Chole Mjini Treehouse Lodge — Hotel in Chole Island

The treehouse where we stayed was amazing: totally open to the elements yet comfortable. Great swimming pool over the mangrove! Good ties with local businesses to go diving or whale shark watching. ||Some things should be improved in the activities and the services to justify the price point :||-given that the place itself has nearly no activities you can do on your own (except village walk or swimming in the mangrove), it would be convenient to have staff reach out twice a day to arrange what can be done the following day/ afternoon. Much depends on the tide and the season, so you need to talk it over; but in our case we had to chase people actively to say that we wanted to do this or that activity. The information we received was good when we talked to some people and less good when we talked to another…sometimes the money owed to third party people was not clearly mentioned. I know people were trying their best and the resort was not full, but it became a little stressful to wonder “hey we would like to do that this afternoon, we really hope we can meet people in the meantime”.||-please give people solar torchs. I know the path to the restaurant is lighted, but the path to the bar / wifi point of the island is not and it’s pitch dark. A solar torch would help but when we asked for one we were told no. So we had to resort to cellphones to light our path.||-it would be great to have the cleaning of the treehouse take place when the guests are out doing activities. Sometimes it was happening when we were coming in, trying to enjoy the treehouse.||-the mangrove tide reached below the treehouse and deposited a bit of garbage : old plastic bottles, toothbrushes, old shoes, plastic pouches. It would be really nice to have this garbage cleaned even if it’s not the fault of the lodge. In our case the detritus stayed all week long. ||-we liked the food but heard other guests wish they could have a small choice of menu instead of a set menu, given the price of accommodation. ||None of these comments are a deal-breaker, but we feel upping the quality on this could transform the lodge from...

There is no doubt, the open air treehouses are beautiful to stay in - very relaxing & fun, however there are a few reasons why we have given this a 2* experience.

I actually intended to give 3* however in writing my review, reflected on all the faults, and simply couldn't give the additional star.

First, the owners are not overly hospitable or friendly. When contacted, they claimed to have a 3 night minimum to stay on the island, to limit your "carbon footprint" travelling to/from the island. The boat ride from Utende is

Waking up to birdsong and gently lapping water in an open air treehouse, perched at water's edge on a glorious Tanzanian island, is as magical as it sounds. My stay at Chole Mjini was a highlight of my East Africa travels.

I loved everything about this place; a treehouse I felt I'd conjured up in an elaborate shipwreck fantasy; candlelight dinners under the stars, tables set in gorgeous new locations for every meal; a dhow trip to snorkle with whale sharks; a low-tide walk to ancient ruins on a nearby island; the beautiful, gentle Chole Mama who patiently tried to teach me weaving; a delicious coconut oil full-body massage; the opportunity to spend time with friendly islanders and soak up a little of African village life. Sunset cocktails & my own personal plunge pool too, of course!

Every Chole Mjini structure is beautiful conceived & crafted, using local materials and skills, perfectly nestled alongside baobab & ancient fig trees, with such thought and obvious love. Aesthetically a real treat for fans of out-of-the-ordinary design & attention to detail.

The back-story of how Anne & Jean came to create their Chole Island dream, the interweaving of conservation principles and the visibly beneficial relationship between the business and the Chole villagers (I loved learning about the education Trust & what it has achieved) is inspirational.

I went to Chole Mjini solo and a bit by chance, but definitely want to come back soon with friends or family - I felt incredibly welcome and 100% safe as a solo traveller, but it's absolutely a place that you'll want to share with people you love.

Chole Mjini gets that elusive mix of luxury, simplicity, adventure and elegance, perfectly right. The obvious pride of all the staff and the village for what has been created here permeated my experience.

If you're looking for meaningful, real and transformational travel experiences, find a way to get to Chole Mjini and stay as long...