Rediscovering Benguerra's Marlin Lodge...

There is little to compare to being woken at dawn by a cacophony of bird song and seductively lulled to sleep by the gentle lapping of waves! Experience this and much, much more on a bush and beach safari in South Africa and Mozambique.

The world renowned Sabi Sand Reserve in north eastern South Africa, which offers superlative big five game viewing and some of the best safari lodges in the world, is just a two hour flight away from Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago, a stunning paradise comprising of five islands often referred to as the 'crown jewels' of the Indian Ocean! Over the years I have visited the islands of the Archipelago on a number of occasions and the sense of anticipation and excitement I experience as the plane slowly makes its descent over Vilanculos never diminishes. The sight of gently waving palm trees, the colourful, coastal town of Vilanculos and the warm azure waters of the Indian Ocean are Africa at its most seductive.

I have been lucky enough to stay at all the lodges on both Bazaruto and Benguerra islands with the exception of Marlin Lodge, where I have made a couple of fleeting visits. For a number of reasons I was never a huge Marlin fan and I made a comment to this effect at Indaba (southern Africas premier tourism show). The astute Marlin marketing team took up the challenge and invited me and some other tour operating colleagues up to Marlin for a weekend. Without doing anything special for us, other than pack in five days of activities into two days, I have been won over and from now on I go out of my way to recommend Marlin Lodge.

Ultimately Marlin Lodge offers pretty much the same activities as the other island resorts i.e. spectacular diving and snorkelling, world class deep sea fishing, romantic picnics and sunset dhow cruises, an island drive which includes a visit to a school and fresh water lakes that are home to a population of crocs and galloping along endless miles of white sand beach on horseback. A variety of non-motorised water sports and a sprint (or amble) up the dunes will appeal to the more active guests. If you want to relax on your veranda and do absolutely nothing other than indulge in a relaxing spa treatment that's up to you!

There is no doubt Marlin has a special 'something' that makes it a perfect honeymoon destination and at the same time it's also ideal for families. The team at Marlin is superb - nothing is too much trouble and the fact they have a total 837 years experience between them speaks volumes. Every meal was mouth-wateringly delicious and beautifully presented - just imagine a barbeque with platters of juicy prawns and succulent crayfish, feet in the sand, stars in the sky and a big bonfire for marshmallows afterwards...

At Marlin Lodge the focus is on the guest experience and every effort is made to offer unique experiences. Activities are flexible and depending on the length of stay, a number of long stay value-add extras are included. A honeymoon package and a pay 3 stay 4 night special are available throughout 2012 (packages are not combinable).

Add to all of this the fact that Marlin Lodge recently became a Patron Supporter of the Endangered Wildlife Trust. This is exciting news as the EWT will soon be launching their Dugong Emergency Protection project from the forthcoming guest and community Interactive Environmental Centre (exclusively) based at Marlin Lodge. EWT's Dugong Project manager will be hosted as an in-house conservation expert to inform and educate guests about the surrounding marine environment, and the resident Endangered Dugongs.

Click here for more on Marlin Lodge or contact us for great packages and ideas to unlock the beauty of Mozambique's paradise islands...

Categories: Property Reviews, Beach Escapes, Mozambique

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