Driftwood Beach Lodge — Hotel in Unguja

After an exciting, but also strenous safari week on mainland Tanzania, we - a German family of three kids (11 to 18 years) and their dad - spent five days at Driftwood Beach Lodge to relax and enjoy the comfort of this beautiful place. |We received a warm welcome by the managers of the lodge, Dricus and Uschi, and all staff personnel, and immediately felt at home. Surrounding the warm freshwater pool and the restaurant/bar area, rooms are layed out as individual bungalow units (approx. 6 to 8 altogether), composed of a sleeping room, bathroom and veranda, all nicely furnished in driftwood style according to lodge's motto. Daily serviced rooms with very comfortable beds, white linen and soft towels await you. Cold and hot water runs from the faucets in more than just droplets, and all appliances worked as they should - what a comforting treat, compared to the "premium hotel" where we had stayed before! Some guests might miss air condition, but since windows are equipped with moskito nets and security grilles, you can let the island's comfortable breeze cool you at night (in fact, we had generally very little issues with moskitos on the island). Even though Jambiani beach appears to be a safe place, the lodge has a 24-hour security service which made us feel in good hands at all times. |Small shops by friendly locals are in short walking distance, with one (Eco Tours) offering exclusively handmade local products to take home as souvenirs. Notably, there is also a German bakery nearby that offers good bread and specialties like Kaiserschmarrn.|However, we liked the lodge's restaurant and its menu (all at fair prices) so much that we didn't really try others. |Last, a few more words about Dricus and Uschi, the South African couple who manages Driftwood Beach Lodge: we have met many nice people in Tanzania, but Dricus and Uschi really stood out among them. Regardless of what you need, and when - they always gave us excellent advise, arranged taxis and helped us with tour bookings. The latter was particularly useful since there are so many small businesses which offer tours, but the risk that they rip you off or don't hold their promise seems high. One everlasting memory was a half-day fishing trip, organized by Dricus, with our "catch of the day" fileted and grilled for us by the lodge's chef - delicous!|Five stars for this...

We absolutely loved our 2-weeks stay at this lovely lodge: *The warm welcome by the owners Kerry and Brady sets already the scene for a very chilled and nice atmosphere at the place. They make sure that you are very well taken care of and can help you organize everything that you need. The entire place with it's very friendly and nice staff feels like your home and family from day one. We were extremely happy that we had pre-booked the entire 2 weeks. A lot of the other guests liked it so much that they wanted to prolong their stay, which is not always possible as the lodge is quite popular. *You can really feel this place has been designed with love and attention to detail. The rustic but yet cozy style fits the scenery perfectly, especially the beautiful garden and greenery. *It is a small and intimate lodge, so it is easy to meet people, if you like that, but gives you as well lots of privacy if you prefer it *We totally underestimated how much we would appreciate the infitiy pool! Especially during days with very low tide it's a plus. We spent a lot of time in the pool enjoying the amazing beach and sea view with a nice drink from the bar *Everything we had from the restaurant was delicious and prices are pretty much normal and the same almost everywhere. *WiFi in the common areas is fast and strong *Our room had a ceiling fan and a standing fan which was ok for us. Some of the rooms have AC, so ask upfront if that's important to you. *Proper hot shower *Breakfast was really good - fresh juice and the option to choose between fresh fruit with pancakes or french toast or english breakfast with eggs etc. Be prepared for instant coffee, as good coffee in general is a challenge on the entire island. At the end of the day it's a remote island where shortage of some important goods can happen *The part of Jambiani beach where Driftwood is located is laid back and quiet, which we liked a lot. If you're looking for a busy beach and parties then you need to head to Paje, which is a 10 min taxi ride. *There is a nice kite surfing spot 15min walking from the lodge

Enjoy your stay, you absolutely...

We really enjoyed our stay at Driftwood and wished we'd been able to stay longer!

The bar/restaurant staff (Teddy, Rashid & JJ) were really friendly and welcoming, and so lovely to chat to! The chef and housekeeping staff were excellent too. They all clearly work very hard to provide such a great service.

Anne very kindly helped us organise day trips, which worked out brilliantly (do the sunset paddle boarding and the snorkelling if you can!).

It was a great start to each day being welcomed with a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, choice of pancakes/toast etc & fresh juice.

The room was comfortable and clean and had everything we needed (pool towels were very handy).

Being able to swim in the pool with a sea view really made it extra special (ideal when the tide was out). We found it to be a lovely place to relax and wish we'd had longer here!

The location was great for us as there were plenty of other restaurants to eat at nearby (try Mama Huu next door for low key, delicious local food!). The Driftwood restaurant is great too (particularly enjoyed the grilled chicken skewers & veg!) and the cocktails were excellent! It was also easy to stroll to the main road to get the dala-dala in the daytime (local bus) to Jozani forest too - which is quite an adventure!

Driftwood is a more rustic style which suited us and what we were looking for. Staying at a beach front hotel in a central location with friendly staff and a relaxing atmosphere -...