ZURI ZANZIBAR — Hotel in Unguja

Zuri exceeded our expectations in so many ways on our recent trip. From the moment we stepped feet in the property, we were welcomed as valued guests by every single one of the staff we encountered. There was attention to detail in each interaction. Rukia was the first member of staff to greet us (by name). We knew within a matter of seconds that we had made the right decision in choosing this hotel, essentially due to the welcome she gave. The resort is nothing short of paradise, and there is not one aspect we would have changed about our stay... The food, the restaurants, the beach, the beautiful hotel grounds, the spacious and luxurious rooms (and beautiful, comfortable beds), the level of cleanliness, the vibe and the energy of the entire resort, were all outstanding. The guests were all great, all seemed so happy - I think this brushed off from the staff. We really appreciated and enjoyed the varied and vast choice of activities available, mostly at no extra cost - we stayed in the resort for 9 nights and could have easily stayed for longer - we were in fact incredibly sad to be leaving when it came to our last day. Despite all of the above attributes of the physical hotel and resort, the people that work here are the reason we truly fell in love with Zuri. Each one of them was friendly, attentive, informative, inspiring - we are seasoned travellers and I cannot think of a hotel globally that rivals the level of unmatched service we received; from the garden staff, to the cleaning staff, to the Masaai working on the resort, to the management - every single member of the Zuri team plays their part in making this place exceptional, first class. We encountered so many people that made this such a happy trip, on a daily basis. Special mention goes to Jackline, Amina and Pia, who put a smile on our face daily at breakfast, with their excellent service, memorisation of our exact orders, and their wit and humour. On the beach, we became accustomed to speaking to Francis, Juma, and Ali (as well as a few other members of staff who we saw less frequently, like the excellent barman who made my daily Pina Colada - exceptional). I miss our daily, late morning coconuts - always fresh and cold. We loved the beach and this was a result of their care, great banter, and the huge efforts they made to make us feel looked after. Equally, Peter, Prince, Malik, and Ernest were the best dinner hosts, in Upendo and Maisha - each one superb at their individual role and dedicated to making everyone's time with them the best it could be - we also very much enjoyed speaking to all of the cooks and kitchen staff - each one of them was so happy to see us and made our meal times so special each night! Special shout to Sunday from Maisha and to one of the lead chefs in Upendo (who made sure I avoided nuts each night). Beral was the most professional, welcoming, and friendly sous chef we have encountered in all of our travels - showing genuine care for his guests and their enjoyment of the food that he and his wonderful team put on offer, greeting each table personally each night to gather feedback on what they could do better (nothing, in our opinion). Kelvin in the Pepino bar was great fun, we had several great evenings (and some special cocktails) in his company - what a great guy - we wish him the best wedding later in the year and miss his drinks! Amnala at the front desk was helpful to the highest degree when we needed anything, and such a friendly face, alongside Rukia, and the rest of the reception team, all equally amazing. Mohammad's spice tour was superb - and I learned so much in the hour I spent with him - one piece of advice is do the tour and take note of the words of wisdom he offers - one of my favourite parts of the trip. Last but by no means least is Eric... Ever present, this gentleman could not do enough for us, and many other guests in his care. The utmost professional, incredibly personable, extremely knowledgeable, funny, a huge football fan :-), but most importantly, a credit to Zuri, and someone we count as a friend (having only known him for over a week)... We miss him very much and thank him for helping make our stay an incredibly memorable one - he will always hold a special place in our hearts! In fact, we miss this paradise and will remember it fondly. We tend to travel to new places each year, new countries, to have new experiences - this is one hotel that will buck the trend - we will be back one day, and hope Zuri retains the magic that made our stay so special! If you are considering this hotel - or weighing up whether it is worth the price, don't hesitate - the only regret you will have is not staying for...

HIS IS A TRUE PARADISE (Pavel withe family, 3-bedroom villa with ocean view, 6 days, April 2022)

