Kibanda Lodge and Beach Club

We stayed at Kibanda from the 24th Nov until 3rd Dec. It was me and other three girlfriends, and we were celebrating two birthdays. The staff at both the Kibanda lodge and the beach club went out of their way to make our stay wonderful. Upon check-in we were offered a complimentary upgrade to the deluxe bedrooms, located on the upper floors. On the day of our birthdays they set up our breakfast and dinner tables with flowers and decorations, and they all came out singing and dancing and brought cake and drinks on the house. Even the playlist in the background was birthday themed, and when we went back to our rooms, the housekeepers had also set up the bedrooms with flowers, it was very touching. Everyone, from the front desk team, to the bar and restaurant team, housekeepers, beach club staff, night shift security, chefs and even their beach police was so friendly and helpful. A big shout-out to Margot, Francesca, Ieva, Matteo and Iddi. Our trip wouldn't have been the same without you! A shout-out to the breakfast chef too! I woke up in London this morning and nobody was there to make me my avocado toast with one fried egg 😭 The rooms were lovely, with comfortable beds and both fan and AC. All windows had mosquito nets and I believe the housekeepers sprayed the rooms and balconies with repellent every day. The food was to die for, especially at the beach club, even though it was so hot and humid we could never finish any meals, but that's just us not being used to the tropical weather. There were plenty of options with fresh fish (catch of the day and tuna tartare were some of my favourite) and seafood. We definitely stocked up on omega 3. Hats off to their chefs! They also use filtered water for their ice and to wash the food, so you can drink as many cocktails and eat as many fresh salads as you want without any worries. Definitely Hakuna Matata! Their Masai Matteo was always looking after us and made sure we were safe at all times. He is an absolute gem (and he loves a good party 😁). Their beach police also looked after our belongings whenever we went for a swim, and would come and stand closer to us whenever the beach sellers became a little too insistent. The beach club is within walking distance from the hotel, about 10 min walk, however the roads are very run down, especially after it rains. The hotel provides complimentary beach towels every day and offers a complimentary taxi service to the beach club and back. Most of the times we had the same driver which we only know as Big Boss, he was also very friendly and made our short trips more fun! The hotel also offers complimentary sunset cruises every day from 4.30pm-6.30pm. It was so much fun! Even though everything in Zanzibar is very pole pole, the staff at the Kibanda was very quick and prompt with any request we had. We met some wonderful people and had the most amazing time. I'm already planning to come back hopefully next year. Thank you guys for an unforgettable stay