Kaya Mawa

Kaya Mawa sits on the white sand beaches of Likoma Island in Lake Malawi, a boutique lodge for honeymooners, families and friends. The name means maybe tomorrow in Chichewa, and the pace follows. It was built by local hands and was the first resort in Malawi to run solely on renewable energy.

Its rooms and houses are built into the boulders around a sandy bay, with stone walls, teak-framed thatched roofs, Swahili-inspired interiors and pieces from local artisans. The standard rooms sit on the water with their own decks and direct lake access, and Makungulu has a tiny island to itself. The premium rooms (Mbamba, Nkhwazi and the honeymoon room Ngani) sit higher on the rocks with plunge pools, and the two houses, Madimba with its infinity pool and two-bedroom Mainja on its rocky outcrop, have pools and decks of their own. Two family houses, Ulisa and Yofu, sit at the back of the beach under baobab and mango trees.

Lake Malawi is one of the world's deepest lakes and home to some 400 species of cichlid fish. Days at Kaya Mawa are spent snorkelling, sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding, on e-bikes or walking around the island, at the spa, or visiting the Katundu community workshop.