The Residence Zanzibar

Caity Curtis

After a rough first night in, the rest of our stay was lovely. Overall, this is a beautiful location and very friendly staff, but the customer service can be hit or miss depending on the person. The reviews about the room structural/electricity issues are accurate and we noticed spotty wifi service with the whole resort losing power at times. Apparently, this is common on the island so not sure the resort can control it but does seem that they don’t have generators. Also, be sure to note that alcohol, lunch, and water ordered outside your room are not included so estimate another $100/day per person. The resort was very accommodating to our late night arrival - offering us free room service. However, we had some issues with the electricity in our room the first night and after being unable to fix them, we were moved to a new room the next day. They originally tried to tell us there were no other beach-front rooms available so we’d have to downgrade to a regular resort rook if we wanted electricity but after we insisted on a beach-front room they were ultimately able to move us to one with working electricity. The resort offers honeymooners a candlelight dinner and couples massage however after telling us about the services, in midst of repacking to move rooms - they informed us that we could only get the services if we had a copy of our marriage license which we would have been happy to do if we had known before we left home to take a picture of it. They didn’t inform our travel agency or us so we were going to ask friends to go to our home to take a picture for us. Ultimately they accepted an email of our marriage license application. After we talked with our travel agency and they spoke with the hotel management team, the management team went out of their way to apologize and offered us a couples massage and complimentary water which was very kind. Overall, we had a positive experience and would go back. Just be prepared for power outages at times and up and down customer service (sometimes our beach towels were restocked, sometimes we just used our shower towels, sometimes the coffee pods were restocked, sometimes we had to call, etc.) The pool is amazing and the private room pools are so great for days when you want to have some private time just each other. We really loved the Pavillion dinner that you make reservations and the romantic beach dinner is very lovely. Our favorite part of the trip was watching the sunset at the beach bar every evening.

Anish Shah

Perfect location for unwinding ! Excellent Service and hospitality. Kudos to all staff who are warm and welcoming all the time ! Our special thanks to Chef Arjun for taking care of our specific dietary needs during our visit.

June Campbell

Superb holiday at the residence. The staff were welcoming and attentive, with the food being exceptional in terms of choice and quality. The whole vibe was very relaxed, and never felt crowded. One of the highlights was the spa, with a well equipped gym, sauna and plunge pool. The yoga sessions were excellent and I'd highly recommend their massages and wraps.

Mez Alam

Our family of four stayed in two villas in July. We had a fabulous time. The staff are extra special here and make you feel welcome every time you come in contact with them. The cocktails at sunset are not to be missed as is the massage at the spa. You will be about an hour away from the airport so not good if you want to plan things around the town but amazing if you want an out of the way relaxing experience.

Jay Desai

After an initial shaky start at check-in where we felt staff were not clear in their communication, we had little to complain about with regards the service, thanks to Massimo (the manager) and then later, Nitin (the bar manager). Staff are very polite, friendly and professional. The hotel only offers two restaurants - the Pavilion and the main restaurant (where the buffet is really top notch). A couple of the evenings we felt the music entertainment in the main restaurant was a little too loud. The Pavilion was ok - the food portions were really small and it felt more exciting to go to the main restaurant. The villa rooms are super spacious but the hotel/room furniture are outdated and falling apart. The villa's pool was fine except the ground surrounding the pool were constantly covered in bird and monkey poo! I suggest cleaners visit the rooms a few times during the day to check and clean, as it's off putting. One further gripe were the taxi and excursions the hotel charges - phenomenal!! This really has to change - all you are doing is scaring away customers or having the smarter ones look outside the hotel, for alternatives. The location was to be expected but it's still too far from the airport (an hour and half) and the surrounding offer very little in terms entertainment alternatives. But it is worth spending a day in Stone Town which is full of life and history. All in all a much better holiday because of the good service (and late check-out).