Natural Kendwa Villa

The food was delicious, and the staff were always smiling and helpful. When anything came up, the owners and manager sorted it out right away. The location is excellent, facing spectacular Kendwa Beach. We'll be back.

The setting is splendid, but both the food and service need some improvement. They have Italian influences, yet the pasta was overcooked, and the same spaghetti was used as “noodles” in the soups. We ate lunch and dinner there for four days and always paid by card. On the last day, the card stopped working. Maybe it was outside their control, but the alternatives they offered were a problem. Their PayPal link wouldn't accept the Mastercard or Visa I'd already used widely with PayPal. It gave the error, “You cannot use this card for payment.” The card worked fine just outside. The only option was for me to find an ATM, after I'd already lost 15 minutes trying to pay, and pay local withdrawal fees that weren't set by my card issuer. The location looks good, but the food and service really need changes.

Struttyra is a great spot for a restful, relaxing Zanzibar stay. The rooms are large, clean, and have all the comforts. The pool is top notch, and the aerial massages were lovely. Staff were very friendly and helpful. The location is excellent, with agreements with two beach establishments and one restaurant that you can reach on the included shuttle. The food and drinks were very good. Breakfast had plenty of variety, always fresh fruit and desserts, and eggs cooked any way you like on request.

Writing this at 5:45 am after a very noisy night. On the second night, staff banging around woke me up. There's also a loud generator right outside the back window that starts during power cuts, and locals ride bikes and drive cars outside until very late. The place itself is pretty and clean, and the staff I met were all lovely. My food was lovely too. A room farther back in the complex would probably be nice. A building site opposite made it impossible for me to use the bar or restaurant except for breakfast, though that's not the hotel's fault. I was looking for somewhere away from the very busy beach resorts because I don't like large crowds.