Nungwi Dreams by Mantis — Hotel in Unguja

The pros: the views of the ocean are gorgeous. The beach in front of the property is a private beach so we could enjoy it without being hassled by folks selling their items. The hammock & hammock chairs were a nice touch. Two pools were great - we were closer to the small pool which I preferred bc it was not by the food patio or other things going on so it was quieter. There was live music each night which was nice & it ended at 10 pm so it didn't keep us up at all. Staff members were all friendly. Our room was small but nice & there were flowers on the beds when we got there, which was fun.

The so-so: some of the food was great, some of it was not. A lot of the breakfast items that should have been cold were cool/room temp, which made them not as good as they could have been. Sometimes the hot food was cool/room temp. We had better luck with lunches where we were ordering versus the buffet style, bc those items were the correct temps. While the pools & beach are lovely, there isn't much else to do on the property. The sky bar did have a great view, but only if you were looking towards the ocean. Looking the other way, the view was of open areas with tons of trash piled up - that's not the resort's fault, but it might be useful to put some kind of plants or other decor there to help obscure that. I got a facial at the spa & it was nice, but she kept walking off & I wasn't exactly clear why. The electric buffing tool she was using kept dying/running out of battery & there wasn't another one she could use, it seemed, bc she just kept trying to make the dead one work by turning it off & then on again. But overall it was relaxing & the price was very affordable. The resort was fairly close to local markets/street vendors for us to do some shopping & to walk to the nearby zoo, which was great, but we were constantly bombarded by people wanting to sell us stuff. Also not the resort's fault, but worth noting since you need to go off the property to do activities. Also, weirdly, there were no washcloths. We realized we didn't have any - only hand towels & full sized towels, so we asked for wash cloths so we didn't have to shower with a hand towel. When they got to our room to respond to the request, they just gave us more full sized towels & hand towels.

The cons: the wifi is TERRIBLE. There really isn't much service in the area outside of wifi so you're dependent on the resort's wifi. The resort is paperless, which is commendable for saving resources/reducing trash, so in order to see a menu, you have to scan QR codes. That would be fine except that the wifi is sooooo slow that it took several minutes for the 22 page drink menu to load & about 3 minutes for the 4 page food menu to load. This was very annoying. The wifi also cuts off depending on where you are in the resort. Sometimes, just going from my bed to the bathroom would result in the wifi dropping out. Going from the pool to the room, it dropped out. Etc. There also is no phone in the room to request assistance. In order to access staff for things like additional towels or booking a spa service, you have to connect with them on WhatsApp. No one told us that when we got to the resort & when it was made known to us, they only did so via email to one of us, so I kept having to ask my friend to use WhatsApp to make requests. Also, there were constant power outages. Several times a day, the power would go out, cutting off the TV & cutting out the wifi. Sometimes it came back on right away, other times it took a couple minutes. None of the outages were very very long, but it occurred multiple times a day, including overnight, every day & night that we were there. It was funny the first time it happened, but it quickly got annoying. Finally the walls are paper thin. You can hear every noise, every shower in the other rooms, every door slamming, etc.

Overall, it was a nice stay & nothing that really detracted from our time, but there is definitely room for...

