Zanzibar At Latitude: Serenity & Spice

So December is here and with it comes the year end festivities. If you’re active on Social Media you might have heard about #TheTravelSeries hosted by PR Girl Media. I think this idea is genius because it brings an entire holiday destination experience to you albeit for only an afternoon/evening, kinda like a mini stay-cation 🏖If the economy is stinging you the way it is me, I know you will appreciate this. I am not as well travelled as I’d like to be so this is a chance for me to get a glimpse of what’s out there, before I get my coint up and I’m able to visit these places without having to consider which vital organ I can live without.

First destination (is it still called a destination if it’s brought to you? Yes? Okay) was Zanzibar. Now Zanzibar has always been on my bucket list. When I watch documentaries of the holiday resorts, the beaches and the general aesthetic of it on The Travel Channel I am fully green with location envy. So I got my little passport as soon as I could and was ready for this mind trip at Latitude 15, which by the way just happens to be located in my neighborhood.

Zanzibar Day was here and, of course, I was running late. ETA for all travelers was set for 11:00AM but I got caught up in my adulting and could only land at 1:00PM. I was pleasantly surprised to find only a couple of people present because that meant I hadn’t missed much (I suffer severe FOMO sometimes).

Now stick with me as I show you how Zanzibar was brought to Latitude, holistically 😏
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The vibe was chilled, the sun was out and from the 3 songs that had played since I got to the event I could tell the soundtrack for today was going to be mellow vibes. You know, beachy 🌞🏝 SERENITY.

This right here is a no twerk zone.

This right here is an intimate space for chilled drinks and lit conversation.

I took a seat at the bar and decided to engage the barman in conversation (yes I was that guy for a day) as I waited to see any one traveler I knew.

Everyone already present was strangers, momma said to never talk to strangers. As more and more people came in, you could see the delight in their faces when they finally saw the set up.

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Although everyone kept asking where the sand was, as there wasn’t any present, the beach ambience was absolutely present in the choice of decor. A moderately intimate beach vibe was created, besides the pool with beautiful chalets standing in for bungalows that I have one too many times dreamt of spending a night in.

As if the scenery wasn’t enough of a site for sore eyes, we were treated to a swim wear fashion show by Ahvia. Some of the fiercest models I’ve seen showcased their swimwear line. The confidence with which these girls strutted and paused across the pool area was astounding. A fellow traveler mentioned to me that one of the models was 17 years old and I couldn’t pick my jaw off the ground. The swimsuits came in all shapes, sizes and colors; from one piece to bikini and even a three piece, Ahvia had it all! SPICE & SERENITY.

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I have to confess that even as I first stepped into The Latitude all I could smell was food. Maybe I was a little hungry but the aroma hit me all at once and I got dizzy. A good dizzy, like “damn, I need to taste that” dizzy. All the SPICE.

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The first thing I got to taste was the complimentary cocktail handed to every guest as soon as they checked in. “Sex on the beach?”, of course.

I went on to have a couple of Mojitos and some ciders, you know for the island vibes.
The menu boasted a few yummy treats that were, of course, inspired by our island experience.

Something that caught my eye was the ‘surf n turf’ which is basically beef fillet, fresh water crayfish, papaya and a rocket. Doesn’t that sounds yummy and islandy?

A couple of similar small bites and salads were also available to give our taste buds the full Zanzibar culinary experience.
For people with a bigger appetite there were platters available. One of the cold meat platters included chorizo, Italian Salami, chicken liver parfait, cream cheese, olives and grilled veggies. That was a literal mouthful, it makes me hungry all over again just writing about it. These are just some examples of the mouth watering delicacies enjoyed by the travelers.

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To keep up the beachy chilled vibes we had songstress Musonda serenade us as she sang amazing covers of some of my personal all time favorite songs. Anybody that knows me knows I have nigga ears, 70% of the music I listen to plays on BET, so Musonda was making the right choices.

This girl has pipes for days. She sat down looking like a Nubian goddess as she sang to us.

She sang Scarlet’s Nikakuona, hitting every note seamlessly and had me singing along. In my head I was standing on stage with her doing back up vocals. Of course Bob Marley was on her set list as she melted my soul with a sultry cover of his Turn Your Lights Down Low. I was kinda disappointed she didn’t do the Lauryn Hill version of the song but still she had my travel buddies and I singing along, harmonizing, snapping our fingers, some even had their eyes closed as they swayed side to side. Yes, she is that dope!

Another favorite song of mine (and my dad’s at some point, but don’t tell him I said this) she belted out Keisha White’s Weakness In Me with such finesse. You could have sworn this song was written for her. I am a huge fan already and can’t wait to see what the future holds for this talented young lady.

To top off Musonda’s auditory blessings we had Local and International DJ El Mukuka show off his skill on the turn table as he mixed well enough for the travelers to stand up and dance. I guess at this point of the evening we were officially getting a taste of what a Zanzibar beach party would be like. Anyone that’s been in the presence of Eltherios knows how amazing he is at what he does. He turned the chilled stay-cation a notch up with his bops, doing what he does best as our evening in Zanzibar came to a close.

And that was a wrap, my afternoon in Zanzibar was a worthwhile experience, curiosity satisfied with every single one of my five senses. (I hope you caught what I did there).

Next stop in #TheTravelSeries is Jamaica 🇯🇲 at Zebra Crossing on the 17th of December. This one will be a lituation! I hope to see you there 🙂
Photo Credit: PR Girl Media.