On arriving, the magic of Zanzibar washed over me like the waves which had brought me there. Residents of Stone Town float along ancient back alleyways, markets teem with leisurely activity, and couples stroll through the shade in a waterfront park.

Stone Town, Zanzibar

A woman walks in magical Stone Town, Zanzibar

A man on a bicycle in Stone Town, Zanzibar

This same park later becomes a haven for seafood as a night market spontaneously springs up out of nowhere just before sunset. Stalls are haphazardly put together, fires roared up, skillets oiled, and kebabs put together. I spent no less than three hours eating continuously in this market, two nights in a row! I thought I was going to explode, but there were too many delicious tidbits to try, including a ginger tea stand with a group of adorable old men gossiping in a circle. I dare say I can recommend Zanzibar just for this street-food market alone. But there is so much more… Zanzibar is a photographer’s dream – at every turn, there is something interesting.

Evening food market, Stone Town, Zanzibar

Seafood... mmm!

The white sand beaches we found on the island are among the best I have had the pleasure of curling my toes in to date, rivaling the Whitsunday islands in Australia and beaches in southern Thailand. I only experienced a beach in the northwest, on and near Kendwa, but as far as I know they are good pretty much all the way around. Life is even slower on the beaches, which had seemed impossible.

Stone Town's Beach

Usually, I am not really a beach person unless there are things to keep me occupied. There actually is some fantastic diving in the area, but the lazy pace had crept into my bones and I just couldn’t be bothered doing anything more active than beach volleyball. For the first time, I truly became a beach bum (and even then, I only laid in the sun for a total of… oh, 20 or 30 minutes). Mostly, I ate and drank all-inclusive food and beverages while sitting under beach umbrellas at the five-star resort, La Gemma dell’ Est, and swimming in its ridiculously oversized salt-water pool. Quite a sprawling establishment, it seemed like a veritable palace after being in a tent for two and a half months.

La Gemma Dell' Est Pool, Zanzibar

My stay at the hotel started off in a typical enough fashion. A friend and I decided to leave the group in Kendwa and wander to the whiter beaches to the north. We walked along the beach in the heat of the day for over an hour, arriving at the front doorstep of an all-inclusive 5-star resort in a sticky, sweaty, and sandy mess. We had not washed our clothes in several weeks and our backpacks were covered in a layer of dirt. Sauntering up to the check-in counter of La Gemma Dell’ Est in our dirty Tevas, we casually inquired whether we could get a room. The hotel staff, without answering yes or no, raised an eyebrow and said “perhaps you would like to see the price list?” and slid a brochure across the counter. We looked at it  pensively for a few minutes and asked for a deluxe suite. Eyes wide, she politely complied. She couldn’t believe we were for real, and I couldn’t believe I was going to sleep on a soft mattress and have a real, ensuite bathroom for a night or two. Amazing!

La Gemma dell’ Est is the largest resort in Zanzibar, with 138 rooms and a few separated villas (the largest being the “presidential villa” which has its own pool). It covers a HUGE area; there are actually little golf carts to ferry people around “should you get tired and not wish to walk.” There was a hookah bar and small restaurant situated on a pontile out in the ocean, a romantic spot to watch the sun set. It is clearly very popular with the honeymoon crowd. The best part for us was, as mentioned earlier, that all food and drink was included. Thus, after months on a 50p/day food budget, you can imagine how we ate and drank ourselves into a stupor! For us, after roughing it for so long, it was comparatively, oh, fabulous and a great way for me to end the trip.

Our exit from the hotel was nearly as entertaining as the entrance. Slightly cleaner, we missed our golf-cart transport to the front desk and hiked what seemed like miles back to the front desk. Here, we took turns to visit the restaurant in order to stuff rolls and Danishes into a paper bag for the road (yes, classy) as we waited for our “car,” which ended up being what resembled a clown truck. It was a local taxi with bright colours and Hot Rockers hanging out the windows, laughing and waving as it teetered around the corner and skidded to a stop. I half expected everyone to jump out and throw pies at each other. The bemused hotel staff politely waved as we jumped on board and rolled off.

A few more pics of Stone Town… where we stopped again briefly before ferrying back to Dar es Salaam.

Colors in Stone Town, Zanzibar

Fisherman

And then, it was time to say good-bye to Hot Rock. Back at our camp in Dar Es Salaam, the Big Red Truck (BiRT) rolled away and I stayed behind. A bittersweet end – it was a great trip. So good, in fact, that I made plans to return again at the end of March. Until then, Hot Rock!

Full slideshow here.

This article originally appeared in MSN UK Travel.