Azura Retreats' Eco-Chic
Azura is all about giving back to communities wherever we can. That extends to our décor throughout the hotels, where we try and use as many local initiatives and community projects as possible to carve, weave, paint and otherwise design the numerous unique décor pieces you will find around Azura. That’s why we call our design ethos ‘Eco-Chic’. Our award winning villas were hand-built by the local community, and blend modern eco-chic designs with all that is traditional to the local environment.
Siyazisiza Trust
The work of the Siyazisiza Trust features at our hotels. Their overall objective is to promote small enterprise development, in food and craft production, working with over 3000 previously disadvantaged individuals in rural South Africa. They make recycled glass bottles into beads which we use on scatter cushions throughout Azura, as well as the appliquéd fish scatters in our jellyfish dining room at Azura Benguerra Island. They also make the carved stools that feature in our award winning villas.
Azura Benguerra Island
At Azura Benguerra Island, all the carved wooden furnishings were made locally in Vilanculos, or on site by our team. The beds you sleep on were made there, as well as the beautiful carved architraves at the doors. There are some particularly special pieces in reception, including our carved diving and ‘old men’ statues, the beaded fish that swim through the roof beams, and our very special giant metal fish at the giant entrance doors that was made from welded knives and spoons, an icon in the area as it is visible from several hundred meters out to sea.
GDF Design Lab
We give thanks to Carla and AJ of GDF Design Lab, our interior designers, who work tirelessly to find the projects and crafts that we feature at Azura. They love nothing more than a ramble around a village, speaking to craftsmen and women, and then having them turn our ideas into reality. Their latest find is bracelets for our shops, through Shake The World.