Zanzibar Bay Resort & Spa

This resort is amazing with its meals, pool by the beach, overwater bar and multiple international cuisine. However, it is far and remote so best only by car. I enjoyed my stay though with the blackouts.

I am writing this review whilst still in the resort and I have to say for what we paid for a family of 4, we have had/having a great time. The hotel albeit not very old has rustic charm given the materials they use and their determination to recycle, however even though the hotel is only 5-years old they are now renovating the balconies around the main pool, which can be sometimes annoying due to drilling. The staff here, in my opinion are extremely friendly and Jambo "Hello" is the word you will always hear. Reception: We arrived in the resort at about 9am but couldn't get into our rooms until 2pm, which after 20-hours of travel is a pain and it appears that many guests arrive early so perhaps the hotel should think about revising their check in times? Rooms: The rooms are lovely, rustic and minimalist but comfy. They are cleaned very day and you can have your bed/towels changed as often as you like, you just need to make it known. There is a mosquito net over the bed, which the maids let down every night, whilst also spraying the room. We have been bit several times by mosquitoes so make sure you take plenty of sprays. Pools: We only sat round the Zanzibar Bay main pool, which was very nice. It has a bar that opens from 10am through until 7pm serving soft drinks and alcohol. The beer is nice and poured out of bottles so l imagine not watered down and the spirit measures are plentiful. The sun beds are a little uncomfortable but you get used to them. Look out for the resident monkey who is great entertainment and a great photo opportunity. Bars: As well as the pool bar around the Zanzibar Bay pool, there is also one around the Paradise Beach hotel side (guests can use either). There is the Coconut Bar, which closes at 11pm and a lot of guests drink in this bar in the evening. A special mention to Masoud who is a brilliant bar tender and so friendly. Restaurants: There are 3 restaurants, main buffet, which is ok but like all main buffets can get a bit repetitive. Breakfasts in my opinion are limited but you can always find something to eat. The Indian and Asian restaurants were great and have to be booked in the morning but are very tasty and well worth several visits. Trips: We spent days out on trips, Nmemba Island, which was snorkelling, dolphin spotting and sand bank, we also did a 3-stop trip, which was Spice Farm, Prison Island and Stone Town, which was a full day and dragged on a bit but was still interesting and finally we did another boat trip, which consisted of seeing the Rock restaurant, snorkelling in the blue lagoon, star fish and relaxing on Mangrove Island, which was excellent value for money. Weather: We stayed from 5th July for 2-weeks and the weather has been mixed, sun, cloud, rain but I think it's the norm for this island and definitely unpredictable but it was around 30 degrees each day and warm enough at night for t-shirt and shorts. Summary: I think because of the distance and the fact there are only so many things to do

We booked Zanzibar Bay Resort as part of a package holiday through TUI. In all honestly, the photos on the TUI website don’t do the hotel justice, it is so much better than we had anticipated it being. The hotel is immaculate and staff work tirelessly to ensure it’s kept clean and well maintained. There are also additional touches, with staff setting up your mosquito nets each night etc. It has to be said that staff are amongst some of the loveliest I have ever encountered. Andrew, one of the waiters, was a particular favourite- he always took time to speak with us during dinner service and was just such so friendly. The staff group as a whole are fantastic and I honestly can’t speak highly enough of their hard work to make the hotel an enjoyable place for the guests. As vegetarians, we were apprehensive about the food, but we needn’t have been, as the food choices were plentiful and varied. We were there for 13 nights, and the food wasn’t repeated either, so plenty of choice. The pools are clean, well maintained and at all bars etc, the service is quick. My only slight niggle would be the street sellers on the beach, who do make a beeline for you when crossing onto the jetty. However they are all friendly enough and do leave you alone if you show little interest in what they are selling. Obviously the hotel has no control over this, and the street sellers do not enter the perimeters of the hotel at any time. Also I would say that because of the low tides, the beach at the back of the resort is not really ideal for swimming. However there are so many beautiful beaches in Zanzibar which are easily accessible. Don't let it be a reason to put you off, but if you are someone who likes a morning dip in the sea, then you may be disappointed if you book the hotel for the beachfront. All in all, I can’t fault the hotel- it was an incredible stay and we wouldn’t hesitate to book here again in future!