LOCATION
Even by global standards, Anvil Bay claims a rare address: falling as it does within two overlapping protected areas in southern Mozambique - the Maputo Special Reserve on land and the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve, stretching 6km into the sea.
That means dolphins leaping off the coast, turtles plodding up the beach, hippos and crocs in the nearby lakes, and elephants lumbering over the neighbouring plains.
So remote, so idyllic, and so alive that owner Ricky Bell says explorer Kingsley Holgate calls it "Serengeti by the Sea".STYLE
Ricky and her husband Paul had, for years, been making an epic trek from Richards Bay to Ponta Chemucane to holiday like wildlings with their family.
In 2009, the government granted the local community a concession for an eco-tourism development, and word spread of a tabled proposal for a 120-bed hotel.
Aghast, the Bells crafted their own proposal - for a low-impact, ultra-high-end offering that would combine conservation with community upliftment.
The result is neither a hotel nor a lodge, but what they call a "barefoot beach camp", where the shelters manage to be simple and unobtrusive - but also luxurious - so the utterly pristine surroundings remain the star.ROOMS
All-natural materials and local craftsmanship are behind the 11 casinhas (meaning "little home") spread out in the canopy of the coastal dune forest, each one with quick, direct access from the beach.
Incredibly, no glass or concrete (except the shower door in the first one - a learning curve) was used to make them.THE 'DO' LIST
Unless you're here to do nothing at all - and that's just perfect too - much of your activity will focus on the sea. Right off the beach, there's snorkelling, stand-up paddle-boarding, sea kayaking, fishing, and biking on the sand.
From October to the end of March, go looking for egg-laying loggerhead and leatherback turtles - you'll rarely have to go very far since this is prime nesting territory.
At sea, you can do whale-watching safaris or ocean fishing. On land, hike a coastal dune forest trail, take a game drive in the reserve, or tour a local village (Santa Maria)...