REVIEW
BAYVIEW LODGE Beautiful Mozambican Bay views growing. Care has been taken to protect the environment and this has encouraged birds as well as all kinds of small animal life to make their home here and are flourishing. At Bay View Lodge the aim is to work with nature, and therefore all garden refuse is composted while the bigger branches and palm leaves are used for dune stabilisation. Bayview Lodge is a refuge, accessible by a single access road, away from traffic and crowds, surrounded by peace and quiet broken only by the sounds of ocean waves reaching up the endless sandy beach of the estuary behind the lodge. This is a place of natural beauty and serenity. A picturesque piece of land on the Barra Peninsula, Mozambique. Close enough to amenities to keep guests connected to the world while being only steps away from the beach, Bayview Lodge opened its doors in 2009 and has been a popular destination ever since.
THE FOUNDERS As quintessentially African as the Lodge is, so are its founders. John is a building contractor who has been associated with Mozambique since the 1980’s and also built and operated Coral Island Lodge on Benguerra Island in 1992, which he sold a few years later. Gunther, an Austrian citizen, has travelled extensively through Africa in a Volkswagen Kombi in 1963/4. He is an electrical engineer and still running an electrical engineering company in South Africa.
Founded by John Bishop and Gunther Wilfinger, Bayview Lodge has a total of eighteen rooms and can accommodate up to thirty-nine guests at a time. Available are four one-bedroom units, three two-bedroom units and the Group House which consists of eight rooms. The overall design style can be described as ‘beachside simplicity’.
What these gentlemen have in common is a love of Africa and a love of good hospitality. This is one of the many reasons why Bay View Lodge is a favoured destination for many safari tour providers such as Nomad Africa Adventure Tours. They elevate the African experience of anyone staying there.
Interestingly, the furniture was manufactured on the premises and the soft furnishings, such as chair cushions, lamp shades etc., have been made by the local crafts people. This has given the benefit that each unit is individually furnished with its own unique flavour.
THE EXPERIENCE
The thatched roofs keep the units cool during the day and all the bedrooms are air-conditioned making sleep easy in the sub-tropical climate that the region is known for.
The aim is to offer most of the amenities that a guest has at home combined with a beautiful setting. The decision was taken to not have television in the units, as they want families and friends talking to each other, playing games, enjoying the singular view from the patios and watching the stars at night with a drink in hand.
INSPIRATIONAL DESIGN All the houses have been designed to face the beach and spaced apart to give each unit privacy. The houses also incorporate existing vegetation, particularly indigenous ilala palms which are slow
Free WIFI is available at the reception area and the onsite restaurant provides added luxury to folks
39
