Departure Point Znz continued...



The view from your table



So you come to a tropical island and are looking for soft white sand, swaying palm trees, lazy hammocks and pina coladas served in coconut shells... Well look no further...Pongwe Beach Hotel is it! A beach ripped from a poster and stuck onto earth. This place is so beautiful it tears me up every time I visit and the beauty never seizes to impress me.

Okay, so I might be a wee bit bias about this piece of heaven, but I am sure that eventhough the managers and owners weren't my friends, I would think the same. And their annual 90% occupancy rate and being booked up a year in advance, proves my theory.

The restaurant at Pongwe Beach  Hotel

With a table set on a beach that takes your breath away, your toes buried in the soft sand and waiters serving you with smiles that seem to have no end, this is by far my favourite spot for a lazy lunch! Laid back tunes echoing from the restaurant, friendly Masai men greeting as they walk by. turquoise waters and hammocks swinging between coconut trees are the perfect accompaniment to any meal.

The menu at Pongwe Beach Hotel is small, simple and changes daily. The ingredients are fresh and of high quality  and seafood is consistently perfectly cooked (with overcooking being a common bad habit on the island). The cooks have been here since the last brick was laid and have grown to be chefs worthy of more recognition than available. The options are as "no frills" as the hotel itself and their vision of creating a perfect guest experience in Africa. From the Warm Chicken Liver Salad to a Red Prawn Curry, perfectly seared Tuna on a Nicoise Salad, every plate is welcomed to the table with an "ooh" or "wow". The ultimate show-off though, is their Crab Claws! Pongwe's Crab Claws excite me so much I just want to jump into the next Lobster tank I see and tell that overpriced little thing, "You ain't all that my friend! There are better crustacean in my sea!"

Crab Claws served with hand cut chips and fresh spicy Salsa

So to carry on about the Pongwe Crab, as it deserves to be noted, it is lightly poached, served on a platter and comes with pretty hand cut chips and a fresh and spicy salsa. And you even get little shell crackers! It is lunch and entertainment all together, what more can a girl ask for? A perfect Mojito maybe...?

An appetiser- Seafood Curry wrapped in a crispy
Poppadom

Moreish Mojitos made with brown sugar or Passion Cups made with fresh plump passion fruit, a stroll down the beach and wetting my toes in the crystal water has me feeling like a princess on my own little island, and as I wear my crown and take my lovely memories I leave Pongwe after another fantastic lunch!

Oh how I will miss you!