Mandarin Resort Zanzibar - 4 Stars — Hotel in Unguja

We just came back from our 2 week stay at the Mandarin Resort in Zanzibar and our hearts and soul are full of joyful memories. From the moment we arrived to the very last day we felt like at home and this was the best management and staff we ever had ! I am a travel agent and you can imagine how many parts of the world I have visited but Zanzibar and Mandarin Retort have won our hearts. We were greeted by beautiful smile bringing to us cocoanut 🥥 drinks with flowers 🌺 to the reception and short after the amazing General Manager came to welcome us! He helped us to upgrade to all inclusive package assuring us that they have the best quality food in the area and he was 100% correct since we also tried food outside of the resort . We liked our room but he upgraded us to a beautiful ocean front very specious room with beautiful views and easy access to the beach and everything else ! The sunsets 🌅 from our room were spectacular. For over 20 years traveling as a travel agent and with my family , and we travel a lot , we never felt treated better and felt like at home as here ! You almost feel as you are visiting your own family . The staff each one of them gave us exceptional service at all times. Salma was highlight of our days with her beautiful smile . Odess made our coffee early in the morning even before the Restaurant was open and the best cocktails 🍹 at evenings! The Zanzibar cocktail 🍹 is amazing! Fruit and salads were fresh and delicious. And our favorite chef was prepping fresh food every day with love and it felt like a homemade meals. We loved the band so much and on the nights they were there for entertainment management and the staff danced 💃🏻 🕺🏻 with us even the most amazing chef 🧑‍🍳 Amar. Along with their staff the management team was always there making sure that all guests are happy ! One night my Son was sick we spent all day outside exploring since we are very adventures and couldn’t go for dinner and the chef made chiken vegetable soup especially for my son and provide for us anything else we needed and truly left me speechless. Manuel security at the beach always made sure that we are happy in that area. Maryam who was often cleaning our room was amazing. Entertainment staff , Khaled and Faraji were amazing and had so much to offer for the entertainment since morning until evening . The supervisor, who was always around had always nice smile and was very helpful! He gave me one of a kind compliment saying, that I am a beautiful moon of my family and that my light is shining on them! Thank you again ! We have met lot of people from many different countries and all of them were happy at the Mandarin resort. There is so much to say about Zanzibar and the places we have visited , day at 3 different beaches , spice farm , island 🏝️ trip , swimming with dolphins 🐬 and turtles 🐢 walking to the village to see children and local residents life , making children happy by giving them or buying anything. But I will finish my long comment here with special thanks to the General Manager Magdi for leading his team professionally. We felt as a royal family and he even organized for me a day trip along with the GM from Royal Mandarin to their new resorts opened in February and there , we were also treated as family and he showed me all type of the rooms and his property ! I can’t decide which property I like more but as a travel agent I would suggest to you , to divide your stay to both Mandarin properties! Mandarin resort is full of nature , flowers 🌺 🏝️🥥 and easy access to the beach which is amazing and also very romantic while Royal Mandarin is new and more of luxury resort with so much to offer with all of the rooms facing the ocean. From my family and I , we thank you 🙏🏻 from our hearts for the most wonderful summer vacation because of you and your team dear Mr. Magdi. And until we meet aging we will share memories with our family and friends and especially I will be sharing it with my clients . We miss you and we love you all ❤️🩵🏝️🕺🏻💃🏻🐢🐬🐈🥥🌺☕️🍹! ||Must be added : We also had special connection with Masai at the beach selling to tourists handmade staff and it was very interesting to learn about their culture! I very much loved spending time with children from the near by village coming to the beach and since I have been giving them all kind of things including money and chocolate plus clothes , they wrote in the send LOVE and hearts plus came back next day to me with handmade ring for me and for my son 🐚, I will never forget this moments and their beautiful smiles and happiness they carry with them ! ❤️||Children from Spice village are for adoption and they also need support .m for education. And in Salam for the children 180 of them without parents. Donations are to the school for education. My good heart could not leave this out , maybe my info will change...

