Reef & Beach Resort + Safari

We had an amazing holiday here. The monkeys in the hotel are an added bonus. But they do not beg for food (and you don’t feed them) but will walk over your sunbed while you are on it. The staff are all really good but sometimes they had a learned script as their English is often not too great. The tide is often out but as I am not really bothered about the beach it didn’t affect us. Food was plentiful. Not very many western food dishes but there was always something we could eat. The on-site Indian restaurant and the on-site Italian restaurant were amazing and switched it up from just the buffet. We attended both restaurants several times. All staff in the restaurants were pleasant and hardworking. The alcohol didn’t not seem very strong. Cocktails were not very strong. Sometimes had 4 shots in them and still were perfectly drinkable. The pool on the beachfront has blue paint around the edge which comes off and damages your swimwear if you lean against it. Trying to get two swimsuits sorted out took 2 days and several visits to reception speaking to about 10 different people before Calvin finally sorted it out. The swimwear was washed in what I believe to have been white spirits and the smell was horrendous. They denied any strong chemicals were used - I dispute that. One manager (petite short woman) was observed in the buffet picking at her hair which didn’t seem appropriate. All in all we really enjoyed our holiday despite the swimwear incident.

Lovely place right on the beach food and drink excellent. Friendly and helpful staff Would recommend.

This is paradise, gorgeous beach, lovely helpful, friendly, polite staff, great food, in large quantities, pleasant entertainment in the evenings, wonderful. Our room was upgraded for free to an ocean view, from a garden view and it was lovely, large, comfortable, cool. We had the wonderful ocean view right from our bed. I loved it there, a truly luxurious experience. I went swimming in the ocean, but there are many pools. We were there last week.

We are having a fantastic stay at Reef & Beach Resort. The resort is beautiful, the food is excellent with plenty of choice, and the staff are incredibly friendly, helpful and welcoming. The rooms, gardens, pools and overall atmosphere are very well maintained, and we are really enjoying our stay. There is, however, one thing we find very disappointing, especially for a 4-star resort: the reserving of sunbeds with towels. The resort actually has signs stating that towels will be removed from sunbeds if they are left unattended for more than one hour, which is a very reasonable policy. Unfortunately, this rule does not seem to be enforced. Some guests reserve sunbeds before 8:00 in the morning and then do not return until much later. This means that many of the best sunbeds remain empty for hours, while other guests who actually want to use them cannot find a place. What makes this particularly frustrating is that the resort already has the solution in place. The only thing needed is consistent enforcement of the existing one-hour rule. If staff simply removed towels from unattended sunbeds after an hour, as stated on the signs, the situation would immediately become much fairer and more pleasant for everyone. It is a shame because everything else about the resort has been fantastic. This is such an easy issue to solve, and proper enforcement would make an already wonderful resort experience even better.

Two week stay here at Reef & Beach. We booked at ocean front beach bungalow, on arrival we were taken to a room in the main building, was told we had been given a free upgrade! I asked if I could see what we had actually booked…as on the website the bungalow was the more premium option. We saw the bungalow (was not premium) rustic and African charm is what I’d hoped for but it was tired and run down but I thought let’s give it a go. Management said to have some food and think about it! On reflection my husband wanted the free upgrade as it was more modern! Management then refused and said we had to have our original booking! Not a problem! We moved to the bungalow, what a shock we had! The smell in there was awful , the shower was intermittent, hardly any hot water at all. Broken unstable toilet, 4 clothes hangers between the two of us for two weeks ( requested more) TV didn’t work, we reported it numerous times with no joy. The bed although looks great is very high. I just about managed but if you have any mobility issues or just sore knees you’d struggle…saying that I slept amazingly well as it’s a hard mattress. After a few complaints ( which we don’t like doing) we were moved to the said free upgrade. The ocean swim up room is your best option, sun all afternoon. You also get access to sun loungers out the front of these rooms solely for the swim up rooms. Our room was fair, lovely very comfortable huge bed. Working TV, a sofa and a more modern feel although the smell was just awful, it smelt as if someone had been smoking in our room but I just didn’t have it in me to complain again. I felt awful doing so and the staff were so helpful but we decided to just crack on. Cleaning staff do an amazing job! Room is turned down on an evening, sprayed with bug mosquito spray and nets covering the bed. The grounds are gorgeous! The place is kept immaculate, hotel staff working round the clock keeping it tip top. Beware of the gardener, he will offer you a coconut! But he will want paying. We had no cash on us and explained we’d pay him once we got some…he kept hanging around daily till we paid him. I would say do get one, and it’s fair to pay but make sure you are aware you need some tips. The resort has various places to relax. The jetty is lovely, peaceful and perfect to have a dip in the sea. The lounger cushions are very tired and felt a bit grubby. The natural spring pool is so nice, it looks a bit green but it’s not and it felt amazing swimming in it. Beach towels you can change daily but almost every time we wanted fresh ones there was a wait, towels a bit shabby too. The small pool by the mango bar is a bit more lively, we only used once. Animation team are around that area and do a great job. There is an evening entertainment show every night 9-10pm then that’s it, you then only have the choice of the jetty bar which will stay open 24/7 this is a very quiet resort, not lively! Suited to couples/ family but could be boring for younger people. Bar staff in all bars are great! Very friendly, engaging and work so hard! The drinks are of a good quality, no need to upgrade. The cocktails are made fresh…the Zanzibar mojitos are lovely and refreshing…. You will see the Colobus monkeys daily, they are sweet and very entertaining! Food- Plentiful choice but just not great! We are not fussy eaters at all, almost nothing I wouldn’t eat or try but this buffet style food was almost always cold even when we arrived at the start of meals, some odd choices but I would say plenty of choice. The salad area though is super with loads of choice too. Fresh cooking daily, your best bet to get something hot. There is also an Indian restaurant and an Italian, which you have to book. Both a buffet style again. Again food was cold and just a bit disappointing. The staff work tirelessly though making sure the food halls are kept clean and tidy through service, they are a super super team. The maasai boys on the beach are harmless, but they will approach you every time you step on the beach at low tide. They just want tips, have a chat with them, let them show you the star fish and go see their little shops at the side of the hotel. A tip for their time and friendliness goes along way. My top tip, outside the resort is a little shop called Fatima’s, she is great! She gave us the Best massage at a very fair price, 20 dollars each for an hours massage and it was super! Top to toe and very well done. We had facials in the spa on resort and a much higher cost, it was good but pricey. Fatima’s also do gifts cheaper and her husband is a taxi driver, we used her a few times. We did various excursions, stone town, spice tour, and prison island, booked via Fatima. Very cheap! We booked a safari but did that via get your guide, it was amazing! The highlight of my trip! We did the blue safari , I didn’t enjoy this one bit but each to their own. Go to paje, it’s great. It’s very lively and has so much to see. You will be approached a lot by children and young people but it is what it is, have a look around their shops and market, tip the beach performers and enjoy. We liked bento bar, sky bar and Shanga, food was delicious there! 30 dollars round trip to paje, just use Fatima or the taxi guys outside the hotel. The taxi booked via the hotels are way more expensive. These taxi guys will literally sit and wait for you, even if your there for hours so we always tipped over the asking price for the taxi- still cheap compared to home! We also went to the rock, twice. It was a nice experience, great food and atmosphere. All in all we have had a wonderful holiday here in Zanzibar but I wouldn’t return to this hotel, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t recommend! I’m sure you will have a great time if you come with fantastic staff.