Zanzistar Lodge

The hotel was taken over by local kids every evening. Kids where bothering us and always asking for money. One day there was 30+ local kids in the hotel. They ran around and screamed all the time, throwing sand. The hotel staff did not care at all. Hotell room AC only worked in the night and only 2h max. Room was super hot. The location is good and hotel itself is good but the staff should care more about the hotel.

The Zanzistar Lodge really is something! - super friendly staff that helps you with anything you need - very beautiful and aesthetic place with love to details - delicious food and juices all day long - perfect location to the beach and small shops - offering non- touristic tours, working together with locals and NGOs - movie nights - in the middle of local life: f.e. during breakfast you can hear the kids from the nursery school next to the lodge laughing We had an amazing time, thanks for everything!

We loved it here and came back a couple of times. Firstly the location and setting is just magical. Secondly the staff are just delightful and thirdly the food is excellent. It's made to order with the best ingredients. Take my advice, go sample their wares.

As fellow travellers have noted- the lodge and rooms are set back from the beach and the photos of the beach are taken from the beach bar. Our room was comfy, quiet and kept the light out in the mornings. However - as it was a triple I would have expected to have more than one chair in our private garden. The food we had for dinner (fish & chips) was excellent. And another evening we had the Zanzibar ice cream which was delicious. But - the wine was not good (and we were charged for a glass that was corked), there was no drinking water supplied in rooms ( so you had to purchase at double regular price in the bar). Breakfast was provided - but there was no opportunity to make a cup of tea or coffee ahead of breakfast (maybe if you wanted a wake up brew and then a walk on the beach before breakfast). And since the hot water to make drinks was put in broken thermos flasks the water often wasn’t hot enough. When we asked for fresh hot water the metal flask was almost too hot to hold to pour. This is an accident waiting to happen for those travelling with children. The staff were friendly and helpful. The area was clean and judging by the number of diners coming from outside the hotel it has a good reputation for food.

The place was nicely located on a beautiful beach, Peter was superfriendly and helpful and the restaurant was one of the best we experienced in the island. The breakfast was great! The rooms were cozy, had a nice small yard and a hammock and the whole garden is covered with sand - we were barefoot during our whole stay :). We had a small issue with communication regarding transfer times from the seaport but it sorted out nicely. Definitely would come back and recommend to others.

From the moment we arrived at this very special place we felt part of the local village, picking up a few words in Swahili right away. Our ‘Lagoon’ room was directly on the white sand of Jambiani Beach - a simple and rustic spotless room decorated in local style using repurposed materials which we loved. Everything worked perfectly - great bed, powerful shower, excellent WI-FI and plenty of hanging/storage space. This room is right next to the Beach Bar owned by the hotel, but it closes early so absolutely no noise at night except perhaps for the tide as it comes in! The bar has security personnel in place so we felt more than safe. The Banana Garden Restaurant is a 2 minute walk away and has to be the most romantic place to dine in the area. There are other options nearby too for a change though - we do recommend ‘Uhuru’ for entertainment especially on a Friday night - I don’t think Zanzistar will mind me mentioning this! We hired bikes from the shop behind the bar and cycled through the village up the coast one day and found somewhere nice for a snack and a swim in the pool. The beach is beautiful and you should be prepared to buy a bracelet or three from the Masai Beach Boys who will want to say “Jambo”. It’s relatively lively but not overwhelming. Just be kind! We have absolutely nothing negative to say about our stay here. When we moved on we felt homesick in fact! So well managed and with the loveliest staff you will find anywhere we wholeheartedly recommend for a genuine Zanzibarian experience.