Oman and Zanzibar beach vacation

Planet

From January to July, you may have the special opportunity to observe greenback and hawksbill sea turtles nesting, laying eggs or hatching. In recent years, over 100 mother turtles have been observed nesting in the area.
The Shangri La resort has a dedicated Turtle Ranger who can advise guests on the best times, and the most unobtrusive areas, to observe these fascinating creatures in their natural habitat. The ranger also ensures the nests are sheltered from any threats and to raise awareness amongst guests and local communities alike on the plight of turtles through educational activities such as talks and viewings.

Sanctuary, Shangri-La's Care for Nature project was launched in 2010 with the aim of making a concerted effort towards biodiversity conservation and habitat protection. Hotels work on individualised projects which are developed, tracked and monitored after a biodiversity assessment takes place. To date, there are a total of 19 Sanctuary projects in place engaging stakeholders worldwide.

Breezes Zanzibar have taken great pains to build the hotel in an environmentally responsible way. All Villas have solar power, there is a state of the art waste disposal & recycling system, an in house garden growing local produce for use in the restaurant and there is an environmentally responsible desalination plant where all the water is produced locally and not taken from the village source. They always prioritize purchasing any materials or supplies from the local village wherever possible and regularly get visits from local fishermen who sell them their catch of the day in an effort to support the local community. The hotel was built with a local workforce.

People

Breezes, along with its sister hotel Baraza, work closely with the surrounding community to improve education and healthcare in the local village of Bwejuu and guests can visit to see the project first-hand and gain a fascinating insight into life on Zanzibar. The hotel charity 'Breezes for Bwejuu' has been responsible for a huge improvement in the quality of life of the village. Since its inception, the charity has built a mosque, repainted the local clinic and supplied them with fresh water and medicines. They have also donated beds and mattresses, clothes, school supplies, and books. Working closely with a charity in Sweden, the hotel most recently supported and sponsored the development of a new maternity and children's clinic in Bwejuu.

As a company, Shangri La have two social responsibility projects.
Shangri-La's Care for People Project commits each hotel to a 10 to 15-year partnership with a chosen beneficiary working on children's health or education. This may include include infrastructure support, fundraising, life skills training and even hotel apprenticeships.

Yearly goals and targets are defined for a period of 10-15 years, seeing children through until they would have finished their higher education and are capable of caring for themselves and finding employment based on their own merits. Whenever possible, hotels are encouraged to look at performing hotel skills training with the goal of offering students a sustainable career, whether in or outside the hotel.

Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa has been supporting Saffanah Yiti school, a local school built for Omani children who are less fortunate financially, as part of its EMBRACE programme. In October 2013, the resort donated used tables and chairs to the school for use in its classrooms. Another project entailed repainting the school’s interior walls and installing proper curtains in the classrooms to allow the children to learn in an environment that is more conducive for educating. The programme was aided by the resort’s dedicated CSR committee. Many employees have volunteered to assist with the charitable cause. On many occasions, SLMU has invited the children of Saffanah Yiti school to enjoy playtime at the Adventure Zone at the hotel.