SBH Monica Zanzibar

Ali and Blandina at the bar were fantastic, and Charlie, Patrick, and the rest of the staff were great too. They’re open minded and work hard, and they deserve to be paid well. The gardeners do as well. They climbed the coconut trees to bring us fresh coconuts. Check-in was quick and friendly, though management didn’t seem to treat the workers with much respect. They aren’t slaves. Pay them properly, or I hope they find better jobs. Cleaning could have been better, but it’s understandable when workers are paid so little. The food was mixed. The buffet wasn’t great, mango appeared only on the first day and then not again for the whole week, and most of the pizza was margherita. My girlfriend got food poisoning while eating there and spent a day in bed vomiting and having stomach problems. Be careful what you eat, especially since the buffet area is very warm. The beach security seemed lazy and unaware of what was going on. Beach boys were everywhere, which made it hard to swim or walk peacefully. I know they’re trying to earn a living, but I can’t help everyone. There were also too many people from Poland, and they weren’t respectful. At least there weren’t screaming children around. The Wi-Fi is bad and needs fixing if this is meant to be a five star resort. You can hear everything through the walls, and people arrive and leave even at midnight, so bring earplugs if you’re a light sleeper.

After a stressful stretch at work, I came to Zanzibar hoping to relax and recharge. Some parts of the hotel stay were positive, but the way certain spa and dive center staff behaved left me wondering whether this is what a five-star hotel expects. Several people repeatedly offered services and excursions outside the hotel, giving the impression of unauthorized or under-the-table sales. They discouraged me from talking to hotel staff, saying they only helped because we already knew each other. Others invited me to go somewhere after work and said they liked people of my nationality because they were polite and kind. I heard that every day until I’d had enough. I told them I just wanted to enjoy the hotel, but they were very noisy and disruptive, and seemed more focused on money and personal relationships than proper service.

The beach was the real wonder for me. At low tide the water retreats so far that the view feels like one of the world’s wonders. Nature at its best. The people in red shirts on the beach could get pushy and interrupt those carefree moments, though. What worked for us was simply saying, “No, thank you, I love you.” We spent eight wonderful days here, one of the most beautiful holidays we’ve had together. The facilities, food, cleanliness, staff, and beach all came together to make the trip feel perfect, and everything seemed thoughtfully tailored to our comfort. We’ll definitely return. This is our favorite place now ❤️

We chose this hotel through Itaka because it was advertised as adults only, 16+, which was a key condition for our holiday. Children were around throughout the stay, running, screaming, and jumping into the pool, so there was no chance of a peaceful break. That was a clear breach of what had been promised. The hotel also fell well short of four or five star standards. Water often stopped completely, even cold water, making basic hygiene impossible. The safe was broken and took a week to replace, so we had to keep valuables elsewhere. Bedding and pool towels were dirty, mosquito nets were torn, and one fell on a guest during the night. The air conditioning smelled foul. The restaurant was chaotic: cutlery was missing, waits were long, food was cleared while people were still eating, and late arrivals found empty buffet trays. “Late breakfast” meant dry crackers and a little fruit. Staff were pushy but disorganized and often forgot orders, while the public toilets were in poor shape. The gym couldn’t be used, massage towels looked reused, and the billiards and ping pong equipment was broken. The beach was full of aggressive vendors, including people offering illegal substances, so enjoying the sea without harassment was impossible. We complained to Itaka, but they brushed it off and said we should have reported everything to the local rep. A holiday shouldn’t mean spending your time chasing staff to fix problems.