ABOUT Zuri Zanzibar

OWNER’S INTRODUCTION

“ZURI” MEANS “BEAUTIFUL” IN SWAHILI, WHICH IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE ISLAND OF ZANZIBAR. AND THAT IS PRECISELY THE FEELING WE WANT YOU TO EXPERIENCE IN OUR 12 HECTARE MICRO-UNIVERSE. WHEN THINKING HOW BEST TO EVOKE THE BEAUTY OF ZURI TO YOU SENSUALLY, WE FOCUSED METICULOUSLY ON THREE MAIN AREAS:

THE BEACH was the reason why I bought the land many years ago. Unlike most Zanzibar beaches where one must walk 500m to swim at low tide, our beach, settled in the large lagoon, is always perfect. I have travelled the world and stayed in the most exclusive sea-front properties, but I still consider Zuri’s beach as one of the best on Earth. It is not just the white sand and the incredible color of the turquoise Indian Ocean, but also the local way of life, which is so cheerful and optimistic. When you see the dhows (the traditional wooden sailing boats) at a distance during the spectacular sunsets, you do not need to practice mindfulness or meditation training to enjoy the present moment and understand the power of now.

THE HOTEL is not made up of rooms; just villas, and bungalows. Each separated from one another to attain absolute privacy, and all of them outfitted with outdoor showers and large terraces. The size of our plot could easily accommodate twice as many houses, but we decided to build only 56 of them. Nestled on a west-facing slope, most of the units enjoy direct sea-views. And our ceilings reach for the sky: African-style roofing delivers a breathtaking cathedral-like feeling over your bed and cannot be compared to anything you would find in busy Western cities. On the other hand, being so far away from civilization, we did not want to compromise the quality of your connection with the rest of the world, which is why we have built our own dedicated fast internet line to the mainland – the only hotel in Zanzibar to date!

THE GARDEN is the icing on the cake. I do not mean the private spice garden covering a quarter of our land – the only one of its kind in the area. I mean that Zuri itself IS the garden. All the villas and bungalows are just part of an enormous tropical park which you can enjoy by walking through and investigating. Hundreds of gardeners and landscape designers needed more than two years to select all the trees and flowers, in which you can bask. The result is an enormous tribute to the pinnacle of Zanzibar and its rich historical legacy.

Today, when more and more things tend to feel and taste the same, it is not an overstatement to say that Zanzibar is different. Located just on the Equator, the colours are more intense, more saturated, more vibrant. And, for some reason, the time runs differently as well! In this environment, it is so easy to forget our daily routines, to rouse our dormant imagination, and to perceive life from a new angle. Stop “doing” and start “being”. Because, ultimately, – we are human beings, not human doings! And it all began in Africa 🙂

I wish you many Zuri moments.

Vaclav Dejcmar

Made by Originals @ DesignHotels

EARTHCHECK GOLD CERTIFICATION

Zuri Zanzibar has been recognized as the first hotel in the world to be awarded by the EarthCheck’s Sustainable Design Gold Certification. The award reflects the resort unwavering commitment to sustainability, by making positive changes to reduce the environmental footprint and improve social impact.

EARTHCHECK is the world’s leading environmental benchmarking and certification programme designed specifically for the travel and tourism industry, having over 1,500 clients in 70 countries. The EarthCheck programme is built on Agenda 21 principles, monitoring projects in key areas such as sustainability approach, energy, water and waste planning, social, cultural and economic wellbeing, and innovation.

SUSTAINABLE OPERATION

Sustainability is an integral part of our operation and we make conscious decisions to meet the needs of our guests whilst also considering their impact on the surroundings. Our sustainable solutions include:

Using our own wells, desalination and treatment plant to provide fresh water, ozone technology and UV lamps in order to reduce the amount of chemicals in the pool, re-using water for irrigation, and computer monitoring to manage water consumption
Making fresh Zuri drinking water without using local village water sources. The water is mineralized by the BWT Aqua Mondo magnesium technologies that supports immunity and increases energy levels. Natural drinking straws and glass water bottles reduces the usage of plastics
The EVENING BREEZE cooling system in the guestrooms uses only 25% of the energy used by standard air-conditioning
Buying local products and entering into partnerships for product development; for example, our guest amenities come from the MWANI ZANZIBAR, decorative items and lights from CHAKO and many of the products in our shop from Tanzanian NGOs and small, local producers
The community involvement programme ‘ZURI GIVING’ started in 2015, three years before the opening.
Learn more about our initiatives in MINDFUL EXPERIENCE BROCHURE

COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN

Zuri Zanzibar is the only DESIGN HOTELS‘ member in Zanzibar and it is spreading the Design Hotels‘ vision to create an unrivaled global community for design, architecture and culture, and to become a source of original hospitality experience.

From the very beginning, conscious choices were made to minimize the impact of the construction of the resort. On that basis, sustainable architecture and environmental design principles were followed in order to preserve the landscape and cultural heritage of Zanzibar.

Zuri Zanzibar was designed by the award-winning architects JESTICO+WHILES, with a brief that they respect Zanzibar’s culture, climate and geography through the use of locally available materials, the organisation of space, and strong references to the island’s heritage and craftsmanship. They have elegantly combined 21st century tourism requirements with environmentally friendly architecture and an authentic African atmosphere.

SUPPLIERS BEHIND THE ZURI STORY …

The first landscape project for the greenery of Zuri Zanzibar was designed by FLERA and Jana Pyskova, and realised by ALENA STASTNA. Hundreds of local plants and trees were planted around the plot, and a large area was left for a Spice Garden.

TECHO was the general supplier of interior furnishing, lighting, and also part of the sanitary facilities and accessories. Techo managed the worldwide delivery logistics and installation directly on site.

Czech fashion designer DENISA NOVA designed the reception, F&B and wellness as well as sourcing the fabrics and manufacturing the garments.

The author behind the iconic Bahari Bar desk with ecological motives is DAVID CERNY, one of the most famous, controversial and provocative Czech artists.

The creator of the Zuri library with over 250 books about Zanzibar, East Africa and a collection of the greatest classics of all time is the ULTIMATE LIBRARY from the UK. It also offers more than 500 DVDs for rainy days.

The MUSIC CONCIERGE team developed an “Afro-Arabesque-Eurocentric“ soundscape that was designed to stimulate the senses without distracting the mind – a soundtrack that guests can lose themselves in. Seven bespoke music channels were developed for different areas of the resort, with pace and tempo matched to the time of day and the activity performed there.