To put this review in context, we are a retired couple who have travelled extensively and are pretty fit for our ages. Enjoy sunny climes, long walks and decent food. We stayed in Zanzibar for a month in 4 different hotels - in Stone Town, Nungwi, Kiwengwa and Pwani Mchangani. ||If this is your first visit and you are arriving at Kisauni airport, I strongly advise you to stay in Stone Town in the south at the front (or back end) of your trip for a couple of days. In the case of the former, should you have gone North as soon as you arrive, it does not make sense to do a Stone Town trip south from your hotel, taking 3 hours (minimal travel time to go South and back) out of your day. ||This is not a comparative review of the places in which we stayed. It is a review based on what we found at each specific location. ||Dreams, 56 kms from the airport and located in Nungwi in the north of the island. If the definition of a boutique hotel is compact, quiet and small, then Dreams certainly fits the bill. You can walk from A to B in any direction in about 4 minutes and it feels a bit cramped. Despite the presence of management throughout the day (good job, Mark) Dreams is not a 5-star resort (sorry, Mark). The following seeks to confirm this view. ||Accommodation: we had a beach front room with good views to a picturesque reef and access to the (small) beach. Although of good size, it was pretty bare by 5-star standards. Everything seemed a little dated with not much storage space. The bed and the pillows, however, were comfortable and the room was thoroughly cleaned every day. ||Beach: there was a small beach but it was difficult to go for a walk to beaches that could be seen both left and right as it was rocky, with an abundance of sea urchins. Swimming was difficult. | |Gardens: the garden areas were well-maintained. ||Pools: there are 2 infinity pools, one quieter than the other. Whilst piped music can be heard throughout the day, it is relaxing and low-key music and does not make you feel that you are at a rapper’s party. There were ample recliners and umbrellas during our visit.||Gym: for a couple who use a gym to walk and do weights, this was a sorry affair and a bit disappointing. Couple of walking machines and some weights in a relatively small area that could do with a bit of TLC. Whilst use of the gym would be dependent on client requirements, you came away with the opinion that it was probably not used very much (our visit was late January/early February). ||Spa: not used.||Other facilities: pool bar. ||Entertainment: on alternate nights at the pool bar area. This was, surprisingly, pretty good – dancers, acrobats and singers. ||Food: Breakfast was fine and served in the main restaurant. Dinner was served either in the main restaurant (a la carte) or, on the alternate days, in the pool bar area as a buffet (with the entertainment). Decent variety offered – perhaps a few more options would be good. However, the seafood buffet was not what I would call lavish and bountiful – more scanty and meager! The steak in the main restaurant was excellent. Wine was OK. ||WiFi : intermittent probably the best description.||TV reception: all we wanted from the TV was occasional watching of the news but the reception was terrible. ||Having said all that, the real hilite is the staff. Very friendly without getting in your face. Polite and courteous with a focus on excellent...

I am absolutely appalled and disappointed with my stay at Nungwi Dreams by Mantis to which I stayed at in December 2024. This was the last hotel on our Tanzania trip, and unfortunately, it was the biggest letdown of the entire holiday. Before arriving here, we had experienced nothing but incredible hospitality, amazing service, and wonderful people. So, to end our trip with such a poor experience was beyond frustrating.

First of all, I honestly cannot understand how this hotel is rated as a 5-star property. At best, it’s a 3-star experience. The comparison to the other places we stayed, including a stunning boutique hotel in Jambiani, made Nungwi Dreams feel like a major disappointment. The expectations were so high, especially after hearing the "5-star" label, but the reality was completely different.

Upon arrival, my husband, who is a Gold Member with Accor (which entitles us to perks like late check-out and room upgrades), showed his membership to the gentleman at reception. To our shock, he was told that neither was possible due to the hotel being fully booked. What made it even worse was the rude, dismissive attitude from the staff, no effort to accommodate or offer alternatives. We felt completely ignored!

Then, the room situation was another issue. We had booked a larger room through the app, but the room we were given was small and completely different from what was advertised. When we pointed this out, the reception team claimed that the hotel was fully booked and that no other rooms were available. However, after further dispute, magically a room opened up and surprise, it was the exact room we had originally booked. You can only imagine how much time was wasted upon the check in journey at 10pm at night and exhausted from our flight!

As for the room itself, the amenities were far from 5-star quality. The AC unit was extremely noisy, making it difficult to sleep comfortably, and the overall feel of the room didn’t live up to what you’d expect from a luxury hotel. The furnishings were basic, and the bathroom lacked the elegance and attention to detail that one would anticipate at a 5-star property. It was just underwhelming all around.

The breakfast was another disaster. Flies over the food, items not being refilled, and just an overall lack of organisation it was honestly a mess. It was a shambles, and I couldn’t believe this was the so-called “5-star” experience we were supposed to be getting. We were incredibly relieved that we were only staying for one night any longer, and I would have been absolutely fed up.

Nungwi Dreams by Mantis was by far the worst hotel of our trip. Save your money and go elsewhere. There are so many beautiful, well-run hotels in Zanzibar that offer true 5-star experiences. This place certainly does not meet the standard, and I wouldn’t recommend...