Located off the coast of Mozambique, Vamizi Island’s beaches have some of the best sand in the world: so fine it squeaks like icing sugar as you walk on it, so pale and clean that kicking off your shoes is second nature. It’s as if we sift the beach every morning - the only litter you’re likely to see is shells and coral.

What makes it all the more amazing is that you hardly share the shores with anyone (a few other lodge guests and some turtles, perhaps). Then combine this with the fact that Vamizi Island is springboard for some of the best diving, fishing and beach life in the world.

Crusoe invented castaway chic, but Vamizi Island Lodge defines it, with thirteen impossibly romantic timber villas strung loosely along one of the world's most beautiful beaches. Simply grand or grandly simple - this lodge isn't about the usual five star luxury and all mod cons, it's about the more rarified pleasures of exclusive island life, while remaining utterly child-friendly.

It's hard to compete with the perfect desert island, so we don't. We just take what comes on the breeze, and mould it into a more civilized form.

A slender coral island just off Mozambique's remote northern coast, Vamizi Island is part of the Quirimbas Archipelago, sometimes called the new Maldives.

Exclusivity is one of Vamizi Island's greatest assets and, as the only lodge on the island, it has the space to spread wide, so each villa amply commands its own part of the beach.

Thirteen villas - one or two bedroomed - are right on the shoreline, all with to-die-for views of the ocean.

Both airy and generous - with over 170 square metres of timbered floor to pad about on, they have plenty of space for spreading beds, sofas, a marble shower and vanity area and outside, a sun deck.

Vamizi Island is not about the ordinary five star stuff, so don't expect TVs or air conditioning - it's all about barefoot relaxation and rooms as open as they can be, to catch the natural breezes.

That said, if you can't drag yourself away from your villa, there's a mini-bar and the means for a deluxe cup of tea or coffee – as well as private dinners in the room on request.

Beyond that, we just leave you alone, in the peace of your own private paradise.

Decking a distinctively island table, we serve surf-fresh seafood and other tropical dishes, set off by the sea breaking on the shore just feet away.

During the day, there’s the relative formality of our thatched open dining room in the main lodge, or choose to retreat to Muntu Nkulu, our new castaway restaurant open during the winter season on the south side of the island, for a buffet and total relaxation.

You can also take the total desert island approach - alone with a shipwrecked picnic on some deserted beach.

Evenings are a more glamorous affair, with a castaway twist, fuelled by grills on the beach, or more elaborate dishes under lantern light in the dining room.

With cocktails and fine wines at the bar - and acres of cushions and sofas for sitting very soft at any point - you might just feel that heaven can wait.

Arching out of the Vamizi seas - twelve kilometres long and a kilometre wide - this whale-shaped curve of beach and bush is drenched in sunshine and breezes.

The miles of unpadded white sand and wild bushy interior are also a sanctuary for samango monkeys, coconut crabs and the 112 species of tropical birds that live here, as well as being a haven for the more land-based creatures amongst us.

Like the 100 turtles that nest on Vamizi's empty shores and are irresistibly drawn to its peace, solitude and perfect harmony year after year, intrepid travellers and rarified pleasure seekers find it’s just the place to rest their weary fins.

The island’s near perfect white coral beaches and breathtakingly beautiful shallows are just the tip of the tropical iceberg.

Beneath the surface of the Vamizi seas is an outstanding reefscape - mountains, valleys, plateaux and cliffs- teeming with a bewildering amount of sea life, from whales, dolphins, turtles and reef sharks to gregorian corals and giant clams.

Vamizi Island lies right by the point where the south equatorial current splits.

The emergent cool and warm currents sustain unusually large amounts of microscopic plankton and krill, a major food source that supports a vast array of species – up to 46 types of coral and over 400 species of fish, alone.

A glance at a marine map reveals another deep Vamizi secret: a sheer walled canyon that slips down to a kilometre below, meandering along the island’s eastern edge, providing dive sites beyond compare and coral habitats that have been deemed amongst the healthiest reef systems anywhere.

Simply put, whether you want to dive, fish, swim or bob, this is the place.

For all those who love to flop, there's another bunch who need to flip. On the surface, Vamizi Island is utterly mellow. There is even a resident yoga teacher, massages and beauty treatments available. Go a few feet below and everything changes, as the Vamizi seas - which lodge residents share with no other tourists at all - are bristling with big ocean action.

Some of the dives here are said to be the best in the world and the deep sea fishing better than the whole East African coast. Fortunately, we have PADI dive instructors, professional fisherfolk, and all the toys and kit you’d want to make the most of this extraordinary marine world.

For the less committed thrill seekers, there are snorkeling trips, castaway picnics, whale watching expeditions and lots of messing about in boats, from kayaks to traditional dhows. Landlubbers may of course prefer to wander the miles of sugar sand untouched beaches, or delve into the bush for a spot of monkey - or bird-watching.

Children

A gently shelving beach, perfect sand and plenty of sunshine make Vamizi Island a haven for parents and children. The sea is rarely rough on the shore and the water is a perfect temperature, with no end of shallows to toddle about in and small wondrous things to see, hear and feel.

There are plenty of toys for children and adults: kayaks, sailboats, snorkelling gear, windsurfers and fishing equipment.

Fishing trips and sea cruises are a full-on marine biology lesson with huge varieties of deep sea fish to be seen emerging from the depths; whales, dolphins or flying fish are often in sight, if not right by the boat.

Scuba instructors can also introduce those slightly older children to their first experiences underwater, whether snorkelling or diving and nature guides can help them discover the island’s land based wonders – exotic birds, monkeys and giant coconut crabs.

Singles: There is a 50% surchage on the applicable rate for occupancy.

Children: (sharing a family villa, or a standard villa with an adult)

• Age 17 years and above – full rate.
• Age 7 years to 16 years – 60% of the full rate.
• Up to 4 years – $50 per child per night.
• Up to 7 years - USD 100 per child per night (one child sharing room with parents).
• Cots, high chairs and babysitting can be arranged with prior notification.
• Triples can be arranged for children under 16.

Rate Includes:

• Accommodation in ocean-facing beach villas.
• All meals, soft drinks, local beer, house wine, basic spirits and bottled water.
• Daily laundry service.
• Guided activities – shore-based snorkeling, shore-based fishing, sea-kayaking, birding, walking trails, beach picnics, sailing on the dhow, windsurfing, Hobie Cat sailing.

Rate Excludes:

• Flights and transfers from the island.
• Champagnes, cocktails, premium wines and imported premium spirits.
• Personal gifts and staff gratuities.
• Use of motorboats for snorkeling, deep sea (blue water) & fly fishing.
• Scuba diving and PADI scuba courses.
• Entry visa on arrival.