Fourteen days, a dozen of our gorgeous models and one epic luxury resort. Yes, this is how MAXIM Australia does Mozambique…
Upon receiving an invitation from White Pearl Resorts to spend two weeks at their luxury resort in Mozambique, we were determined to make this happen. After all, if there’s an adventure to be had, you can count on Destination MAXIM.
The airport transfer to the resort was definitely the beginning of a huge adventure with many of the models capturing amazing footage of zebras and wildlife as we passed through an official reserve, from the bustling city of Maputo, to reach White Pearl. The scenery looked like it was straight out of a movie, the resort equally breathtaking and the staff incredible from the moment we arrived. Nothing was too much to ask them and they did everything they could to make us feel welcome and our stay as brilliant as possible. White Pearl Resorts is designed to enable the guest to be at one with nature, starting the days with outdoor showers overlooking the beautiful landscape. Activities are all based on enjoying the environment, whether it be watersports, swimming with dolphins, hiking or exploring the wilderness.
We were blessed with golden hour twice a day in Mozambique – sunrise and sunset were equally magical. The captivating Mozambique sunrises will never be forgotten especially with our rooms all facing the sea allowing us to watch the sunrise from our beds. Suffice to say, many an Instagram story was shared each morning as it was hard to believe it was real. The pristine private beach and beautiful blue skies were the perfect setting for our Destination MAXIM photo shoots and the weather was incredible despite the time of year — we literally staged a hot girl summer in the middle of winter and succeeded.
First time crew members Simmy Carr (our hair and make-up specialist) and Alex Scapens (videography whizz) slotted into daily Destination MAXIM life without issue as marathon days involved 5am starts for before-sunrise hair and make-up. We were lucky to have international photographer Rocky Batchelor and social media coach/MAXIM producer Belinda Roelofs join us again to complete the crew.
Our days were filled with endless photo shoots in our incredible surroundings and our iconic shoot with the horses on the beach will be forever a favourite moment. A close second is the safari style photo shoot which looked like it was the setting for The Lion King. The daily dolphins just off shore, as well as the local monkeys, were a beautiful reminder of how raw and unspoilt the environment was.
The MAXIM team quickly learnt that our models were far more than models – side hustles was the talk at the dinner table with Katie and her swimwear label and multiple golfing company partnerships, Jane and her fitness and swimwear businesses, Paige and her Pilates studio and entrepreneur Emily and her millionaire matchmaking business. These ladies are high achievers and have big plans — world domination is definitely on the agenda.
Speaking of food, our daily lunch consisted of burgers by the pool while working on our tans and the never-ending supply of shortbread biscuits along with three course meals nearly broke us – on the last night we were even given a private space to enjoy dinner and vibe train tunes. Let’s just say the White Pearl staff know how to dance and there’s plenty of videos from this night that will never see the light of day. Luckily, what happens in Mozambique stays there.
Words cannot describe the experience of staying at White Pearl Resorts. Simply put, Mozambique is a beautiful country that one can only be understand by going there. They say those that live under African skies are blessed and after our experience, we can definitely confirm that this beyond true.
We could go on and on, but it’s now time to meet the girls…
PRODUCED AND STYLED BY BELINDA ROELOFS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ROCKY BATCHELOR
LOCATION WHITE PEARL RESORTS, MOZAMBIQUE
HAIR & MAKE-UP BY SIMMY CARR
LINGERIE AND BIKINIS BY MARY HOLLAND LINGERIE
VIDEOGRAPHY BY ALEX SCAPENS
For the full article grab the November 2019 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
