The Residence Zanzibar

This hotel was exceptional!! We truly enjoyed our stay as a family of 5, the hotel grounds were breath-taking. To be honest, we couldn’t make much use of the private pool as water was cold. The staff were super friendly. Breakfast options were good, dinner options not as great. Beware of the monkeys as they can sneak in if doors are left unlocked. Would definitely stay there again!

Overall, my wife and I had a nice stay for our honeymoon. However, there were several issues, especially given the $600 per night cost. Pros (1) Hotel is scenic: beach, villas and pools are nice (2) Service is good; staff is very polite (3) Food is good with a variety of options Cons (1) Logistics are poorly handled Issue A: We had two separate bookings. At check-in, staff said we would have to move villas between them because they would be giving us a bigger villa. They said they would call us around noon on move day. At noon, no one called. I called around 12:30, and was told someone would call me back. No one did. I called again around 12:50, and again was told someone would call me back. Someone called and said we would no longer need to move rooms.. Issue B: Day before leaving, we scheduled a car to take us at 10am to Stone Town, and from Stone Town to the airport. Staff said someone would come to our villa at 9:45am to collect bags. Staff completely forgot. Nobody came to get our bags until we called. And when we got to the lobby to check out and take our car, they informed us they forgot to book a car. They weren't able to get a replacement until 10:46am. Hilariously, the outside cab they arranged was $40, whereas originally they were charging us $95 for their own service. And the cab that came to take us didn't have much gas so wasn't able to turn on AC until we filled up. (2) WiFi was very spotty there was a power outage (3) Rooms are finicky / noisy

Beautiful resort, great for relaxing. Ideal for honeymoons and celebrating anniversaries. Loved the facilities and staff.