Twisted Palms Lodge & Restaurant

We had a very relaxing stay for a week at twisted palms. They owners and staff were amazing! Very attentive and friendly. The food was very good. We tried the Bellevue down the way one night. Compared to the twisted palms, the food was overpriced and very small portions. We had a beachfront bungalow and it was nice being right up front to hear and see the ocean. Very nice pool also. Made friends there that we will stay in touch with.

The rooms were mediocre. If they had slightly brighter lights, that would have been helpful in making it a bit more appealing. There were also lots of power outages and the generator either wasn't on or they didn't have one -- which also meant no running water to shower or flush toilets. It was a little too "budget". The staff was very nice. Flora the waitress was great and helpful. The location was also good.

Very relaxing. Rooms were basic but clean. The staff and management were friendly and efficient. The food in the restaurant was fine and the menu changed daily. It's a quiet, peaceful location (just what we wanted) about an hour's drive from Stone Town. The beach is clean, though swimming isn't easy because of the tides. Would definitely stay here again.

My wife and I recently stayed here for two nights on our honeymoon. The location is wonderfully tranquil and the owners were very helpful. Wish we had more time to stay longer.

I loved the Twisted Palms. It is off a non-touristy beach which gives the feeling of having your own private beach. The place is run by an Italian couple who are very friendly. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for somewhere quiet and affordable. The only problem is that it is a good 3 hours away from the tourist beaches and an hour from central Zanzibar. But all beaches are almost 1 to 2 hours away from the town centre anways.

I would not recommend The Twisted Palms, despite it being on one of the world’s most perfect beaches. Almost all of the beach huts are actually up a steep hill the other side of a muddy road which are reached by a steep set of concrete steps, which are fairly lethal on the way down if they are wet. There was a huge tropical downpour on the one night I was there and the roof of my hut leaked, dripping water directly through the mosquito net onto the pillows and bed. When I mentioned it to the owners they shrugged their shoulders and did not seem alarmed. I know the charm of the place is its simplicity, but I don’t think it is overly fussy or bourgeois to expect a hotel to provide a roof over one’s head. The hotel is also subject to regular power cuts, which effectively stop all water supplies, meaning that a bucket of water has to be kept in the bathroom in the event of an outage. I would also mention the lighting both in the rooms and the restaurant, which was so poor it was almost impossible to read anywhere after dark. It may tell you a little about their attitude that the only viable place was just beneath the till. In addition, between packing at my last hotel and leaving the Twisted Palms, almost certainly en route between the two, I had money stolen. Once again I found the attitude of the owners to be disturbingly callous. The only practical assistance being to allow me to pay for the taxi they had booked my by credit card.

A VERY relaxing stay at a part of this long beach that is quiet and largely devoid of annoyances often experienced on beaches in East Africa. The restaurant is usually superb with a menu that changes every day. The staff and the Italian managers of the place are professional and personable. Just wonderful. Visitors should note that this place is within a short distance of a number of other places on this strip of beach so even if there are no rooms available, going to its restaurant at least is worth the effort. In the end, highly recommended.

A wonderful little place, with lots of charme, the nicest staff, the sweetest owners and the most relaxing part of the beach. We were very satisfied and will definitely recommend it.

Fantastic place to stay, not the sterile 5 star resort many stay at but a true paradise in i east Zanzibar beach region.Owners and staff were fantastic and most helpful, food great even for a vegetarian like me. Please stay here if you want to relax and experience true perfection in tranquility,hospitality and price.

Laura and Renato have created a superb, back to basics beach lodge which also appeases my eco-tourism yearnings. Their description is honest and accurate, so if you want a simple no-frills beach holiday right on a paradise beach, this is the perfect place. The rooms are right on the beach - we didn't need to wear shoes, except for leaving the lodge, all week. The rooms are beautifully rustic and traditional, with mosquito nets (rooms were sprayed in the evening too). Nothing in Africa is built to perfection, but that is the charm. Very comfortable beds, furniture mostly made out of rough wood (this is the 'Twisted' Palms). Bathroom basic and functional. The restaurant serves simple but excellent and tasty food, usually fresh from the locals who fish directly off the beach. The Zanzibarians are lovely people, very friendly, but poor in comparison to the lodgers, so tip! The lodge is nominally guarded by some Maasai in traditional dress, but in reality there is little risk. The Maasai usually end up playing football on the beach in the evening, in lieu of anything much better to do. Go to see the Colobus monkeys in the Jozani forest - they are fantastic. The snorkeling and SCUBA is excellent too, but I would go on an organised trip to a lagoon, where the waters are deep around the reef and go at a time of day so that the tide doesn't create a strong current. Don't go to an up-market hotel, Twisted Palms is far, far better and you will feel more in touch with Zanzibar :-)

