Reviews of Fumba Beach Lodge

"This was a much larger resort than any of the others I stayed at and was not as luxurious, but the food was delicious and the dive shop was brilliant. I am stubbornly independent when I snorkel and, as there were no other snorkellers on the boat, the guide just let me wander and followed to keep me safe during the length of the two tank dive undertaken by the other passenger with the dive master.

The only real frustration was the lack of a good reading light in the room." See all these reviews: 11n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania

"Whilst just a short journey from the airport/Stone Town, Fumba is a small somewhat isolated hotel which provides the perfect opportunity to relax, recharge batteries and enjoy the sun, beach and sea. Day trips can be aranged by the staff to the usual locations (Spice Tour, Forest trip to see the colobus monkeys, dolphin experiences, diving, snorkelling trips etc.).

We stayed in a deluxe suite which was excellent. Huge bedroom with massive bed completely surrounded with a mosquito net, chairs, table, desk, wardrobe, safe and bookcase with books left by previous guests. Enormous bathroom with huge bath tub and shower overhead, twin sinks, flushing toilet, plenty of hot water. Also outside private double shower which we used every night rather than the indoor one. On the roof a lovely terrace with views over the beach and sea. Huge wooden double doors open onto a large decking area with hammock, day bed and table overlooking the beach. It felt very private and the staff were really uninobtrusive. All set in lovely well tended gardens. The resident bush babies were a liitle noisy though especially when playing on our roof at night!

Beach towels provided. Private locally made sun beds available on the beach immediately infront of he room and also around the small pool. Tides and coral reef mean swimming in the sea is somewhat limited.

Meals served alfresco overlooking the beach. Good choice of fresh local produce. We stayed three nights, one evening there was an African themed night with swalhili food and music, another we were surprised to be lead to a small terrace for an intimiate dinner right on the water front. Extensive range of drinks available. Complemetary tea, coffee and cakes served every afternoon.

Whilst we were there in late August, the southern monsoon winds were pretty strong and hence the sea and palms were somewhat nosiy. I found it actually rather theraputic. We did experience an extremely heavy downpour but it didn't last long & cleared the air.

Highly recommended for a quiet relaxing break. Three nights was good although we would have been happy to stay longer especially if we had wanted to take a trip or too beyond the local area. There is a dive centre in the hotel grounds.

No local shops so be sure to have more than enough sun screen and insect repellant although few mossies around in August." See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar

"A good lodge, rooms with direct access to the beach, lovely infinity pool, terrific sunsets, outdoor bathroom and seating rotated at dinner to include tables nearer to the sea. The staff were very friendly.

The food was generally very good, however when seated on the beach service tended to be slower. One steak meal was disappointing, difficult to eat partly due to the steak but also the blunt knife, as we were seated on the beach the waiter had disappeared.

We enjoyed 3 days of superb diving, in the marine reserve, with our own personall guide, Lauren. The diving was very well organised and the boat crew extremely helpful, the equipment new and of good quality." See all these reviews: 11n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"Fumba Beach Lodge was a very good choice and we loved our time spent here. We were very fortunate in being upgraded to a luxury room - perfect view straight onto the beach and the most divine open showers!!

Fumba had a new chef during our stay and we found the food excellent. Each evening was a unique dining experience in a different location - on our last evening the Lodge provided us with a surprise private meal on our verandah - with our own chef - lobster, candlelight and the sound of the surf! It really was a great way to spend our last night.

Only point we would make is to recommend booking the luxury room as opposed to deluxe. I think we would have been unhappy with the deluxe room as it did not match our expectations. However, as we were given a free upgrade we really are not complaining and would recommend Fumba Beach Lodge." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"Efficiently transferred from the airport by Eco Tours. A friendly welcome and tour of the property from Jos then taken to our suite (no1). Very comfortable bed , excellent double shower and, joy of joys, a separate loo! Lovely fluffy towels; however despite there being a notice explaining that towels are only changed on request due to water shortages these were changed every day which we thought unnecessary.

We were unable to make use of the upstairs terrace due to heavy rain each morning which meant the beds got wet. The rain in the mornings was disappointing but it cleared by lunchtime both days and we enjoyed the lovely pool.

Spa facilities were expensive (3 times the price of my massage at Pole Pole) as were the trips on offer. However we should perhaps have been more proactive in discussing possibilities as we realised on the last day that the diving centre in particular were willing to tailor trips to requirements. They are also happy to hire snorkelling gear for a quiet pootle off the beach.

Our first night was the weekly Swahili evening which we thought was excellent – very good food and service and good entertainment. One of the chefs was delighted when we said how much we enjoyed his banana soup and I even have the recipe to try at home. It would be shame to miss this evening so perhaps, as most people only stay 3 or 4 nights it could be done twice a week?

