Beach Hotels in Zanzibar North Region, Tanzania

We were warmly greeted by the staff at the entrance. I had booked a deluxe room and had arrived early, would have appreciated an early checkin but the room wasn’t ready so meanwhile I explored the resort amenities. It has a private beach with a mini golf area and a bar alongside. The staff is friendly but most of the staff is new, a bit slow but they get you what you need. Maybe that’s how they’re wired, I’m unsure but they were kind. Pictures don’t do enough justice to this property. It’s massive, beautiful interiors with high end quality products. Loved the spa, felt so rejuvenated and I loved their bathing product line, the shower gels, etc. It’s ace quality. Food was good. They had live performance that got everyone on flood. It’s one of the best properties I’ve stayed at.

The entire island experiences intermittent power outages. I encountered this about three times a day in both the restaurant and my room, each lasting less than ten seconds before power was restored. Some of the staff, especially a female chef at one of the restaurants (the head chef rotates nightly), showed clear disdain for Asian guests. Upon check-in, a male front desk staff member saw that I only had a small backpack (a tiny summit pack, as my main luggage was left in Kilimanjaro and not brought to Zanzibar). I was already carrying it myself, but he forcibly took it from me, even after I told him it wasn't necessary, clearly trying to earn a tip. Once in the room, he kept making small talk and wouldn't leave, seemingly afraid I wouldn't tip him. I ended up giving him one. When I was checking out, my flight was delayed, so I asked if I could extend my check-out by an hour. The staff confirmed that an extension wasn't possible, but I could still use the hotel's beverage, snack, and other facilities. Since I had an all-inclusive package, I double-checked with a male staff member on the phone and a female staff member at the front desk about getting a drink, given my flight was delayed by three hours (my check-out was at 12 PM, and I hoped to leave around 1 PM). They both said it was fine. So, at 12:30 PM, I had a glass of orange juice by the pool. At 1 PM, as I was leaving the hotel, I was stopped and asked to pay. The staff member who had previously confirmed this with me, along with another server (not the beverage server), debated with me in front of their supervisor. Eventually, the supervisor, James, intervened and told me I could leave. One of the bartenders at the beach bar also displayed discrimination towards Asians, practically fawning over white guests. I sat there for ages, and he ignored me even after I politely asked for the menu twice, pretending not to hear. As soon as a white person sat down, he was instantly there, chatting them up. Overall, I'm dissatisfied with the service. Some staff members' English was poor, leading to communication misunderstandings (and I've studied English for many years and graduated with an English degree). The excessive debating in front of a customer also doesn't reflect good service. There were instances of discrimination and being forced into tipping. The entire service experience was very poor. The beach, however, is excellent, and the hotel's location is good.

The three meals were very good, the pool was beautiful, the beach and the sea were perfect. The band performances by the pool at night were very high quality and the atmosphere was great. On Saturdays, we caught up with the beach dinner and the Masai show. The room was large, the waiters were friendly and the service was good

The food was delicious. The room was fine. I often felt that the young staff were doing their best.

За свои деньги - хороший отель. Видно, что он не новый, подмазанный-подкрашенный, но в целом его чистота и шикарное местоположение перекрывают недостатки. Персонал вежливый, готовый помочь. Единственное, очень громкие и неуклюжие девочки, которые убирают номера. Слышимость хорошая, а они в 7 утра начинают громко смеяться, болтать и двигать мебель, когда в соседнем номере уехали гости. Жаловалась на них. Завтрак неплохой. Супер разнообразия нет, но всё свежее вкусное, для европейцев. Пляж и океан выше всяких похвал. Ради них и стоит ехать. Отливы есть, но совсем небольшие, 3 метра уходит вода, они никак не мешают купаться весь день. Глубина уходит вниз не резко, но там не лягушатник, чуть отплыл и уже дна не чувствуешь. Да, есть приставучие бич бои, но их просто надо игнорить. В мой отдых вообще каждый день приезжала полиция и гоняла их. Много водных развлечений на пляже. Пляж чистый, водорослей или нет совсем или чуть-чуть. Из минусов - лежаки. Они старые деревянные и видно что самодельные. У части лежаков нет возможности поднять/опустить спинку. Матрасы на лежаки выдают отдельно. Лежаки двигать нельзя. Если вы хотите полежать на солнце (а лежаки стоят под навесами из пальмовых листьев), то просто надо брать с лежака матрас и идти лежать на нем на песке. Номера неплохие. У меня был стандартный. Есть утюг с гладильной доской, сейф, фен, чайник с чашками, 2 бутылки воды 0.5 л каждый день, шампунь и гель для душа. Кондей работал исправно, вода горячая из водонагревателя (но у них везде так), напор хороший. Ресторан в отеле работает весь день. Меню не сильно богатое, но готовят вкусно, порции большие. Меню бара разнообразное. Цены средние. Бургер с картошкой фри 10-15 долл. Паста 10-15 долл. Мясо 15-25 долл. Салаты 10-15 долл. За пределами отеля в ресторанах цены примерно такие же. По средам у них вечер барбекю на пляже. По воскресениям караоке. Какой-то явной анимации нет, как в Турецких отелях. Но на Занзибаре надо наслаждаться пляжем и океаном. Кароче, я довольна и приехала бы ещё.

I really enjoyed my stay at Kendwa Rocks Hotel. The beach, the view, and the sunset were absolutely beautiful. My room was clean and comfortable, and the staff were very friendly. It’s the perfect place to relax and have a good time. If I come back to Zanzibar, I’d definitely stay here again.”

Came here to relax after trekking and safari trips and the lodge is a peaceful retreat set on the northeast side of Zanzibar. Loved the surroundings and garden is so beautiful. I picked this place as it has a dive center and it did not disappoint. The team at Dive Point Zanzibar is professional and the ratio of dive instructors / masters to visitors is 1:2 which is great. I am visiting on the shoulder season as the island is heading into low season so it is relatively quiet everywhere and I get to enjoy the full service and attention :)

This is a beautiful resort. The staff were incredibly kind and always welcome you with a smile. They have snacks and coffee/tea time throughout the day and the dinner buffets were fantastic. There is also a lot of activities like water aerobics, stretching, volleyball. The only downside: people are allowed to smoke everywhere, on the beach, by the pool, the lobby, the chill areas. It’s really gross and very unhealthy for those who do not smoke.

Lacation-top! The view from the room is amazing, the room is very large with a lot of storage spaces, which is very convenient. The interior itself is certainly quite specific, well or authentic:) service is medium, no one is frankly philonite, but not tense. The room was cleaned well. The bed is tough, but it seems that on the tanzibar is mostly such. Breakfasts - will go. Not wau, but you will not remain hungry. The idea of the kitchen and food is straight Zanzibar: hot and OK😄 so much don't wait. There is a swimming pool and a very green area of aki mini-jungle, but everything is a little underrun, No one is frowned about purity and accuracy. Everything in such a natural form where the sheet fell, there and lay. The branch was broken from the tree? Its its problems 😄 It feels that it works here and runs the hotel purely local, in general without understanding some world practice about Hotel business. In general, I think it is for the best. For the first visit to Zanzibar, it is a great choice.

Have a good time at Smile Beach Resort. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The room was clean and tidy. In the evening someone came to close the mosquito net and sprayed the mosquito spray. Breakfast and lunch are good, and we don’t use dinner because there are many restaurants nearby. I would like to mention the swimming pool and the seats on the beach, which are areas for improvement. They are very old and hard. The bed in the room is also very hard.