My husband and I stayed in one of the beach front huts in July for 14 days. The room was simple & spacious. The bedding was clean, changed every other day. The room was sprayed for insects every night and the bed made up. A major criticism of the resort was the shower. The water trickled out, ran out completely, wasnt working or was cold. We had 2 days of hot water in total. We spoke to the owners daily about the shower and they did their best to appease us but this became a major encumbrance. The resort is set back from a beautiful beach front with the wonderful constant sound of the ocean, sea breeze and friendly staff, including the reassuring Masai security. Whilst the menu choice was limited, the food was freshly prepared and cooked well.There was no meat on the menu, cold drinks occasionally and no ice.The resort may be limited by generator power, storage may have been a problem. On our first night we were warned not to walk to the north past the Sunrise resort as men with machetes hide in wait in the bushes ready to rob you of watches, cameras etc. We did not hear of any problems whilst we were there but the advice was welcome.Hosts, Laura and Renato were friendly, arranged transfers from the airport and excursions. We went on the dolphin trip twice which was amazing to see wild dolphins below us whist snorkelling in the sea. Recommend the dive school at the nearby hotel Breezes run by Paul Shepherd. A friendly no frills resort ideal if you are travelling on a budget

Nous avons passé 2 semaine dans un environnement idéal. Un manager a l'écoute une équipe serviable et agréable, gentil. une vue et une situation idyllique sur une plage de 10 km de sable blanc face un récif de corail. Lecture, farniente, baignade chaleur ....yes so roots

Virkelig rare ejer og ven

LES CHAMBRES A 60EUROS SONT SUPERBEMMMENT BIEN PLACé SUR LA PLAGE...A LOMBRE ET WIFI LES AUTRES A 40 SONT EN PLEIN SOLEIL SUR COLLINE...NE JAMAIS RESERVER LES MOINS CHERE..PLUS DE WIFI ET ESCALIER CHALEUR

Hat uns sehr gut gefallen, sehr ruhig u. sehr nette Leute,wenig luxus, was uns nicht störte.

What a wonderful holiday....a big thankyou to Dave for organising everything to perfection. Taxi to and from the Airport,motorbike and even special wishes at the Bar.Twisted Palms is idylic ,in the morning you can stroke the local Monkeys before going to a healthy breakfast of fresh local fruit. The staff were exceptional and a special thanks to Antonio the manager.Everyday the rooms are sprayed against insects and a mosquito net is placed over the bed. we couldn´t have wished for a more perfect relaxing holiday,once again a big thankyou to Dave and his team,they fullfilled every wish we had !!

Das Hotel ist sehr einfach aber ok. Geärgert haben uns vor allem die Preise für angebotene Touren und das Essen im Restaurant. Die Touren werden teilweise zum dreifachen Preis angeboten- es lohnt sich daher bei den umliegenden Hotels die Preise zu erfragen und zu verhandeln. Die Preise für ein Mittag- oder Abendessen sind sehr hoch- die Strandlage und das geringe Angebot an umliegenden Restaurants wird hier ausgenutzt. Die Preise wären eventuell noch rechtfertigen, wenn die Portionen ausreichen würden- leider reicht 1 Essen pro Person nicht aus, sodass die Rechnung am Ende sehr hoch ist. Generell muss man für alles extra zahlen. Das Frühstück, welches inklusive ist ist bestenfalls ein Snack! Das Personal ist nett, jedoch habe wir uns ständig beobachtet gefühlt, da mehr Personal als Gäste vor Ort war. Im Hotel selbst haben wir uns sicher gefühlt- der Strand ist leider nicht ganz so sicher. Insgesamt ist das Hotel ok für wenig Ansprüche und die Strandlage ist wirklich toll.

Nous avons aimé la chaleur de l'accueil, la qualité du personnel, l'ambiance générale et la tranquillité; prendre nos repas dans le restaurant sur pilotis; voir la plage s'animer au rythme des marées; aller voir le coucher de soleil dans des endroits sublimes….A bientôt

Det var fantastik ställe för oss .nära have,en enkel å mysig hotel med väldight trevliga å hjälpsama personaler,

Vi hadde et deilig opphold,og var heldige med været. Dette er et rolig og behagelig sted. Men hengekøyer på utsiden av rommene og rommene ligger på stranda. Tidevannet gjør at vannet kommer helt opp til strandkanten først ved 13- tiden, men dette er noe man vender seg til.Rommet var ikke det helt store, viften bråket som et uvær og badet var meget godt brukt. Men det var ikke der vi skulle oppholde oss så for oss ble ikke det noe stort minus. Restauranten var grei, god frokost med frukt og litt forskjellig. Litt utfordrende om du ikke er glad i sjømat, fordi det ikke var noen særlig med alternativer på menyen. Men alt i alt en deilig opplevelse, fikk slappet godt av og lest bok. Finnes ikke stress på dette stedet. Personalet er hyggelige og vi følte oss godt ivaretatt. Kommer gjerne tilbake.