Food was generally very good though choice was lacking a bit if you were late-ish to breakfast. We had lunch one day which was delicious. Service was always efficient and friendly though a little formal – with so many people going through the staff have little opportunity to get to know individuals. We had to leave very early on our last morning and arrived at reception to find not just the promised flask of coffee but plates of breads and pastries too – thank you!" See all these reviews: 18n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar

"A good place to relax. The kids enjoyed the "resort" feel. To me Fumba felt more commercially oriented than other places we stayed at in Tanzania. Sometimes unsure whether I was in Spain or not.

I regretted not taking the Safari Blue trip in full day we had here." See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar

"Fumba is very well organised, the staff make sure you know where you are, what you can do,
We were given the twin room we asked for, we had the electricity problem explained to us on arrival. We did not know Zanzibr had no electricity until this moment. They explained when the generators would be on and when not.
The staff circulated unobtrusively during dinner and were friendly and open to any questions you had
the spa was fabulous, i had a pedicure and it was brilliajt
we also wanted to go snorkelling, but cecilia had not done this before, she is asthmatic and afraid of deep water.
the couple at fumba who organsed the diving, snorkelling etc had only arrived themsleves that week but they got together 3 other OAPS and gave us a special trip for only one hour to snorkel which was exactly what we and the elderly lot wanted. the trips werotherwise half or full day

there was no shop on site, so if you hadno sun cream or mozzie repellent you would have been stuck. there were some postcards behind the reception desk if you asked for them and stamps as well.

the food was very good breakfast and lunch. dinner was a curious menu with long fangled titles from the 1980s and spoilt with lack of local fresh ingredients. they had tried to make a sophisticated 3 course menu in european style but a lot of it was tinned corn etc and not good. however i asked for a salad instead one night adn the chef make me one,
the fish, tuna, kingfish prawns was consistentl excellent as was the fruit platters
just the non local food, that was pretty mediocre.

the african staff were also very good here, well trained, discreet, went out of their way to make your trip perfect

fabulous start to a holiday.
will recommend fumba to as many people as i can think of who will be going to zanzibar" See all these reviews: 6n in Zanzibar

"We very much enjoyed our stay at Fumba. An all-round good lodge is blessed with having a wonderful setting along the beach front with very well tended grounds. We were greeted with a very warm welcome that continued throughout: highlights were the very pleasant musical entertainment at Thursday evening's dinner and a superb snorkelling trip conducted by the attached Dive Centre, whose staff were very friendly, flexible and knowledgeable. Food was always good and occasionally even better, and we enjoyed eating our dinner in different areas, bringing variety to the views and setting. At around US$ 40 the wine was a tad pricey.

Our 'room' was very good - furnished with taste, comfort and style rather than out and out luxury - with the secluded beach-view hammock, private terrace and spacious inside and outside bathroom facilities being much appreciated. Our only minor criticism is that some additional maintenance would be welcome in some areas - such as the outside shower plumbing - and a water bucket would be useful outside to wash sand off feet before entering: we pointed this out around the middle of our stay but sadly one didn't turn up, despite one of the senior staff making some arrangements. Oh and the crashing of the sea close by had a tendency to disrupt our sleep, but such things are forgiven in near paradise!" See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"The start was poor, left hanging around for half an hour while we waited for our reservation to be found and rooms made ready. The first night was grim - a buffet with 20 people queing for below average food. We were told to wear swimming shoes in the sea to avoid stepping on rocks and urchins, not something that had been packed. We were ready to write it off and get through as best we could.

However it did get better as it really is a wonderful location and beautifully presented, very spacious and private. Somewhat indifferent service on occasions, low profile manager (vs 3 previous places) - the only time she showed her face was prior to the grim buffet and she deadened rather than enlivened the atmosphere. I think a great manager here will make all the difference.The presence of the Dive centre as part of the resort (not Safari Blue) was a bonus and the children had a great time with Lauren teaching them to dive in the swimming pool.

Eleanor [Ed: of Expert Africa] was right..it is very adult - but we survived!" See all these reviews: 3n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar

"Our only reservation relates to the arrangements for our departure. Knowing that we had to catch the 6.45 flight, we asked the receptionist to check what time our taxi would arrive. We also asked to be woken at 4.30 in the morning and were assured on two occasions that this would be done. We were also promised a flask of coffee in lieu of breakfast.

Luckily we also set our own alarm, as the wake-up call never materialised, and when we arrived at Reception, we found all doors locked and no one around. We did, however, find our transport, and everything went smoothly from there.

Billing (adding up all signed invoices) a little chaotic, but otherwise a delightful resort with friendly staff, good food, and a lovely beach." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar