The island of Zanzibar is blessed with a beautiful coast. Clear waters in changing shades of blue. Aquamarine, turquoise, azure. With the softest, cleanest, whitest of sands, the equivalent of powder snow on the pristine slopes of the Swiss Alps. Nestling amid coconut trees on one such beach strip in the Kiwenga area is the Bluebay Beach Resort. This four-and-a-half-year-old property is the labour of love of Andrew Smith, English but born in Kenya. Andrew went to school in England, did his MBA from Cornell University, USA, and returned home at 24 to throw himself in what he did best : hoteliering. Following his father, a successful Mombassa hotelier.

Bluebay is a soothing kind of a place. With rooms in different categories like garden and beach, it offers an idyllic setting for soaking up the sun. Swimming in its fresh water pool with a separate jaccuzzi, or if you prefer, just step out of the resort and directly into the sea just a few metres away. It�s safe swimming in a calm ocean under blue skies and the watchful eyes of the alert and agile Masai man who forms part of the security system of the Resort. On the other hand you could indulge in a wide variety of water sports all protected by a spectacular coral reef.

Anywhere in Zanzibar is good enough to go diving or fishing. The island is connected to the African continent by a shallowly-submerged shelf, just 100 to 200 feet below the surface, and thus considered an extension of the mainland. It�s around the Pemba Island that depths surpass 3,000 feet. But it�s the eastern shores of the two islands that look alike and it is the coral reefs that protect their coasts from the erosive effects of the strong ocean currents that batter the islands.

However, off Kiwenga, which has a charming fishing village alongside all the posh hotels and resorts making for a remarkable contrast, there are many reefs that could be explored. In addition the marine life is also very rich. Colourful tropical fish are easily seen while encounters with larger fish such as Groupers, Barracudas, Sharks, Rays and Mantas, also Turtles, Dolphins and even Whales are possible. No wonder then that people from all over the world come to fish, scuba dive or snorkel here.

The Bluebay has a 5-star PADI dive centre that you could avail of. But if sea life is not your cuppa� tea you could simply play tennis at their floodlit courts or table tennis or even snooker. Or simply laze under the net canopy of your large four-poster bed in the privacy of the charming thatched roof cottage and watch TV.

Food at the Bluebay is a high point, a gastronomic delight. The Makuti Restaurant serves lavish breakfasts with an array of freshly squeezed juices, even sugarcane if you please. The attentive chefs quickly making eggs your preferred way. The tables are laden with a variety of seafood delicacies, or if it�s too much effort to leave your perch by the bay, you can order light snacks a la carte at the beach bar resto in an informal toes-in-the-sand environment. Dinner you smell a mile away. It�s spicy BBQs by the side of a happy blue-lit pool, in addition of course to a large buffet you can choose and pick from.

My favourite pasttime at Bluebay though was to have the longest shower of my life. The bathrooms in this place are sensible. Not cramped, and with individual areas for shower, bath (with louvered windows opening onto the bed, perfect for bedroom conversations), twin basins and the loo with a separate door. And in addition to all this, a glass door that led from the bath area to a courtyard with an open-to-sky bathroom. Here is where I was croaking away to glory! But if you have been fortunate enough to have booked one of the Sultan Suites, it gets better.

You need to do nothing � everything comes to you. These suites are located right on the seafront, with their own private beach in front of the verandah. Each room is furnished with antiques typical of Zanzibar, creating the ambience of a sultan�s palace. Where, besides having huge opulent sunbeds on large verandahs, you also have an enormous bath for two! But then I thought sultans had the penchant for a 100 concubines. What did that sultan do? Well he built three baths, like large swimming tanks. This is not a joke. I, in fact, went and checked it out.

Called the Maruhubi Palace, it was built in 1882 for Sultan Barghash (sultan from 1870 to1888), he reputedly kept 100 women here: one official wife and 99 concubines. Built of coral stone and wood, it was ornate but unfortunately it burned down in 1899. Today all that remains are some great pillars and the Persian style bath-house. The three separate bathrooms for the women can still be seen, though the original water tanks are overgrown with lilies! My intelligence was put to test by a senior government official about the logistics of bath allotment to the women.

�Simple�, I said, �33:33:34�. �Wrong. It�s 33:33:33, one woman was always by the sultan�s side,� was the rejoinder. Verrry funny!

Bluebay Beach Resort Website: www.bluebayzanzibar.com