Matemwe Attitude

We recently spent a week of our honeymoon at Matemwe and couldn’t recommend highly enough! The staff were so friendly and welcoming and nothing was too much, it really was like one big family.

We stayed here following a week long safari. The location of Matemwe wasn’t entirely as we wanted expected as it’s the windier side of the island the weather wasn’t as good as expected and it’s difficult to go on the beach as you are constantly accosted by people selling trips or goods. That said Matemwe Attitude is a beautiful hotel with great rooms and facilities. More importantly the staff at the hotel are what made our stay so special. Nothing is too much trouble, they are hard working, friendly, happy and incredible. Anthony, Abasi, Myriam, Victoria, Mau, Rahma and chef Muslih. Really special thanks to Najma who served us every day in Upepo…Najma is so friendly and beautiful inside and out. The staff (especially these) are an absolute credit to the hotel!!!

We took a chance by booking this hotel before it was built and we are so glad that we did. We were a party of 6 celebrating a honeymoon and special birthday. We had a deluxe villa with pool and 2 swim ups for our adult children and partners. The accommodation is beautiful and thoughtfully designed with plenty of space for clothes and luggage. The bathrooms feature double sinks and a large shower and are very spacious. There are toiletries comprising hand wash, lotion, body wash and shampoo as well as a hair dryer. There is a safe, air conditioning, a small fridge (which you re-stock yourself at the shop) and mosquito nets over the extremely comfortable large bed. The villas and pool area were always kept impeccably clean – the cleaners do a wonderful job. The main pool area features a stunning infinity pool overlooking the lagoon – we always found there to be plenty of beds available – there is also a lower pool area too with beds and bean bag style loungers. Was pleased to see staff remove some guests towels who had not been around the pool for several hours. With regard to food - there is the main buffet restaurant – we always found there to be plenty on offer and they seemed to mix it up during the 2 weeks we were there. Lunch can also be eaten at Fukwe (on the beach) where you can get fresh pizzas or lamb koftas or at the main bar area Upepo – you can select burgers and salads there. We can agree with some other reviews where they say service is slow but you are receiving fresh food to order and its no problem having a few cocktails whilst you wait. On an evening the Fukwe restaurant is the a la carte offering some more traditional options – this has to be pre-booked at reception. Whilst we were there we also had a romantic meal “for 6” on the beach. The quality of the food was exceptional and the service outstanding. It was a little windy so they offered us blankets – it was really special sitting underneath the stars. We joined in with some of the activities on offer – did aquafit with the Dai, painting and snorkelling arranged at the reef centre (at a supplement). Dai also spent time teaching and playing some traditional games with us, Bao and Carrom, which was great. There were several other activities on offer but unfortunately we were enjoying relaxing by the pool too much. We also had days out doing a one day safari at Mikumi National Park as well as a visit to Stone Town and The Rock Restaurant. It is worth noting that the hotel is approximately 1.5 hours from most destinations. We also had a traditional relaxing full body massage too at the hotel spa - Spa Poz which was very good and reasonably priced. We have stayed at an Attitude hotel in Mauritius (Sunrise) and really enjoyed that and the hotels ethos for sustainability and just being present and enjoying your time there. We like the fact that you restock your mini bar and obtain snacks from the local shop and are given refillable water bottles during your stay. We personally also love the fact that there are no tvs in the rooms (much to some other people’s opinions) but why go on holiday to watch tv??? We wish they could put a ban on mobile phones though as it is very sad seeing so many people on their phones each night rather than playing games or even communicating with the person they are away with! Now to the best bit – the staff – they are the friendliest people we have come across - nothing is too much trouble for them. They work so hard and always have the biggest smiles – especially Anthony as we don’t think his smile can be beaten. They really did help make our holiday special. We can’t name them all but a special thanks has to go to Anthony (biggest smile in the world), Dai (for his patience in teaching us games and his energy for aquafit) and Lilian (for always greeting us like her family). All the staff are an absolute credit to the hotel. It is also nice that the management team always appear to be present around the hotel. We can’t wait to return again.

We've just had our honeymoon at Matemwe Attitude and this place is paradise. We really did not want to leave. Firstly, the hotel is very modern and aesthetically pleasing. It is also very clean. The hotel itself is on the quieter side of Zanzibar but is very accessible to other parts of the island. We personally preferred this after going to different parts of the island which felt too busy for us. The hotel also wasn't over sold and there was never any issues with sunbeds or anything like that. I would definitely say the hotel was very peaceful and you don't feel like it's overcrowded. It's perfect for couples. There is also plenty to do at the hotel and you're never bored. We had the swim up room and it was stunning. The room also included mosquito curtains all around the bed. Food and drink was spot on. All food was very fresh and the restaurants were all clean. Plenty of choices. The cocktails were all amazing and premium sprits used. The hotel also kindly planned for us to have a meal on the beach for our honeymoon which was a lovely touch and again, food was perfect. Staff were also very accommodating and considerate when dealing with the fact I have diabetes. They made sure that I was told what was in drinks and food. The stand out for us was definitely the staff. I cannot praise them enough. Special mention to Anthony, Victoria and Maryam. These three elevated our experience. Every time we went to the bar their presence automatically made us feel happy. These 3 especially are a credit to the hotel and I do truly hope the hotel appreciates this. All other members of staff were also lovely. Girls at breakfast were amazing, bar men also amazing. We literally cannot fault them! Every one we encountered around the hotel greeted us kindly and were so polite. If I had to give any feedback I would probably say a snack shack or something of that sort would be a good idea. Somewhere you could get ice creams or snacks throughout the day (this is personal preference as I do sometimes prefer a snack over actual food). Also after reading previous reviews it seems that a lot of honeymooners seem to get upgraded, which can feel a bit unfair when this doesn’t happen to you. Finally, after completing the village walk, we did have questions about how the hotel has supported the local community. Although these questions were answered, it may be beneficial to share the different ways more freely. The village walk was an eye-opening experience into living conditions, maybe this could be arranged slightly differently so that guests are able to support the village in a more structured/productive way. We would recommend this hotel to anybody. It is luxurious, peaceful and a place you never want to leave. Thank you for making our stay so memorable

We had an excellent stay at Matemwe Attitude. The location, the facilities and the staff were truly beyond our expectations. The only downside was the beach - with coral blocks and locals who bother you with their insistence (which is understandable given the poverty they live in, but for someone who wants peace and some privacy it is not very pleasant). In the immediate vicinity there is a fishing village with many motor boats that make quite a bit of noise, especially in the first part of the day. Because of them the water is quite polluted and there is also quite a bit of rubbish in the water. Unfortunately we did not see anyone picking up the rubbish and it is a shame for such a beautiful place. We hope that this problem will be resolved in the near future. We would like to thank the entire team who made us feel at home: special thanks to Tina, Amina, Lilian, Mary, Nelson and Anthony - we love you!