Reviews of Butiama Beach

"Butiama Lodge has a lot of character and charm, it also felt very intimate. We came to Mafia Island for the whale sharks and the location couldn’t have been better as all the boats are leaving from the beach opposite the Lodge. We hesitated for our stay between the lodges located in Chole Bay like Pole Pole and Kinasi Lodge but so glad Expert Africa recommended us Butiama Lodge as I cannot see what could have been better and Butiama is definitely better value.

The rooms are nice and comfortable, it felt so safe that we didn’t even bother locking up our room when we left. No insects in our rooms whatsoever though as it was rainy season there were quite a lot of flies during the day on the beach. The beach is beautiful and just next to the Marine Park.

The food was really good and no issues to cater for my gluten free diet. Unfortunately choice of and the wines were not that great (though cheap) and I would have gladly paid more for better quality wines.

For the whale sharks we used Afro Whale Shark Safari which is literally next to Butiama Lodge. I am sure that the whale shark safari through Butiama is also nice but we choose Afro as they are the first to leave in the morning (around 07:30) so more time without any other boats and they are owned and run by locals. Sabrina their guide is amazing and we saw 9 whale sharks on that day. For the diving we used Big Blu Dive Centre, owned by Butiama, and it was really good. Besides the whale sharks we went to see the flying foxes (giant fruit bats) in the mangroove with a kayak (at our disposal by the Lodge). This was not to be missed and amazing, we felt like in a Attenborough documentary.

Special thanks to William, the manager, and all the staff who were doing all they can for us to have a great stay and sort any issues out like our cancelled return flights" See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"The thing that struck us with Butiama was the service - William and his team were INCREDIBLY polite and helpful - This place was absolutely paradise ! we had beautiful rooms, the communal areas were the perfect mix of laid back luxury - the evening meals, in a setting at the cusp between the beautiful fairy light lit pool and the warm gently lapping waves of the sea was just idyllic - we wish we'd stayed longer - and would like to return some time to swim with the whale sharks ! WE did a little kayak trip which was free, and fun

All our accommodation was fantastic on this holiday - it was so nice to have a contrast each time - Butiama really stood out as the lap of luxury !

The lodge also arranged our diving via Big Blu Dive Centre - this was very well done, the Dive shop was top notch and Jenny the Dive Instructor was as good as it gets.

Only slight disappointment was that at this time of year, I've now discovered, the winds can be high so the water was really quite choppy and visibility not fantastic ...but you can't have it all I suppose !! ha ha" See all these reviews: 5n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"I loved the sandy walkways that linked the various parts of this hotel....made you feel as if it was part of the beach.

It was also nice to have the tables for the evening meal just above the beach with soft lighting.

The rooms were comfortable and quite private, but none of the communal areas were too far away." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar

"nice dives and friendly staff at diving club
best location for hotel in Mafia (nicer beach)
slow service
staff not always very friendly" See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 7n in Zanzibar

"Butiama proved to be the ideal location to wind down for 5 nights after over a week in the Tanzanian bush.

The hotel fronts onto a superb sandy beach, and includes comfortable rooms, a good swimming pool, and spacious bar and dining areas. The proprietor, Maura, was very hospitable, excellent fish dishes were served for dinner and Maurice provided arrangements for daily activities.

Our two sons took a 2-dive trip from the Big Blu Diving Centre. This was not successful - although both are experienced divers they had difficulty with communications from the divemaster and found that some of the diving equipment was faulty. As a result, they both only (partly) completed one dive. In recognition of these problems, Butiama didn't charge us for the dives. This was a disappointment because a reason for choosing this hotel was the availability of diving in the Marine Park.

We took two snorkelling trips from the hotel, both of which were excellent - particularly the second one inside the Marine Park. The snorkelling guide from the hotel was proficient and very helpful. We also took an enjoyable excursion to Chole Island, which was combined with a snorkelling trip." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"We stayed at Butiama for 4 nights after a safari. It is lovely place to relax and Maura and the staff were welcoming and helpful. The room was spacious and well appointed with a lovely veranda with sofa and hammock. A few strides took us to the glorious beach where we could take a stroll or just relax. A light lunch is offered and can be taken by the pool, on the beach or in your room.

Information was given to us on the activities verbally on the first evening.. We assumed all activities were available every day but this was not the case. However when we did ask for a different activity to those on offer they did accommodate us.

A folder in the room with all information would have been helpful and easier than having to ask for prices etc. at the bar.

All in all an excellent end to out Tanzanian holiday." See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania

"A great place to chill out!

Just what we needed, would have loved to stay another week!" See all these reviews: 11n in Rwanda; 9n in Tanzania

"Butiama Beach was a delight and our thanks to you for recommending it to us. It really is a wonderfully relaxing lodge, the perfect place to chill out before returning to real life back in the UK. The whole place is delightful. Very laid back but all kept in good order and runs like clockwork. Maura and Moez were so welcoming and did everything possible to make sure that our stay with them was just perfect. The range of things to do always meant that we had something planned for the days when we didn’t just wanted to be lazy and take things easy, all arranged by Moez who discussed things every evening then made sure whatever you wanted to do happened. The food was great ( as long as you like fish and seafood ), I had read reports of the portions not being large enough but there was certainly plenty as far as we were concerned, all beautifully cooked and presented. We all hope to return in the not too distant future." See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania

"A lovely lovely place to spend a week. Maura and Moys were great company and very obliging. The staff were fantastic and Ali's cocktails were brilliant.

We loved it here and were glad not to be staying on Chole Bay, the beach was stunning and stretched for miles. Although the main town was nearby it was not intrusive.

The snorkelling nearby and at Chole Bay were the highlights of the week. Didn't want to leave!" See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"We can't fault our stay. We enjoyed every moment of our 5 nights at Butiama Beach and were extremely sad to leave to go home. We stayed in a beach front bungalow which was extremely comfortable and had breathtaking views of the beach and ocean. The staff were helpful throughout and the setting wonderful.

The food was excellent - the best we have had for a long while - as were the cocktails.

We did different activities on each day. Setting off directly from Butiama Beach: snorkelling on a nearby reef combined with whale watching and a blissful picnic on a deserted beach with fire-cooked fresh fish, salads, fruit and wine; a very interesting and humbling visit to Chole Island; dive tuition and additional dives and snorkelling based out of Big Blu dive Centre at Utende; snorkelling with whalesharks; a sunset cruise; using the sea kayaks based at the Lodge; walks along the beach; plenty of swimming in the sea; massages. The sunset cruise, massages and a private dinner on the beach-front were honeymoon perks which we really appreciated.

Activities were arranged each evening, exactly according to our wishes, and remained flexible if necessary, for example snorkelling at Utende on the last day was abandoned when whale sharks were spotted out of season. Activities based out of Utende were a short (about 30 minute) transfer away, along a bumpy road which is currently being upgraded. The lodge is associated with the Big Blu dive centre with which we were extremely impressed. One introductory dive gave way to two more and we will certainly look to dive again in the future.

Some reviews we had seen on trip advisor mentioned the proximity of Butiama Beach to Kilidoni, but once we had driven into the lodge from the airport this really wasn't an issue. In fact, visiting the other side of the island and Utende to dive, we felt that the beach near the dive school and waters around were actually far busier than by Butiama Beach.

Overall, a perfect end to our holiday after 7 nights on Safari in Tanzania. Our only hesitation in recommending Butiama Beach is that there may not be space for us to return!" See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania