Six star luxury in southern Mozambique

Opening October 2007, Azura offers a completely new level of luxury on the unique and incomparable Benguerra Island, within the Bazaruto National Park. A luxury eco-boutique retreat, Azura offers miles of pure white sand, tranquil turquoise seas, swaying palms, endless sunshine and star-studded nights.

Exquisitely designed villas, private pools, superb cuisine, a feature African spa, watersports centre and unsurpassed levels of service that pander to your every need - Azura is all about you.

Azura has blended modern designer chic with all that is traditional in Mozambique. This includes beautifully carved beams, polished wooden floors and traditional artwork faultlessly finished off with the creature comforts of a five star boutique hotel - pure indulgence in an incredible setting.

The accommodation comprises of 14 luxurious beach villas and one stylish two-bedroomed Presidential villa with large private pool, sitting and dining area and Jacuzzi.

Every spacious villa is just a stones throw from the beach and features air conditioning, private butler service, double outdoor showers, huge bath, outdoor Sala for lazy afternoons, private sundeck for tanning beneath the palms and a sparkling infinity or plunge pool for cooling off. Nestled amidst the indigenous trees and bushes, each villa offers you your own private sanctuary for the ultimate in relaxation.

A key focus and one of the highlights of Azura Mozambique is the cuisine. The main fine dining restaurant offers magnificent uninterrupted views out to sea. Our top international chef combines the freshest local ingredients (largely freshly caught seafood delicacies such as prawns, crab and crayfish) with contemporary style and flair.

The array of irresistible signature dishes will not disappoint, and nor will the accompanying fine wines, including those flown in from the owners chateau in France’s Loire Valley.

The Gecko Deck on the beach offers you a more informal ‘foot in the sand’ dining experience perfect for lunches. Alternatively, you may choose for one of our staff to drop you off at a secluded spot where you can enjoy a freshly prepared picnic, dine by candlelight on the beach beneath the stars or feast in the comfort and intimacy of your own private villa.

All of Azura Mozambique’s public areas including the library, feature Star Bar, Trading Store and Ocean Seas Museum are open to the beach and sea with amazing vistas across the calm blue waters of the Indian Ocean. Furnished with cool designer contemporary cottons and textures of Africa they are open to the breezes, in harmony with nature. Comfortable, simple, spacious and chic, you may want to find a quiet corner to read a book, sip a cocktail at the Dhow beach bar or snack on the complimentary fresh sushi daily at the Star Bar.

If you desire some extra pampering then you need look no further than the unique African spa. Situated on a huge sand dune behind the lodge and overlooking the calm waters below the luxurious spa offers signature treatments based on local ingredients and traditions.

You may opt for being rubbed down with ground coconut shells or diamond dust, covered head to toe with tamarind and aloe, or gently massaged with warm marula oil. The spa is the perfect place for you to relax and wile away the hours, where nothing is hurried, giving you the time to take in the aromas, sounds and sights that surround you.

Activities at Azura Mozambique focus around the alluring ocean and our team of experts are here to show you some of the best snorkelling, scuba diving, salt water fly fishing and big game fishing in the world - all on your doorstep. You can also learn to sail on Azura’s traditional 40ft dhow, cruise to deserted beaches, swim with dolphins that regularly visit the beach, or track down hump back whales on their migration.

Azura is an eco lodge and one of only a handful of resorts where the community are major stakeholders and contribute to every aspect of the project - community lies at the heart of everything we do.

We have set up the Rainbow Fund to support a variety of social and environmental projects, which include building the island’s only school, with accommodation for its teachers, and forming the Dugong Protection Foundation, which protects Africa’s last viable population of this elusive mammal.

You are invited for a hands-on experience during your stay by visiting and learning about the school projects and going out with the Dugong protection team to search for the shy endangered mammal.

Azura Mozambique allows you the freedom to do as much as you like or nothing at all. Laze in the sun or walk the miles of beach, gaze at the dunes or climb them, swim with dolphins or learn about them, watch the dhows sail by or see the sun set from one, fish for big game or help the fishermen by eating their catch, feel part of the environment or help us save it. How you spend your time is your choice, but above all relax.

For more information, visit Azura-retreats.com.