Grand Openings – Thanda Island, Tanzania
A private island like no other
Thanda Island may appear to have little in common with the Massachusetts town of Hyannis Port. But the Tanzanian hideaway, which opened in October on a tiny private isle in the Indian Ocean, was inspired by the historic Kennedy Compound along Nantucket Sound. Improbably, the latter’s New England style feels right at home at Thanda, with clapboard villas awash in white and open to the tropical breezes.
Inside, the villas blend local textiles in hues of bright pink and purple with touches straight out of Cape Cod, from French doors and gabled ceilings to a grand piano and copper bathtubs. Outside, there’s no mistaking Thanda’s idyllic tropical location. Set on a 19.8-acre atoll, the resort offers direct access to a pristine marine reserve where species include green and hawksbill turtles, whale sharks, and the elusive dugong. Guests of the resort – which is available only as an exclusive buyout for as many as 26 guests – can spend their days snorkeling, kayaking, deep-sea fishing, and riding personal watercraft throughout the reserve. Come evening, the island’s two beachfront bandas (open-air bungalows) call for a romantic rendezvous, if not a Kennedyesque tryst.
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