Wellworth Collection - Kunduchi Beach Hotel & Resort — Hotel in Dar es-Salaam

I’ve always wanted to visit Daresalaam. I have only been to Arusha and Zanzibar. So after rigorous searching we settled on Kunduchi Beach Hotel and Resort. White Sands had had a fire incident in mid 2018. So we avoided that one with the reason that some hotel facilities may not be accessible due to the fire and ongoing repairs would have been a nuisance.||The date was 28th December 2018.|The hotel is a little over an hour from Julius Nyerere International Airport. Dar is infamous for its weekday traffic. We took an Uber from the airport. The cheaper option compared to the taxis available at the airport. We had not arranged airport transfer. Generally Ubers in Tanzania are cheaper (cost per kilometer) compared to Nairobi Kenya.||Arrival at Kunduchi BH&R was alright. Got there at 1pm. No cold drinks were provided on reception. Check in process took an hour or so. The hotel view from the entrance and reception is amazing.|We requested rooms on the first floor. They were not ready so we had to wait for a bit which we did not mind.||This is where the hotel dropped the ball.|The A/C in one of the rooms wasn’t working well. It’s probably the A/C fan that was blowing solo. The floor was still dirty-walking barefoot in the room had one collect debris. It was a double room but they only provided towels for one. Ok, so nothing major to worry about, we knew if we reported the issues they’d be sorted asap.|So we call the reception, from the room, and report. We then walk by the reception and report the issues as we headed to the Mawimbi restaurant. My fiancé heads back to the room, finds nothing has been done. She calls the reception to report once more. They send a technician to look at the A/C. He says it’s working but acknowledges that it is faulty and not blowing cool/cold air like the A/Cs in the other rooms.|At around 7pm, we head back to the toom again. Nothing has been done. I walk to the reception and talk to a gentleman who picks up a pen and paper and writes down the complaints and promises they’d be worked on. We head for dinner. After dinner, we go back to the room. Still nothing has been done. At this point im so furious and head to the reception where i find a lady who listens to my issues. She elects to transfer us to a vacant room on the ground floor. We object. The rooms on the first floor had an amazing view and more privacy. There is a footpath that passes right infront of the rooms on ground floor so privacy may be an issue. So here we are, having checked in to the hotel at 1pm. We have raised complaints all day which were ingonred. If they had listened to us, and made a decision to transfer us to another room, we’d have gotten a room on the first floor seeing as most guests hadn’t checked in by the time we did. |By this time, these frustrations were proving to spoil our holiday mood. So I decided to drop all complaints and try enjoy my stay there. Nobody goes for a holiday with the intention of complaining over and over and over. ||Waiters were probably stretched because orders took forever.||The GP karting itself was a sham. We paid for three karts. One got spoiled during the race. The other didn’t have power so it was useless to race against the only other proper go kart.||Breakfast and dinner were buffet. Food was bland. No variety. Sometimes the chef at the grill/choma section would disappear while guests waited for roast meat.||Rooms was not cleaned daily, let alone the floor being sandy during check in and we had asked for it to be cleaned.||Gym facilities were really really old. Gym instructor couldn’t care less that he had guests at the gym. He sat in his room playing with his cellphone.||Beach was really smelly.||Swimming pool was tiny to accommodate even half of the guests.||To the good pointers now.|There was a live band singing popular songs renditions. They really did a good job.|The hotel room design was okay.|The breakfast and dinner food selection was okay. Breakfast lacked bacon though. And during dinner, the chef at the barbecue area disappeared at some point while some people still wanted proteins from the grill.|The lobby was beautiful and was a relaxing place to chill at.|Loved chilling at the bar close to the beach, despite service here taking eons.||The hotel architecture is very very beautiful 😍.||Enjoyed my stay at Kunduchi beach hotel. Wouldn’t go back there but my fiancé says...

