Tikitam Palms Boutique Hotel

Few suites makes the time in Zanzibar a quiet relaxing rest after safaris. Beautifully decorated. Great food with a different specialty buffet menu each night by the ancient baobab hearing bushbabys around. What i missed was getting into the ocean. The beach is so small but in the morning you can walk an have the water at your ankles and see a lot of incredible sealife and reach small white sand banks. The room was simply perfect and private. Stayed at the Sultan Room. The staff give you extra attention to all your need. Excellent service. Far away from nearest town. Like 10 minutes drive.

If you cherish privacy, silence, a bit of wilderness and good cuisine you can’t go wrong with the place. Absolutely recommend the resort-stylish villas/rooms, great service, monkeys in the morning and cats in the evenings 😅 Greetings to all the hotel staff and hugs to Getrude😎

The aim with our stay was to rest and relax and have a 5-star experience on Zanzibar. We have visited the island before, also in the Kiwenga area. Since being a Boutique Guest Owner myself, and my travel companion (son) having worked for top-rated Hilton’s and Seasons Resorts across EMEA, we very well know the requirements for meeting the star grading and the standards that need to be met, for a property like Tikitam to present itself as 5-star and for the apparent reviews and awards to be justified. Unfortunately, the complete opposite of what was expected, was offered, and our experience was nothing short of horrible, even now post check-out. WRONG ROOM TYPE: We specifically booked a twin room, and the hotel confirmed our request (via Agoda). Instead, the room had only a King-bed which we had to share. Reception / check-in staff was not even aware of the confirmed request, so it remains a mystery who then actually confirmed the room type. It was a huge discomfort for, and disrespectful towards me and my travel companion, to not have the room type we specifically booked and had confirmed. NO MANAGER, DUTY MANAGER, 2ND IN CHARGE ON PROPERTY There was literally no one on the property who could assist when we wanted to address our concerns. We had to wait 30 mins because in the reception area, where no one was present, and there is only a bell to ring. The in-room phone doesn’t work, so you cannot call the front desk or anyone from the property for that matter. And there is nearly no mobile signal. The only “manager” we could speak to, was Gertrude who is apparently the reservation manager, and based in Stone Town, about an hour away. We never met her, and only spoke on the phone via the receptionist. Cancellation & Refund Based on our experience, and the extensive list of shortcomings and sub-standard offerings (mentioned below), Getrude mentioned the entire booking would be cancelled from the Hotel’s side, and that we would be refunded in full. The only charge we would need to cover, would be the $5 per person Tourism Tax, which we paid in cash upon leaving. My son and the receptionist were also present when Getrude confirmed the cancellation conditions. There was no question about any “cancellation penalty” etc. – since all charges would be waived by the hotel and the hotel promised to send a confirmation email, to avoid any further confusion, which they did not. However, when I enquired through Agoda, apparently the Hotel went back on their word, did not initiate the cancellation as promised, demands a one night stay cancellation penalty and in fact no-one from the hotel contacted us directly after leaving. So you can imagine, not just having the bad experience at the hotel, but there is no care given even afterwards and severe dishonesty. We had to pay our own taxi to get to Kiwenga and find another hotel that could accommodate us (in peak season), and now this ongoing dispute and lengthy emails and messages regarding the stay is spoil