Reviews of Pole Pole

"A lovely relaxing way to end a holiday.

I was surprised snorkling was only available by going on a boat trip rather than straight off the lodge beach." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"Brilliant.
We went for relaxation and diving. Both parts were superb, but the highlight was whale watching up close in a Dow and then having a private lunch on a sand bank!
Can't imagine a better time for any of us.
Can't wait for the time for all of us to return!" See all these reviews: 5n in Tanzania

"Again great management from Robyn.

The best food of our trip & also the accommodation.

Great beach & pool." See all these reviews: 17n in Tanzania

"We were greeted by Robyn on arrival at Pole Pole and shown to our bungalow which was very comfortable with a lovely sea view.

This once again was a very relaxing resort with excellent facilities, attentive staff and a lovely quiet location. We spent some time chilling by the pool which was very quiet and welcomed at times when the tide was out. A very good addition to this resort.

It was nice to have fresh fish at meal times and once again all the meals here were fantastic although we struggled a little with the portion sizes.

Nothing was too much trouble to organise and we thoroughly enjoyed the sunset cruise and snorkelling trips that were included in the room rates. The local diving centre was very well organised with good equipment and experienced staff and the reefs within the bay area were lovely with a huge variety of fish. Nice to see hardly any dive boats in the bay.

The highlight for us (and reason for choosing Mafia over Zanzibar) was having the chance to swim up close with 5 whale sharks. Absolutely wonderful!

The restaurant area was very pretty and relaxing for a drink before dinner and the romantic dinner for two was very much appreciated!

The only small improvements to be made would be to the service, as there were a couple of times that morning wake up and tea didn't arrive and an evening where balcony drinks orders weren't taken.

Overall a first class resort with friendly staff." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"We really enjoyed our stay at Pole Pole after staying in safari camps. It was very relaxed and designed to allow visitors to chill out. Excellent room with a terrace and day bed. With the package comes a free activity each day - we chose a snorkeling trip in a dhow followed by lunch on a deserted island and a trip to Chole island where we saw the remains of the old slave market, a modern dhow building and hundreds of fruit bats.

A trip to swim with the whale sharks (not free) was a wonderful experience.

The down side of Pole Pole as mentioned elswhere is the tidal nature of the site. Activity timings depend on the tide and swimming from the beach is not easy. We were disappointed that the new swimming pool was not available - we understood it was to be finished in January." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar

"Pole Pole was an amazing place, and just the thing for our last week on holiday. After a busy week on safari it was the perfect antidote and helped to send us back home fully relaxed.

We particularly liked:
- The massage (Robyn the manager gave us both free massages as it was our honeymoon)
- The staff were really friendly and approachable
- Our room was of a really high standard
- The food was really well prepared, fresh, and had lots of really nice fish!
- The diving (and dive guide Tiego) were excellent.

Although it was brilliant, on the whole, there are a couple of things that could be improved. The room service was slightly random: sometimes it came late, sometimes it didn't arrive (morning coffee, for example). We weren't too fussed by this, and just took it as part of the 'relaxed' approach.

Most of the diving was done within the Mafia bay. We were lucky to get a couple of dives outside the bay which were absolutely stunning. It would be nice if guests going there specifically to dive could get a little bit more information here - will it be possible to go out of the bay, are the tides OK, etc." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"Lovely location on a good beach.However a pool would have made a difference especially as the high tides meant the beach was inaccessible on most days.

Very spacious rooms and wonderful terrace with day bed.

Lots of activities on offer including a range included in the price" See all these reviews: 5n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"We thought PolePole was excellant starting from the warm welcome from Robyn and Zenny. The room was fantastic,the food excellant and plentiful. All the staff were very friendly. The location made it very special.

We are not peole who are happy to spend the day sitting on the beach so we appreciated the trips to the sanbank, the excellant snorkelling and trips to villages. All were great fun The weather was not perfect and we had a low tide at lunch time.This meant that sea swimming was not really on and highlighted the need for a pool which is being built.

The only confusing issue was to do with the availability and pricing of excursions. The clarification on what was included, which I had asked for from Expert Africa, differed from what was detailed in the room brochure and this differed from the information given by the person from the Diving Center Tiago, who took the bookings. his rules were not consistent either." See all these reviews: 10n in Rwanda; 5n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar; 1n in Kenya

"Pole Pole was everything that we wanted, it was relaxing, quiet and interesting. The accommodation was extreemly comfortable and the location of the bungalows was exceptional with views of the bay from the varanda.

The staff were all very attentive without being intrusive and the food exceptional although we found the portions a bit too much at times." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"Mafia Island is probably the way that Zanzibar was years ago. The airport is tiny with a bougainvillea draped “waving bay” and the 20 minute drive to Pole Pole on a rutted unmettalled road was hair-raising (well, it was my first rural African driving experience) but Pole Pole was an oasis of pleasure when I reached it.

The food was (IMHO) terrific and the manager, Robyn, couldn't have been more charming and helpful.

The individual houses are arranged do that the back porch faces a fantastic view of the sea. On the porch there is a day bed as well as a couple of tables and chairs. At 6 pm, the barman comes around taking orders for cocktails, which are then delivered to allow an uninterrupted enjoyment of the sunset.

As well as three wonderful meals each day, a daily excursion is included. This included a morning snorkelling followed by a picnic on a sandbar (including a fresh caught fish roasted over an open fire), a visit to Chole Island, a whale watching trip and more great things to do than I had days for. I would return in a heartbeat." See all these reviews: 11n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania