This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more

Skip to main content

Talk to an expert 1-800-242-2434 Lines now closed

User menu
Pole Pole
Pole Pole
Pole Pole
Pole Pole

Reviews of Pole Pole

Wildlife sightings and reviews

103 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Pole Pole and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Showing 91-100 of 103
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs R
Wimbledon

"Good snorkling but Pole Pole needs a revamp"

5 nights Arrived 30 Sep 2008
"Expected a four star experience but would rate it as three stars. The whole resort feels a little shabby and it requires investment to bring it back to the standard it clearly was when first developed. Specifically:

- there was no electricity from 12 noon to 5:30pm and then again no electricity from midnight to between 6.00 am. This meant the fans could not be used at night with the consequent heat and mosquito problems.
- food was very variable in quality. Meat was scarce.
- the furnishings and decor was slightly shabby eg mosquito netting over windows left large gaps for mosquitoes to come in and most chairs were very uncomfortable.

Staff were exceedingly kind, curteous and attentive and tried their best to please. Programmes were always adjusted to suit every individual. Nothing was too much trouble. The resort is well managed.

We were there for five nights which was too long. Three nights would have been adequate." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Average
Four
Wokingham

"Pole Pole review"

5 nights Arrived 23 Sep 2008
"Great position and location but have some reservations about the assitant manager." See all these reviews: 5n in Zambia; 5n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Mr & Mrs McC
UK

"Great place to chill or enjoy activities"

5 nights Arrived 14 Sep 2008
"Excellent place to chill - very quiet but with excellent facilities and excursion options.

Accommodation excellent and spotless. Food absolutely fabulous.

Excursions first class and wide ranging. Enjoyed a great days fishing.

Snorkelling is outstanding for variety and numbers of fish and coral." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Ms L & Mr A
London

"Pole Pole review"

6 nights Arrived 12 Sep 2008
"very relaxed chilled place perfect end to a holiday, for some it may be too remote and chilled but PERFECT for me!" See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Meerkat Family
Hove

"Pole Pole review"

4 nights Arrived 21 Jul 2008
"After eight days of Safari we were looking for a change of pace - Pole Pole was the perfect place to be. Mafia Isalnd only 35 minutes from Dar and the Lodge was in the Marine Park. Six cabins with a full occupancy of only 12 meant that it was peaceful, a beautiful small private beach and outstanding snorkelling on the reef in Chole Bay. The children loved playing in the soft sand, the crabs and starfish when the tide went out and the trips in the dhows out to the reef.

The rooms were outstanding - drinking a cold beer on the verandah, watching the sun go down on the sea with the flying fox's setting off in the sky for the night after a day on the beach is simply marvellous.

However the outstanding feature of Pole Pole was the food - mainly fantastically fresh fish and seafood with an obvious italian bent thanks to Maura, the manageress, fresh pasta and focaccio to rival that in city restaraunts in Europe - each mealtime was looked forward to. The kitchen quickly adapting to any foibles so you never went without an excellent eating experience.

The trip over to the community on Chole was eye opening, the boat building , the fruit (sweetest orange ever tasted straight off the tree), the friendliness of the people - especially good for our children to see the way other people live.

A perfect place to wind down, even with two children - nothing forced on you, flexible meal times and extremly accomodating staff - even facility to check into flights on internet. Will return should opportunity arise !" See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
The Digsters
UK

"Heaven on Earth at Pole Pole"

6 nights Arrived 15 Jul 2008
"It's a pity that your classification - and the English language - only goes as far as 'excellent', as Pole Pole ticked the top boxes for everything and made Steve's 50th a truly memorable experience. Pole Pole is exemplary - for us, just the right combination of small resort, beautifully designed & furnished 'barefoot luxury'. The diving activity / snorkelling is of a professional standard and other activities are conducted effortlessly and by friendly staff.

Of particular mention is the food, which excels at every meal in quantity and diversity and is THE best we've eaten anywhere on our travels. The team, under the managership of Maura, are at the top of their game and a real asset to the resort.

The team's efforts on the night of Steve's 50th - the wine, service and the birthday cake - showed a true attention to detail and a natural friendliness, which made the day so special. We're so pleased we stayed for 6 nights - it gave us the chance to totally relax after such an exciting travel experience in perfect surroundings.

A 5-star resort worthy of the highest praise." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania; 4n in Rwanda; 1n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs Serval
UK

"Pole Pole review"

5 nights Arrived 26 Feb 2008
"Pole Pole is lovely. The rooms are lovely, as is the food and service (although don't go there if you don't like sea-food - we had sea-food for starter and main courses every day but one). The drinks delivered to your verandah in the evening is a lovely idea. Maure and her staff are very good. My husband was ill whislt we were there and they were very concerned about him and bent over backwards to do all they could to help, including providing special meals, like boiled rice, for him, and delivering it to the room.

I had a massage whilst we were there and it was very good and excellent value for money. The snorkelling trips were good, although i only managed two of them and my husband didn't manage any. One thing we regretted was that he was not well enough for us to go on a trip to see and swim with whale sharks. We talked to fellow guests who had and who said it was a super experience.

