Seasons Lodge Zanzibar Reviews

Season’s Lodge Pongwe. This is a curious place - very different from the corporate hotels lining the bay. It is seemingly built a while ago by a team of enthusiastic amateurs and tricky to find if you have your own transport. If you are a fan of switches and sockets where you need them it may be a problem in the two original rooms above reception. You can pay $30 a night more to stay in the bungalows lining the clifftop, which are of much higher quality. The site appears to have been extended along the seafront, with dining facilities at the far end in a breezy spot, with a comfortable seating area and a bar. A problem with low, then no water pressure in our original room recurred and we were eventually moved into one of the cottages. Food is good and not too expensive, starters $5, main meals $15. There isn’t much alternative provision nearby and the village which lines the dusty road is little more than a row of shacks with local housing. Wi-Fi is good, but there is no TV. Ideal if you want a quiet stay. At high tide there is almost no beach, and at low, the sea retreats about 400m beyond the rock pools and seaweed farmer’s plots. The one thing which I found disappointing was the fact that bottles of purified water in the rooms was charged at $1 per bottle when we left.

We booked Seasons Lodge at the end of our Tanzania safari as a place to relax before taking our international flight home. We were not disappointed!

We had the best time we could dream of at Seasons Lodge Zanzibar! The hotel is located in a very quiet environment, far away from mass tourism, which is so appreciable! The spot is absolutely stunning. The bungalows are big, charming with a front view on the ocean, it's just amazing. You fall asleep lulled by the sound of the waves, and you wake up with the view on the ocean. Priceless. All the other amenities in the hotel are very chill and confortable, the food is good, and the staff is so nice, trying their best to make our stay the best one possible. They were so kind with our little girl, and we have just one regret: to have to leave this place to come home!

Loved everything about this. We had the best villa and it was 100% like the photos. Such a perfect getaway. Also the service was amazing and they handled everything for us, from pick up to drive to airport and a trip to see dolphins. Very happy

We had a wonderful stay - food, location and villas were great . Beautiful ocean views. Such a lovely atmosphere!

We had the most wonderful stay at this rustic beach resort! We could not recommend it more highly. If you are looking for a manicured resort style hotel, this is not the one for you! It is so much more than that! The beach view cottages are beautiful and to wake up every morning to the sunrise is very special. Watching the stars come out at night while lying on the day beds on your own private beach is incredible. Things we loved: - someone comes round to set up your room for the night. Put the mosquito nets nights around your bed and bug sprays so you can sleep easy knowing there are no mosquitoes - The food is delicious. The menu changes daily so you never get bored. We ventured out for lunch one day and regretted it - The staff are lovely and very attentive Thank you Chris and your amazing team!

3rd stay in Seasons Always wonderfull Local and fresh food Nice typical bungalow on the beach Excellent service

3 days relaxing - amazing view and sea, nice property, pool and restaurant, very delicious food and very friendly staff

Not our first time coming here and it certainly will not be our last. We are just so in love with this little piece of paradise. We booked the cottage with a private pool, and it was just heaven lying at the pool, overlooking the ocean being utterly mesmerized by the tidal movements. The cottage is beautifully decorated, clean and airy. A big thank you to the staff who were very friendly and attentive

Seasons Lodge, Zanzibar is an absolutely fantastic location. I stayed as a solo traveller and felt very safe at all times. It's idyllic, pretty much paradise on earth in my view, and I will definitely stay again. Located on Pongwe beach, which has a crazy tide - when it's in it really is in, and when it's out it's distant, but that added to my experience. White powdery sand and relatively calm waters, made my early morning, and evening strolls along this quiet, peaceful beach so enjoyable. I loved my cottage, the raw nature of the decor, the seclusion and tranquility, and having my own outdoor space to relax as I wished. Breakfast was wholesome and I had the best dinners here (having stayed at other properties in Zanzibar during my trip), the dinner menu changed daily and was very tasty. The scenery at Seasons Lodge was surreal, staff were very friendly and accommodating and if you want to be close to nature for rest and total relaxation, I highly recommend Seasons Lodge Zanzibar. It probably won't suit travellers who want a shiny, modern, 5 Star hotel, but the scenery and facilities were definitely instagram worthy for me. I love boutique hotels for their individuality and quirkiness and Seasons Lodge did not disappoint.

Overall it was a really nice stay here! Staff is very friendly and helpful. The chef is extraordinary good! The rooms are very big and clean, some need little renovating. Beach is ok, better use water shoes for swimming. It's only possible on high tide.

The positives: The pictures do not do it justice. The rooms are nicer than depicted and the beach is lovelier - greener and bluer hues. It really is lovely. The reception area is stunning and having your own private beach - great. The drawbacks: The shower water is straight from the sea so you can never get totally clean. It ruined my hair and I felt I could not shower for the whole time which was not pleasant. The restaurant staff are really slow and if you complain, they just ignore you. One lunchtime, we were the only guests and we ordered a simple sandwich and a soup. After 45 minutes we asked where the food was and we heard the pinging of a microwave. They had forgotten and then brought the food in 1 minute. We were sitting outside the kitchen and there were 4 of them in there. Sadly this was not an isolated incident. One evening, we purposely ordered our dinner 1.5 hours before dinner started. It was still late. The restaurant staff were sulky and uncooperative most of the time. The trips they provide are expensive and not good value. We paid a fortune to go snorkelling and the local company was disinterested, dived in to see dolphins ignoring us and were not concerned with our safety. Our expensive trip to Stone Town, the guide was on his phone the entire time and not talking to us over lunch. He knew nothing about local shops either. The couples massage was 120 Euros and they told us (rather than asked) they were using a certain oil, it turned out this was the super luxurious, expensive one and I paid 120 USD for 2 massages. The Massai tribespeople on the beach are very very pushy and do not leave you alone. you want to take a nice beach walk and end up getting roped in to looking at someone's paintings on the hotel's private stretch of beach. It was very non-relaxing. Due to the sea water (we stayed in other places that didn't pump water straight from the sea) and the attitude of the restaurant staff I would not stay here again, but if these things do not bother you and you are not intending to do any trips, then do stay here!

This hotel is as good as it looks in the photos. It’s in a quiet part of the island, which suited us, and there weren’t many people in the beach. The staff were very helpful, and when we asked for a taxi, the drivers were reliable and safe. I highly recommend this hotel.

We stayed at Seasons Lodge for 7 nights in one of the private lodges. It is a little private paradise, with great view, easy access to the fantastic beach and water. Great food and drinks, excellent service and the staff is wonderful. Always helpful and flexible. We give our warmest recommendations.