Waikiki Zanzibar Resort — Local services in Zanzibar North

My review is strictly based on the entertainment and party life here. I did not stay at this hotel. I came here because my guide recommended it if I wanted an outing and party. I honestly had a great time. You can tell the place is a bit commercial and touristy. Drinks are a bit overpriced and the set up to eat and drink is a bit frustrating. I wanted to just order and purchase but they have a ticket purchase system and then you use the tickets to make purchases. I didn't like this and I don't know the reasoning behind it but I definitely reserve the right to not like that process.

The entertainment was a group of men doing acrobatics and fire tricks. I tried my best not to be entertained, but they were actually really great. My only complaint was I worried for their health when breathing the fire. It didn't seem safe and I let them know directly I enjoyed the show but if breathing fire (using whatever chemical they had in their mouth) caused health problems, then they shouldn't do it because no entertainment is worth their health and I'm sure other guests would agree.

After the fire show there was a DJ, music and dancing. Pizza is only sold late night but it was tasty to snack on to feed my booze. The music was a variety of house and some main stream music from USA. I enjoyed it and danced the night away. So overall, I wouldn't mind coming back here but it did feel a bit like a tourist trap. Just not my vibe, but nevertheless I did enjoy myself. Also, just do yourself a favor and bring cash. Everywhere! Cash is just easier almost everywhere in Zanzi. They do take card, but I ran out of cash...

For starters, you should know that this resort is now called the Mambo Ocean Resort. We stayed here for three nights and four days in October 2024. We paid a little extra and had a nicer room, in the back of the resort, which has access to its own pool and is a bit quieter than the rooms on the beach which are next to the restaurant and the resort next door. Our room was up-to-date, had everything we needed, the beds had mosquito nets, and the bathroom was good. The nearby small pool, was a very nice place to hang out. Its the beach here that is really the winner. The resort is right on the beach, and the restaurant sits next to the beach and while covered, is open sided, and you often have a lovely breeze blowing through. The food is good--very nice breakfast with the room, good fish, nice pastas, and excellent pizza made in their own clay pizza over. This is a very nice restaurant (do know that if you feel like a change--there are other restaurants nearby, including very inexpensive local fish places where the seafood comes direct from the ocean). The beach, which is BEAUTIFUL, stretches for long distances in both directions (we took two hour walks during sunrise and never reached the end of the beach). Our interactions with folks here at the resort--at reception, waiters, cleaning people--was uniformly nice. We had an excellent stay--and Pwani is probably the nicest beach that we have found on Zanzibar (I miss...

We are late at night and we're stunned to be told that we needed to pay an additional tax of $8 per person per night before we could be given the key to our room |As we were staying a week that meant $112 |We had no option but to pay |We were told that this was tourist tax but we have never paid this tax in any other hotel we have stayed in Tanzania or Zanzibar |Take care if booking through an agent as while it may say local taxes are payable to the hotel,I never expected that much|Also there is a 4% charge if paying by credit card |So by the time we had paid the taxi,the taxes and the surcharge we had spent almost $200|I n addition there is a complimentary bottle of water each day in the room but if you want it refilled it costs $1.50 and you are not allowed to bring water into the resort |Despit the extra charges we had a really nice stay |The resort is right on a beautiful beach |The rooms while basic are spotlessly clean with excellent housekeeping |As expected the bar prices are a little more than some of the other beach bars and the service is friendly but variable|Breakfast is good with a limited choice|Restaurant is good with the daily special very good value |Take care if booking through an agent like we did as though it said local taxes are payable to the hotel,I really didn't...