The only negative point is that there are a lot of sand flies (No-see-ums) there. My husband did not get bitten once, but I got over 100 bites, despite using 100% DEET. I guess they either like you or they don't. If anyone knows of anything that deters them I'd be gald to hear of it." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Mr D
Bournemouth

"Pole Pole review"

4 nights Arrived 11 Feb 2008
"The staff are very nice but not around much during the day. Nice surroundings a little disappointed having seen the website and viewed the stunning photos of the beach. A lot of the beach shots are of the marine park located a good 1-2 hours away by boat. The local beaches are nice but nowhere near as nice as the photos.

I stayed for 4 days and apart from the last day the weather did not permit travelling to the other islands. For light sleepers take ear plugs this area is full of birdlife, fruit bats and Bush Babies all very lovely until you are still awake at 3am listening to the chorus. ;-)

The snorkelling was fantastic I swam around Coral Garden the most beautiful coral I have ever seen. Other guys that were diving equally had great things to say. A little disappointed that the bar and all the staff went to bed around 10:30 leaving us with empty glasses, especially as I knew I would still be awake from the bird song until the early hours. Difficult to find a place with earlier closing times than the UK.

A few strange rules, only emergency internet access allowed (strictly no browsing) a guy got told off for playing a ringtone twice, felt like school a little, waiting to be scolded. An ideal place for any clean living Benedictine Monks that love to dive." See all these reviews: 5n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Average
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Average
Mr & Mrs LC
SW London

"Pole Pole review"

7 nights Arrived 27 Dec 2007
"Top for food - liked that the staff told us the menu and we sat back relaxing. Loved the Zwahili night.
Resort an excellent design with shade and breeze.
Very relaxing including massages which were exellent.
Very romantic and private.
New Year on the beach was magical.
All staff so friendly and helpful.
Excusions easily organised.
Suggest they get themselves Pole Pole postcards - had to go to the another resort.
Thought the menus, welcome notes etc, lovely. The little things are so important to make it special.
Scuba diving available, good sites." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr P
Bucks.

"Lovely relaxed place - excellent"

6 nights Arrived 15 Oct 2007
"Lovely location with easy access to great snorkelling / diving. Excellent service & general relaxed atmosphere. Good range of trips / activities - lack of a pool wasn't an issue.

Got a good feel of local life from visit to nearby Chole island etc" See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Showing 91-100 of 103
94%
103 reviews of Pole Pole by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
75
26
2
0
0
Filter by month

Holiday styles & special interests in Tanzania

From birdwatching breaks to walking holidays, find great ideas for your trip in Tanzania.


Beach holidays

Beach holidays

Discover Africa's coast and tropical islands.

Birdwatching

Birdwatching

Diverse habitats, discreet hides and superb guiding.

Cultural experiences

Cultural experiences

Get an insight into Africa's cultures and history.

Diving & snorkelling

Diving & snorkelling

Find captivating marine life beneath the waves

Family holidays

Family holidays

Hand-picked camps for an incredible family safari.

Honeymoons

Honeymoons

Romantic safaris and castaway island retreats.

Luxury

Luxury

First-class service, scenic vistas and unparalleled comfort await you during these carefully selected luxury holidays. 

Photography holidays

Photography holidays

Great holidays to suit the keen photographer.

Private villas & houses

Private villas & houses

Enjoy Africa with just your friends & family

Riding holidays

Riding holidays

Explore Africa's wilderness on horseback.

Solo Travel

Solo Travel

Trip ideas ideally suited for a solo traveller.

Walking

Walking

Explore Africa's most scenic trails on foot.

Walking safaris

Walking safaris

Explore Africa's untouched wildernesses on foot.

Wellbeing

Wellbeing

Wellness escapes in stunning locations

Wildlife safaris

Wildlife safaris

These trips include hard-hitting game and fascinatingly elusive species alike, as well as superb guiding and a variety of diverse ecosystems.

Other lodges in Mafia Island

Alternative places to stay in this same area.


Chole Mjini Lodge

Chole Mjini

Chole Mjini is one of Tanzania's most environmentally aware lodges. With tree-houses, superb diving and a fantastic location on the rural island of Chole, this is ideal if you want to get back to nature.


95% (30 reviews)
Butiama Beach

Butiama Beach

Situated just west of Kilondoni, the main town on Mafia, Butiama Beach is a simple beach lodge with friendly managers and a laid back vibe.


95% (11 reviews)
Kinasi Lodge

Kinasi Lodge

Kinasi is a small, personal beach lodge on Mafia Island that has the features of a larger hotel, including a large pool and spa.


82% (11 reviews)
Shamba Kilole

Shamba Kilole

Shamba Kilole is a charming Italian-owned eco-lodge on the coast of Mafia Island, with simple rooms and friendly owner-managers.


No reviews yet
Thanda Island

Thanda Island

Thanda Island is a high-end private island destination that caters to just one group of travellers at a time.


No reviews yet

Login to Expert Africa

Sign in with password

Sign in with email link


New to Expert Africa? Create an account

Forgotten your details?

It's free & quick to set up

  • Save your wish-list
  • Send us an enquiry
  • Pay online for your trip
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Give us feedback on your trip
  • Full site benefits of the site

Need some help? Talk to our team

Newsletter background

Stay in the know with Expert Africa

Join our newsletter. Get the latest on new camps and lodges, insights from our team, uplifting conservation stories and more...

A few more details and you're subscribed

Thanks!

Almost there! We've sent you an email to confirm your subscription. Just click on the link and you'll soon be receiving our newsletter in your inbox.

In the meantime, take a look at our previous Bush Telegraph newsletters.
Africa