I stayed in a tiny, adults-only beach villa off the coast of Africa that runs nearly $1,000 per night, and it was the closest thing I've ever found to an ideal honeymoon destination

Harrison Jacobs

March 14, 2019 3:52 PM

Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider

Kilindi is on Zanzibar, an archipelago off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean better known as the "Spice Islands." For hundreds of years, Zanzibar was at the center of the spice trade, where it was a leading producer of nutmeg, cloves, saffron, cinnamon, and vanilla. These days, Zanzibar is better known as a tropical vacation spot.

I recently stayed at a boutique hote l called Kilindi on a trip to Zanzibar .
It was designed as a getaway for a member of the 1980s pop group ABBA, but has since been turned into a luxurious eco-friendly beach getaway that costs around $1,000 a night including meals, drinks, and activities.
While I had never heard of Kilindi before, I found that it might be the most perfect romantic getaway hotel I've ever seen. Each guest stays in a private villa overlooking the beach with its own pool, can dine on excellent food anywhere in the hotel (including your villa), and has a private butler who makes sure your stay is exactly what you want it to be.

I've always wondered what it would like to live inside the dreamworld of one of the stars from ABBA, the Swedish pop group megapopular in the 1980s that eventually inspired the hit musical Mamma Mia.

Okay, you caught me. I've never wondered that. But after spending a few nights inside the beachside villas designed for Benny Andersson, one of ABBA's members and now a film composer, I can say I dream about it now. The man had impeccable taste.

Located on Zanzibar, a stunning archipelago off the coast of Africa, Elewana Kilindi Zanzibar opened to swanky travelers in 2009 with the idea of turning the all-inclusive beach vacation on its head.

Each guest stays in one of 15 eco-friendly villas that combine Swedish minimalism with Arabic architectural shapes. Meals are served up from a daily menu by German-Italian chef Lucas Wollman featuring local seafood and flavors inspired by Zanzibar's history of African, Arabic, Asian, and island influences. Each guest gets his or her own butler, who is on call at all times. The entire 50-acre property is made up into a lush tropical garden and sits on top of clear turquoise waters where locals still work to harvest seaweed.

For those looking for the beach honeymoon destination of their dreams, look no further. I think I've found the platonic ideal, so long as you can afford the approximately $1,000 a night it costs to stay there.

Keep reading to see what it was like:

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