Filao Beach By Sansi — Hotel in Unguja

My vacation in Zanzibar, specifically at Filao Beach by Sansi, was one of those experiences that you carry with you forever. When I look back on that time, I feel genuine warmth and gratitude for all the moments I spent there. It's not just about the destination or the beautiful beaches – it's about the people who made every moment special. Food was simply wonderful – every meal was prepared with love and a flavor that you only find in Zanzibar. The chefs always spoiled us with fresh dishes, fruits, fish, and spices that made every dinner a special experience. In every bite, you could feel that it was prepared with love, that they wanted you to enjoy every meal. The greatest treasure of this resort is the people who work there. Every day, they greeted us with a smile, always asked how we were, if everything was fine, and made sure that we really had everything we needed. Their kindness and warmth were genuine – I felt like I was at home, among friends. Waitresses and staff were not just service figures; they were always smiling, attentive, and very professional. Bili so zaskrbljeni, da smo imeli vse, kar smo potrebovali, in da je bil vsak obrok prijeten in brezskrbni. Their kindness was genuine, yet discreet – always willing to help, unobtrusive, yet present enough to make you feel welcome and accepted. I felt that they truly enjoyed what they were doing, and that their happiness was contagious. I met some people more deeply – I talked and socialized with them a lot, and even the thought of saying goodbye fills me with a slight sadness. These people were not just part of the service or the vacation experience – they became part of my experience, part of the memory that will stay with me forever. In addition, the resort was extremely well-organized. Different activities were held every day, carefully prepared and planned so that we always had something interesting to do. Their dedication and effort to make our vacation perfect were evident – all praise for the organization, energy, and heart they put into every detail. Filao Beach by Sansi Resort is not just a place to rest, but a place where you can feel how beautiful life is when you are surrounded by good people, delicious food, incredible nature, and carefully organized activities. The beautiful beaches, the peace of the ocean, and the warmth of the staff create a perfect harmony that envelops you and makes you feel like you belong to something special. I am grateful for every moment there and I will definitely return, as this place and the people who shape it remain in my heart forever. The entire team worked like a well-coordinated team, where each individual contributes their part, and this is what creates an unforgettable atmosphere. I am grateful for the effort, dedication, and warmth of every employee – I truly felt welcome and accepted. Thank you...

Filao is a super nice place with super friendly people. They let themselves down a little with a few things, like: their reservation system had not worked, so we didn't get the rooms we'd booked, and we had to wait a few days to get into the right rooms. we had booked all inclusive with alcohol, but the hotel said not, and we had to go back and forth between travel agent and hotel no hand towels provided in rooms. (There are beach and bath towels, but nothing else to dry hands on. water pressure was low in the "citrus rooms" and shower broke in 1 room the hotel advertises "free trip over the bay" to their sister resort on Wednesdays and Fridays, but in turns out only max 1e guests can take the free boat, and it was already booked, so we had to pay for our own boat ride across. No problem, but don't advertise something less than 20% of your guests can take advantage of!

They made up for these things through the hospitality and good nature of the staff. Rooms were clean. Bottled water provided daily in rooms. Some great celebration nights and some activities for those that want to participate. They did a couple of fires on the beach too. None of them went on too late into the early hours.

The pool in fine, but was a bit warm for my taste! (We were there in peak temperatures though - late Dec). The bar area overlooking the sea is fantastic and cooled by the breeze. The beach is picturesque but not great for swimming: when the tide is in you can swim but it never gets deep, and there is lots of seaweed floating in this area.

The Massai tribesmen look after security and were also very friendly and helpful. The place does feel safe.

The food was pretty good. Dinner and lunch better than breakfast in my opinion, but there were always fresh pancakes, and sometimes an omelette station. Always fresh fruit, water juice.

The bar is great, with the cocktails fine. Often served in pint glasses, and the alcohol strength varies wildly depending on who makes it so keep an eye on your alcohol consumption!

The hotel has an on-site tour arranger who we didn't actually use. There is no shop there, although the Masai sell souvenirs, and there is a small shop I a hut next door on the beach called Gucci 😀 that has some clothes, flip flops, artwork etc. There is also a little restaurant there, but you need to pre-order the day before, as it is not a busy place - but we got some good fish and octopus there.

Would I go back? Yes, because I have now reset my initial expectations around some of the amenities and customer service one expects from a European tourist destination, and focus more on the different and superior qualities of a holiday in Zanzibar: nature,...

We have just arrived back from the most incredible 2 week stay at Filao beach. The staff were so incredibly friendly and couldn’t do enough for you, from start to finish we were treated like royalty. There is nightly entertainment either dance shows, casino night, karaoke or quizzes run by Isma who has single handily made our holiday he was the best member of staff and brought so much life & happiness to the hotel. There was even an occasional day activity like a trip around local village, aqua aerobics, yoga and badminton. The food is fantastic for Africa I wouldn’t say it is European 5* but they try their best with different themes and give plenty of options everyday. It is only a small hotel with 30 rooms so there isn’t tones and tones of choice but there’s definitely enough and everything is made fresh. Massive shoutout to Peter, Baby, Edina and Atea for their service over mealtimes- Nassor for making us incredible drinks, the two men from entertainment staff & manager Isma for keeping us busy & dancing unfortunately didn’t get their names. Finally all the Masai for making our stay so special they were all incredible. The rooms are a great size and African themed so you feel comfortable from the moment you arrive, I wouldn’t class it as 5* luxury but perfect for what we wanted. The cleaning team (again didn’t get the ladies name) but she was amazing keeping our room spotless with fresh towels when we wanted. Also the hotel grounds team was very hardworking to keep the standard high. The pool is a great size for the hotel we were happy and plenty of sunbeds so no need to fight over them. The sea isn’t really swimable if you do research before booking you would know this so we weren’t bothered but I know a few people were disappointed when they found out. The location of hotel is great in centre of island so easy to do trips to north or south and not too far from airport. Overall we were pleasantly surprised by our stay at filao beach we would highly recommend for a friendly relaxing African stay you...