Zanzibar Queen Hotel — Hotel in Unguja

We have just returned from a wonderful 10 day family holiday at the Zanzibar Queen Hotel. I read many reviews before booking and thought I'd share our experience and try and give some information on the things that I was unsure about before leaving. This is a lot of text, but I want to give fair and complete information.

I can confirm that the location is indeed quite remote and a fair journey from the few activities on the island. You don't need to worry about this too much though. The hotel offers guided tours to see all the local activities and they mostly take about an hour in the car to get to and the driver will act as a guide.

The hotel is located right on the beach and directly next door to the PADI scuba diving centre

The restaurant is expensive if you have a 3 course meal and you can easily spend over 25 dollars a meal if you don't watch your spending. This is the safe option, if you are worried about tummy problems, but we did venture out into the local restaurants on a few occasions and there you can eat well for half the price.

Swimming at the beach is not really feasible. We managed it twice in 10 days. You have to find exactly the right tide and wind conditions and then you need to keep shoes on (provided at the hotel) to protect you from stepping on something that might hurt (sea urchins). I read one review complaining about seaweed on the beach. It is true that there is lots, but the hotel clears it after every high tide, and it is not actually ugly.

When you step out the hotel onto the beach you will immediately be greeted by the 'beach boys'. This is a fairly organised group of guys who mostly come over from the mainland during the tourist season to earn money selling things to the tourists. They are very friendly and always trying to sell. We did find this a bit too much on occasions, but if you are polite then so are they.

Coming back to the hotel - The road from the main road to the hotel (100m or so) is terrible! So expect an adventure on arrival.

The rooms are spotless. They are cleaned at least twice a day and more if needed. They have mosquito nets around the bed and at the windows. They also spray for mosquitos and we didn't ever find a single one on the room. There were a few outside in the hotel, but none of us were bitten.

The tap water is not drinkable - this was a concern to us, but it should not have been at all. The hotel provides unlimited free drinking water and allows you to refill bottles as you wish from their large dispensers. They re-fill water bottles used at the table. We often just drank water with the meals and this was fine.

The garden is beautiful and maintained constantly. The pool is also very well maintained and cleaned every morning.

Breakfast is a buffet and caters for all tastes. Other meals are either al la carte, or a buffet. This varies and is linked to whether or not they have evening entertainment. We often avoided the dinner on these nights as it was too expensive for us (around 25$ per person).

The hotel oganisises various activities on most days, including Yoga in a unbeatable setting, and these are included in the price.

There is a good bar that serves a variety of cocktails and you can just put everything onto your bill

The rooms are air-conditioned and it works well. There is no TV - but there is good internet that works well everywhere - even on the beach. It is obvious they have invested in this and it makes a lot of difference.

The hotel has a volley ball court, trampoline, board games, darts, boul, badminton and the kids all play football on the beach every evening.

The pool is about 20m wide and O.K. for swimming, but mostly intended for just chilling.

The sun is intense. Bring loads of sun cream and put it on from 8am. We saw many other pale skinned Europeans ruin their short break by burning themselves terribly by just not putting on enough cream.

The staff are extemely attentive. Helpful and willing to please. Nothing is too much trouble and they always smile and laugh.

In summary - you will not find a...

A Dream Stay at Zanzibar Queen Hotel – Pure Relaxation!

We had the pleasure of spending an unforgettable week at the Zanzibar Queen Hotel in a double room with sea view and half board. The hotel also offers other room categories, which are available online.

Arrival & Atmosphere We were warmly welcomed upon arrival and given a brief tour of the property. The hotel is small, peaceful, and well-organized – exactly what we were looking for. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, making it easy to feel at home right away.

Dining & Service The restaurant, located next to the pool, features open, airy architecture and a beautiful design. The breakfast buffet is rich and varied, and staff are happy to accommodate special requests. For lunch, guests can choose between a set menu (starter and main course) or order from a reasonably priced snack menu offering pizzas, wraps, salads, and more. Dinner consists of a delicious 3-course menu with multiple options per course. There are also themed evenings, adding variety to the dining experience. The drink menu includes standard beverages as well as a small selection of African wines. The service was outstanding – always friendly, professional, and attentive.

Rooms & Amenities Our room was spacious and included a balcony with comfortable seating. Mosquito nets were provided both at the balcony door and around the bed – a great touch. Rooms are cleaned daily to a high standard, and in the evening, staff return to prepare the bed and close the mosquito nets. There is a minibar with soft drinks available in the room – note: these drinks are not included in the room rate. We didn’t see a single mosquito during our entire stay!

Pool & Outdoor Area The hotel features two pools, surrounded by lush greenery. The sun loungers are placed in sand, giving the impression of lying directly on the beach. They are very comfortable and adjustable. The whole outdoor area is very well maintained. A staff member occasionally (and unobtrusively) checks if guests would like anything from the bar.

Activities The hotel offers daily free yoga sessions, snorkeling trips, excursions to Stone Town, and relaxing massages. There’s also a volleyball court (which can also be used for bocce or badminton), as well as a football table and dartboard – all free of charge. Morning walks along the beach are simply wonderful. Maasai vendors may approach you occasionally, but a polite “no, thank you” is always respected.

Conclusion Zanzibar Queen Hotel is a hidden gem for travelers seeking peace, style, and personal service. Every detail is thoughtfully considered, and the entire experience feels warm and welcoming. Our only (minor) downside: During our stay, tonic water was temporarily unavailable at the bar.

Overall Rating: 4.8 / 5 ⭐️ We would return in a heartbeat – thank you to the entire team for a truly...

My friends and I stayed at the Zanzibar Queen Unique Hotel for almost three weeks. Since we stayed there for a long time we therefore know a lot about the hotel.

Rooms: The rooms are generously sized and really offer enough space. There were three of us and each had a single bed. The rooms here are equipped with mosquito nets as standard. Of course, there are also air conditioning systems that can also be activated at night. We also had a large balcony. The rooms are cleaned twice a day.

Cleanliness: The facility is very well maintained and extremely clean. You won't find any trash or unclean places. Cleaning and maintenance takes place here almost all day long.

Service: The service here is simply top. The entire team has fulfilled our every wish in the past few weeks. And we really had a lot of wishes (for example, we were looking for a hairdresser to braid hairs.... no problem, she was hired!). Before you even know what you need, the service staff is there to help. When there was a lot going on in the hotel, the team was able to smile and help despite the stress. The team is also very relaxed and friendly among themselves, which indicates good leadership. We really felt very comfortable. Above all, Anitha was an angel. The reception team (Louise, Maryam and George) were also great.

Food: We were really close to planning the kidnapping of the chefs. The food was simply amazing and also ecological.

Bar: The cocktails were delicious and were lovingly served with beautiful flowers. Just looking at it was a joy.

Location: The situation in the east of the island is a bit difficult. This is probably because so far the west and south of the island in particular have been very well supported and the east is still very pristine. However, you have to rely on taxis on the island as a whole because you can't cover distances by a walk. The beach is beautiful, if you pay attention to the tides you can enjoy your time.

Wellness/Spa: We had a massage once and were very happy.

Events+ Activities: The hotel management offers events almost every day. Hikes, live music, yoga, henna ..it's varied.

Price-performance: The prices correspond to western standards but are worth the money.

Overall, we can absolutely recommend the hotel. Above all, the service in the hotel is absolutely amazing.

That's why we would like to thank the team for this wonderful time, we really felt very comfortable and will definitely come back if we visit...