AsDunas Lodge

My wife and I went to asDunas for our honeymoon not knowing what to expect, but ended up being completely blown away. The setting was beautiful, the food was fantastic, and staff was so friendly. The safari tent room we stayed in was also extremely comfortable and had a great pool, while still allowing us to be close to nature. There were plenty of great activities to choose from if that's your speed, but it's also completely relaxing if that's your preference. Highly recommend as a great follow-up to a busy safari.

This place is even better than all the rave reviews it has received. Let’s start with the food. I have had the good fortune to eat at excellent restaurants in many parts of the world and I cannot recall ever having such consistently creative, fresh, attractive and delicious meals as I did during our 5 day stay here. A 5 course tasting menu each night plus an amuse-bouche and not a single miss. The local chef, Jaime, draws on Italian owner Fabio’s experience to craft absolutely spectacular meals. Next the staff. To a person, they are all so friendly and helpful. I wish I could remember the names of everyone who made our stay so good, but I want to give a special word of thanks to the three people we interacted with the most — Boaventura (ever gracious, always smiling and outgoing), Filipe (who wanted to assist you in whatever way you needed it, whether it was getting up a steep sand dune at dusk, or getting you your favorite beverage) and Chelsie, the gregarious co-manager with a dry sense of humor, a quick wit and the answer to any question you might have. In addition were Celso, João, Unidécio, Jaime, the massage therapists and the housekeepers. We even had the good fortune to spend some time and have a great conversation with owner, Fabio (although his wife, Elena, was out of town.) The grounds and rooms. Most of the rooms are glamping tents with a private deck and plunge pool. A couple have solid walls. We stayed in one of the tented units and could not have been happier. We stayed comfortable in both cool and warm weather, loved the privacy afforded each room as they are spread out down sand trails among dense brush, and found our room to be very well appointed with outlets, a loaner outlet adapter, great shower and bathroom space and a very comfortable bed. From our room, we could lie in bed, look out over our pool and see the Indian Ocean with its dramatic change in appearance from low tide to high tide. Wow! The beach. The resort is set above the beach so one has to walk down a number of steps to get to it. Once there, the resort has dedicated chaises with canopies over them for its guests. The beach is a beautiful sand beach that slopes very gradually, meaning that while high tide is fairly close to shore, low tide provides lots of opportunities to walk far away from shore and explore what is ocean bottom during the high tide. Massages. You can get one daily and they are included. My wife was a huge fan of this perk. Excursions. We didn’t take any but we spoke with several other guests who did and who loved their snorkeling experiences on neighboring islands as well as their trip into town. Sunset. A walk up a somewhat steep dune to a great sunset-viewing spot is offered each evening. The staff will bring up your favorite beverage and a chair for you to sit in. I did it twice during our stay and loved it. Overall. We loved it; can you tell? Can’t wait to go back. Any caveats or drawbacks? The only one I can think of is

As we flew in to Mozambique, the sea and sand gleamed. The lodge is situated just above a stunning beach, as good as I have ever seen and very quiet. The staff are so attentive and polite. One of the main managers, a top guy explains everything in detail you need to know when you arrive. The evening meal is a tasting menu, so each afternoon the chef Jaime goes through it and you select the main course. The food is delicious with local wild game included. The cocktails, drinks etc are great some with an Italian theme. They'll tell you the story if you ask. One of the honeymooning couples were given a romantic lunch trip to a sand bank in the middle of the sea. Just across the water there are other islands, where you can see whales etc. Boaventura (i think that's the spelling, I should have made a note) looked after us throughout and led a choir to sing to us when we left, very moving and lovely. There's also a stunning sunset viewed from a dune, just above the lodge, which people come from wide and far to view. Don't miss the trip into Vilanculos, which is complimentary and very safe I felt. The view from our bedroom, 4 poster bed, with a private pool, hammock etc was stunning. I don't often return to to holiday destinations, but this one I feel I may do. As an aside our 1st journey with Audley travel, it was superb...

Thank you very much Chelsie and all the staff. What a sweet and wonderful people all of you were! What a perfect room our villa was! What a delicious and beautiful meals they were! What a "never forget in our life" lunch excursion you arranged for us! What a magical place asDunas was! What a too short 3 nights' stay it was! Chelsie, What an excellent job you have done for us! From the first contact till the end of our stay, your quick, professional, so detailed helpful instructions, courteous, always smiling, friendly, funny, SO considerate, loving, etc,etc. made our stay beyond our high expectations and worth to travel to Mozambique. With all of the above you have done for us made our stay ranked the #1 accommodation in our numerous trips we have done. The surprise farewell sing from the staff made me cry! I agree all the positive comments from other reviewers. In addition to that, I have to mention how they are considerate to the details of comforts. Pillows, lines, bathrobe were so comfy and high standard. Even it is sandy there, they keep our room always very clean and turn down service made it even better. Chelsie is the General Manager who took care of us from the beginning till the end. We have met so many great people at various hotels in a past, but she is the MVP!

Ainda me faltam as palavras para descrever os dias que passamos nas asDunas. A simpatia da Elena e a cozinha do Fábio ofuscam a beleza deste lodge. As instalações são fantásticas e super cuidadas mesmo a pensar em quer desligar de tudo, mas sem perder todo o conforto. Foi simplesmente fabuloso estar numa tenda com as paredes em rede e sentir toda a natureza a nossa volta. O bom gosto dos detalhes é acompanhado pela simpatia de todo o staff desde camareiros, massagistas, cozinheiros, guardas… todos reflectindo a simpatia do povo moçambicano, sempre com um sorriso nos lábios e uma total disponibilidade. AsDunas tem actividades incluídas na estadia, tais como massagens diárias, gin a ver o por do sol na duna vermelha (oportunidade para também interagir com os miúdos da vizinhança), passeio a Vilanculos para comprar artesanato e conhecer a vila (imperdível, incluindo a visita ao mercado local) ou apoio de praia incluindo pranchas de paddle, mas também tem ligação com operadores que fazem passeios de barco (fomos a Bazaruto, Benguera e Magaruque), mergulho, kite,… Podemos optar por configurar a nossa estadia à nossa vontade… sem falar da piscina privada que cada habitação tem com total privacidade. Foi simplesmente fabuloso poder ver o nascer do sol deitados na cama. Quanto à comida, não sei bem por onde começar… o conceito all inclusive está totalmente adequado e permite-nos tirar partido da criatividade da cozinha no Fabio que combina os sabores italianos e mediterrânicos com ingredientes locais, todos provenientes das hortas da zona (incluindo a sua). Acho que irei escrever uma crítica só para falar da alimentação que nos deslumbrou e preencheu todos os nossos sentidos. A carta de vinhos à altura da comida e com uma larga escolha de vinhos sul africanos e italianos, para além da cerveja local. Não há muitos adjectivos para descrever estes dias… e qualquer agradecimento pela forma como fomos tratados nunca será suficiente… Elena, Fabio… grazzie mille…

Semplicemente un sogno. Io e mio marito abbiamo viaggiato tanto..e mai nella vita abbiamo trovato un posto così perfettamente meraviglioso. Servizio impeccabile, atmosfera magica. Accoglienza, bellezza delle suite, cibo, personale, tutto, ma veramente tutto supera alla grande anche le più rosee aspettative. Cucina di altissima qualità, curata nei minimi dettagli. Gentilezza, attenzione ai dettagli, tutto, davvero tutto perfetto. Un ringraziamento speciale ad Elena e Fabio che hanno reso la nostra luna di miele perfetta.