With six new resorts due to open in 2023 alone—spread across diverse locales such as India, Italy, the Maldives, Switzerland, the UK, and Saudi Arabia—wellness-led luxury brand Six Senses is poised to take on the world in the new year. But the growing hospitality outfit is far from resting on its laurels. Looking further beyond the next 12 months, Six Senses is already planning for its first foray into sub-Saharan Africa—Zimbabwe, to be precise.
Perched on Princess Elizabeth Island on the winding Zambezi river, Six Senses Victoria Falls will debut an “ecological, tactile, and understated” design for its eco-lodge resort, blending into the tropical surroundings to ensure a seamless nature and wildlife experience. A modular arrangement of stilted rooms and villas will be connected through elevated walkways to avoid animals passing through the area—and to provide up-close opportunities for wildlife watching. In the works are 22 lodges fitted with private terraces and another 15 with suspended pools, while 17 stately pool villas offer accommodations for larger groups.
Guests can rest their feet at the sunset lookout bar, a raised restaurant and lounge, and a speciality dining and braai bar, or treat themselves to the signature wellness experience at the Six Senses Spa with four treatment rooms, a panoramic sauna, yoga deck, and outdoor hot pools. For a workout in the wild, let a ranger guide you to the literal jungle gym. Little ones are provided for with a spate of Grow With Six Senses children’s activities. Naturally, magnificent views of the majestic waterfalls are part of the package.
As part of the House of Chinhara initiative, which aims to revive local tourism and provide hospitality training opportunities, Six Senses Victoria Falls will set robust foundations to help elevate quality and options for travellers to Victoria Falls National Park, all while aligning with the company’s conscious travel ethos. Six Senses plans to minimise the resort’s construction footprint is by fabricating the wooden lodges and villas off-site ahead of on-site assembly, and incorporating natural materials and timber in its design. Zimbabwean artwork and traditional colours and textures will shape the authentic feel of the open interiors.
Six Senses Victoria Falls is slated to debut in 2025.
All images courtesy of Six Senses.
