Paradise Beach Resort

Our Zanzibar holiday was amazing, and we’re very grateful for the hospitality and care that made it so memorable. A special thank you to Johan Saaiman and his team at Paradise Beach Resort, especially Amina and Seif at the Restaurant. We had a fabulous time and appreciated all the effort that went into making our stay enjoyable. Greetings from Meliza Pretorius and 5 others.

The grounds are beautifully landscaped and the pools were excellently maintained. The pier reaching out over the ocean was a calm spot with a cool breeze, though the beach itself wasn’t suitable for swimming. The hotel’s location is far from everything, so going off property costs at least 30 American dollars for one person. Our room had excellent AC, daily room service was excellent, and the mattresses were great. Water pressure was low in the rooms we occupied, and WiFi ranged from fair to good in most areas, with the best signal at the main lodge. The playroom for young children was good but poorly lit. Food was mostly carbs, especially bread. I’d give the main dining room 2 out of 5, the Asian restaurant 3, and the Indian restaurant 4. You need reservations for the Asian and Indian restaurants. Smoking seemed allowed almost anywhere regardless of signage. We had a check-in problem, but it was sorted out after we laid out the facts. Be prepared to be assertive to get what you paid for. If you book through a site like bookings.com, be ready to pay a 12.5 US $ city fee per person, even though there’s no city to speak of and the fee isn’t mentioned anywhere.

The resort looks fantastic and has beautiful access to the sea. We liked the people there, and the restaurant, room service and reception all earned 5 stars from us. The animation team got 3 stars: they were always late, and most activities felt like they were just being done to tick them off. Still, everyone was very nice. Our first room had a really bad smell, but they changed it to another of the same standard without any trouble. The replacement had weak WiFi and a TV that didn’t work, but we didn’t mind since we hadn’t come to Zanzibar to stay in the room. The beach was the one small issue, though I blame the time of year we visited. The pool could have been cleaned more often too. On our last day the water was really smelly and dirty. I’d still recommend the place.

The rooms were lovely and the entertainment was amazing. The setting is beautiful, but don’t expect clear turquoise water. For that, book in Nungwi or Kendwa. The food was okay. For more videos and information, you can check my ig or tiktok @crazyrio84.