Fodor's Expert Review Dugong Beach Lodge Vilankulo

This unpretentious lovely lodge sits on the coast of Southern Mozambique amidst the Vilankulos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary, so you get unspoiled beaches plus an incredible array of marine life. There are 14 timber, stone, and thatch-fringed chalets (two of them adjoined family ones) each overlooking the Indian Ocean with wooden decks, lie-out chairs and individual wooden paths that lead down past a sala (covered outdoor viewing/relaxing deck) straight into the sea. The chalet interiors are cool and comfortable with stone floors, basket weave chairs and stools, blue-and-white soft furnishings, wood and weave bedheads, side tables, chests of drawers and cupboards. It’s a strange mix of contemporary beach style and 70s retro, but somehow it all works wonderfully well. The chalets themselves are roomy and the bathroom and indoor/outdoor showers are huge. The food is excellent and plentiful, the local staff friendly and charming, and there are lots of activities from kayaking and wind surfing to water skiing, diving and snorkeling.