Pongwe Beach Hotel — Hotel in Unguja

We stayed for four very enjoyable nights at Pongwe Beach Hotel. It is a small tranquil hotel right on the white sandy beach of the turquoise Indian Ocean. It really is a slice of paradise.||Our thatched African styled semi-detached accommodation was as close to the beach as you could get with a spectacular view of the ocean from the sunbeds resting on the terrace. Our room was clean and spacious. It had good quiet air conditioning and a ceiling fan. There was also a mosquito net over the four poster large firm but comfortable double bed. There were also four firm but comfortable pillows. There was a good hot shower in the large shower area which keeps the bathroom floor dry. There were complimentary toiletries and a large bottle of water which is replenished daily.||The staff are very friendly and attentive. In fact we thought it was too much so. We had a problem with the latch on our door which was replaced soon after I mentioned it to reception.||The swimming pool again by the beach is sparkling clean warm and inviting. There seemed to be enough sunbeds by the pool for the number of guests during our stay but there were not enough parasols and the few in the shade disappeared very quickly.||The breakfast is good with a reasonable variety of choices. The freshly cooked part of breakfast is as close as you will get to a full English breakfast in Zanzibar. Lunch and dinner are available in the restaurant. There is a limited choice from the à la carte menu which changes daily. The food is of an excellent quality although by African standards it is extremely expensive and the portions are small. When we arrived on Friday night it was 'buffet night' but as my wife does not like buffets we could choose from the lunchtime menu. There is complimentary tea and coffee with biscuits and cake available all day from the restaurant and at four o'clock a waiter comes round the pool and beach with an afternoon snack of freshly cut fruit.||The only thing we didn't enjoy was the extremely loud live musical session on Sunday evening. It was so loud it kept guests from going for a pre-dinner drink at the bar. Also, there was continual inane background music playing which in our opinion is wholly unnecessary and destroyed what is otherwise a peaceful and tranquil environment. Which at the end of the day is why you come to a place like this. ||Insufficient Parasols: There weren't enough parasols by the pool, and those in the shade were quickly taken.||* Loud Live Music: The extremely loud live musical session on Sunday evening disturbed the peaceful atmosphere.||* Unnecessary Background Music: we disliked the continual inane background music, which we felt ruined the tranquil environment.| | * Expensive and Small Portions: The evening menu, while of excellent quality, was considered extremely expensive for African standards with small portions.|| * Overly Attentive Staff: in our opinion we found the staff to be too...

I was on the fence about 3 or 4 stars, but this location is just unbeatable. When you think of a paradise type destination, this beach definitely fit the bill. Not only was it a gorgeous beach with tons of areas for lounging, the high tide and low tide enabled you to walk REALLY far out when it was low and that was a really cool experience.

They also have a wonderful infinite pool which made the experience that much better (I don't really love the beach, but I'll lounge at a pool all day).

The service was also always really friendly. So why was I thinking of a 3? A few reasons:

1. The food was just OK. We did a $35 per person buffet because well, it was the only option for dinner, and it was a Swahili BBQ. Maybe other tourists who aren't in the country don't know, but Swahili cuisine really isn't that good and certainly doesn't have many options. We basically had a bunch of rice and then meat/seafood skewers, and while the food was good, it was just really basic for the cost. That's a steep cost for a buffet, even in the US. The breakfast was also pretty bad.

To be fair the lunch we had before we left was AWESOME. Pizza and the club sandwich and they were delicious.

2. The brackish water and the room itself was just OK. The bed was nice, but I didn't love the bathroom and the salt water was pretty annoying.

3. Snorkeling was OK and I don't regret doing it since it's $15 per person. It was a quick excursion at 1.5 hours, though that was mostly because I wanted to go back in. Captain Ali and his helper was really nice, but didn't speak much English. He also showed up 20 minutes late, and took 20 minutes to get the boat closer to shore. The snorkeling itself was alright, my flipper was broken, and the water wasn't that clear so you couldn't see too much. You also were kind of far from any "reef" so you had to dive down sometimes in order to see anything. It also was many small circular rock areas of reef, so we just followed up and would swim from one to the other, but they aren't that close. If you're looking for a quick snorkel just to say you've done it, go for it. If you're looking for awesome snorkeling, do a bigger excursion at a better reef.

The last thing that really made this a higher rating for me is the 3 Man Acoustic band! They came in at dinner and went around singing, and they were just so entertaining. They were super into it and were fun to watch, and I ended up buying their CD.

I would definitely stay here again, and wish we had more than a day and a half. Just lounging around at the pool, eating lunch, and taking in the view is enough to make it...

Pongwe Beach is a special place. So, let's see in what ways it is special.||Firstly, the site is beautiful in that it had a nice stretch of white sand beach, but with no easy access at each of the two extremities, which means that you will not be bothered by moped travelling on long stretches of beach and you are more secluded. ||Moving from the beach towards the hut, you will have beautiful palm trees with sun beds, sun huts, hammocks and even swinging beds. ||Then, further in, you have the huts, which are traditional in their architecture and beautifully designs in that they retain a very African vibe, while having all the modern amenities (from aircon, to wifi). ||There is also a lovely swimming pool overlooking the see on one side and providing stunning views, while in it. ||Then there is the nice bar and restaurant. Super-efficient. There is always somebody around to take care of guests. ||And this brings me to the "software" of this place. The people, the vibe, the intangible. These are the things that make this place more special than any other place I have tried in Zanzibar. The people are trained and genuinely inclined to help others. They are happy, cordial, kind and they take pride in making the guests' time as happy as possible, as they fully appreciate that people come here to relax and to make memories. For us, it was very easy to become "part of that family" in just a few days. We connected with the crew. We were taken care every single day. Nothing is too much trouble for them. They seek solutions, rather than focussing on problems. They make you feel at home. They truly care about people. ||So, for us it was lovely to be immersed in all the above and have some truly quality time to relax and enjoy family time. ||So much so that we came back to Pongwe after having transferred for another resort as per our itinerary and having missed the Pongwe vibe almost immediately. And so, we decided to call Pongwe to see if they have a room for another few days for us and, luckily, they did have one due to a cancellation and so we were able to close our holiday on a high note. ||So, here is the thing: if you are looking for a 5 star hotel experience with rather characterless features and standardised offering then Pongwe is likely not for you. If, however, you look for an authentic experience, in a wonderful location and sprinkled with a fantastic vibe and people, then Pongwe is for you. ||I cannot recommend this place enough - It is a superb establishment and I wish them all the success that...