Exquisite Accommodation
Umbila is arranged as five separate rooms within a walled garden and connected by a wide expanse of boardwalk decking, offering plenty of lounging space, and spectacular views of the beach and ocean.
Each room has a superking, super-comfortable bed, although additional single beds can be provided for use in our larger rooms.
With fabulous soft furnishings and hand-crafted furniture, each offers an oversized showering and dressing area. Our guests enjoy a superb level of comfort.
Swaito
This exceptional suite is named after a local superstar singer and musician who worked with the Umbila team before his untimely death in 2017. As well as almost 60 square metres of space, Swaito offers unrivaled views through its double sea-facing doors.
The Studio
Set back just a little, but still offering lovely sea views, the Studio is our oversized suite, with 65 square metres of space. There's ample room for lounging and also a steel writing desk that's found its way here from a New York police precinct. This is where you might start that novel you've been meaning to write for so many years...
There's also a very private covered decking area alonside the Studio, for those who want an extra layer of peace and quiet.
The Dune Rooms
Two rooms, each 45 square metres, and they are both lovely -- one looking out over the pool, the other towards a quiet corner of the garden. At the front, both have double doors opening up spectacularly to the ocean.
The Garden Room
There's a particular romanticism to our Garden Room, which is encased in a double layer of caniço , the tightly-bound reed that has been used to build houses in this part of Africa for many centuries. At 45 sqm, this is a generous room, but also cool and intimate. There's a luxury addition: a deep, cast iron, roll-top bath to soak in after a day out on the sea.
The Garden Room is just steps from our shaded rotunda, with its hanging day bed and swing, overlooking the pool.
Beautiful dining, at each end of the day
At Umbila, from first light, you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee delivered to your room, before joining us in the main communal house for breakfast.
Expect a delicious selection of the ripest fruit -- pineapple, mango, papaya, passion fruit, whatever's in season -- along with freshly pressed juices. The local breads are terrific, light cakes are baked each morning, and we can also treat you to waffles and pancakes with local honey.
If eggs are your thing, they will be served fresh and organic, prepared just to your liking.
Later, when you are back from the beach, or from a tour of local Africa, or simply spent enough time next to the pool, we serve a light communal supper inclusive with all our rooms rates.
So join us for a glass of something cooling, tell us about your day, and then settle down for a soft evening meal.
Throughout the day, water, soft drinks and the superb local beer, 2M ("Dosh em") are all included.
The To-Do List
In no particular order...
1. Walk the beach, at different times of the day, in different directions. It's blissful. The full length of Barra will take you an hour, each way, 10,000 steps. More if the tide is out and you want the full wilderness experience of walking across White Sands. Alternatively, walk to Tofo. It will take you two hours. You could have lunch there and we'll pick you up later.
Or just walk to one of the great beach bars nearby, the Chill Bar or Tiki Bar. Visit the boutique Sentidos hotel for a sundowner, which is 15 mins away on foot.
2. Go on a sea safari. This is a must, since the most impressive wildlife in Moz is beneath the waves. You'll see dolphins and humpbacks and maybe turtles, and you can swim alongside the mighty whale shark. (They don't bite.)
3. Go diving, or even do your PADI course here. Between Barra and Tofo (a 15 minute drive) there are some great dive operators, offering world class guidance and tuition.
4. Go surfing. There's a couple of fantastic schools at Tofo and it's a fun, inclusive beach scene. Kite surfing is also available. When weather conditions throw up a really big swell, professional surfers fly in to take on giant waves at both Tofo and Barra.
5. Visit the small, quiet city of Inhambane and immerse youself in regular day-to-day African life. It's warm and colourful, and incredibly friendly.
6. Hang out at our beautifully tiled pool all day, read a book and sip on an ice-cold "Dosh em" or lime soda.
Most pools in southern Africa are not heated, so they tend only to be used during the hotest months. Since Umbila was built by soft Brits, and because we wanted to be able to swim comfortably all year round, we installed a heat pump for the pool. It's a rare luxury in this part of the world.
