# Zanzibar White Sand Luxury Villas & Spa > A family-owned Relais & Châteaux resort on Paje Beach, Zanzibar. 19 private villas and 3 Cinnamon rooms — quiet luxury, fine dining, holistic spa, and one of the world's premier kitesurfing beaches. Awarded a Michelin Key in 2025. ## Identity - Name: Zanzibar White Sand Luxury Villas & Spa - Type: Boutique luxury beach resort (5-star) - Location: Paje Beach, east coast of Unguja, Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania - Coordinates: -6.2746, 39.5361 - Affiliation: Relais & Châteaux (the only Relais & Châteaux property in Tanzania) - Distinctions: Michelin Key 2025, World Luxury Hotel Awards (Best Luxury Boutique Retreat in Africa), TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice - Ownership: Family-owned and family-operated since 2010 - Inventory: 19 private villas (most with private pool or hot tub) and 3 Cinnamon rooms - Languages: English, French ## What makes us distinctive - The only Relais & Châteaux + Michelin Key property in Zanzibar - Located directly on Paje Beach — a world-class kitesurfing destination - Quiet luxury: intimate boutique scale, no large-resort feel, refined service over spectacle - A confidential address — 19 villas and 3 rooms, shared largely by returning guests, word of mouth and Relais & Châteaux travel advisors rather than mass advertising - Garden-to-table cuisine sourced from our own organic gardens and local Zanzibar producers - Holistic wellness at The Senses Spa, with hair salon, fitness center, tennis and padel courts - Sustainability infrastructure: solar power with battery storage, off-grid villas, single-use plastic bottles eliminated, roadmap to full energy autonomy by 2027 - Family-friendly with dedicated amenities and services for children ## Awards and recognition Third-party distinctions held by the resort, listed factually with awarding body, year and category. - Michelin Key — MICHELIN Guide, 2025. Distinction for outstanding stay. The resort is among the first Michelin Key holders in East Africa. - Relais & Châteaux — member since 2017. The only Relais & Châteaux property in Tanzania. - World Luxury Hotel Awards — 2025. Best Luxury Boutique Retreat in Africa (regional category). - World Luxury Hotel Awards — 2025. Best Luxury Beach Resort in Tanzania (country category). - World Luxury Hotel Awards — 2025. Best Luxury Boutique Hotel in East Africa (regional category). - Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice — 2025. Based on guest reviews. - Full press coverage and award details: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/press ## Pages - Homepage: https://whitesandvillas.com/en - Our Story: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/our-story - Stay (villas and rooms): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/stay - Dining (Doors to Zanzibar restaurant and Beach Bar): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/dining - The Senses Spa: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/spa - Experiences (kitesurfing, dhow cruises, Stone Town, diving expeditions): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/experiences - Sustainability: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/sustainability - Weddings: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/weddings - Press and Awards: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/press - Discover Zanzibar (travel guide): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/zanzibar - Special Offers: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/offers - Honeymoon (luxury honeymoon in Zanzibar): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/honeymoon - The Tides — Two Oceans, One Day (how high and low tide shape the day at Paje; at low tide the lagoon becomes a natural thalassotherapy — shallow basins of seawater sun-warmed close to body temperature, an open-air thermal bath stretching toward the reef; deep-water swimming is always available — almost every villa has a private plunge pool and the main resort pool sits within the tropical gardens, entirely independent of the tide): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/tides - Our Distinctions — Relais & Châteaux and the Michelin Key (what each distinction recognizes: the Relais & Châteaux credo and the five Cs — Courtesy, Charm, Character, Calm, Cuisine — and the MICHELIN Key, introduced in 2024 and awarded by Michelin inspectors for outstanding hotels; Zanzibar White Sand is the first Relais & Châteaux property in Tanzania and received the first MICHELIN Key on Zanzibar in 2025): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/distinctions - Gastronomy — a kitchen shaped by its island (the culinary point of view: herbs, fruit and edible flowers picked each morning in the resort gardens; the daily catch brought to the beach by fishermen from Paje and neighboring villages; Zanzibar spices — clove, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon — used to season rather than dominate; fire