Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs H from Bedford

"Having spent many hours discussing where to spend our honeymoon we finally decided on Impala camp. The moment we met our guide Hussein and driver Omari, we knew we had made the right decision.

Accomodation
Our tent was perfect. We had all the luxuries we could want but also felt part of the bush. Big comfy bed, 24hour electricity, hot water, 2 sinks, flush toilet and plenty of wardrobe space.
Our veranda was a great place to sit and watch the world go by. A particular highlight was watching a small herd of elephants cross the river, all from the comfort of our bed!
Andrea the Hippo was a regular visitor along with the local vervet monkeys who provided a free wake up service.

The Camp
Impala camp has a great layout. The communal areas are big and spacious yet manage to have a cosy feel. The dining area is a great place to eat, with views over the river below. The bar is mainly used before dinner in the evening and is a great place to relax and swap stories with other guests. The pool is a good chillout spot and we mostly had it to ourselves, bar the odd elephant or hippo!.

Staff
The Impala camp staff really made our stay. From the managers to the tent boy, everyone made us feel really welcome.
Our waiter Aban was a joy to speak to and we really enjoyed hearing about his family and trying to learn a few words of swahili.
The two people we spent most of our time with were Hussein and Omari. Getting to know them was possibly the highlight of our trip. We loved hearing their safari stories and found it hard to say goodbye.

Food
We both love our food and neither of us could believe just how good the food at Impala is. From the little biscuits served before breakfast throughto dinner we enjoyed every last mouthful! A particular favourite was the spiced fish pie and possibly the best creme caramel I have ever tasted!

Activities
With this being our first safari we could not compare the density of game to any other reserves or parks.
We managed to see everything we hoped we would, if not one a game drive then roaming through the camp!
The only animal on my list I couldn't tick off was the elusive leopard.
Early morning game drives were a particular highlight, breakfast in the bush is just amazing.

Overall Impala camp is definately the best place we have ever stayed and we really hope to return one day!"

"We spent one night at the Impala fly-camp which was probably the most memorable night of our entire stay.
We arrive at the camp after dark as our truck managed to brake down just as the sun was setting.
On our arrival we were met with a cool drink and introduced to the fly-camp staff. We had a small team of people looking after us, including an armed guard an chef.
The camp was marked out with lanterns and we had a quick look around before dinner. Set close to a lake, the camp included a shower, bucket toilet and wash basin. Our tent was filled with a large foam matress and we could see the camp fire from our bed.
Dinner was again superb and a we enjoyed a few beers around the camp fire before bed. Laying in bed listening out for hyena calls and sometimes wondering just how close they were was a night I will never forget.
A definate must do if you are stayin 4 nights or longer."

"Pongwe beach Hotel is set on one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. The hotel was a perfect retreat after 5 nights on safari.

Location
Pongwe is around an hours drive from stone town. Set in a secluded bay the hotel offers the perfect place to relax. Pongwe is not the place to go if you are looking for activities to do outside of the hotel.

Rooms
We were given Val's room which is the honeymoon suite. The rooms are fairly basic at Pongwe. They are clean and functional but offer fantastic views of the white sands and dream like blue shades of the Indian Ocean.

Staff
The staff at pongwe were extremely friendly and couldn't be more helpful.

Food
Perfect! We both really enjoyed every meal at Pongwe. We stayed on a half board basis with breakfast and dinner included.
Breakfast was a perfect way to start the day. We had lunch every day we roughly cost around 10-15 dollars each. We had a choice from around 5 different meals and always found something we loved.
Dinner was a set menu, consisting of 3 courses. Again we enjoyed every meal.
A must do is the sea food platter on the beach, 40 dollars each for all the seafood you could ever eat! Lobster, crab, slipper lobster, prawns and squid.

Activities
Pongwe is not the place to come if you intend to get out and see zanzibar. Due to it's seclusion most activities are fairly expensive.

Overall
we had a great time. A perfect hotel to relax in, set on the most beautiful beach. We would return but maybe for 4 nights next time.
We feel Pongwe is perfect to combine with a Stone Town hotel stay."

"Set within the Menai Bay conservation area and within walking distance of Kizimkazi village, Unguja Lodge is in a great location. After spending 5 nights relaxing at Pongwe it was great to have various activities available to us.

The rooms at Unguja are just unbelievable! Huge open spaces with fantastic views of the indian ocean. The design is very unique. Large curved white wash walls seperate each room whilst still creating a very open feel to the whole place.
The shower room and toilet are both open air. I still miss being able to see the indian ocean whilst showering.
The bedroom is the only room that is completely 'inside'. This adds a great sense of comfort during the night.

The food at Unguja was similiar to most place we stayed in Tanzania. Great taste and good size portions.

There are a number of activities on offer at Unguja. We chose the guided village walk and the robinson crusoe day trip.
Our robinson crusoe trip started after breakfast. It took around an hour by boat to get to our snorkelling point. The menai bay has some beautiful coral and an abundance of diffrerent tropical fish.
After snorkelling we had lunch on a nearby sandbank. Then an hours trip back to the lodge.
We felt the trip was fairly expensive $110 each I think. Snorkelling was good but only lasted 20 minutes and thought we could of visited a few different places maybe. The lunch was fairly basic aswel and couldn't help but be envious of another couple that turnt up with a bbq lunch!

The guided village walk was a real highlight. The guide Rachid is a charming man and we loved learning about his village and their way of life.
Everyone we met within the village were very welcoming and they loved having their pictures taken. We could not recommend the village walk enough. Especially as your money goes straight to the village.

The staff at Unguja are very helpful and welcoming. The owners would always ask how your day had been and are often seen at the bar at night chatting to guests. This helps create a great atmosphere at Unguja.

Overall we would definately recommend Unguja. We would of loved to have stayed longer!"

"Before arriving at Serena we had heard what a great hotel it was. Luckily we were not disapointed.

The Serena is a beautifully restored hotel. From the lobby to the swimming pool, there is a real touch of class about the hotel.

We were upgraded for free to a prime room which had wonderful views over the pool to the Indian Ocean. The rooms are extremely comfortable and a great place to get some rest after a long day around Stone Town.

The staff all around the hotel are helpful and couldn't be more welcoming.

The food at the Serena is wonderful. The breakfasts had so much food on offer we didn't know where to start.
We also had lunch at the pool bar which was really tasty and not as expensive as we thought it would be. On our last night we booked a table at the terrance restuarant. Set overlooking the Indian Ocean, this is a beautiful place to have your last dinner on Zanzibar. The 4 course seafood dinner was cooked to perfection and I will never forget the dessert!

Overall I would definatley say the Serena is the place to saty in Stone Town and would definately return."