We were a group of six people (four adults and 2 youths) who stayed for five days at Villas do Indico and we had a great time! There are many reasons for this -- an important one being that this is situated right on the beach. This is in contrast to many of the other sites up and down the coast close to Vilanculos and makes both for easy access to the beach and swimming and, also, that you really experience being connected to the sea. Swimming from the beach is also great at this particular place on the coast and it is truly amazing to be able to walk on the beach in either direction without hardly meeting any others as it is located quite some distance from Vilanculos. Other highlights:

*Excellent staff! Everyone working there is friendly, helpful and will go out of your way to make your stay as pleasant as possible. Many also speak excellent English, for those not conversant in Portuguese.

*Fantastic chef! While we were there, the chef produced a series of great and quite varied dishes, many with fresh fish and seafood. This means that, while there, you do not really miss going into Vilanculos to eat.

*Bazaruto Island tour organised from next door! Villas do Indico is located literally next door (20 metres) from where organized tours to the islands (for snorkeling/diving the coral reefs, dune exploration, flamingo watching, sea mammal exploration etc.) can be organised. Highly convenient not to need any transfers to anywhere for such trips.

*Beautiful cottages to stay in! All cottages that we had (three -- with sea views) were well-maintained, quiet and with very comfortable beds.

We highly recommend Villas do Indico and we only hope that the pool, which was not in operation while we were there, is now working again.

The lodge is recovering from the last cyclone that went through Vilanculos. We had a great time, despite a few cosmetic issues that they were working on whilst we were there. The lodge is 10km from Vilanculos and quite remote, which means that you are not harrassed by vendors on the beach, which is fantastic; but it also means that you have to have a 4x4 to go anywhere or hire a transfer. The chefs at the lodge are excellent and able to conjure up delicious dishes from locally sourced fresh fish and other produce. Mario, Reuben and John were on point in the waitering department and Anyway was extremely resourceful at front desk. All the staff and the owner Dona Anna were extremely welcoming to our family and looked after our toddler with great patience and care.

On the activities side, do not miss a trip to the islands with Steve in his powerboat Malambo, he was an exceptional guide on the water. Together with his wife Ninon and the deck hand/chief spotter Alex, they made our trip unforgetable with three Dugong and one Turtle sightings in the space of half an hour - with great respect being shown to the marine life, not crowding or harrassing them. Lunch on Benguera, walking in the dunes on Bazaruto with all the pink crabs and swimming in pristine ocean waters made this boat trip a true highlight of our holiday.

We had an amazing stay at the Villas. Thank you to Anna and her professional team. We had an experience of a lifetime going out on the boat to Santa Carolina. Thank you to Steve the skipper and Perdo the helper who made it a day that we will never forget.