Sea Cliff Resort & Spa — Hotel in Unguja

We recently stayed at Sea Cliff Hotel in Zanzibar, and we can honestly say it was one of the most unforgettable experiences we've ever had. From the moment we arrived, we were blown away by the beauty of the location and the warmth of the staff.||Everyone at the hotel was incredibly kind, attentive, and professional. The staff made us feel welcome at every moment and went out of their way to ensure we had everything we needed. Their genuine hospitality truly made a difference.||The hotel itself is absolutely stunning. Perched on a cliff overlooking the endless Indian Ocean, it offers some of the most breathtaking views we’ve ever seen. Every evening, we watched the sun set over the water — and it was nothing short of magical. Watching the colors change in the sky while sitting by the infinity pool was something we’ll never forget.||Our room was spacious, spotless, and elegantly decorated, with a private balcony that gave us a front-row seat to the ocean. We woke up to that view every morning, and it never got old. The food at the hotel was fantastic as well — fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented, with options for every taste.||What we loved most was the peaceful and relaxed atmosphere. It was the perfect escape from our busy lives — a place where we could truly unwind and enjoy every moment. And Shout out to Hamida from the SPA and the other hardworking ladies there!! They are ALL amazing.||Sea Cliff Hotel is more than just a place to stay! t's an experience. We’re incredibly grateful to the entire team for making our time in Zanzibar so special. We’re already dreaming of coming back!||We also want to give a special mention to the incredible trainees at Sea Cliff, who truly made our stay even more memorable. Trainees like Samweli are the reason this place feels so warm and welcoming. He was unbelievably kind, respectful, and always ready to help with the biggest smile. His gentle nature and genuine care for guests really touched us — he made us feel seen and appreciated in such a special way.|All the trainees we met were exceptionally polite, professional, and went above and beyond to ensure we felt comfortable. It’s clear that they are the future stars of the hospitality world — and what a bright future it is! We truly hope to see all of them again on our next visit.||Sea Cliff is lucky to have such talented, passionate people in training. Thank you, Samweli and team — you made a lasting impression on our hearts.||One of the most striking things about Sea Cliff Hotel is how genuinely kind, polite, and respectful every single person is — from housekeeping to the pool staff, and even the security team. It’s rare to find a place where everyone is consistently so customer-friendly and attentive. You truly feel like a valued guest at every turn.|We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made our stay so exceptional. Special shout-outs go to Dorgas and Daziren and Joyce (we hope we’ve spelled your names correctly!). These wonderful people went out of their way to ensure we were comfortable and well taken care of. Whether it was a simple greeting or helping us with specific requests, their kindness really stood out. We hope to see all of you again on our next visit!||From the moment we checked in to the last goodbye, we felt nothing but warmth and respect from everyone at Sea Cliff. It’s not just the luxury of the hotel that makes it special — it’s the heart and soul of the people who work here.||We also want to highlight two incredible individuals who truly stood out during our stay: Ashley and Aminu.|Ashley is not just the bartender — she’s the heart and soul of Sea Cliff. Without her, we honestly feel like the hotel wouldn’t be the same. Her energy is contagious, and she has this rare ability to make everyone feel like they’re the most important guest. Whether it was crafting the perfect cocktail or simply sharing a kind word, Ashley is a true diamond. She goes above and beyond to make sure every guest feels special, and she does it with such grace and warmth. We can’t imagine returning without her, and we hope to see her again on our next trip!||Aminu, who works during dinner service, is another exceptional person we feel compelled to mention. He is a kind, genuine, and hardworking man who makes every dining experience so much more pleasant. His hospitality is top-notch, always going out of his way to ensure you have everything you need. Aminu’s warm nature and dedication to his work made every meal feel like a special occasion. We truly hope to see him again in the future.|Without Ashley and Aminu, our experience at Sea Cliff wouldn’t have been the same. ||They are absolutely vital to the magic of the place. We can say with certainty that without them, the visit wouldn’t be worth it — they are the true gems...

