Overall Ratings & Reviews Reef & Beach Resort

Very serene and friendly staff

Very friendly staff. We had the room that had the patio next to the pool. Very convenient for morning and eveving swimming. We went only once to the larger pools on the property. The Jetty and Mango bars were fun and had very good drinks. Food at the Indian restaurant was fantastic and the best meal we had on the property. Sadly we did not get a chance to try the Italian restaurant. We did not know that it needed a reservation like the Indian restaurant. The snack bar by the Mango bar had good snacks, popcorn, peanuts, hotdogs, etc. We will be going back again next year.

I’ll recommend this place to anyone traveling to Zanzibar. Only suggestion is, the sea view suites look too old. They need to be renovated or upgraded.

Pros : location by the ocean is beautiful 2 pools, 3 restaurants Clean Cons : food quality is average Not much aroud very isolate (depends what you want to do and like)

This is a fun property with stunning views and a lot to do. I really enjoyed my time here and wished we had had more time. The buffet breakfast and dinners were great and had a lot of variety. The only downfall is that this resort caters to many nationalities that smoke so there are ash trays near almost every single chair. Being from North America, we are not used to being surrounded by cigarette smoke in public places. Other than that, it was great and were greeted at check in by the Red Columbus monkeys running around within inches of us.

The staff was outstanding very helpful and pleasant. Beautiful warm pool. Nice big rooms. Good food. Beach was disappointing because at low tide water was way way out. Also there was a calander of scheduled activities that was not accurate. Overall we snjoyed ourselves and wojld definitly recommend this hotel

The hotel service from staff was excellent. Great food choice for vegetarians, lot's of activities during the day and also night programmes arranged. Room's were great. Although hotel was busy there was ample space for all - the two swimming pools and the two bars allowed good space. Above all, the service from the staff was the best.

A great romantic getaway for couples Plenty of great couple activities each day on and off the resort All staff are very friendly yet one thing we found is they are slow to take action

Big resort with really friendly staff. But the place is too bag to cope as soon as more than a couple of people arrive. Check in was a nightmare, no sign of booking despite having received an email asking my time of arrival 3 hours earlier. Room not ready. A/C didn’t work and no Basic amenities in the bathroom. Lighting is also very dingy. The curtains don’t fit the windows. Imagine trying to cover a car windscreen with a hand towel. food options were limited and service was chaotic but got better through the week. Despite all inclusive, charged for safe, towels and late check out. Feels like it’s growing and it has potential to be very good. Not quite there yet though. Location is a bit isolated aswell

Lets start by saying we enjoyed our stay. The location is fantastic. We booked a Seafront Bungalow that we strongly recommend and not a lot extra. The room was lovely, the location great but it was destinctly rustic and the bathroom was well overdue for a refurb. We loved the Jetty Bar too BUT BUT BUT the hotel was not as described on Hotels.com. They have just opened two new blocks of rooms and are building two blocks more. They have also just finished a huge new swimming pool all done in sandstone (rather odd) and a huge two storey restuarant. It is now firmly a package tour hotel with large numbers of Polish, South African and Dutch customers. Individual bookings are overwhelmed. There is also an entertainment programme which is great if that is what you want but the deafening music on a few evenings and for the pool exercise was very trying. There is an all inclusive offer for US$30 per person per day. Not expensive but not great either. The buffet meals became tedious and rather bland and annoyingly the deserts kept running out. The drinks were all the very cheapest brands - a single cheap beer, cheap Vodka/Rum and an Indian Brandy that you could dissolve bodies in. The Cocktails were clearly made with watered down Vodka/Rum (officially or unofficially??) and tasted of well.... not a lot. The staff are lovely as in so many places in East Africa. We spent most of our time outside our room and enjoyed our stay but we wouldn't go back!!

The beach was beautiful. And the resort was great. The food was good but not incredible.

I loved my stay here. We were booked bed and breakfast but upgraded to all inclusive for $30 a day each. The hotel was spotlessly clean. The staff were excellent in every way. The jetty bar was stunning and you could get down to the sea for a swim. Is two lots of steps from the bar. Meals are buffet style with live cooking available every meal and the well stocked bars do a range of cocktails in addition to other drinks. The swimming pool was very clean and in the afternoon the kirks red colobus monkeys came down to play. The beach is right next to the pool although the waves can be strong and I would recommend wearing coral shoes. The room was spacious with a/c and a lovely balcony to enjoy a drink in the evening. If you are there on a Monday or Friday the hotel run a complimentary village trip where you are taken by Abdul one of the animation team to a nearby village where you can visit a school, a local house and have the opportunity to buy exercise books and sweets for the local children. Abdul is an excellent guide and this trip was one of the highlights of our holiday. The manager Silvana was also great and very helpful in returning paintings t us that we left in the hotel. I would highly recommend this hotel.

everything was good, except there was no fresh brewed coffee anywhere

Best value for money

We were really happy at this hotel. Everything was just perfect. Food, location, staff. We stayed in a sea view bungalow and the view was beautiful. The ocean is so colourful and warm. Food is delicious. There was a choice for everyone. European and African food. I loved live cooking there. Every day they cooked one of the meals before your eyes, such as crabs, fish, calamari, meat. Fantastic. Staff was really helpful and very friendly. We enjoyed it a lot and definitely would go back there again. I recommend it to everyone.

I had an enjoyable stay and the rooms were comfortable. The food in the restaurant was very poor - desperately need a experience chef. I booked bed breakfast but as the resort was rather Isolated I had no option but convert to half board - this must be pointed out on the web site. Would I go again - debatable.

I went to this resort for a get-away and to relax and look at the ocean and hear the sound of the waves for a few days. I am not really a beach person. This resort has a 'cruise ship' type atmosphere with a recreation director and evening shows (none of which I took advantage of as per my choosing.) But the resort environs are organized well. I always made sure to sit up-wind from all the smokers sitting around the pool. I got tired of breathing in second hand smoke and eventually gave up and just sat on the balcony of my room. Although I did like their desserts and some of their pastries, in general I found their food to be bland and unimaginative. I recognize the logistical issues in providing good quality food in such an isolated location for guests coming from Europe, South Africa and South America. Therefore, there were no green vegetables available during my stay, A table with an offering of spices from Zanzibar was part of the buffet line, but I never got the idea that the chef knew how or ever used any of them in his food. A case in point were the soups offered with the meals. To me they seems like hot water with some coloring. If the management is reading this, please go online and look for carrot and ginger soup or other recipes which could improve your buffet offerings.

Staff were especially helpful. Although I had booked just three nights but wanted to come early, they managed to get me two more nights and helped me find a hotel nearby for the other night. They even had a driver take me there and then pick me up the next day. Very helpful staff. This is a quiet, relaxing, non intrusive resort. And the price is right!

Reef & Beach Resort was a real bargain! Not luxurious, but perfectly suited to our plans for a relaxed, laid-back, all-inclusive long weekend. The beach is not ideal, pretty rocky. But access to the beautiful Indian Ocean from the stairs of the Jetty Bar was the perfect solution. My main suggestion would be to offer snacks (even at cost, maybe?) in between scheduled meal times.

At the hotel, you have people ready to hear your few complaints and they help immediately. I was disappointed when I hade an email to send. The connection was too weak. Other wise my stay of 2 nights was awesome.