Anonymous User
October 22, 2025
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.
Original TextTranslation provided by Google