Wonderful beautiful complex in a charming tropical garden. If you are looking for privacy, absolute relaxation, slowing down and the charm of African romance, you will not find too many better places. Hotel - the whole complex is built on separate bungalows / villas, underlines the feeling of privacy and is in absolute contrast to the mass multi-storey resorts. Architecture is a unique combination of traditional buildings, with African details and a bit of European (international) design. The mix is ​​magical and unique. Beach - a beautiful private beach, maintained daily and mainly guarded. Plenty of sunbeds, umbrellas, towels. Beach bars with all-day service. Just slow down, completely eliminate stress, enjoy all the time from sunrise to its footsteps like MY TIME ... "polepole" - slowly. Pools - one pool was in our villa - beautiful. And one large communal pool is above the beach - a beautiful large, infinity, romantic pool set in tropical gardens. Watching the sunset from it is pure physical joy. Nature - is all around you. It is beautiful, wild, lush. The whole garden is prepared and maintained with great feeling and underlines your captivating individual experience. Lizards of all sizes, snails, chameleons will live with you during your vacation. But it's magical. This corresponds to the open concept of all buildings and connections to the garden. A separate chapter is a special part of the garden - spice garden. Don't miss the guided walk - you will see all the famous spices in their herbal / shrub form. You smell everything, grind it in your hands, paint it on your hands or cheeks. It's really magical (and even your teenagers will be enchanted ... and that's something!). In the spice garden we also had a course in cooking African food. Incredibly fun ... and whatever you cook in a friendly and great (thank you, John) atmosphere, you can eat right in the garden. The sea - beautiful crystal clear, in varying shades of all blue according to the movement of the sun. Right next to the hotel is a sandy beach - so the sea is great for swimming all the day. We went also snorkeling by boat (about 1 hour) to the nearby coral island of Mnemba and we had a wonderful time. From the Maldives, we were already a bit ready for the "aquarium", but it was no less beautiful here. In addition, a local guide dived with us, naming us all the fish. Restaurant - just great. Once again, it is good to remember that the concept of the hotel is based on maximum environmental friendliness and the use of local ingredients with their traditional processing. I can go to a posh a-la cart restaurant anywhere in Europe, here we appreciated exactly what Zuri offers with its concept - simple local and international food, well prepared and presented. Could there be a wider choice of everything? Yes. But why? And at what cost and moving food? All restaurants and bars are relaxed and elegant. Sunsets - don't miss them on the main beach! It's a lifelong experience. REALLY! Although we had a private part of the beach at our villa, every evening we went to a shared beach and watched the sun fall into the sea with the others. It was like some community magic. Strong emotions. Staff - incredibly nice people. Really everyone. The whole stay was without a single conflict. Always a smile, always a willingness. Jambo-Mambo. Thank you in particular: Nina at the reception (total African sun !!), our butlers - Malik and Pia (incredibly kind and helpful people), John, Oscar, Mundhir (guide in the spice garden - he could name spices in Czech !!! Can you believe that?) , and many, many more...

Overall? This is a real paradise. Just get ready for it and try to forget everything in your everyday life during the first 1 or 2 days ... then suddenly you will feel the time slowly stopping around you ... Hakuna...

Honestly, I would rate Zuri Resort with 10 points out of 5, as this is one of the most wonderful places on the Earth with an exceptional attitude to their guests! The Resort is the only member of the Design Hotels Group in Zanzibar, which makes it absolutely special on the island, even though it is not the most expensive hotel in Zanzibar. Below there are more details of the things, which we personally liked so much about this place: The territory of the hotel is like a paradise. It is not just a luxury hotel with a beautiful garden. It is like a large tropical park, where you can walk through and investigate different plants, including a spicy garden, which I highly recommend to visit with the tour guide, who will tell you a lot about the trees, flowers, and spices. Hundreds of gardeners and landscape designers needed more than two years to select all the plants in the garden. It is really interesting to know how much effort was dedicated to develop such a beautiful project. The bungalows are very beautiful, cozy, and comfortable. The design is close to loft, but with an African chick. There is a very nice terrace with a hammock in every bungalow. There are two showers, one of which is a tropical shower outside. What I liked especially is the organic and natural cosmetics, which is used in the hotel. The soap is amazing. You can also buy it in the shop on the beach. The beach – we have been walking on the Kendwa beach, and I can assure you that Zuri has the most beautiful and wide beach, which is very well equipped. There is a bar and a sports center on the beach, offering you a wide choice of water activities. We tried the discover scuba diving, and were lucky to see the dolphins while diving. It was an amazing experience! There is a lot of security working on the beach, who don’t want you to be disturbed by the locals selling different staff, but I personally recommend you to support the locals a little bit, as due to this COVID situation and lack of tourists their lives are now much harder. There is an old man who sells some fruits on the beach (he carries them on a very old bicycle). Please try his fruit. They are always very delicious! Also there are some local guys (fishermen, guys working with the tourists), who can arrange activities for you. The food – you are going to have a buffet breakfast and a la carte fine dining. The dinners are fantastic! We also took a cooking master class, where we were taught to cook the local African food, highly recommend! Staff – very friendly and always ready to help. You are going to feel like at home with these friendly guys. Sustainability – this point is very important to us. This hotel has EarthCheck’s Sustainable Design Gold Certification. There are a lot of things in the hotel, which are made of recycled materials. Even the straws used for the cocktails are made of paper. Please also pay attention to the beach bar desk and ask the staff what it is made of. You can also check Sustainability section on Zuri website to see how you can contribute and what you can bring (books, electronic devices, etc.) to support the local communities. I can tell much more good things about this place, but it’s better to try!

The only thing I would like to improve at the moment is to remove the masks from beautiful and smiley faces of the most friendly staff in Zanzibar. I hope this Corona topic will end soon, and your guests will be able to see these wonderful smiles 😊. Our warm hugs to all Zuri staff! Thanks for making our holiday so special.

Anna and Pavel...