{"id":291439,"date":"2023-12-08T18:03:33","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T17:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turkeyalwan.net\/?p=291439"},"modified":"2023-12-10T12:10:49","modified_gmt":"2023-12-10T11:10:49","slug":"miavana-by-time-tide-versus-kisawa-sanctuary-which-one-is-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turkeyalwan.net\/2023\/12\/08\/miavana-by-time-tide-versus-kisawa-sanctuary-which-one-is-best\/","title":{"rendered":"Miavana by Time + Tide versus Kisawa Sanctuary: which one is best?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday\u00a0newsletters<\/a>\u00a0always feature luxury travel\u00a0contests<\/a>,\u00a0tips<\/a>, or\u00a0news<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>Miavana by Time + Tide versus Kisawa\u00a0 Sanctuary – which one is best?<\/h5>\n

I rarely compare luxury hotels on my travel blog. I’ve only done it once last year, by comparing the Four Seasons Bora Bora with the St Regis Bora Bora<\/a>. I did so because most discerning travelers who want to travel to Bora Bora will be faced with the dilemma of staying at either the Four Seasons or the St Regis, the two most exclusive 5-star hotels on the island<\/a>. Today, I am adding another hotel comparison to my blog: Miavana by Time + Tida in Madagascar (which debuted in 2017; read my review here<\/a>) versus Kisawa Sanctuary in Mozambique (which debuted 2019; read my review here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Miavana and Kisawa are both ultra-luxe properties which rank among the world’s best beach resorts and which share a lot of similarities (spectacular beach setting, enormous private villas, nature-focused excursions, top-notch service, etc …). Moreover, both resorts are regarded as the ultimate beach getaway after a safari in Southern Africa and they are in the same price range (we’re talking here about room rates that start at 5000 euros per night, although that includes all meals, beverages as well as a selection of activities. The question is: which one is best, Miavana by Time + Tide<\/a> or Kisawa Sanctuary<\/a>? So, here\u2019s my detailed comparison of both resorts.<\/p>\n

Have you ever stayed at Miavana and Kisawa? If so, what was your experience and which resort did you prefer? Leave a comment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For ease of navigation, I\u2019ll compare the following aspects of Miavana and Kisawa (announcing a winner in each category):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Location<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Getting there<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Villas<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Style & design<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Communal areas<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Spa<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Food\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Beach<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Excursions<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Weather<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"MIAVAN<\/a>
    MIAVANA BY TIME + TIDE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n
    1. LOCATION<\/strong><\/h5>\n

    Miavana by Time + Tide calls the Indian Ocean island of Madagscar its home. Mysterious and shrouded in myth, Madagascar is one of the most unique, iconic and biodiverse places on earth. The ultra-luxe property is located on the remote island sanctuary of Nosy Ankao, off the north east coast of Madagascar. Nosy Anko is the largest of five islands in the Ankao archipelago, offering turquoise Indian Ocean waters, pristine beaches, and untouched wilderness. Nosy Ankao has an interesting history. A transient location for seasonal fisherman, the island\u2019s one small village lost its entire population (of around 10) after they ate turtle meat which was poisoned by seasonal algae. In the 1990s the island was used by \u2018pirates\u2019 as a way to avoid police control on the roads in northern Madagascar. Today, the island is the exclusive home of Miavana (except for the local village whose inhabitants now work at the resort).<\/p>\n

    Kisawa Sanctuary is located in Mozambique\u2019s\u00a0Bazaruto Archipelago, a region which broke away from the mainland thousands of years ago and now harbors one of the planet\u2019s richest yet least explored subtropical ecosystem. The waters that lap the archipelago are filled to the brim with an array of reef fish, sea turtles and game fish. An assortment of endangered marine life have also been documented here such as whale sharks, manta rays, leatherback turtles, humpback whales and the very rare dugong. Declared a National Park in 1971, the Bazaruto Archipelago is made up of 5 islands: Santa Carolina, Bangu\u00e9, Benguerra Island, Magaruque, and Bazaruto. Kisawa is set on Benguerra Island, the second largest island in the Bazaruto Archipelago, which extends over a mere 11 km (6.8 mi) in length. With just two intimate ultra-luxe lodges adorning its shores (Kisawa Sanctuary and &Beyond Benguerra Island<\/a>), the island offers an invitation to escape the cacophony of everyday life.<\/p>\n

    Winner<\/strong><\/em>: Miavana (because of its private island setting).<\/p>\n

    \"MIAVAN<\/a>
    MIAVANA BY TIME + TIDE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \n
    2. GETTING THERE<\/strong><\/h5>\n

    Miavana enjoys a remote setting, which is part of its appeal. That said, getting there implies a long journey: you need to take a flight to one of the two airports in Northern Madagascar (Nosy Be or Diego Suarez), which are only served by a small number of airlines, followed by a 30 min (from Diego Suarez) or 60 min (from Nosy Be) helicopter flight. The helicopter flight itself offers breathtaking vistas though of the wild landscapes of one of the world\u2019s last wilderness frontiers, including bird\u2019s eye views of humpback whales in the ocean below if you are lucky. Miavana has full-time helicopter pilots on hand that use the resorts\u2019 privately owned Robinson R66 helicopters, which are painted turquoise with white stripes to match the resort\u2019s interiors.<\/p>\n

    Getting to Kisawa Sanctuary is a lot easier as compared to Miavana. The resort is accessible by helicopter from the nearby airport of Vilankulos, which receives daily commercial flights from Johannesburg (JNB) and Maputo (MPT). After touching down in Vilankulos, a Kisawa airport host meets and assists guests through immigration, and introduces them to the third-party helicopter company. The flight to the resort takes only about 5 to 10 minutes and offers incredible vistas of the Bazaruto Archipelago. Alternatively, guests can also reach Kisawa from Vilankulos by private boat, a journey which takes about 30 minutes and which can also be arranged upon booking.<\/p>\n

    Winner<\/strong><\/em>: Kisawa (because getting there is less time consuming). When your journey originates in Johannesburg, it will take a 90 min flight to Vilankulos followed by a 10 min helicopter flight to reach Kisawa compared to a 3 hour flight to Nosy Bay, followed by a 60 min helicopter flight to get to Miavana. Kisawa also has the advantage that it can be reached without backtracking via Johannesburg Airport after a safari since Airlink offers direct flights from Kruger International Airport to Vilankulos on selected days; getting to Miavana after a South African safari will always involve a bit more planning: Airlink only flies twice a week to Nosy Be and these flights leaves in the morning (so you will have the spend the night prior the flight in Johannesburg).<\/p>\n