Fundu Lagoon — Hotel in Pemba

Opinions about novels, plays and many other things will differ according to taste and expectations, so it’s inevitable that different people will have different views of a place like Fundu Lagoon. Unfortunately, our opinion is less positive than that of others who have left reviews here and elsewhere. We could simply have refrained from expressing our opinion, but that would mean not passing on the reasons for our disappointment and allowing others to be better informed. ||To start with the positive. The setting is lovely. A pretty beach, backed by a forest. An attractive design. “Robinson Crusoe” style. Large rooms, our beach suite having the benefit of a good-sized plunge pool and large shaded decking. It also had a good number of electric fans (much needed!) The staff was good, always welcoming and helpful. The Jetty Bar is lovely and we enjoyed cooling drinks and beautiful sunsets.||Less favourable aspects: The whole place looks tired and we felt it was resting on its laurels. This applies to the general ambience and upkeep. It was all rather lacklustre. Breakfast was very ordinary: watery fruit juice, no choice of jams and marmalades (even the remote bush safari camp from which we came had a much better choice and good juices). On several mornings the fresh fruit was well past its best, to the point of being unpleasant to eat, and obviously so. Disappointing. But we had a nice beach barbecue one night and other meals were generally good or very good. We were well looked after at mealtimes by the excellent “Dudu”, who was delightful and efficient. A snorkelling trip to Misali island (30 mins away by speedboat) was well organised by the dive centre, but disappointing. The reef was largely monochrome and the fishes were neither colourful nor plentiful. A pity, and unusual for the Indian Ocean.||On our second day at Fundu Lagoon we made the climb up to the main swimming pool to have a pre-lunch drink at its bar. We got there at about 12:15. The bar was unattended and the drinks fridge padlocked. We turned around and went back to our room. When we mentioned this to a member of staff that evening we were told, nonchalantly, that the barman had gone on his lunch break! It would have been simple for someone else to cover for him - or at least to have put a “Bar closed” sign at the foot of the long steps up. This was perhaps a minor incident, but I believe it’s a reflection of attitudes and the standard of care at Fundu Lagoon. ||One aspect I’ve hesitated to mention is the WiFi and internet access. Perhaps one shouldn’t expect it to work well (or at all) in some holiday locations, but Pemba is a large island and Fundu Lagoon advertises itself as a luxury resort. It makes clear that WiFi is only available in the central area, not in rooms, which is fine, but either or both the WiFi and/or the internet were often unavailable. Staff knew that the hotel’s equipment was unreliable - they spoke of plans to upgrade it - but it was clearly well beyond its serviceable life and the replacement was overdue.||Finally, as I mentioned above, opinions will differ according to individual taste. Prior experiences will also come into play. Fundu Lagoon does not compare well to, for example, Maldives island hotels where we have stayed. Fundu isn’t cheap and its prices are broadly comparable with some of the best Maldives resorts and beach hotels elsewhere. In terms of location, it’s no more remote than most Maldives resorts, which are able to provide better and more varied meals. So price and remoteness don’t explain the lower standards. The ambience is also very different, Fundu lacking the finesse and attention to detail we have always found in the Maldives and in most other beach hotels. I don’t think it’s simply that Fundu is more Bohemian and its vibe is intentionally “laid back”. I think it’s more than that. A lack of care and perhaps complacency after earlier years of success. It’s sad that we were glad that we only stayed for 6 nights, not 7 as we had contemplated when we booked the trip. Others may enjoy it more than we did. I hope so. But at least this review may help them make an informed decision...

We were picked up by speed boat from the port and transferred to funding lagooon which was a great experience. Welcomed with a drink and shown our room. We had tried to book a beach room but they were all gone so went for hillside. The room was as advertised up steps however they are uneven and quite a few so not suitable for anyone who has even slight mobility problems. Also you will need the torch that’s provided in the room as lighting isn’t great but it is in keeping with the hotel. Our view was described as panoramic, I personally wouldn’t say that but you can decide with photos provided in this review. The room is a tent under a thatched canopy so this needs to be remembered when talking about luxury. For us it was great. We wanted a bit of relaxed time after safari’s. I would recommend taking a good book as there really is limited internet only available fully in reception which again was fine for us. There were a few niggles like a soggy mattress which could probably do with replacing. Towels that had seen better days but that smelt clean. Our fridge was rusty inside but I think that’s due to the climate. The sheets ect and actual room were very clean though. Turn down service was prompt and staff were polite ( special credit goes to the mammas in the restaurant) we had two beach bar b q’s which were great with fab food. Very limited drink choice with all inclusive but you could buy cocktails for between $8-12.which were delicious . The restaurant food was ok but not much choice. Pool area was beautiful and empty when we went.this was welcomed as the beach really isn’t accessible when the tides in. We had a fantastic massage which was worth the money. And the best bit of all was the snorkelling. It’s a must and I thought was well worth the money! There were other excursions offered but we chose this place simply to relax. I think if you’re looking for simple style luxury rather than high end and want somwhere just to totally switch off this is the place. For us to be able to literally kick off our shoes and chill...

Fundu lagoon is kind of an 'anti-resort'. It has the look and feel of a very high end resort, while at the same time rejecting the commercial aspects of resorts.

I have stayed in a lot of resorts, mostly Anantara, and on the surface Fundu Lagoon appears similar, but there is a lot more depth.

The entire resort was substantially constructed by local artisans and builders using primarily materials harvested from the island. Fundu does not import staff from the Philippines, but employs local people which gives a real flavour of being in the place, target than just being pampered.

They operate an outreach project that provides support for the villages in the island and they don't have any of the commercial faff associated with corporate resorts. The gift shop is devoid of pringles and snickers and has only hand crafted art.

So the real difference is ethos.

The only negative for me is the presence of single use plastics for drinking water. I get it that you have to be careful about drinking water in East Africa, but even the dive center takes plastic water bottles on the boat. The staff were careful to avoid pollution, but IMO it would still be better to have a water purification system on the island that uses refillable glass bottles.

The resort is an amazing place to get away. There is a deep sense of relaxation here that is rare in the world today.

The dive centre is excellent and diving around the island is beautiful.

I have the rooms 4 stars because there is no air conditioning, and I fully recognise that the presence of AC compressors grinding noisily away would destroy the peace, but I found it very hot in December. I don't think they're is any solution for this. The ceiling fans work well.

A wonderful unique place that you should visit before the encroaching real estate development forces its way into the experience of...