Prestige Villa
85 m²Sleeps 2Ocean view
A single ensuite bedroom with an outdoor lounge, built for two and a few steps from the sand.
Net rates on request
BEACHFRONT · FIVE STARS
The Aiyana Resort & Spa
Thirty oceanfront villas built by hand at Makangale, on Pemba's quiet northern coast, with a spa set on rocks just off the beach.
Built by hand, on Pemba's shore
The Aiyana sits at Makangale, on the low, undeveloped northern tip of Pemba island, reached by a short domestic flight from Zanzibar and a coastal drive through farms and forest. Thirty villas face the ocean directly, each one built over eight years using local limestone, coral terrazzo and carved Zanzibari doors made in the surrounding villages.
The resort's founder designed every villa himself and filled them with his son's paintings and driftwood sculpture, so the art changes from door to door. Maji, the spa, stands on rocks just off the beach, and the tide governs most of what happens between breakfast and dinner.
LOCATIONMakangale, northern Pemba Island
ROOMSVillas across five categories
BEACHPrivate beach, coral reef lagoon
STYLEHand-built, Swahili craftsmanship
BEST FORCouples & families seeking seclusion
Villas
Thirty villas face the ocean directly, from the one-bedroom Prestige Villa to the three-bedroom Presidential Villa, each finished with local stone, carved doors and the founder's own art collection.
Superior Villa
110 m²Sleeps 4Ocean view
A larger version of the Prestige, with two sofa beds folded into the indoor lounge for a family of four.
Net rates on request
Ambassador Villa
180 m²Sleeps 4Private pool, ocean view
The first category with its own pool, set behind an indoor lounge that opens straight onto the water.
Net rates on request
Royal Villa
220 m²Sleeps 6Private pool, ocean view
Two ensuite bedrooms around a private infinity pool, with indoor and outdoor lounges for a family spreading out.
Net rates on request
Presidential Villa
240 m²Sleeps 6Private pool, ocean view
Three ensuite bedrooms, a private pool and its own greeting pavilion, the largest villa at the resort.
Net rates on request
At the resort
A spa on the rocks, a resident collection of paintings and sculpture, and Pemba's own reef and forest on the doorstep.
Maji Spa
Treatments with natural, Indian Ocean-inspired products, on a stretch of rock just off the beach, reached across the sand at low tide.
Watersports Centre
Kayaks, paddleboards and a dhow for sunset sailing, with diving, snorkelling and deep-sea fishing arranged further out on the reef.
Original Art & Sculpture
Paintings and driftwood sculpture by the founder's son fill every villa and public space, so no two corners of the resort look alike.
Ngezi Forest & Island Excursions
Guided walks through Ngezi's forest, cycling along village paths, and sandbank picnics and mangrove tours by boat.
Where to eat
One restaurant, built around whatever the local boats bring in that morning.
INDIAN OCEAN · BEACHFRONT TERRACE
Neema Restaurant
A sea-facing terrace serving a different three-course menu each night, drawing on Mauritian, Indian and East African cooking.
HOTEL GALLERY
Inside The Aiyana
Bring a client to The Aiyana
Tell us the dates and party size. We will hold space at net rates and arrange transfers from Zanzibar for your clients.