Lazy Lagoon

Rooms

The 12 bandas stretch north along the beach, away from the main lodge. Each has been pushed back into the coastal bush a discreet distance from the next, so when you gaze out from your deck it feels as if the beach is all your own. They are open to the elements on all sides yet your intimacy is guaranteed thanks to the low-drop makuti thatch roofs which give the stilted, post-and-thatch huts a distinctly South Sea guise.

Each banda is large enough to comfortably sleep a family of 4+. On the main deck are 2 mozzie-netted, ornate Zanzibar-style double beds, plus extra mattresses can be added to the mezzanine platforms that are slotted high beneath the thatch: kids would just love it. Each banda has a small sofa and low table, simple wooden shelving for your clothes, a safety box and eye-catching bedside tables made from dug-out canoes.

Out on the deck there’s a hammock and 2 deckchairs and at the foot of the steps leading down to the beach is a jug of water for rinsing off the sand when you return.

Bathrooms are similarly light and airy and come with double sinks, toilets and showers concealed behind wooden divisions. You’re provided with beach and bath towels, mozzie repellent and the standard range of Foxes’ toiletries which are all locally sourced. Expect to have electricity for about 12 hours a day when the camp generator is running. Any clothes deposited in your woven laundry basket in the morning will be returned washed and pressed by the evening, a complimentary service provided at every Foxes’ lodge.

Features include:

• Safe box

Eating

A highlight of our trip to Tanzania was eating dinner on the lodge’s sweep of coral-white sand. With the Indian Ocean lapping just yards from our table, the moonlight dancing on the waves and the lights of the coast twinkling in the distance, the setting couldn’t have been more romantic.

Our meal was a match for the setting. Fish is a mainstay of Lazy’s cuisine and is bought daily from the passing dhows which ply to and fro across the channel. After an entrée of spicy crab cakes we feasted on red snapper in a creamy coconut and coriander sauce with cumin-flavoured rice accompanied, as at all Foxes’ lodges, by masses of fresh vegetables. A rich chocolate mousse, scrummy South African wine and crabs scuttling across the sand helped make this an unforgettable experience.

Our other meals were also perfectly orchestrated events. Tea or coffee is brought along to your banda first thing before you wander along the beach to breakfast. Expect fresh fruit salad accompanied by the Foxes’ flagship cinnamon bread and any variant you should like of a cooked breakfast. Fish was also on offer at lunch, as well as lamb, pasta, potato croquettes and several different salads. We couldn’t find fault with any of our meals at Lazy Lagoon and could hardly blame the Foxes if we ate far too much!

Features include:

• All meals included
• Bar
• Kids' meals
• Restaurant

Activities

• Take a day trip to Bagamoyo, one of Tanzania’s 7 World Heritage sites, to visit the old town centre, the slave quarters and the amazing fish market
  
• Walk or jog along the beach. Keep your eyes peeled for stunningly bright starfish on the rocks
  
• Kayak, swim or snorkel out from the beach. The kayaks are free to borrow, as is the snorkelling equipment, and if you're lucky you'll see a range of great marine life, including lionfish
  
• Borrow a windsurfer or go sailing in one of the hotel's Lasers
  
• Play volleyball on the beach or shoot a game of pool in the lodge
  
• Sail out on one of the lodge’s dhows to fish for red snapper at sunset
  
• Swim in the pool then laze in your hammock and watch the dhows returning to the lagoon as the sun sets

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Fishing
• Historical sites
• Kayaking
• Sailing
• Snorkelling
• Swimming
• Windsurfing

Kids

Children are welcome at the lodge, (the owners and managers have long promoted family safari trips in Tanzania), and Lazy is clearly a place that sees them as part of the picture rather than an inconvenience. Kids would get great measure out of the relaxed vibe that permeates the lodge.

Unusually Lazy Lagoon offers swimming at all tides, and there's 9km of uninterrupted beaches with no-one else to share it with – superb for back-to-nature families looking for a barefoot holiday.

Children between the ages of 1-12 are charged at half price when sharing with 2 adults.

Best for:

Toddlers (1-4 years), Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

Every room has an upstairs bedroom for children (kids love sleeping on this mezzanine floor), with the master bedroom on the ground floor

Extra Beds Available

Distances:

• Airport: 90 minutes (Dar) + 15 minute boat trip to island

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Lazy Lagoon is set on a small peninsula in southern Tanzania, offshore from mainland Bagamoyo. It's a couple of hours north of Dar es Sala’am.

Getting There
This hotel can be booked as part of a safari package (see below) or independently.

To book this as part of a package, we suggest you try our recommended Tailormade Safari Operator, whose itineraries include a stay at Lazy Lagoon. Unlike some of the more remote camps, you don't need to charter a whole plane to get here but can book individual seats as part of your package, thanks to Foxes 'Safari AirLink' initiative.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Tanzania and getting around