Reviews of Unguja Lodge

"Unjuga was sadly not what we expected. It had a run down tierd feeling.

Our villa was poor. My shower didn’t work, it had a very damp feeling, my daughters sheets had stains on, the key did not work, our supper took over an hour to come every night. The manager and his wife were unhelpful although their staff were good.

I would not recommend any of your guests to stay here." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 6n in Kenya

"The lodge is an a lovely bay, and the villas are huge.

Relative to other camps, though, it lacks a bit of character and atmosphere.

I like the fact that it is close to a village and the local community comes to the beach to fish and spend time." See all these reviews: 5n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar

"Spacious villas with private West facing cliff top seating area. Quiet. Not quite as characterful as Pongwe however Cracking sunsets, loved watching the local village dhows sail off for nightly fishing, kids loved boat trip to snorkel and see sand spit island.
2 nights here we felt was enough. Ideally would have spent time here first and finished holiday at Pongwe" See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya; 6n in Zanzibar

"We loved this lodge, and it was the perfect way to start our holiday - our house was HUGE - with all of us having a room to ourselves - which made our three children very happy - the fact that our villa was so private, with views directly out to sea, we had our own private little piece of garden and our own seat at the end of the path with views to watch the sunset and the dhows was just paradise ! The pool was beautiful as well. We really enjoyed the food - the chef Elizabeth has a real talent and her cooking is extraordinarily good - we loved our dinners - it was great to have half board option, and because the breakfasts and dinners were so good, it was excellent value for money. Amour and the rest of the staff were very helpful and exceptionally polite. Overall this was a fantastic recommendation by Lyndsey.

We were a little disappointed with the snorkling and diving facilities. We had hoped that the children would complete their PADI referral course here - but I was rather put off by the calibre of diving equipment and lost my confidence in it - in particular because we went on a snorkelling trip for which we used the lodges masks and snorkels, but my son's snorkel was faulty and they did not have a spare - which meant he had to do without ( the lodge did not refund his fee sadly which would have been a nice gesture) The dive instructor also did not show up as planned in the morning of the second day - and all in all, I lost all confidence in them, and decided to postpone our diving until we got to Mafia which was a little disappointing.

We did a fantastic village tour with Mr Rashid, which we enjoyed very much. Two of us did the dolphin trip, and felt that Martien was helpful and responsible about the ecotourism and welfare of the dolphins themselves - for this reason we did not mind not seeing the dolphins, although my daughter would have loved that . we did see a humpback whale in the distance." See all these reviews: 5n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"Great place. Friendly staff." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar

"We had a fantastic stay at Unguja Lodge.

It's a lovely location, perfect for families and all the staff were so friendly and welcoming. The accommodation is comfortable (though the girls were a little anxious about sleeping up in the rafters!).

The food was great – plenty of choice and really fresh and tasty.

We enjoyed the activities – a fascinating guided tour of the neighbouring village and a 'Robinson Crusoe' trip out to a sandbank with a snorkelling stop and an incredible seafood bbq in the middle of the Indian Ocean! We were entertained by the monkeys too.

All in all the perfect start to our holiday." See all these reviews: 12n in Zanzibar

"Unfortunately we had lots of wind and rough seas which prevented any diving throughout the trip. I’m not sure if this was a case of bad luck as we’ve checked the weather since we’ve been back and it looks to be similar over the last few weeks. As we went there for the diving this was a major disappointment.

The rooms are spectacular and lovely. We had booked two cottages, one for our children and had specified twin beds. Unfortunately they only had double beds. We managed but not ideal. There is a very rough and basic wooden framed “bedroom” which has been built on the roof of the main bedroom. This was not suitable for habitation.

Restaurant good, staff very nice" See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 6n in Tanzania

"Unlike most travellers who visit Zanzibar for a few days following a safari, I stayed at Unguja Lodge on my own for a couple of weeks of complete rest and relaxation - this was exactly what I found. The Roundhouses were private, quiet & spacious.

The local staff were (as most Africans) efficient, considerate & interesting. They could teach Europeans a lot about customer care !" See all these reviews: 12n in Zanzibar

"We first stayed here 2 years ago and returned because we thought it was like paradise! Sadly not so any longer. On a very positive note though the food has improved 100%.

We arrived by taxi and waited for somebody to meet us and escort us in. Sadly we were half way down to reception when this happened.

The lodge is looking very tired and in need of some money being spent on it. The pool which was once so inviting, looks dirty but it is actually the liner that needs a coat of paint to bring it back. Our room needed some walls refreshed as there was what we think bat excretement down the walls, also the covers of the directors chairs on the patio needed washing or even replacing. In the main lodge all the chair cushions and scatter cushions needed washing, along with the place mats on the dining tables. It would not take much to bring it back up to scratch in line with the top rates paid for this accommodation.

On a positive note though they have employed chef Elizabeth who is certainly a big asset to the lodge. The breakfasts were certainly more impressive and the main meals were flavoursome. Her peppered crab claws were delicious.

We understand from Martin, the Manager that the lodge is no longer in the sole ownership of the couple who built it, they now only have minimal shares in the property, maybe this reflects the slide downhill?

All the above said, we still enjoyed our stay, it is a beautifully situated lodge with a huge warm bath right on its doorstep just reached by a few steps. It is certainly a place to unwind. Would we return? Probably not!" See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 9n in Zanzibar

"Excellent with Marten being an excellent host and was very quick to assist with a minor difficulty.

The chalets were interesting with stunning views of the sea. The food was excellent.

The monkeys meant that you had to be a little more vigilant and this could be distracting for some guests perhaps.

The staff were very pleasant and helpful." See all these reviews: 13n in Zanzibar