In Mozambique, the private pool comes with an island. Every one you can book right now sits in the Bazaruto Archipelago, off Vilanculos, and none of them is reachable by road. Azura Benguerra Island is the one to book for most couples, because every one of its villas has a pool of its own. andBeyond is the smaller alternative next door, and Kisawa Sanctuary adds a private beach.
Booking for live prices · Review for our take
| Hotel | Rating | From/night | Area | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azura Benguerra Island | ~$955/person | Benguerra Island | Best overall · every villa has a private pool | Review ↓ | |
| andBeyond Benguerra Island | ~$1,050/person | Benguerra Island | Smallest · 13 rooms, each with a private plunge pool | Review ↓ | |
| Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort | Good | ~$1,255 | Bazaruto Island | For families · Beach Pool Villa and two-bedroom pool villas | Review ↓ |
| Kisawa Sanctuary | ~$8,000 | Benguerra Island | Most private · 8 residences, each with infinity pool + own beach | Review ↓ |
Which Mozambique private pool villa should you book?
Decide how much resort you want around your villa.
For most couples, book Azura Benguerra. It's a small villa resort where a private pool is standard, not an upgrade. Check Azura availability.
For a family, book a two-bedroom pool villa at Anantara Bazaruto. You get more space, a bigger resort and more to do.
| Your trip | Book | Island | The trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| A couple, a pool guaranteed | Azura Benguerra – any villa | Benguerra | Pool sizes vary a lot by category |
| A tiny lodge, safari-style service | andBeyond Benguerra – a Casinha | Benguerra | Only 13 rooms, so book early |
| A family, lots of activities | Anantara Bazaruto – two-bedroom pool villa | Bazaruto | Only some villa types have a pool |
| Total privacy, own beach | Kisawa Sanctuary – a Residence | Benguerra | Booked on Kisawa's own site |
Avoid December to March if you can. It's the wet season and overlaps with Indian Ocean cyclone season, which can ground island transfers.
Azura Benguerra Island
The couples' booking.
Azura sits on the shore of Benguerra Island, inside the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park. It's a small resort of beach villas, each with a private pool, a beach sala, a sun deck and a butler-host.
The catch is in the word "pool." It covers very different things here:
- Beach Villa and Luxury Beach Villa – plunge pools, around 3.5 m in the Luxury Beach Villas
- Infinity Beach Villa
- Royal Beach Villa – 172 m², with a 10 m infinity pool, a jacuzzi and its own stretch of beach
- Villa Amizade and the Presidential Villa – for larger parties
If you want to swim rather than cool off, go straight to the Royal Beach Villa.
Book this one if you're a couple and want a private pool without having to hunt for the right category. Check Azura Benguerra rates.
andBeyond Benguerra Island
The small-lodge booking.
andBeyond runs safari lodges across Africa, and its Benguerra lodge brings the same all-inclusive style to the beach. It's tiny: 13 rooms between the forest and the shore, each with a private plunge pool and an ocean view.
- Casinhas – ten, each with a private timber deck, a rim-flow pool, a sala with a hanging daybed and a lounge
- Cabanas – two, smaller and aimed at couples, with a private deck and plunge pool
- Casa Familia – exclusive use, three en-suite bedrooms and a private pool above the beach
Thirteen rooms means you'll know the staff by name.
It also means dates fill fast.
Book this one if you want Azura's pool-in-every-room promise in an even smaller lodge. Check andBeyond Benguerra rates.
Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort
The family booking.
Anantara is the largest resort in this guide, with 44 villas on Bazaruto Island, the archipelago's biggest. It has two shared pools, three restaurants, a spa and a marina for boat trips.
Not every villa has a pool. The ones that do:
- Beach Pool Villa – 58 m², with a plunge pool and veranda right on the sand
- Two Bedroom Sea View Pool Villa – two en-suite bedrooms and a plunge pool
- Two Bedroom Anantara Pool Villa – the most secluded, with bay views
The rest of the villas share the resort pools. Book by the category name, with "Pool" in it.
Book this one if you're traveling with kids or want a full resort around your villa. Check Anantara Bazaruto rates.
Kisawa Sanctuary
The privacy booking.
Kisawa is also on Benguerra, spread across roughly 300 hectares of forest, beach and dunes. There are only eight Residences, made up of one, two or three bungalows.
Each Residence has:
- A private infinity pool and open-air sun deck
- Its own private beach
- An outdoor day area with a kitchen
That private beach is the difference. The others give you a pool. Kisawa gives you a pool and a shoreline nobody else walks on.
Kisawa sells its Residences through its own reservations site and handles full buyouts directly. The link above goes there.
Book this one if privacy is the whole point and you want a beach to yourself. Check Kisawa availability.
Also worth knowing
Azura Marlin Beach is Azura's second Benguerra resort, opened in 2025 on the site of the old Marlin Lodge. It has ten villas across Beach Villa, Beach Villa Grande and Villa Vista categories.
Azura's own page doesn't say which of those have a private pool, so it isn't in the table. Ask before booking.
Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort, in the Quirimbas Archipelago far to the north, has 12 beach villas with private plunge pools. Anantara lists it as closed until further notice.
Benguerra or Bazaruto
Benguerra is the smaller island, with Azura, andBeyond and Kisawa all here.
Bazaruto is the largest island in the archipelago, known for its high dunes, and home to Anantara's full resort.
If you can book only one, book Azura Benguerra. Every villa has its own pool, so you can't book the wrong room.
Mozambique pairs well with a safari. See private pool safari lodges near Kruger. For another Indian Ocean island, try Zanzibar or Mauritius. Every destination is on the private pool villas hub.
When to go
May to November is the dry season and the best time to go. Seas are calmer for transfers and dive visibility is at its best on the archipelago's reefs.
December to March is wet and hot, and it overlaps with cyclone season. Transfers can be delayed or cancelled.
Getting there: fly to Vilanculos (VNX), usually via Johannesburg. From there, it's a boat, helicopter or light-aircraft transfer to your island. Your resort arranges it.
Images: hermansmit / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
