Reviews of Pongwe Beach Hotel

"I don't think either of us will forget the moment we arrived at pongwe. Simply stunning. We were already talking about a return visit after five minutes! The hotel is laid out as a series of thatched beachfront rooms/bungalows around a stunning white coral sand private beach with an open sided communal bar/dining area in the centre. At one end is a beautiful infinity pool overlooking the sea which comes in very useful as the tide only comes in twice a day. Although the emphasis here is not on five star resort luxury, this place provides exceptional quality, comfort, privacy and relaxation, all set against the luxurious backdrop of palm trees and the Indian Ocean. Owing to its popularity the hotel is usually running at full capacity but doesn't accommodate many people and so never feels crowded.

The food here is fantastic. There is a buffet of fresh tropical fruit and cereals with cooked breakfast available to order, whilst lunch and dinner are prepared from set menus with plenty of fresh fish, vegetables, salads, rice etc. all cooked using exotic combinations of local spices. They are more than happy to accommodate any dietary requirements that you might have, and the waiting staff are extremely friendly. (The cocktails are a must by the way- prepared with fresh local juices and delivered with a big smile! Perfect by the pool....)

They have generators running throughout the day here and power points in all the rooms so electricity is not an issue. (Plugs are the same as the UK) Water for the shower and the sink taps is basically naturally filtered sea water so not good for drinking (!) but there is plenty of bottled water available.

If you can tear yourself away from the idyllic surroundings then the hotel can organize a variety of excursions for you including diving, tours of a spice plantation, trips to nearby islands and so on, although the atmosphere is so calm and relaxing here that it is difficult to leave!

This is definitely not an option for those looking for wild nightlife but for anyone wishing to spend some or all of their stay on Zanzibar in a state of comfortably relaxed tropical bliss then we couldn't recommend pongwe beach hotel enough. (Recommended to book WELL in advance....)" See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania

"Pure paradise, best beach you could ever wish for with beautiful clear turqoise waters. We stayed there 11 nights and absolutely loved every minute. There isn't much to do other than enjoy the location, food and relax - which we certainly did.

The food was excellent and varied and the staff made us feel very welcome.

We would love to go back!" See all these reviews: 12n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"Really loved this place, the people running the hotel were amazing and made the stay really great (they even managed to find me a set of sunglasses after I managed to break mine).

On arriving we found a bottle of Carva on ice which was a really nice touch, the beach was cut off from the rest of the area when the tide came in so you wouldnt get pestered by people. The food was good and it was nice to beable to have evening dinner on the beach.

Overall really loved this place, nothing bad to say about it." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"Great little place in a stunning setting (even when the sea goes out). What better way to spend a few hours every day than lazing on a hammock under massive palm trees.

The staff were great and Heidi and Chrissy (I think) were very friendly and helpful offering good advice on what's good and not so good to do, especially in Stone Town.

Trips were a bit pricey so we didn't bother with any of those. There's plenty to do anyway to amble away the day with snorkelling, fishing, cycling chatting to the staff, playing games etc.

Food wasn't amazing but it was always fresh and you got loads, proper fat feeders at Pongwe.

The rooms were very nice and clean if not a little basic." See all these reviews: 9n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"Pongwe was everything we had been hoping and expecting from all the reviews we had seen - it was a little piece of paradise!

The private beach location, friendly staff, great food and general exclusive ambiance made the final week of our honeymoon one to remember." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar

"From the moment you arrive at Pongwe Beach Hotel you know that your time there will be special. The warm welcome by the managerial staff is reflected throughout all the staff giving a warm and happy atmosphere. Our accommodation was excellent.

Every care was taken by housekeeping including floral welcome messages and decorations on the beds. Local fabric bath robes were supplied along with a beach bag containing beach towels, and a green flag (unused!) to call for drinks while in your hammock or sunbed on the beach. In addition, each afternoon staff would come round the beach area offering fruit. We cannot praise the housekeeping staff enough. Our room was very well cared for, towels and bed linen changed regularly.

We arrived at Pongwe on Christmas Eve. The evening began with a champagne cocktail reception followed by entertainment by a local dance group who also performed after dinner and were joined by some of the staff - the rest enjoying themselves from the sidelines. A great evening was had by all. Returning to our rooms, we found floral Christmas messages on our beds. We awoke on Christmas morning to find gifts on the doorstep and an invitation to enjoy breakfast with Bucks Fizz - wonderful. Christmas dinner was excellent.

The beach area (only a few steps from your bungalow) is cleverly designed to give several small areas separated from each other by palm trees and various bushes. Hammocks are hung between palm trees. There are plenty of sunbeds and shelter from the sun if required. The whole giving a peaceful and intimate feeling. The infinity pool is at one end of the complex. This also is well equipped with sunbeds and parasols - a popular place to hang out. I cannot comment on the activities as we spent our time here relaxing, reading or walking. Pongwe has a very good library and there are several board games in the lounge which can be borrowed and were very popular.

The food was excellent. Perhaps our only criticism would be a lack of enough choice of main course for the evening meal. However, everything was extremely well cooked and presented. I particularly enjoyed the desserts. Breakfast was a feast with lots of variety. High praise to all the restaurant and lounge staff who were very attentive and friendly." See all these reviews: 10n in Zanzibar

"Staff without exception were helpful and friendly. We arrived to flowers on the bed and a bottle of chilled sparkling wine to celebrate retirement - much appreciated.

There were sufficient hammocks, sunbeds etc for everyone ( although I do feel guests should be firmly discouraged from leaving towels on poolside sunbeds early in the day and then disappearing for an hour or more!!)

The food was perfectly acceptable but not as good as we were expecting. However there was no difficulty in obtaing an alternative if the set meal was not particularly to one's taste. We also had an excellent seafood lunch on the beach which was an extra arrangement.

There was a good range of drinks on offer at a reasonable price. The beach was kept beautifully clean." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar

"This is an idyllic location to relax after an active two weeks safari holiday. A super place to totally chill out." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 7n in Zanzibar

"Beautiful location, excellent food and service and again, wonderful staff." See all these reviews: 9n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"Beautiful location. Marvellous welcome from Heidi and Sandy at reception, who gave full explanation of how things worked. This fulfilled ones expectation of what a `tropical beach` location would be -tall palms, white sand, clear sea, coral reef.....and more. Really friendly team, who thought of ones every need- from early morning tea delivered to every room to snacks on the beach.

The `family bungalow` given to us was particularly well located at one edge of the cove on the headland - with personal steps to the beach. We were in heaven. Brilliant holiday.

Would also like to commend Fishermans Tours who transferred us between airport and hotels. Always on time. We also booked a couple of excursions through them which both times exceeded expectations. Particular thanks to Ali Salim who came to call on us at Pongwe." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania