The Residence Zanzibar

Je suis une voyageuse solo et je cherchais un hôtel où me reposer après mes folles escales dans tout Zanzibar. Toute l’équipe de l’hôtel a été aux petits soins avec moi. Je n’ai manqué de rien. La chambre était spacieuse et magnifique avec la piscine et le petit jardin. Le domaine est très boisé ce qui fait que vous pouvez croiser des petits animaux sympathiques. Encore merci à toute l’équipe de l’hôtel The Résidence pour tout le soin apporté à mon séjour.

Magnifique

I’m not the type to complain but I wanted to share my experience and explain the reality of this hotel it’s not what it shows on the pictures. This hotel wasn’t cheap to stay we stayed for 2 weeks and this is what we experienced • Hotel dark, dated and not very clean examples of the dining area toilets attached in the pictures and also the paintwork it's all over the tiles • The staff were friendly and helpful however the management and general manager very poor • The food was average, the dining room chairs were all warn need repainting or new ones need purchasing • The beach all covered in seaweed continuously (again not shown on advertisement) if you like going to the sea be prepared to walk a mile until you get to the sea •Parasols - the bottom of the parasols were rotten, which caused our parasol to fall on top of our sun beds luckily when this happened we was at breakfast and not lying on the sunbed. • Promenade - again wood rotten, missing bannisters. Part of the promenade was taped off because it was unsafe. Very wobbly. •Uneven Decking - in many places there was uneven decking, which causing people to trip and not very good for pushchairs or people requiring wheelchair access. •Swimming pool leaking - the hotel put G clamps on to hold the swimming pool together. They did their repair with glue and g clamp the next day which resulted to the repair being an eye sore. • Bathroom in hotel room - paint was flaking off looked like paint and being sprayed on it • Pallets For Tables - on the beach there were pallets lying around and used for table not very stable but again the cost of the hotel surely they can get tables on the beach. Would definitely not recommend this hotel. We went for the day at Gold Zanzibar and it was amazing!

Our stay at the residence was nothing short of heaven. Beautiful setting, amazing weather, so much to do and extremely friendly people. The villa rooms are epic, and you can cycle around from the spa, to the restaurant to the tennis court with such ease. We had diving organised for us which was amazing and very local- we would recommend this. Each morning Mary and Josephine greeted us for breakfast and remembered our coffee orders so it was ready. Eliabi, Phillipos and the rest of the beach bar crew kept our drinks filled to the brim and mixed delicious cocktails. Eliabi doubles up as an ice cream connoisseur in the afternoon, bringing the perfect afternoon treat. We loved doing Luckmans yoga on the beach everyday. It was relaxing and a great flow. Hashimu took us for Sunset cruise trips on the Catamaran and finally each day Martha and Nico helped us with dinner. All in all, perfect.

Stayed here with my husband for a week in February 2023. Welcome was very warm, we were offered some refreshments right away and got to know the monkeys on the property. We arrived very early and were offerred to use the shower and pool while waiting for our room to be ready. Through out the stay the staff was incredibly polite and helpful, breakfast was delicious and options plentiful (buffet style). The cleaning staff arranged a couple of surprises during the stay (romantic bubble bath for example!). They kept the villas exceptionally clean, also the private pool. AC worked perfectly. Overall the villas were amazingly comfortable. We stayed in the Luxury Garden Pool Villa. Pool staff amazing as well! They regularly asked if everything was OK and if we needed anything. They also offered snacks (fruits). Dinner entertainment was cool and the food great, also buffet style. It was nice that the dinner venue changed. We had a late departure flight and we were kindly offered to keep our room later than normal check-out. We definitely recommend to stay here in Zanzibar!

Great location and excellent staff. Couldn't be more helpful and attended to any issues in a timely manner. Lodges were fabulous and the view was breathtaking. Food was varied and really good especially as my wife is quite selective on what she prefers to eat. Watch out for the colibus monkeys who can be quite annoying around your personal pool at the lodge and can open the inside shutter if you don't lock them from outside. Beach was amazing looking but difficult to swim in due to washed up coral and sea urchins. You need to use reef boots which are available for free from the hotel. Nice location but would probably prefer to be on North or Northwest/east coast of zanzibar for better beaches.

What an amazing place! When I saw my agent book this place I wasn’t convinced but didn’t have enough time to get them look at another place.. so glad that it was kept now because the place is stunning, relaxing and the staff are the stars of the show. We mostly relaxed by the pool and the beach bar so we got to know a few members of the staff. Steven (even though he was a trainee) went above and beyond to make sure we had a great time. We asked him to music for us and the cocktails just kept coming . The rest of the staff were incredible too! The management and the evening team like Martha, Jovin and the rest made my mum and the rest of us cry when they danced and sang happy birthday on the Swahili night. There are so many others like Mary, Helen, the amazing Josephine and the rest who are just so happy and wonderful! Huge change from the service that we get in Europe the point is, thank you to all the amazing staff and that includes the security and the front desk who made our stay so special!

The roads are not good in Zanzibar and the drivers seem to have their own rules but after a fairly efficient arrival at the airport we were whisked to The Residence. The place is stunning. We got to reception which is unlike a big RIU or similar in the Caribbean. No fountains or huge areas of marble but it was efficient and friendly and we were soon checked in and taken to our villa. It was all that we hoped for. Two air conditioners (usually only needs one) a large four poster a lounge area and a clean and large bathroom. We had been travelling for 24 hours by that point so a beer from the fridge and a bit of unpacking (loads of space) before we went for dinner. We didn’t get into our pool that night but it was all checked out. Dinner doesn’t start until 1930 hrs which I think is a little late but was well worth the wait. Each evening has a theme and that first night was Italian. The food was exceptional every meal. There wasn’t a great deal of convenience food but for the kids and unadventurous adults there was always fries and something like fish fingers. However, shame on you if you travel to Zanzibar and have fries for your evening meal. The desserts were the best we had had. Go to the Caribbean and they will give you a great choice of good looking desserts but they rarely live up to their looks. Here they look good and taste fantastic. After a fairly early night we tried breakfast and it was also superb. Lunch was equally good, but it is a la carte which means you are given what you are given and the portions were large. After the first day we rarely considered a dessert or starter (actually sometimes we only had a starter- the samosas were very tasty) as with the fresh naans (you can see them being made) we were always full. The monkeys were everywhere. We were robbed three times as they liked the sugars and milks but we became more conscientious about keeping them out. The sun loungers were comfy and we had all that we wanted. But we didn’t want a lot. We were a long way from anywhere and the trips we took were longer because of that so we did a lot of relaxing. The gym was pretty good for the size of the hotel (only 66 villas). The staff were so friendly, jambo jambo. The local beer was pleasant and the cocktails really well made. We went once to the Pavilion, the ‘other’ restaurant and it was good but we preferred the buffet. We are fairly well travelled but this was possibly the best holiday yet even if we didn’t do a great deal. So what were the bad things? Not really many. Our toilet blocked a few times but they always fixed it very quickly but a permanent fix would have made sense. I was on the cusp of knocking their score down but was pleased with the speed of response. The other guests were all pleasant (I’ve nothing against kids but there weren’t that many and the ones there were behaved reasonably) and due to the size of the hotel we never felt crowded. I personally dislike it when guests stand over the food I might

The staff are the friendliest staff I have ever met, especially Nitin ( bar manager) Always too happy to help and nothing is too much trouble for them. Stunning scenery & location, loved the private pool The monkeys add an extra special touch.