Outdoor living
While the day away at the pool on sun loungers, surrounded by indigenous trees and breathtaking ocean views. Sip on ice-cold drinks and snack on tasty tidbits from comfy nooks, while watching anglers on their boats, flamingos on the sand banks, and humpback dolphins pursuing shoals of mullet in the shallows. Let all the magical moments from the day sink in around the warm glow of the fire pit, before moving up to the main deck for a sumptuous dinner under the stars.
As the sun slips from the horizon, mark the end of another glorious day on the sundowner deck, amidst beautiful pink and orange hues that hang over the bay.
The suites
The blue suite
So much to see and do, from sunrise to sunset
Building Balistidae
It all began when Peter Cronje embarked on a fishing adventure to Inhaca Island in 2007. He was instantly hooked, and the dream of spending many family holidays in this paradise became a reality when he acquired land in mid-2018. Materials were imported from South Africa and sourced in Mozambique. Everything from timber, piping, doors, and windows had to be ferried across Maputo Bay by dhow – a traditional, wooden sailing vessel. It was back-breaking work. Local villagers worked tirelessly to get the foundations in place, including digging hundreds of holes by hand to a depth of 1.8m. When the villa finally took shape, one thing remained – settling on a name. With the abundance of triggerfish inhabiting the peninsula’s shallow reefs, combined with Peter’s fascination with the species, it was inevitable that the villa name would be strongly influenced by this. And so, the villa was aptly named ‘Balistidae’, the latin word for triggerfish, which also inspired the names of the suites and boats.
It was a daunting challenge. There wasn’t a how-to on ‘building a five-star lodge in a remote destination with no road access’ – I had to figure it out by myself. I found a builder crazy enough to join me, and we broke ground in January 2019.
