Upendo Beach Zanzibar

Zanzibar has long been a meeting place for cultures from all over the world, where Swahili, Arabic, and English are all spoken in an official capacity. But even by local standards, hotelier Trish Danak has been on a journey — born in Kenya to Indian parents, educated in England, she eventually fell in love with this island and turned a plot of land on its east coast into Upendo Beach, as bright and breezy a boutique hotel as you could ever hope to find.

The scale is small, fitting a handmade labor of love — the one-bedroom villas are self-contained, complete with plunge pools, while the others can be subdivided into double rooms or booked in their entirety (one contains an impressive five bedrooms). The style combines hand-crafted authenticity with a contemporary color sense, and the comforts balance low-tech ease with just a touch of modern luxury.

An infinity pool serves as the daytime heart of the hotel, and mobile spa treatments are available; the View, meanwhile, is Upendo Beach’s restaurant, serving a globe-spanning fusion cuisine that incorporates Swahili, Indian, Thai, and even Japanese elements. And while you’ll be tempted to spend your days lounging by the pool, the hotel’s excursions include some unmissable options, from snorkeling and diving to dolphin swims and hiking in the Jozani Forest national park.