I was robbed with aggression while walking on the beach 500m north of the hotel. I rate 1 star because the response of the hotel to this event was unacceptable. Administration of this hotel lacks ethics and choose money over empathizing with people. Also they choose to bubble up instead of taking action and interacting with the community about very wrong things happening on the beach. I was robbed with aggression included by three guys armed with machete 500 meters north of the hotel. When I came back the response of the hotel administration was a gem. They didn't react unless you insist, then instead of supporting you after the "trauma" they proceeded to blame me about the robbery because I trespassed the big sign that is there noting that after that point there is no hotel security and you go on your own risk. Apparently there is a gang that robs tourists that go that way and have been doing this for some time. Two weeks before another tourist also got assaulted. There is no sign clarifying the risk and no security guard cared enough to run and let you know about this. I didn't take the sign seriously after walking south and seeing that it is interesting since its full of local fisherman and a fish market (some guests might consider this a risk, but it's not). They refused to call the police, probably to avoid scaring other guests in the hotel. They prefer to take no action about this issue and accepted this as a normal thing that happens here, so tourists should be confined to the hotel area. Finally after being there only 30 minutes and not enjoying any of the premises I asked the administrator for a refund of the expensive entrance so at least I could go back to my hotel (I had empty pockets after robbery) which was 2hour bus drive away in city center. His response was that the income was already registered and I had to figure it out myself, they cannot help me. I had to literally beg for empathy in order for him to agree to give me something. He refunded 2 dollar (a 30% of the entrance fee) so I could go back. Are these guys really human? I suggest not going to this place simply as a punishment for the lack of ethics and apathy to events that are morally and legally wrong from part of the administration. People that thinks and acts like that, where optimizing every penny of income is all that matters are harmful to any society.

Update in response to the owner The response of the owner is false in the following things: They didn't act professionally and with humanity as they try to make it look; they declined to call the police, it was offered to bring me to the village chairman, but I asked to go there accompanied by the police and they refused. They did offer to escort me to the venue of the incident, however there was no point in going there (what would be achieved?). I don't think leaving me alone, without offering even a glass of water and then declining to return me any money (I had nothing and I had to beg the administrator to give me money so I could go back) and not escort me either to my hotel in Dar es Salaam or to the police, is assisting someone with humanity. Having security guards with guns at the borders of the 150m beach to protect the guests from a gang that assaults tourists does not qualify as charming in my dictionary and I think the same applies to many other (if not most) people's perspectives. Their officers at the beach didn't stop me as he stated it, an officer did yell me from far away and I assumed he was alerting me about the sign and suggesting me not to go, but stopping would mean running to me and not allowing me to go further. They try to hide the nature of the danger by using a broad caution sign, instead of being transparent about the danger being a organized gang assaulting tourists beyond that point.

The administration of the hotel and the chairman of the Wellworth Group (Mr. Gulam H. Ismail) assured me measures would be taken. I do hope...

We found this hotel online, and have to say we were a little disappointed. We didn’t fully appreciate the trek from the airport either. On arrival, you are met with a very grand entrance. This is very Arabic in design, and gave us the thoughts that we have made the right choice. We were very happy with the arrival and reception. We were given complimentary coconut drinks, which was much needed after the drive from the airport.

It was at this point that we were shown to our rooms. This is where it fell down for me, as the rooms were old and dated. Not what was expected after the entrance. Woodwork worn and in need of re-varnishing. The sealant around the bath, shower and sink was discoloured and in need of being done in this century. Floor and shower tiles were broken or cracked. I went to use the shower and was met with a piddle of cold water, no end of fiddling with the taps could change the water temp. This was brought to the front desks attention, and a workman was tasked almost straight away. I had a cold shower that first night, and was looking forward to a hot shower in the morning. What I got was a tepid shower.

Evening meal the first night and breakfast the following morning was very nice. Welcomed by a smiling server, and shown to a table. Plenary of choice for both meals covering all things meat and vegetarian. Handy as my colleague is a vegetarian.

Plenty of selection for alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, again with great bar staff.

The exterior of the building where we were sleeping looked like it hadn’t been painted since the 1930’s. Which is a shame as a lick of paint would transform the exterior area facing the pool.

The pool was a great area to relax, with views out over the beach and sea. There was a bar service around the pool as well, so no need to go to the bar in the main hotel area.

We went for a swim in the sea, and was told that if we wanted to walk along the beach, we would need an escort. This was a bit of a shock, but better forewarned. Swimming directly out front of the hotel was fine, as security is already there.

There is an abandoned cargo ship, run aground about 150 from the hotel. We swam around it and back, with most of the time walking with our feet on the ground.

On the second night we got talking to the general manager. During our conversation it transpires that the hotel normally caters for conferences. That being it’s main client, although they do have a healthy smattering of singles & couples. He was very nice and accommodating and offered his services if we had any needs.

Plus’ are the hotel staff, who I have to say were brilliant. Nothing was a hassle, and always with a smile. If only they would invest in the tired areas of the hotel, then this would be a great vacation destination as well, not just conferences.

Would I come back again?...