Nungwi Beach Resort by Turaco — Hotel in Unguja

Rating: 3/5 Stars First off, I want to start with the biggest highlight of our stay—the staff. Truly, they were fantastic! From the cleaning personnel to the receptionists, chefs, and bartenders, everyone went above and beyond to make our experience special. Every time we passed someone in the hallway, they’d greet us with a smile, and you could genuinely feel how happy they were to help. The warmth and attentiveness of the team really made a difference and made us feel so welcomed throughout our entire stay. Special shoutout to the reception team—always smiling, always ready to assist. You guys are awesome!

The food was another pleasant surprise! There was a wonderful variety of options from different cuisines around the world. The chefs clearly put a lot of effort into both the taste and presentation. We especially loved the buffet setup, where there was always something fresh and exciting to try. If you love trying new dishes, this is the place for you! We were always excited to see what new offerings would be available. The cocktails were a nice touch too—deliciously made, although not super strong, which was perfect for leisurely sipping by the pool.

As for the rooms, they were spotlessly clean. The housekeeping team did a stellar job. The beds were always beautifully decorated with flowers, and the bathrooms were modern, sleek, and well-maintained. The shower was particularly impressive—spacious and clean, which we really appreciated after a long day.

There were also some nice activities organized by the hotel, which we appreciated. We enjoyed playing boccia, chess, table tennis, and volleyball (although volleyball wasn't available all day since the space was also used for dinner setup). There’s a small gym, a pool table, and a well-maintained swimming pool. In the evenings, we were treated to some lovely live music on a small stage—really talented musicians who brought great energy to the nights. During the day, some group activities like water gym or a village walk were a nice way to mix things up. That said, we did feel that the range of activities was a bit limited, especially for a hotel of this category and price point. Please don’t get me wrong—we appreciated what was offered, and it was lovely to have those options. But we felt that at least a second pool or a slightly broader activity program would have made a big difference, particularly for guests staying longer or looking for a more dynamic holiday experience. The space is understandably limited, but a bit more could really elevate the experience to the next level.

While there was a lot to love about this hotel, there were a few things that could use some improvement.

First, the Wi-Fi was a bit of a challenge during our stay. It wasn’t always available, and when it did work, the signal was slow and weak. If you're hoping to stay connected, be prepared for some frustration.

Then, there was the beach itself. The algae problem was quite noticeable—especially during low tide. The water was warm, but the algae created a pretty unpleasant smell, making it a bit gross to walk on the beach or enter the water. It would make such a difference if the algae could be cleaned up daily. On top of that, when the tide was high, the waves were quite strong, making it tricky to get in and out of the water via the stairs.

Another issue we faced was the presence of the beach boys and fake Maasai down by the shore. While not directly on the hotel property (thanks to the vigilant guards), they were constantly around, asking for money, offering services, or trying to sell products. It became a bit overwhelming, and while we know they’re just trying to make a living, it did detract from the otherwise peaceful vibe of the beach.

Overall, this was a great stay, and I want to thank the team once again for making our trip so memorable. I really think this place has the potential to be outstanding with a bit of improvement—particularly on the beach. I’d still recommend it, but it’s definitely worth noting the areas that could be enhanced for an even...

As a Marriott Bonvoy member, I have always associated the brand with exceptional hospitality, but Nungwi Beach Resort by Turaco was a major disappointment.

Service & Housekeeping: Housekeeping was painfully slow—even a simple request for English Breakfast tea or artificial sweetener took 45 minutes and multiple follow-ups daily. The in-room selection was limited to African Green Tea and coffee, which was frustrating. Attention to detail was nonexistent, and basic hospitality standards were lacking.

Dining Experience: The food was bland, with a repetitive menu and no local dishes offered—quite unusual for a resort of this category. However, the staff at the in-house restaurants were very pleasant. One of them even took the time to explain our preferences to the chef, and we managed to have a decent dinner on one night. The 2 stars on the service are because of their efforts.

