Pearl Beach Resort and Spa Zanzibar

The kind, helpful staff were the best part of our five nights here. The setting is lovely, with views and access to two beaches; at low tide you can walk along the shore and explore pools with crabs. We also enjoyed the beach and the hotel pool. Food was okay, but choices were limited and the menu didn’t change much day to day. Our all-inclusive booking covered a decent range of drinks, though there were no snacks between meals. The hotel is quite dated and the facilities seem overdue for an update. The basic rooms felt a little grimy from age, and the place could use work to meet its stated five-star standard. If the price had been higher, I’d have been unhappy with the facilities. Keep in mind it’s a $70 taxi each way from the airport, and there isn’t much else nearby once you arrive.

We came across Pearl Beach Hotel by chance while visiting Starfish Beach. Ordering drinks at the bar got us access to the pool area and private beach, which was a lovely bonus. The place feels very luxurious, and the staff were so friendly. Definitely recommend it.

The view was stunning, and the hotel itself was lovely. What really made it special was how friendly and helpful the staff were. A few things could be better, though: there was no Wi-Fi in the rooms, cleaning was pretty basic, and lunch and dinner had very few options. With no shops or restaurants nearby, you’re more or less stuck eating at the hotel. At $20 per person, that felt expensive for such a limited menu. I was also surprised to be charged $5 each time I asked for just one extra charcoal for the shisha.

Lovely place, and there are even monkeys outside the rooms. Booking.com calls it five-star, but I’d say it’s four. The food selection could be better, I had calamari all the time 😂. Probably worth going there in person and bargaining over the price.