Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort

You come here for an island stay with the practical comforts of a full resort rather than a bare-foot-only outpost. Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort has 44 villas on a private island off Mozambique, with direct beach access, sea views and the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park around you.

The mood is shaped by space, sand and water rather than by a busy resort strip. You can step from your villa towards the beach, settle on a lounger, or retreat indoors to the air conditioning, lounge area and Wi-Fi. The resort's English-language site is aimed at English-speaking guests, although no hotel staff language information is available here.

It suits you if the holiday is meant to revolve around the island itself: meals on site, water-based outings, a spa when your shoulders have had enough, and a room where you can shut the door on the day's salt and sun.

Bazaruto, Mozambique, sits on the island's southern side, around 19 miles from the mainland. The resort is on the seafront, with a private beach of white sand, loungers and parasols, and villas with direct access to the shore.

This is an island location, not a base for wandering between cafés. Bazaruto National Park is around 3.1 miles away, while the nearest mapped mainland restaurants and bars are roughly 18 to 19 miles from the property. In other words, you are choosing the resort's own restaurants and activities for most of your time, rather than planning evenings around outside venues.

Vilankulo Airport is around 22 miles away across the water and mainland connections. Getting there involves a road transfer followed by a boat, or a helicopter flight; the journey is part of the geography here, not a quick airport shuttle across town.

The villas are built for the kind of day when your kit bag, beach clothes and tired legs all need somewhere to land. Each has an indoor lounge and an outdoor veranda, with a seating area, dining area, private entrance and outdoor furniture. Sea views are available, while some villas open directly onto the beach and some have a private plunge pool.

For two, a Beach Villa keeps things straightforward: a private setting, outdoor space and the coast close at hand. If you are travelling as a family or with friends, the two-bedroom villas give you separate sleeping arrangements and two bathrooms, with the Two Bedroom Seaview Pool Villa adding more room, sea views and a private pool. That is the sensible choice when four people need space without turning the evening into a queue for the bathroom.

Air conditioning and a fan help take the edge off a hot, salty day, while a mosquito net is useful island equipment rather than decorative prose. You also have a minibar, tea and coffee facilities, a kettle, bathrobes, slippers and a private bathroom with bath or shower. Room service is available, and daily housekeeping means you do not have to negotiate yesterday's sand before dinner.

The stay is all-inclusive, with three restaurants keeping dinner logistics pleasantly short. Golfinho Restaurant serves themed international buffets, while Clube Naval Restaurant and Bar sits by the pool with views towards the ocean. Tartaruga Restaurant and Grill completes the line-up, giving you another named dining option within the resort.

Breakfast is not limited to one narrow definition of morning food: the choices cover continental, Italian, Full English/Irish, vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free, kosher, Asian and American styles, served buffet-style. That gives you room to be sensible before a morning in the water, or to ignore sensible entirely and make a serious appointment with the full English.

Mozambican culinary culture appears through the Spice Spoons experience. Beach dinners, in-villa dining and cooking classes can also be arranged, while the resort has a bar, a snack bar and minibar facilities in the villas. Special-diet menus are available on request.

Two outdoor pools give you an alternative to the sea when you want a swim without committing to another outing. The private beach has loungers and parasols, so you can read, doze or simply watch the water while your body catches up with the timetable. There is also an Anantara Spa with massages, beauty services, body treatments and a relaxation area, plus a sauna, hot tub and fitness centre with cardio and weight equipment.

For a more active afternoon, the resort can arrange sailing, snorkelling, canoeing, fishing, boat trips and other water sports. Dune boarding, whale watching from July to September and dolphin swimming add a different pace to the usual post-dive choices. On land, you have tennis, mini golf and cycling, with seasonal horse riding also available.

Families have room to spread out too, with a kids' club, indoor and outdoor play areas, a children's playground and a children's pool. You can also book local-culture tours, bike tours, cooking classes and island excursions such as Bazaruto Discovery, Island Adventures, Paradise Island and Pansy Island Cruise.

You reach the resort from Vilankulo Airport by road and boat, or by helicopter. The boat route combines a road transfer in a safari vehicle with a boat crossing and takes roughly 90 to 120 minutes overall; the helicopter journey takes around 15 to 20 minutes. Airport transfers are arranged through the resort, and your arrival time should be sent in advance.

There is no pier or marina for the final water entry and exit. You will need to walk through the water when arriving and departing, so water-resistant shoes and comfortable clothing are worth putting at the top of the packing list rather than discovering their importance at the shoreline.

Check-out is at noon, and luggage storage, concierge service, a tour desk, currency exchange, a 24-hour front desk and express check-in/check-out are available. Wi-Fi is free throughout the resort, cash is not accepted, and a photo ID and payment card are required at check-in. Villas are on the ground floor, and children of all ages are welcome; two-bedroom villas are the practical family option.