Park Hyatt Zanzibar

Perched just behind the beach in the beautiful in beautiful Stone Town tree-lined Kelele Square the Park Hyatt emits its quiet, fragrant presence. This elegant hotel needs no bright lights or wide-eyed attendants. It need not rival the better known Serena Hotel next door or the Tembo House hotel round the corner. The Park Hyatt assures its clients of its promise to deliver European-standard 5 star hospitality inside its traditional architecture and cultivated gardens. My room looked out over the bay towards the mainland. Fishermen in their dhows bobbed up and down on the turquoise water which lapped against the white sand of the public beach below. It's hard to believe you are staying so close to the tourist drag of Shangani Street, the busy commercial port with its frenetic fish market and the condensed, narrow streets of old Stone Town. At The Park Hyatt you float in the air-conditioned, traditionally beamed high-ceiling'ed walk ways of the hotel. No sense of the dust, heat, din and clamour of the town here. The food is pretty good. Breakfast is fun to encounter. Masai warriors parade outside on the patio assuring the nervous that no one enters uninvited. A stall with fresh coconuts is manned by the cheeriest of gentlemen. He can bearly contain his excitement when a guest asks for one of his decapitated coconuts to drink the chilled milk inside. He literally bounces around the breakfast area filling the atmosphere with hope for the day. The breakfast bar is pretty good. I would have liked more variety of fresh fruit and less stodgy, sweet white bread. You can chose also from a menu of cooked breakfasts. I had the dosas on day 1. Absolutely delicious! The bar and restaurant are openly day. We tried out the bar food and its was ok. More salads would have been welcome but we all thought the lamb biryani is to die for. The coffee isn't bad and the nutty apple pie and vanilla ice cream was delicious. The service is a little slow and I did spend a bit of time watching rather inefficient activity behind the bar. We had to call for a waiter on several occasions and it seemed to take an age for some simple cold drinks to arrive. But when they did the staff were so warm it was hard to get stroppy. Some of the female staff seemed a little moody at times and one of my party, who perhaps has a few more preferences than your average guest, inspired some 'looks' and a sense of forced patience from one particular young waitress. However, all in all the staff are warm and pretty eager to please. The rooms are spacious and clean, a little tired in places, but all is forgiven when you draw back the curtains on a spectacular view across the bay. In the evening a male singer would play on the patio, murdering some perfectly decent pop songs. We grinned and bore it until the chap would hang up his guitar and head home around 8.45pm. I suppose we all have our own ideas about how we want to spend an evening in a beautiful hotel in Zanzibar. Mine just didn't include listening to George Michael songs sung in poor baritone! If you find yourself in Zanzibar with a generous budget then swing by the Park Hyatt, cool down, dust yourself off and order yourself a Stoney Tangawizi ginger beer on ice. A definite return is on my horizon.

A beautiful hotel in excellent location. Lovely pool, attentive staff, good gym. Safe to run/walk along the beach hotel has sunbeds on the beach as well as by the pool.

Our stay at Park Hyatt Zanzibar started off a little shaky but turned into one of the most memorable hotel experiences we’ve had. After unsuccessfully trying for a couple of days to reach the hotel to arrange airport transportation, I called again while we were waiting at baggage claim and finally spoke with Lucy. With no Tanzanian shillings and no transfer arranged, I was frustrated. When a third-party transfer wasn’t available, Lucy had me hand my phone to someone at the taxi stand, spoke with them directly, and made sure we received the correct rate. When we arrived, Lucy came out from the back and greeted us with the warmest smile, and all my anxiety immediately disappeared. She took exceptional care of us for all five days—checking on us, making sure we were comfortable, and arranging activities and an amazing tour guide tailored to what my child would enjoy. At one point, we had been out so long that she even called our guide to make sure we were okay! Having someone look after us as though we were family was incredibly heartwarming. That instinctive level of service was evident throughout the hotel. One afternoon, my child and I were rinsing off after the beach when Elias seemed to appear out of nowhere and immediately helped us. He continued to take wonderful care of us in the evenings. Peter Paul was equally attentive. My only suggestion is for more Zanzibari and Swahili selections on the regular menu. We loved the seafood BBQ—I had the octopus and my child had the kingfish—but the hotel became noticeably quieter at dinner as guests appeared to head out. Why can't I get samaki wa kupaka, Hyatt style? Or a beautiful samosa variety platter? But the fresh coconuts every morning were a huge win! The gentleman serving them always seemed to be waiting just for me, somehow knew exactly how many I wanted, and always served them cheerfully. The property and location are beautiful, but the people made our stay exceptional. What began as a stressful arrival turned into five wonderful days that we cannot wait to go back for. I highly recommend Park Hyatt Zanzibar—and I’m still hoping for that Hyatt-style samaki wa kupaka next time!

Mr. Bakari Mbwana and the entire staff, including the housekeeping team, are absolutely wonderful. Everyone is extremely kind, welcoming, and quick to respond to our needs. Their excellent service and warm hospitality make our stay comfortable and enjoyable every time. We truly appreciate their dedication and the care they show to our family. The Hotel is located in the heart of stone town and very clean, rooms are huge and facing the Indian Ocean the scent of the hall way was amazing and calm.

Stunning property in the heart of stone town. Impressive level of service from the moment you step in through the doors. The food at the restaurants was delicious. Rooms are spacious and ocean view was stunning for sunsets. I don’t think there is anything that compares in stone town. Thank you Fauzi and team for making our stay in stone town so lovely!