Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs B from Wandsworth

"We had a wonderful stay at Ras Kutani right at the beginning of our honeymoon.

We stayed for two nights which was an ideal amount of time - the resort was clean, welcoming and had fantastic views of the ocean. We were welcomed with a fresh lime drink and showed to our lovely accommodation and spent our time, reading, sleeping and relaxing. The staff were welcoming, friendly and attentive without being intrusive. As we went at a quiet time, they worked hard to arrange a mix of social and private dining experiences including a candle-lit meal on the beach on our last evening there.

I would definitely recommend Ras Kutani as the ideal place to spend a couple of nights in order to get over the travelling and wind down into a holiday."

"We LOVED the Essque Zalu hotel and spa. It was luxurious, clean, spacious and just wonderful. Exactly the type of place you see in honeymoon brochures and it really didn't disappoint. Coming from a bush camp as well just made it seem more idyllic and the suite, pool and overall facilities were just fabulous. We were greeted on arrival by our Navigator who, after giving us a fresh berry smoothie showed us round the hotel and to our room. The grounds are spotless and everyone was so friendly and welcoming, you got the impression that they would be offended if you didn't just relax and enjoy your time there, so that is exactly what we did! Lunch on the jetty was lovely and the food there and in the Market Kitchen was tasty and reasonably priced.

After settling in, we went to the pool which is amazing. It's large, warm, spacious and has plenty of sun loungers, spaces and areas surrounding it. We went at a time when it wasn't busy so we didn't have any problems with getting space by the pool or tables in the restaurants etc there. It also meant that the service was very attentive (perhaps a little too attentive towards the end of our stay) but on the whole, very good.

We also used the excursion desk to plan a day trip to Stone Town and Prison Island and then a separate Spice Tour. These were reasonably priced for the two of us and organised according to our schedule. The tour guide provided was knowledgeable, friendly and it was nice to see the rest of the island. We stayed at the Essque Zalu for five nights and perhaps six would have been just perfect as the location of the hotel meant that Stone Town and the other attractions were at least an hour's drive away. Because of our schedule it meant that we had to do Stone Town, Spice Tour and then leave for the airport on three consecutive days - it would have been ideal to have a chill day in between the day trips and then checking out but that's probably because we were so relaxed after spending time at the hotel, we were verging on being very lazy!

As we were on our honeymoon, we had some lovely extras added to our stay. I had henna on my hands which is traditional for brides and newlyweds and we both had a complimentary treatment in the spa. Part of the honeymoon package was also a Swahili cooking lesson which was great and a candle-lit meal on the balcony terrace on our last evening. All these extra parts just added to an already idyllic stay. It was also my birthday while we were there and they surprised me with a cake and all sang Happy Birthday in Swahili which was lovely.

We very much enjoyed our stay at the Essque Zalu and were genuinely sad to leave any say good bye to everyone. It really did feel like they wanted to make our stay the best it could be and provide us with some wonderful honeymoon memories."