I spent a wonderful day in the Paradise that is Zanzibar’s Fumba beach on the post trip to the Overseas Adventure Travel trip Safari Serengeti. The entire trip was wonderful, but our three days on Fumba beach which followed two days in and around Stone Town – and this day in particular – was an absolutely unforgettable day in paradise, and a treasure to remember after a long Safari tour.
Our group on this post trip was following the OAT itinerary by spending the day on a neighboring Island to go snorkeling, scuba diving, and enjoying a picnic lunch of seafood on the beach. None of that sounded appealing to me. But staying at our exquisite beach hotel, relaxing (after three weeks of waking up early for animal sightings), sleeping in late, and getting a massage after I finished watching the monkeys playing outside my beach cabin front door, sounded absolutely delicious. I signed up for the Zanzibar massage for 90 minutes ( and only $100).
Before going for the massage and after enjoying the monkeys outside my double door that overlooked the expanse of the Indian Ocean – my big event of the day – I went for breakfast. I drank my coffee in the outdoor lounge area overlooking the Indian Ocean and near a local baobab tree, and more playful monkeys showed up. One was bouncing around the outdoor seating area clinging to the drapes and literally used my head as a landing pad between one part of the lounge and another! Well, I thought, at least he didn’t spill my coffee. So, I moved to the outdoor breakfast area and ate. Then I found my way to the spa area for my massage.
The spa area was basic. No showers for afterward, no real spa as we know it. But three women provided the massage itself, covering me with Zanzibar spices from head to toe, and gave me a head rub with coconut oil. It turns out they spent two hours in total exfoliating my skin with cinnamon and other spices and engaging my skin with a comfortable and relaxing massage. Deeper massages were also available, but I was in the mood for a relaxing Zanzibar experience.
After they were finished, they told me to wait at least a half hour before taking a shower. I wasn’t sure why. So, I ambled over to a hammock overlooking the ocean that was tied to palm trees, and continued to enjoy my ” busy day.” When I got tired of the hammock, I enjoyed watching the birds flying over the water by laying on the bed that had been placed on the sand. I had never seen a real bed facing the ocean before, so it was an additional treat. Beds are terrific near water. In my cabin with the ocean view, I could hear the waves each of our three nights there, which lulled me to sleep.
After all the stress and strain of the beach, I walked the few steps to the outdoor dining area once more and enjoyed a vegetarian lunch. By then, I realized I had waited long enough for the spices and oils to do whatever their job was, so I went back to my cabin to shower. Coconut oil in the hair is a revelation! My goodness! It’s such a great hair conditioner, I didn’t need to add anything additional to my hair after the shampoo. My hair looked terrific, I felt great, and my hair remained soft for weeks.
After the shower, I went into the hotel gift shop for another forced event: shopping. It was a small but authentic little shop, but it had exactly what I wanted to buy. Many of the sewn and/or quilted products there are useful, quite pretty, serve multiple purposes, are inexpensive, and serve as a wonderful reminder of the magic of Zanzibar. They also make great gifts as well and are produced locally.
After my ” busy” afternoon, I sat in the outdoor lounge again, accessed the internet, made sure to avoid the ever-present monkeys, and waited as my OAT group returned from their outing. As we shared experiences from our day, we took pictures as the sun put on a show for us at sunset amid the palm trees and fishing boats that routinely passed by. Then we enjoyed one of the best dinners we’d eaten in Zanzibar, which also included live music.
So that was it. Another day in Paradise. A place I highly recommend for anyone taking this fantastic trip and looking to rewind at the end.
Travel the World with Passion 