JAZ Elite Aurora Beach

We spent two full weeks at Jaz Elite Aurora with our family and friends, and by the end it honestly stopped feeling like a hotel and started feeling like a second home. Leaving is the hardest part of the trip. The resort sits in Michamvi Kae, on one of the most beautiful stretches of coast we've seen anywhere. Truly white, soft sand and water so clear it looks edited. Add the famous Michamvi sunsets and you understand why we barely left the property. The hotel is brand new, beautifully designed and spotless, with spacious, comfortable rooms. The pools deserve a special mention: a proper adults' pool for actual relaxing, and a fantastic kids' area with slides that our four-year-old treated as his personal kingdom. Families and couples both get their own space here, which is not easy to pull off. Jaz did. A hotel is walls and pools; people make it a holiday. These people made ours. Dipak, Chef at the Teppanyaki restaurant. If you do one thing at this resort, book Dipak's Teppanyaki. The food is outstanding, the show he puts on is brilliant, and his genuine smile never leaves his face. He is incredible with kids: patient, funny, engaging, and somehow makes every table feel like the most important one in the restaurant. We came back more than once, and every visit was a highlight. Devesh, one of the managers. Great attention to detail and someone who genuinely cares. When Devesh says he'll help, he really means it, and things simply get done. Whenever Youssef wasn't in sight, Devesh was there, quietly making sure everything ran smoothly for us. Youssef, the true good spirit of this place and, from what we could see, the right hand of the general manager. Always around, always watching, always putting the guests' interests above everything else. There is nothing that can't be sorted with Youssef's help. As a family man himself, he was wonderfully attentive to our kids' needs. He is the kind of person who notices things before you even ask. Mani, Spa manager. Friendly, warm and talkative, and his spa is genuinely amazing. We did the hammam twice and honestly didn't expect this level of professionalism from a spa in Zanzibar. His whole team is excellent. Go, you won't regret it. Last but not least, Wiktoria, one of the best, if not the best, animators we saw. Super friendly, warm and open, and amazing with children. Our son stayed in the kids' club alone for the very first time in his life, and it was because of Wiktoria. Beyond these names, all of the local staff were wonderful, and the Egyptian chefs at the buffet were friendly and always happy to accommodate special wishes. We don't remember every name, but we remember every smile. A small confession: we're fairly sure that for two weeks, half the staff quietly reported not to the general manager but to our four-year-old, an energetic, talkative little boss who inspected the buffet, the pool and the beach daily and paid his team in high-fives. We appreciated every one of them playing along. A word on the evening entertainment. Yes, you can always question how authentic such shows are in a resort, but here they genuinely surprised us. One night a single singer performed with more than one voice, switching between male and female tones in a way that had the whole audience doing double takes. Other nights brought acrobatics and local dancers. All of it high quality, all of it entertaining, and a lovely way to end each day. The only thing not quite perfect yet: waiting times for some orders. Coffee, drinks and lunch at the pool could be slow at times. We put this down to the hotel being newly opened, with a team still getting to know each other. To their credit, every delay was immediately addressed by the managers, which tells you everything about the attitude here. Give them a few months and this will be flawless. A stunning new resort, a dream beach, and a team with genuinely big hearts. We came as guests and left as friends. We'll be back, and our little boss has already approved the return trip. Asante sana! Shukran! (شكراً)

Sadly I must write a mixed review about this hotel and Tui in general. We've been using Tui for many years and chose this hotel as it was new. Staff were very polite, friendly, attentive etc. Room was clean, tidy, and well appointed. All the pools lack a bit of imagination to be honest. Gym is modern and well appointed, which is to be expected. Don't be fooled by the official beach photo's however; which are AI images obviously. When the tide is out there is no sand, just muddy silt. Unfortunately for us this is where the positives end. Shortly into the holiday we both succumbed to diarrhea, which continued in various strains for the duration of the holiday. Given that we only ate and drank in the hotel, we could not have contracted this from anywhere else. Suggestions are this could have been either from meat or un-pastuerised milk. There were times when fly's were seen sitting on food in the main restaurant and whilst this is sometimes difficult to control; this shouldn't be happening in a brand new hotel) . Upon returning home my wife was diagnosed with Salmonella poisoning and I subsequently spent a number of days in hospital, as my condition worsened quite severely, finally being diagnosed with severe gastroenteritis. Despite protracted correspondence with Tui including the submission of full medical evidence they have dismissed any responsibility, out of hand. I would therefore welcome hearing from any others who have experienced the same or similar illnesses.

Travelled as a family of 9 people with 6 adults, 17 year old, 10 year old and 1 year old baby. The hotel was fantastic and had entertainment for all ages. Mayo and Leila from the animation team were excellent and we played paddle, volleyball, darts and french bowls - the entertainment at night was also very good. Every member of staff was extremely polite, friendly and went out of their way to make our holiday a fabulous experience. They are all a credit to the hotel. Food quality was excellent and varied with lots of choice. Would defo recommend.

Amazing hotel and amazing staff. Staff went over and above for us. Tepanyaki (on the jetty) with Dipak was so so good. Must go to dinner there. Samaki restaurant ( on the jetty ) , Zanzibari curry ( made by dipak) amazing as well. We had a great time. Water slides were so much fun. sunset was amazing, Overall wonderful hotel. Thank you.

What an Amazing Resort. Great Rooms , Great Service, Amazing Food , Great facilities. Jaz Team knows how to manage a Resort Professionally! Honeymoon of Family Vacation it's the Place to Be ! Thank You Team Jaz !!