Sussurro

“This off-grid, solar-powered escape on the Mozambique coast is the epitome of barefoot luxury with a strong sustainability game. Sussurro has been a labour of love for owners Adam Humphreys and Sarah Birkett. Rather than rustic, the overall effect is one of sophisticated African minimalism, in sync with the sybaritic rhythm of life on the white-sand shores of the Nhamabue peninsula north of Vilanculos. Design details to love in the six private bungalows – each with an outdoor bath – include woven baskets, thrownearth pots and chairs crafted on site. Many of the staff helped build the breezy, light-filled lodge in the local architectural vernacular using natural materials, such as palm fronds. Today, they are proudly serving wild granadilla martinis to guests at the saltwater lap pool and preparing the day’s catch in the open kitchen. It all feels like the east African coast as it once was: authentic, unhurried and unspoilt. Sussurro, along with Bazaruto Island, falls within a 1,425-square-kilometre marine protected area. Intact coral reefs and tropical fish are there to admire underwater, often without having to share the dive site with anyone else. The lagoon forms part of a key migratory route for one of the Indian Ocean’s last remaining populations of dugong (a cousin of the manatee) and deeper waters provide sanctuary for whales and turtles.”