The LUXURY Race: Who wins?

Should Zanzibar become like the Maldives? The government says yes. Names of newly planned high-class tourism attractions come up constantly. Three ventures seem to stand the best chance of realization – we have checked in with their creators.

The Burj: World’s tallest timber tower

The highest-priced units were gone first. If you have been dreaming of a lavish penthouse with pool and roof garden on the 20th or 21th floor, high above Zanzibar – too late! At $1.15 million each, they’ve already sold out. But a few beautifully furnished studios (from $152,000), one and two-bedroom apartments, and a little-less posh penthouses at half a million dollars are still available. Launched at the end of 2022 in Muscat, the green super tower, almost 100 metres high – part of eco city Fumba Town at the west coast – is expected to break ground at the beginning of next year, developer CPS announced. More than 50 per cent of 136 apartments have been sold.

Canopy by Hilton is to occupy seven floors with 160 rooms at the bottom. The young, more casual brand is included in Hilton’s 173-million member guest loyalty program, which could bring a substantial new wave of upmarket guests to Fumba and Zanzibar.  Once realised, Burj Zanzibar would be Africa’s first high-rise ever in innovative hybrid timber technology. Any doubts? “We have secured a top international building consortium,” assures CPS CEO Sebastian Dietzold, “we are ready to go.”

Budget: $90 million

Expected completion: 2028

Anantara Zanzibar: Two weeks per year free

The future Anantara Zanzibar is showcasing its terraced lagoon property with a large 3D-model in the departure lounge of Zanzibar’s airport. It’s not clear how many buyers have discovered the luxury project here, but developer Samuel Saba from Dubai – who recently became known through  his Stone Town conservation efforts – said that half of the planned 255 rooms, apartments and villas have been sold to a “surprisingly international crowd from Ireland to Dubai, India to Brazil.” Although construction has just started, he is targeting a 2027 debut. A show unit will be ready this year, he said.  The densely built Anantara luxury units will occupy 12.7 hectares near Mnemba island on the north-east coast of Zanzibar. Prices begin at $350,000 for a suite to $2.5 million for a villa. Investors can bank on high returns and spend two weeks per year for free in their property fully managed as a hotel by Anantara; the resort plans six restaurants and bars.

Anantara, meaning “endless” in Sanskrit, is a selling point in itself. The renowned Asian brand (now under Minor Hotels) with 54 active properties and 18 planned, opened its first resort in Thailand in 2001 and has become a synonym for stylish experiences. The business model: partnering with developers, but once running, the vibe is usually 100% Anantara.

Budget: $170-200 million

Expected opening: 2027

Pamunda Islands: Zip-line from one island to another

On Pamunda, total privacy is the real luxury. A cigar lounge is ready, a desalination plant underway, as are 5,000 square metres solar panels. On Pamunda A and B, connected via a zip-line and a string of water villas, 240 staff will take care of maximum fifty guests on 11 hectares of land. When visiting Pamunda, one can already see the massive concrete pattern of a pool landscape covering an entire island, framed by fortress-like bungalows on the edges. We are standing on top of a three-storey bar tower, below us unfolds the holiday world of the future.

Of all newly planned or supposedly planned super luxury resorts, the Pamunda construction has certainly advanced the most. The Czech investors are owners of another exquisite resort in Zanzibar, the 5-star Tulia, opened in 2015. Lukas Sinogl has taken us in a 10-minute-boatride to the construction site, pointing out that every bag of sand, cement and bricks had to be shipped to the isles in the Menai Bay. “Our biggest challenge was the porousness of the coral here”, Sinogl says; 600,000 tons of coral had to be moved. The reward: 400sqm villas with a private wellness world. Pamunda is part of a private islands deal which is said to have generated $380 million for the Zanzibar government.

Budget: $50 million

Expected opening: 2028