Bawe Island
A small Zanzibari island rebuilt as a resort, with the old town twenty minutes away.
Bawe is a small island off Stone Town in Zanzibar, about twenty minutes by boat. It was historically a station on the telegraph line and later a picnic island for day visitors from the mainland; it now carries a single resort and no other operation. Stone Town's proximity is the defining fact — this is not a remote island, and the register records it as such.
Around seventy villas, all with pools, make up the property under the Cocoon Collection. The scale is substantial for an island this size and the architecture is contemporary rather than Swahili vernacular. The reef around it, the dhow crossing and Stone Town's markets and history are what fills a stay.
Twenty minutes from Stone Town. A UNESCO-listed old town within reach of a private island is a combination almost nothing else in this register offers.
Built new on an old island. Bawe's history is long but its buildings are not, and the property should be judged as a recent resort rather than a restoration.
Who it is not for
Bawe is wrong for guests seeking remoteness, since the mainland and its ferry traffic are close. It is wrong for travellers wanting Swahili character in the architecture, which is contemporary. And it is wrong for those who want a small property at seventy villas. And it is wrong for anyone who wants the island to feel old, since the buildings are recent. Those wanting a quiet Zanzibari island should look at Mnemba or Chumbe.
Sources
- Cocoon Collection — around seventy villas, Bawe Island, Zanzibar
- Villa count, opening date and island area unverified. Confirm before publication.
Booking
Private Island Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the island and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
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