We have just returned from a wonderful 10 night stay. All inclusive 17th -27th August ||After a 20-hour journey, we arrived at 6am to find some confusion with our holiday supplier, meaning our room wouldn’t be ready until the afternoon. After about an hour of waiting, we were temporarily placed in an upgraded room until 2pm. We weren’t happy at first, knowing we’d have to move rooms halfway through the day, but the manager kindly allowed us to stay in the upgraded room at no extra charge for our entire stay. This turned a frustrating start into a wonderful surprise—the view was absolutely stunning, and from that moment on the service exceeded our expectations.||Later in the holiday I became unwell, and the staff even sent someone out to get me medication. Nothing was ever too much trouble. The grounds are breathtaking; from the moment you arrive at reception, you can see the sea, and walking down feels like stepping into paradise. Everyone is extremely polite and helpful—from the sweet ladies in the restaurant, the friendly barmen, to the pool staff who always stopped for a chat.||The head chef, Amr, deserves special mention—he made sure we were happy every day and even arranged a beautiful private dinner by the pool, which was the perfect ending to our romantic holiday. The manager and his wife were also very welcoming, greeting guests personally each evening.||The hotel felt wonderfully peaceful—often we had the pool area almost to ourselves, and the beach was stunning. It’s just a short walk to the nearby fishing village, Kizimkazi, which gives a true feel of Zanzibar, far from the tourist crowds. It was great to see the locals every morning, starting off their day preparing the boats and collecting bait. We met a local guide, Jay, who showed us around the village, school (lovely experience) , Stone Town, prison Island, and arranged a boat to see starfish and Pungume Island—highly recommended!||Our room (113) was very spacious, with an incredible view over the pool and sea. It was cleaned daily, and we always felt secure, often leaving it unlocked. Facilities included a fridge, freezer compartment, hairdryer, and full-length mirror. The only things missing were tea/coffee facilities and an iron, though these may be available on request. Luckily, we took a travel kettle just in case. ||We stayed all-inclusive, and the food was delicious—plenty of fish, chicken, beef, rice, pasta, vegetables, and salads, plus fresh fruit like pineapple, watermelon, bananas, and papaya. Breakfast included homemade jams, freshly made bread, rolls and delicious donuts, pancakes, and Nutella. Fruit and yogurts, boiled eggs, freshly made omelettes with your choice of fillings, beans Frankfurt style sausages, potatoes, all very tasty. The only downside was the lack of desserts beyond fruit—we would have loved some ice cream or cakes. This was very disappointing for us as we love our desserts. (However, we did discover nearer the end of our holiday, that you can buys ice creams at the little local store 5 minutes walk down the beach) Snacks between meals could also be better, as only pizza was offered in the late afternoon. Drinks, however, were excellent, especially the fresh fruit cocktails.||The reception staff were always helpful—for example, when my partner ran out of cigarette papers, they sent someone to get more. The pool area was spotless with a chilled reggae vibe, which we loved.||If you're looking for a lively holiday then this place isn't for you. We wanted a relaxing romantic getaway and to see a true part of the culture of Zanzibar, that's exactly what we got. Overall, this hotel completely exceeded our expectations. The staff and management go above and beyond, the surroundings are stunning, and the atmosphere is magical. We both agreed it was the best holiday we’ve ever had, and we can’t wait to return. A huge thank you to everyone who made it such a...

Well, i might have a different view on luxury (as they categorise themself as luxury hotel). For example, if the power goes down every day for 6 hours, due to the grid insuffiency, i'd expect a luxury hotel to buy a generator, that can handle the switchover. Now, when it's the time, staff member goes around the whole place, and turns off the circuit braker of every room, so the AC goes off. This would be not much of an issue if they would - after the switchover - turn it back on, but they don't, which, of course you find out only when you get back from the beach, your room is just as hot as outside. Also make sure not to get placed next to the generator, cause it's loud, like an old bus, so you won't get any sleep. Also make sure not to get placed any rooms near the restaurant, every second day or so they host an event with loud music, so you won't get to sleep. Also check you AC, most of them are old and very loud, so you won't get to sleep. In any case, do not try to order food for from the restaurant - we ordered food for 12 people, they came back 20 minutes later that due to the power failure, they can't delivery like 3 of them. Those guest that got denied their order left the place, remaining people stayed there for 2 more hours to finally delivered their choice - the best part was however, that the staff delivered those food as well that they denied in the first place. (Being fair, after seeing this whole mess, the manager offered us that all we got it as complimentary). The choiche of breakfast looks okay in the first couple of days, however, no matter how long you stay, the menu is the same, so you might find yourself eating the same stuff for 2 weeks. The pool is okay, only since they don't know how to measure the chlorine level in the water, after 30 minutes taking a swim, your skin still smells chlorine. Also if you are not okay being offered all different types of services like barbecue daytrip with boat, taxi, dolphin swimming, etc, make sure not to leave the resort toward the beach, cause local people are all about tourists, and won't stop harassing you with their offer.

Anything you want to have, you need to talk to the manager or the front desk leader. Most of the staff seems like they speak English, but they don't - or they don't care, couldn't decide what is the case when you order 2 simple soft drinks, and not getting it for 30 minutes in the restaurant.

Generally speaking of Zanzibar, it's expensive, even though you don't get any quality service, and the same goes for the resort. If it would be half the price, i'd say okay, been to much worse places around the world, but for less than half the price.

And i am being fair not sharing the biggest issue with them, all i can say is make sure you use the roomsafe for your valuables , if you still choose to stay here.

On the positive note, the manager tries to do his best, but can't do that much with the given...