Travel reviews by The Kites from Palo Alto

"Kikadini Villas is beautiful and well appointed, and appears the most luxurious resort in Jambiani. The villas are constructed beautifully. The staff is attentive and accessible, but at the same time try to offer their services "at a distance" for privacy. The staff consists of a housekeeper, John the affable host, a waiter and the chef. The personal chef provides excellent food, cooking in your villas' kitchen at any time you specify. Half-board is standard, but you can request lunch, which is $13USD per person. After sampling several local hotel restaurants, we came to believe that the food at Kikadini was far and away the best, and by the end of our stay we were taking all our meals there.

We stayed in Villa Maroc, which we enjoyed immensely. We had the entire villa to ourselves. There is a fantastic second-story patio, with beach chairs where we had complete privacy.

The bedrooms all have a small refrigerator, and have beautiful beds romantically decorated. As nice as the beds look, they are not as comfortable some of the extravagant bedroom sets we've seen at high end bed and breakfasts. There is great furniture as well, but one important omission is a room safe. Each villa does have a stereo that plays CDs, but there is no radio, television, or even telephones.

The stretch of Jambiani beach by Kikadini villas is not private, and can be populated by fisherman, seaweed farmers, and freelance tourguides ("beachboys") of Jambiani village. It is a beautiful stretch of beach, with a great deal of tidal variation, so swimming needs some degree of timing.

The resort itself does not organize activities, but at your request can provide a reputable local guide for snorkeling, village tours, dolphin tours on the south of Zanzibar, and tours of Jozani forest. Solicitations for such services by "beach boys" are common, and you are free to make arrangements on your own, but the the staff prefer to steer you to guides that they trust. They also discourage bringing outsiders into the compound, such as the numerous beach women who offer henna painting and massage.

The villas are generally very quiet, and when not busy, the resort seems desolate. There is a primary school nearby, and though the owners erected a large wall as a sound-barrier, the sound of children permeates the air at times during the day. Though this did not bother us at all, in fact is was quite pleasant, this may potentially turn off some guests who want absolute quiet. Besides this though, the villas are very quiet, and there is no road or traffic noise whatsoever.

The resort lacks a restaurant and a pool, which would be very nice. These amenities are in the process of being built. Each of the villas has a wireless internet connection, which is generally slow by western standards and during peak hours may not be functional. The village features an internet-connected computer which amounts to a single laptop in a small one room building. The cost is 3000Tsh for 30 minutes. Besides a few corner-shops, there is little that the village offers in terms of commerce.

The resort and Jambiani is also very isolated, about 70-90 minutes from Stone Town. This is a consideration when planning excursions.

Overall we had a fantastic time, the staff was wonderful, the food great, and the beach gorgeous."

"We stayed at 236 Hurumzi for one night at the conclusion of our trip to Zanzibar. It is known for its array of striking rooms, and we enjoyed the peculiar architecture of the building.

We stayed in the room called the Keep, which had an interesting open floor plan, a private bedroom with a large harem-style bed and air conditioning, and a private rooftop terrace with excellent views of the city. From their literature it is clear that the hotel, formerly known as Emerson and Green, underwent an impressive restoration in the late 90's making the hotel that it is today. Although it is still clear that a great deal of creative design energy went into the beautiful renovation, it is now beginning showing its age, and it seems that the hotel's upkeep is not quite equal to its original vision.

Service was adequate, but not as attentive as the high-end resorts or hotels.

We heard great things about the dinner at the rooftop restaurant, but we were unable to get a reservation. The included breakfast was served at the rooftop, and we had fantastic views of Stone Town and the sea. These appear to be the best views available from a hotel. The breakfast itself was unimpressive, however.

We did not utilize the hotel's expertise for local tours or excursions. It has a good location in Stone Town, as it is near most attractions.

All in all, my wife and I had a decent, but not unforgettable stay."