Mwezi Boutique Resort — Hotel in Unguja

GREAT FACILITY, BUT BEWARE OF TERRIBLE MANAGEMENT THAT PUTS YOUR SAFETY AT RISK

My partner and I recently stayed at Mwezi Resort for five nights. Our experience was ruined by the horrendous management that lacked basic customer service and put our safety at risk.

The Nightmare Arrival: We arranged for airport transport through Mwezi, confirmed in advance. Upon landing in Zanzibar at 9:30 PM, we found no driver waiting for us. After several calls to the resort, they assured us the driver was there and gave us his name. Nearly 45 minutes later, when we were the last people at the airport, a man approached us saying "Mwezi," but with a different name than what we were given. When I asked him to confirm our names, he couldn't, making us feel unsafe. Mwezi staff were unreachable by phone, and the WhatsApp response was unhelpful, sticking to the original name. When they finally confirmed we got in; he drove recklessly, flooring it at 90 km/h on a small road, making us question if we were even heading to the right place.

Stranded at Check-In: When we arrived at the resort, the driver dropped us off in the car park and pointed us towards the reception. To our frustration, the reception was closed, and the security guard informed us that all staff had left for the day. He then asked, "Do you still want to come in?"—a question that left us pretty pissed off. After some discussion, the security finally gave us the keys to our room.

The Frustrating Negotiations: The next morning, I went to the reception to explain what had happened and to ensure our return transport would be handled better. I asked to see the manager, but was told they were unavailable. Instead, we were offered compensation in the form of free massages or dinner, which we politely declined, explaining we weren’t looking for free services but rather an explanation and assurance from the manager. This "negotiation" over compensation was frustrating and took away from the time we wanted to spend relaxing at the resort.

Repeatedly Asking for Our Room Number: We noticed a strange pattern where staff would repeatedly ask for our room number, often more than once during a meal, whether at breakfast or by the pool. Given the context of our experience, this felt unsettling.

WIFI disconnections: On our last three days, the WiFi credentials suddenly stopped working, showing errors like "User expired" or "Exceeds number of devices," even when we had no devices connected. Reception provided new credentials in the morning, but we were left without internet access at night until they opened again.

The Disappointing Check-Out: At check-out, I expected a gesture of goodwill, such as waiving the charge for the late and dangerous pickup—not because I wanted to save $50, but as a decent acknowledgment of our ordeal. Instead, we were given a $30 discount on food and drinks, which felt more like a dismissive "cash throwaway" than a sincere apology. They totally missed the point here.

The Return Transport Mix-Up: Since it's hard to get an Uber from the resort, we again arranged transport through Mwezi, clearly stating we needed to go to Stone Town. However, once in the car, I noticed the driver was heading to the airport instead. When I questioned him, he said reception had told him to take us to the airport. After confirming with them, he reluctantly drove us to Stone Town, further indicating a lack of communication or deliberate misdirection.

Final Thoughts: Despite the beautiful facility, Mwezi Resort's management ruined our stay. Even after multiple issues—missed pickup, being stranded at check-in, rude staff—THE MANAGER NEVER MET US. This resort has the potential to be a 4-star destination, but the management's behavior made us feel unwelcome and unsafe.

Most guests don't need free offers—they need a person who will listen, and address their concerns face-to-face. Mwezi Resort's failure to do so has left us with this experience. A simple meeting with the manager could have salvaged our experience, but sadly, that...

We were lucky enough to have our wedding at Mwezi in February 2023.

Over 30 of our friends and family joined us in Zanzibar to celebrate our wedding and we booked out the Mwezi bungalows for 5 nights.

I would first like to start by thanking Mwezi for such an incredible stay and wedding day. They really went above and beyond in terms of accommodating us. Elga and Sine were so helpful in supporting us with planning and Billy was fantastic with the execution of the day.

The staff are amazing, so friendly and a lot of fun – they made sure everyone feels so welcomed. They dealt really well with our large group ordering food/ drinks through out the day and set up a special place for us in the evenings to eat together in the restaurant.

The grounds here are beautiful, a real paradise in nature vibe. The bungalows are stunning, and all our guests were blown away with how beautiful they are. The pool area is great – it is very big with a shallow area so those who didn’t feel comfortable swimming could still join in the pool fun. We stayed in the beach house which has a lovely private area out the back with views of the sea and beach. It felt very safe and secure.

The food is really good with options for vegetarians (which I am). There is a good variety of the menu so you can choose snacking bits or full meals.

Onto the wedding day! I really cannot express what a brilliant job Mwezi and our wedding planner Pamela, did in creating perfection for us. We had the ceremony on the beach outside of Mwezi and the reception in the Mwezi grounds around the pool. The set up was stunning! We opted for a plated starter, and seafood buffet for the mains which was set up by the pool for easy access. We also had a vegetarian a gluten free option for those who needed it. We finished with fruit platters and cake. The canapes we chose for after the ceremony were delightful and it is safe to say no one went hungry! The staff kept was fed and watered throughout the evening as we danced away on the dance floor by the pool. We finished off the evening by all jumping in the pool in our wedding get up which was really fun!

For anyone looking or thinking about getting married here, I HIGHLY recommend it – we couldn’t have possibly asked for a more beautiful location, friendly staff, great food and a place which now feels like home.

A HUGE HUGE thank to everyone at Mwezi, we cant wait...

Pros: The location, the hotel itself and the facilities are beautiful. You feel like in a paradise in the beautiful surroundings. You have access to two great pools and there are plenty of places to lounge in the sun or shade under an umbrella or the palm trees. The hotel looks better in real life than in the pictures. The beach is right next to the hotel, calm, with not a lot of seaweed compared to other beaches in Zanzibar when we were there. We stayed in La Luna rooms which were very comfortable. The staff were also very nice and helpful. We also enjoyed the dinner entertainment by the local dance group Moves Zanzibar, who were great!

Cons: We were very disappointed by the tours organised by the hotel, especially given the fact that they clearly suggest to book tours via them to ensure the quality of the tour and of course that comes with a higher price. We did 2 tours - one was their suggestion to do Blue Lagoon snorkelling. Although we had a very nice fisherman who took us on his boat, the snorkelling itself and things you see are really not that amazing. The second tour to Prison island and Stone Town was also a disappointment (for a high price). First, the taxi driver was driving extremely dangerously and we felt very unsafe. The tour guide we picked up along the way also seemed a bit confused as to what tour we are doing. He was not very enthusiastic nor knowledgeable, with very basic information given (if any). Despite them having asked if English tour is ok for us several times, the guide’s English was very mediocre. We also still had to pay extra for Prison Island admission. For the high price, no lunch (or even opportunity to have lunch) were included for a full day excursion. The breakfast staff could be quite slow/unresponsive in the mornings. Takes a long time until you get your order. Also, several times some breakfast options were already finished by 8-8.30am (even though the breakfast...