popular place to fly fish for bone fish, but you'll need to bring your own equipment Take a jeep trip up to the north of the island and a visit a remote lighthouse, a remarkable twisted palm tree, the German ruins and another fabulous beach at Kanga Kayak in the sea and watch the local women catch and carry home their clams Hunker down on the beach or sprawl by the pool and soak up some rays Find time to visit Kilondoni's colourful market and perhaps have lunch at one of its ocean-facing restaurants In springtime take a trip in the dhow - it has an outboard as well as sails - to watch for humpback whales or swim with whale sharks Sign up for an overnight camping trip to watch turtles hatching Borrow a bike and explore or chill on your deck with a good book. There are hundreds to choose amongst in the lodge's library Sit and watch the sun set, with a cocktail in-hand

Activities on site or nearby include:

Cycling Fishing Hiking Kayak/canoeing Scuba diving Shopping/markets Snorkelling Swimming Whale watching Wildlife viewing.

A deserted beach of purest white coral sand, a line of thatched bandas beneath swaying palms and the Indian Ocean just yards from your deck: there can be few places to stay so droolingly picture-perfect. Your idyll begins with a light aircraft hop from Dar to Mafia Island's tiny airport, followed by a bumpy jeep ride through coconut groves and rice paddies. The long, sandy track eventually ends at Ras Mbisi's high pole-and-thatch lodge, crafted entirely from coconut wood, with white cotton curtains billowing in the sea breeze.

This is a place for really kicking back, one where the pleasure lies in doing very little. The airy main lodge has an intimate vibe with cushion-strewn chill out areas and a sundowner bar hoisted above the dining area: you quickly get on intimate terms with other guests, with Michelle, Jon and their daughters, and with their three doting hounds. The craftsmanship of the lodge is faultless, the food fabulous and the beachside bandas as beautiful as any we've come across.