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...

First-time visitors to Zanzibar quickly pick up two words they have never heard before. Kaskazi and Kusi. For us they are as familiar by now as the four seasons back home used to be. Kaskazi is the wind from the northeast, roughly December through March. It brings calmer seas, warmer air, and that almost glassy water surface that snorkellers and less confident swimmers love. This is also when the villa fills up fastest, the ocean looks more inviting, and the weather forgives more mistakes....