Our beach is not at the front door, it is about 250 metres away and the walk there is one of the most honest things we can show our guests. It starts at the gate of LITTLE POMPEJI Villa. For the first hundred metres you walk straight ahead along a narrow lane, right between the simple homes of local families. You meet our neighbours and the village children and you realise quickly that you are not walking past a backdrop but through people’s everyday lives. Many guests marvel at how simply...

A few weeks ago, my wife and I sat down with local officials here in Jambiani, and showed them a clear picture, plastic in front of houses, trash in the bushes, rats feeding off it, burning plastic whose smell drifts through the whole village. They listened - and they joined in. On a Saturday, we organized a clean-up together with local residents and authorities around LITTLE POMPEJI Villa and in the surrounding bush. Bags, gloves, everyone pitched in. A strong effort, honestly better than...

No day at LITTLE POMPEJI Villa looks like the one before it. That is exactly what sets seven rooms apart from a large resort with fixed routines for every situation. The morning usually starts before the guests are up. A quick walk around the property, a look at the pool, a look at the generator, because with Zanzibar's power grid you can never quite be sure the night went smoothly. Breakfast follows, no fixed time, no buffet, à la carte instead, guest by guest, which means more work for our...