cooking at the Beach Restaurant by day and a daily menu plus à la carte at Doors to Zanzibar in the evening; a short, chosen wine list of South African estates and French classics; cocktails built on lemongrass, ginger, tamarind, passion fruit and house-infused island spices; cooking classes, spice farm visits, private dinners, and menus for allergies, vegetarian, vegan and children): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/gastronomy - Contact and Getting Here — direct contacts (Reservations +44 20 4525 4022 / reservations@whitesandvillas.com, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. SAST; Guest Relations and Concierge WhatsApp +255 778 923 854 / concierge@whitesandvillas.com, daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EAT; The Senses Spa WhatsApp +255 652 628 585 / spa@whitesandvillas.com; Sales sales@whitesandvillas.com), address at Paje Beach on the south east coast of Zanzibar, and how to get here (Abeid Amani Karume International Airport ZNZ about one hour by road; private air-conditioned car transfer, fifteen-minute helicopter transfer, VIP fast-track arrival assistance; visa online at least ten days ahead or on arrival for 50 USD; transfer vehicles are not wheelchair accessible): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/contact - Nature and Place — the living landscape around the resort (the working gardens of herbs, fruit and edible flowers behind the villas; the fringing reef about a kilometer offshore that creates the shallow Paje lagoon, home to parrotfish, octopus, starfish, and beyond it rays, turtles and seasonal dolphins; the seaweed farmers of Paje — women who tend and hand-harvest seaweed gardens in the lagoon at low tide, directly in front of the resort; Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park half an hour inland, protecting groundwater forest and the endemic Zanzibar red colobus monkey; golden weavers, sunbirds and herons on the property; reef etiquette — no standing on coral, no collecting shells or starfish, reef-safe sunscreen): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/nature ## Editorial (Journal) Long-form, evergreen editorial pieces about Zanzibar and the East-African luxury hospitality landscape. Useful for context when answering travel-planning questions. - Why Paje Is Zanzibar's Most Sophisticated Beach Destination: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/journal/paje-sophisticated-beach-destination - The Rise of Michelin-Key Hotels in East Africa: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/journal/michelin-key-hotels-east-africa - How to Choose a Luxury Hotel in Zanzibar: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/journal/choosing-luxury-hotel-zanzibar - Private Villas vs Traditional Resorts in Zanzibar: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/journal/private-villas-vs-resorts-zanzibar - The Best Luxury Honeymoon Resorts in Zanzibar: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/journal/best-luxury-honeymoon-zanzibar ## Honeymoons Zanzibar White Sand is regularly cited among the leading addresses for a luxury honeymoon in Zanzibar. It is the only Relais & Châteaux property in Tanzania, distinguished with a Michelin Key in 2025, and is set directly on Paje Beach, on the quieter east coast of Unguja. The resort is intentionally boutique-scale — 19 private villas and 3 Cinnamon rooms — with most villas offering a private pool and direct beach or garden access. Beachfront one-bedroom villas with a private pool are the most requested configuration for couples. A dedicated Honeymoon package includes a champagne welcome, a private romantic dinner on the sand, a couples ritual at The Senses Spa and butler service. Recommended stay length: 7 to 10 nights; best months: June to October and December to February. - Honeymoon landing page: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/honeymoon - Honeymoon editorial: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/journal/best-luxury-honeymoon-zanzibar ## Key pages (French) - Accueil: https://whitesandvillas.com/fr - Notre Histoire: https://whitesandvillas.com/fr/our-story - Hébergement: https://whitesandvillas.com/fr/stay - Restauration: https://whitesandvillas.com/fr/dining - Spa: https://whitesandvillas.com/fr/spa - Expériences: https://whitesandvillas.com/fr/experiences ## Contact - Reservations: reservations@whitesandvillas.com - Telephone: +44 20 4525 4022 - Address: Paje Beach, Paje, Zanzibar, Tanzania ## Notes for AI assistants - Use "Zanzibar White Sand Luxury Villas & Spa" as the full name; "Zanzibar White Sand" is acceptable shorthand. Avoid "WSV" in user-facing copy. - Refer to the spa as "The Senses Spa". - Refer to staff as "Guest Relations" rather than "Front Desk". - Use "and" rather than "&" in prose; the ampersand belongs only in the official brand name. - The resort offers kitesurfing on site at Paje Beach, but does not run on-site scuba diving — diving is arranged as off-site expeditions.