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A beautiful oasis in a chaotic part of Zanzibar however sadly our experience wasn’t as expected. Reception staff were incredibly helpful and friendly, Egon really made a positive impact. However after that, we were all incredibly disappointed. Simple parts of hospitality seemed to missed throughout, we had issues with food and drink service taking over an hour to arrive each time and something always arriving cold. From ordering 3 portions of chips, to food for a table of 6, every thing took over an hour. At one stage, one coconut water took an hour to arrive. It’s appreciated a bigger table in a small hotel may take longer but it was the case with whatever was ordered. Similarly, if a delay is know it is common courtesy is to warn guests of such a delay. The hotel setting is beautiful, but again small efforts could be made to make experiences better. For example, the toilet in one of the rooms our party had flooded, it was sorted quickly however no new bath mat was given - the soaking wet one was left. I appreciate it’s a tropical climate but maggots were in the mango served one morning, when given back to the wait staff they apologised and nothing else was done. We’d expect the fruit to be kept in the fridge given the environment. Every day there would be another issue, although some trivia, on a holiday you don’t want to have to experience this. Management did speak to us about the slowness of service, mentioning it isn’t the same in Zanzibar as it is in Europe. A comment which felt like it was to provide an excuse and to belittle our cultural understanding. We are aware things run slower, but if you offer a hotel to tourists you’ve got to cater for them slightly! Between our party we had 3 rooms. We’d made it clear from the start we wanted specifics items on different rooms. This wasn’t done so instead we spent 40 mins on our last day sorting it. Again, not a task guests should have to do. We also couldn’t help but notice, water bottles were rightly filled up at the bar for free for 2 days of our trip. Given the 31 degrees and a 4 star hotel you’d expect this. The water ran out at one stage in the middle of the day and we were told there was no more, providing unnecessary stress to paying customer. After complaining that a hotel must have water available for guests in such heat, eventually more was delivered. That said, whilst management were watching by the bar suddenly we were to be charged. After the complaints about service already and a clear discomfort from guests, this felt was incredibly poor customer service. Unfortunately there is a lot more improvements for this hotel and until these are rectified and with so many other options around, I wouldn’t recommend until things have been improved. A real shame as it could have been lovely. I hope this feedback allows the hotel to improve in areas so future guests don’t experience such a poor service.

Dhow Inn is located in the heart of Paje. We loved that we could walk out to the beach and take a walk on this beautiful sandy beach. The beach offers lots of options for restaurants, cafes and bars as well as excursion options from different operators. The hotel’s location makes it a convenient base for all your adventures. Accommodations: The room offered comfortable beds, clean linens, and private balcony with a private pool/spa. The room was also equipped with a safe, coffee maker, and the pool with lounges and umbrellas was right Infront of the room. Amenities: Dhow Inn offers 3 swimming pools providing a refreshing retreat after a day of exploring. The hotel also has a gym and spa for those who can't miss a workout. Dining: We really liked the buffet style dining with many options to choose from including salads, sandwiches, fruits, hot options, deserts, juices, tea and coffee. The restaurant also offers a la carte dining, but must be reserved the day before. We really enjoyed dinner time show by local acrobats. Service: The staff at Dhow Inn Hotel were genuinely friendly and attentive. They were always eager to assist with any requests or recommendations, making us feel valued and welcomed throughout our stay.

My stay at Samawa Living was absolutely phenomenal! From the moment I arrived, I felt an incredible sense of warmth and care from the staff. As a solo traveller, I was made to feel so safe and seen, which made the experience even more special. It truly felt like a home away from home. I’d like to give a special thanks to Kadogo, Hashimu, Baby, Asha, and the rest of the amazing team who went above and beyond to make my stay unforgettable. Their genuine kindness and attentive service stood out in every interaction. The location of the hotel was perfect – close to the iconic Paje Beach, with convenient access via buggy, so I could enjoy the beauty of the area while still retreating to the calm and peaceful atmosphere of the hotel. The boho vibes of Samawa Living were stunning, with every detail thoughtfully designed to create a cosy and serene environment. From the delicious meals to the immaculate rooms and tranquil ambience, everything about Samawa Living exceeded my expectations. I can’t wait to return! If you’re looking for a safe, stylish, and welcoming place to stay in the Paje area, I highly recommend it.

If you want to have a peaceful and relaxing vacation, avoid this hotel at all costs. I stayed there in January 2023 with family and friends. We had already stayed at the Cristal Resort Hotel twice before and we decided to go back again because of the nice location and what used to be ’friendly’ staff. On our 5th night, before we went to bed I checked the door and all of the windows of our ECO bungalow to be sure they were completely locked and secure. In the morning, we woke up to discover that we had been robbed while my parents and I were asleep. The window from the bathroom was wide open and our phones, money (thousands) and 2 bags were gone. We immediately informed the hotel management about this but their only concern was why we had not put our money in the safe box. The answer is very simple- we usually use the safe box when we are out of the room, not while we were asleep. Beyond the fact that someone was in our room while we were asleep, imagine how worse things could have been had we woken up while the thief/thieves were still in the room. The hotel has a huge security problem and they know it very well. In order to open a closed sliding window they must have had a premeditated plan or system to be able to open it successfully from the outside... and not to have any security guards in that area at night is just outrageous. In hindsight I am pretty sure we were being observed. It had all been planned very well and they knew everything in order to succeed - who had the money of the group, where we were sleeping, everything. In the morning, we called the police and after they finally came, out of nowhere, one of the hotel staff called us to show us that they had found our backpacks without any money in them of course. We found our phones inside one of the backpacks without our SIM cards in them and after we switched them on we saw on the Steps App that our things had been stolen at 3 am in the morning and that the thief/thieves only took just 78 steps and stopped right near the fence of the hotel. The police was trying to play things down by saying that we were so lucky we got our phones back. A few hours later, I received a message from the hotel manager saying precisely this: --- I spoke with our broker and I checked our insurance. It covers things like cameras, phones and laptops but not money, because the issue of money is very complex. --- This is another reason that led us to believe that the hotel staff was involved. What an unbelievable coincidence! We only retrieved the things that were not covered by their insurance- our phones. On top of that, they also had the appalling audacity to say that we needed to wait for the police investigation as they needed to find out whether this had happened for real or not, because according to them, nothing actually proved that somebody had robbed us and that we could have orchestrated the whole thing ourselves...Great! They were also putting pressure on us to stop this scandal because