# 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 organic herb and vegetable garden and from local Zanzibar farmers and producers - Holistic wellness at The Senses Spa, with hair salon, fitness center, tennis and padel courts - Sustainability infrastructure: solar power with battery storage across all villas and rooms, 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 - Private Events (weddings, corporate retreats, private celebrations and exclusive resort buy-outs; 19 private villas and 3 Cinnamon rooms, up to 68 guests at standard occupancy; venues, formats, indicative buy-out rates, FAQs and an enquiry form): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/private-events - Private Events — Weddings and celebrations (ceremony and reception venues, wedding formats from an intimate ceremony for two to a full resort privatization, planning journey, sample program and investment guidance): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/private-events/weddings - Private Events — Corporate retreats and incentives (accommodation planner for teams, meeting settings, dining, experiences, sample retreat program and exclusive-use options): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/private-events/corporate - Document Updates (current version and last-updated date for every downloadable PDF, with a changelog; each document keeps one permanent link that always serves the latest edition): https://whitesandvillas.com/en/document-updates - 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 - Our Gardens — the four hectares of garden at the resort, with a short illustrated garden book on the plants and trees of the resort's four hectares of garden (cinnamon, papaya, coconut palm, baobab, banyan, walking palm and more, with botanical names and their uses in Zanzibar); over twenty thousand plants including around one hundred palms and ten baobabs, grown on in the resort nursery; gardeners lead a complimentary garden walk: https://whitesandvillas.com/en/gardens ## 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.