Turaco Nungwi Resort, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel

Perfect location right on Nungwi beach, friendly and helpful staff, and a great breakfast with a variety of sweet and savory options.

The location is absolutely fantastic. A beautiful beach stretches out right in front of the hotel. You can access the beach directly from the property, which means vendors frequently approach you, but there's security on site, so they aren't overly persistent and are kept from entering the hotel grounds.

We booked two rooms in total, one on the second floor and one on the first floor, located at the side. The first-floor room felt like it hadn't been occupied in a long time; the facilities were old. Upon check-in, the faucet wasn't working, and after it was fixed, the pipe started leaking, requiring another repair. There was absolutely no Wi-Fi, and despite calling staff two or three times, no one came to fix it. The second-floor room initially had no hot water, which was later repaired. The first-floor room clearly hadn't been properly prepared or inspected before our check-in; there was no soap or shower gel, and the old hairdryer even sparked when adjusting settings. Due to the excessive issues with the first-floor room, we approached the front desk to request a room change. The front desk offered no apology and stated that all rooms were booked, so they couldn't accommodate our request. They even claimed they had upgraded our room type. However, we had booked a poolside king room, and the first-floor room only offered a partial pool view and a very small ocean view, still positioned at the very side. The price on Ctrip was not more expensive, and in fact, was even cheaper. At 5 AM the next morning, we received two phone calls that weren't for us. They were complaints from guests in other rooms about water issues, but the conversations were clearly audible in both our rooms. During these calls, the front desk promised to change the other guests' rooms. The next day, we complained again and questioned why other guests could change rooms but we couldn't. Eventually, the manager intervened, and we were finally moved to a different room. As a Marriott-affiliated hotel, the prices are top-tier, but the service and facilities are absolutely terrible.

A wonderful, cozy, and stylish hotel with its own beach, security, and everything needed for a safe and comfortable stay. The breakfasts are excellent, and the à la carte restaurant is simply superb! Everyone is very attentive. Thank you for the amazing experience!

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.