Arrived around 10.00am was told our room wouldn’t be available until 14.00, the first thing they do is ask $160 room tax for 2 week stay. We were just left in this waiting area to do nothing but kill time. What they should have done is given us a tour around the hotel. |The hotel isn’t huge has three pools, the main one you can’t really swim in as it’s very shallow, the second one you can but is smaller and then there is a tiny round one.|Everyday and I mean everyday there are at least 5-10 power cuts. Some for a couple of seconds some for around a minute and when your in the shower this is a pain as it’s pitch black.|Key card is constantly not working, kept asking for two but kept telling me they didn’t have any spare. Real pain having to walk back to reception every time.|I would say they need to make this adults only as there is nothing for kids to do and I just saw them whinging and being bored, plus I found it hard to relax because of noisy children. There is a kids club but it never looked open. |They have tennis courts and mini golf but you’re not told about these, we just came across them, in fact it wasn’t until the last day we saw the squash court. No entertainment team to tell you what is where and what is going on.|The staff are probably the most happiest I’ve come across and always speak and say Jambo but they never get out of first gear, numerous times we were waiting for drinks for half an hour plus.|The spa ladies hassle you on a daily basis. We would have had a massage but they hassled us that much we just didn’t want to in the end.|We had an ocean view superior room, I was disappointed as I thought it would have been bigger. The bathroom is tiny, wardrobe even smaller with 6 hangers for 2 people for two weeks?? |Our ocean view was obscured by a big melon tree. It was cleaned daily but sometimes the housekeeping were knocking the door really early or making noise outside.|You can’t go for a walk outside as it’s in the middle of nowhere. |The food I was disappointed with especially breakfast, I asked if they had granola which they didn’t it’s a very small selection, all the cereals are stale and there are wasps in the jam. Uncooked chicken (photo supplied) |There is also no food options for younger children. The food down the makeshift beach is better. When I say makeshift beach it’s a 10 minute walk down to an area that has been purposely made, but wear beach shoes on the sand as I found nails & bottle tops which will injure you. The tide is always out and come in around 4-5pm so you can only use the catamaran or paddle boards late in the day.|Some sun loungers are broken and a few of the lounger cushions are ripped. |Cushions in the bar area have bird mess on them as the crows sit above messing on them.|The cats, crows and wasps are a problem. The cats will jump on the tables and the crows swoop and take food. The wasps won’t leave you alone and are always in the food.|If you’re British you will find it hard to meet other British, a lot of other nationalities, German, French, Italian. They seem to have a lot of conferences here which can sometimes takeover the place.|We had our wedding anniversary while we were away and emailed before asking for it to be recognised and the day of it we wanted to go down the jetty for the sunset but it was closed off to a Indian party which literally took over the place for about 3-4 days plus they were so rude and thought they owned the place. The only recognition we had was a badly iced cake which looked like it had been dropped brought to us around 9pm (photo supplied). My wife had to tell them at dinner it was our anniversary so we could have a nice table. We even mentioned it to Steve the manager the day before. We were so upset. |If we come back to Zanzibar it won’t be here it will be Nungwi as it’s so much livelier with a proper beautiful beach.|The jetty is not used in the right way, they should have staff and a stocked fridge down there during the day and then people would use it. |They have a free bus that goes to stone town between 9.00 and 13.00 but the driver calls his friends when you reach stone town and they demand they take you on a walking tour, one became very aggressive with us because we kept telling him no. My wife was very scared and intimidated.|A holiday we paid £7255 for and feel like we have been massively short changed.|100% needs to be assessed as...

My wife and I, we spent two weeks at the Sea Cliff Zanzibar Hotel as part of our honeymoon. The whole stay was enjoyable; however, there were some situations that made us not fully satisfied. Let's start with the positive aspects: The hotel has beautifully kept green areas that allow you to spend time pleasantly and feel exotic. The pools are very nicely situated providing a beautiful view. Good - equipped hotel gym. Cleanliness of both the common areas and the room. The hotel has a Jetty Bar - water bar. Part of the hotel service: • Kija: Thank you for the approach and manners that made us feel special. • Wazir: Thank you for relieving tension and good drinks. • Aminu: Thank you for your hospitality, care and friendly approach. • Miraj: Thank you for the delicious omelets at breakfast. Aspects for improvement: The bathrooms in the rooms and in the common areas are worn out and require renovation. The hotel does not distribute lunch boxes to guests who go on local trips and who are not able to take advantage of lunch as part of the all Inclusive service. The most of the hotel service staff determines the speed of service with tips, eg waiting 15 minutes for a pot of tea in the first two days of stay changed to a maximum 5 minutes after leaving a $ 1 tip - such situations should not take place in a 4-star hotel. Giving a tip is discretionary and should be done as part of satisfaction with the service, not as an incentive to better service. Providing incorrect information to guests. The welcome letter states that for all Inclusive service the Kobe Restaurant serves snacks from the light lunch menu between 12 PM and 6 PM. When we asked about the availability of this menu, we were informed that the service was not available for pandemic reasons, but this did not affect the second Mangapwani restaurant, which served meals regularly between 12:30 PM - 3 PM. Meals between 12 PM and 12:30 PM as well as between 15 PM and 6 PM were served at Zanzi bar, but for an extra charge, which should not be the case in connection with the information provided and the all Inclusive service purchased. Jetty Bar not open in the evening - drinks can be ordered at the bar only until 7 PM. On the day of departure, after returning the all Inclusive wristbands for about 4hrs, no one from the hotel service came to us to ask if we would like to order something to drink or eat - as if we had ceased to exist. We felt very uncomfortable. The hotel staff is flexible only after expressing dissatisfaction, otherwise they try to charge guests with additional fees for previously paid services, e.g. we went on 3 trips during which we did not have the possibility to eat lunch in the hotel, we were not offered lunch boxes and after returning from one of the trips and being 45 minutes late for the lunch period at the Mangapwani restaurant and due to no posibility to take advantage of snacks at the Kobe restaurant (pandemic reasons), the hotel staff offered us to order an extra paid lunch. Only expressing our dissatisfaction and emphasizing the use of the all Inclusive service meant that we were able to order a la carte meals at no additional charge. A similar situation occurred on the day of departure, where we were informed that we were not entitled to lunch and drinks before departure. Only the intervention of the resident of the travel agency solved the problem. Breakfast at the hotel is served from 7 AM to 10 AM. People come to Zanzibar to rest, including sleep. Breakfast should be served until 11 AM minimum. Another aspect is that when arriving at 9:45 AM for the breakfast, the hotel staff is reluctant to bring the missing items to the buffet, explaining that the breakfast bar will be closed in 15 minutes. All in all, we came back with mixed feelings about the quality of service and the standard of the Sea Cliff Hotel. The circumstances of nature and a part of the mentioned hotel staff provided us with...