Value for Money: The resort is outdated and overpriced for a 4-star property. The service and quality didn’t justify the high cost, and there are better resorts in the area at better rates. Choosing Marriott this time was the wrong decision.

Biased Treatment? It felt as though there was unequal treatment, possibly because I booked via Expedia instead of directly through Marriott or because of apparent preferential treatment towards European guests. Requests were met with polite refusals, with no real attempt to accommodate us. If you read the reviews online, you’ll see a majority of guests either had 1-star or 5-star experiences. Unfortunately, we definitely received the shorter end of the stick.

The Worst Part—Late Checkout Nightmare: Our Mnemba Island tour was scheduled to end at 12:30 PM, and we requested just an extra hour to shower and check out by 1:30 PM. Despite check-in time being at 4:00 PM, and it not being peak season, they rudely denied the request, insisting we vacate by 1:00 PM because the room had been assigned to the next guest. Everlisto repeatedly made us go to the reception offering no real solution and even suggested that we use a common washroom for a shower—this felt extremely unprofessional and inconsiderate, especially as we were two ladies with luggage on the third floor. Yusta was even more hostile, dismissing us without even checking our room number when we followed up in the morning. The experience was so stressful that we had to cancel our tour (with no refund) just to check out at 12 PM.

Departure—A Cold Goodbye: To top it off, when we finally left, there was no farewell, no courtesy, no acknowledgment—nothing from Yusta or anyone at reception. It was the only bad experience in our entire week in Zanzibar. The people who departed before us were greeted warmly, and that made it very obvious that our treatment was discriminatory.

This was not the Marriott experience I expected and certainly not worth the price. I hope management takes feedback seriously because this property does not live up to the hospitality and service standards Marriott is known...

Absolutely horrendous. Visited here with family for a “luxury” holiday, and rightfully so with a $500 per night per person price, but soon turned into a nightmare. On the day we arrived, we were met with ZERO professionalism. The check in process took an hour and a half, just to check in. Then we were given incorrect rooms as we had selected partial beach view rooms, but they gave us rooms that were all the way in the back with no beach view this took another hour to change. Once we got our rooms, the presentation was very poor. One of the rooms had a funny smell, the bathrooms looked like they were not maintained (moldy walls, dirt built up between the tile, rusty shower) and the pillows that were on the bed smell very foul, as if it were used and unwashed. The smell of sweat from the pillows were overwhelming.

Next, the service here is very very disappointing. About 30% of the staff are friendly, but the rest of them do not care that you are here. They show no sense of urgency or importance to the issues you bring up, and have a dismissive attitude. I requested for the water station to be filled at the gym to a wellness member, and she didn’t say a word to me, just walked forward, and started talking to a colleague, then walked away. I did hear her say gym, but the fact that she did not update me about the situation was very unprofessional. Furthermore, no one ended up coming to fill up the water fridge at all, and I had to go to my room to get my own bottle. Even the room service is very frustrating. They forgot to leave clean towels on both days of our stay. They did not clean the used mugs left on the room table either.

The resort, at first glance, looks beautiful, and has a beautiful beach, and dining areas, but the experience soon falls apart. The food here is pretty mediocre, considering there is a full buffet. Most foods taste pretty stale and poor quality. The highlights were definitely the outdoor grill and the pasta station. The pineapples were very good, but the rest of their fruit were pretty bad.

The WiFi is also very unreliable. It goes on and off every few minutes, automatically disconnects and reconnects, doesn’t work in certain parts of the room. Very unpleasant experience and quite frustrating. The WiFi literally went off as I am writing this.

On a positive note, the security here is very good, and does not let outsiders wander in to the property. Especially with the abundance of locals harassing you to buy their product or service right along the boarder of the resort. This was very annoying as every time I wanted to go to the beach for a walk or a swim, I was pestered with their sales pitches, and they do not take no for an answer. They will follow you around for quite a while. Some of them are quite aggressive as well which is very dangerous. However, the security here do their best and that is one good thing I can say.

Overall, I strongly do not recommend this place to anyone who wants to get their moneys worth. It is...