ZAN Uhuru Beach — Hotel in Unguja

This is the second time I’m posting this review. The first time, the hotel’s supervisors contacted me, promised a refund in exchange for deleting my review, and assured me they would make up for our terrible stay. We agreed and took down the review but it’s now been over six weeks, and we never received the refund. So here I am again, sharing our experience to warn future guests not to be misled by polite messages that don’t lead to real solutions:

We stayed for 5 nights and honestly, it was a pretty disappointing experience. Our room (Room 109) was tucked away in the very back corner of the hotel, and it just didn’t feel welcoming at all.

The room itself was tiny, with no closet or any space to unpack, so we ended up living out of our suitcases on the floor, which quickly made the place feel messy and chaotic. There was no sunlight, and the lighting was so dim that it felt gloomy and a bit depressing.

The bed was really small, like child sized, our legs were hanging off the edge. It was also old, saggy, and sloped, and we both woke up with back pain after the first night. They did replace the bed the next day, which we appreciated, but the damage was already done.

What made it even worse was that for the first two days, construction workers were building a wall just two meters from our door. We had to walk past them and deal with the noise every time we went in or out. We asked to move rooms and even offered to pay more for something better, but were told the hotel was fully booked. Honestly, I don’t think Room 109 should even be offered to guest, it’s just not up to standard.

Towels and sheets weren’t changed regularly, which added to the feeling that cleanliness and comfort weren’t really a priority.

And the breakfast? Pretty underwhelming. The bread seemed stale, the croissants were so hard you could break a tooth, and the portions (especially the fillings) were tiny.

The one saving grace was the staff. They were all genuinely kind, polite, and tried to help where they could. It’s a shame the room and overall experience didn’t match their...

We stayed here for four nights in a sea view bungalow. Overall, it was a nice experience.

Pluspoints: Gorgeous view of the Indian ocean with a very quiet beach. The staff were all very kind and accommodating. Pretty good wifi connectivity except for in the rooms! They kindly allowed us to leave our luggage for one day longer, after check out and assisted us with renting a scooter. The local Masaai shows and acrobat shows organised were a nice touch.

Minus points: Both of our booked airport transfers went wrong, which led to some stress and frustration. Especially for my friend at 1:30AM in the morning. The food was not fantastic and often took a while to arrive- although I realise that they do their best considering the frequent power outages on the island. Rooms are rather outdated and bathrooms have...

I had an excellent stay and i felt very welcomed, waking up to the beach side view filled me with joy and the choice between the warm sleek pool or the white sand clear water beach is a great decision to make.

The accommodation from the staff was excellent and it felt as though there was always someone ready to cater to my needs from towels to personalised drinks (all free btw) the kindness shown from the staff was a promise which was delivered.

The activities such as the free snorkelling were amazing, the boat trip through the zanzibar ocean and the equipment provided all combined to provide a once in a lifetime experience, truly something to behold.

The manager was also there to personally assist me at any need and he was very very kind,

Will definitely visit especially...