Riu Palace Zanzibar

Stayed in April 2025 for 11 nights. The hotel grounds are very nice and well kept, staff were very nice and accommodating, however sadly some guests were very rude towards them without any reasons. Evening entertainment was a hit and miss. The most we loved was the acrobatics, the men done an amazing show. Our room was well kept and cleaned daily and had all basic amenities. We had one of the basic rooms overlooking the smaller pool (closer to reception). Gym is well equipped. Beach is very nice, however most days the locals just pestering you and don't leave you alone. First few days we found the food brilliant, however after a couple of days it became very repetitive hence a 4 star review. Dietary requirements well labelled which is a plus. The restaurants were good, however very limited availability and only could book via the app (we could use the ones in Riu Jambo too). The best restaurant was the Greek style one. This was our very first Riu stay and we were amazed by the service during our stay.

An incredible experience with a wonderful scenic hotel! The staff is so fun and extremely attentive. Thank you to the reception staff! More importantly a massive ASANTE SAANA to Halim (by the tower stand), Yousuf from Ginger, Magdalen & Glory from the restaurant for making our stay feel like we were travelling with friends. Your care and warm welcome each time we came to your stations were incredible! Thank you again

Paschazia and Eliza ,witness was good service every time smile helpfull💕 very kind✌️I enjoy to be high also me and my wife we promise to come back again in the RIU hotel❤️✌️🤝our staff work hard every time friendly hakuna matata Zanzibar👍👍👍👍👍👍

We visited for our honeymoon in October and all I can say is wow! (We stayed before it’s changeover to a family hotel) The resort is set out on a hillside around some amazing gardens and it all leads down to a wonderful pool and one of the nicest beaches you’ll ever visit. The colour of the water, the sunsets, the star fish… amazing! We had a Jr Suite room which was massive! 4 poster bed, huge balcony, large bathroom and plenty of storage space. Air con worked great and wifi was good too. The pool area is lovely and the poolside staff so friendly. Drinks served to you constantly! The entertainment team were fantastic and done of the happiest people you’ll ever meet. On the beach you are met by many Masai tribesmen. Some of them slightly intimidating and just want to sell but others are all generally interested in you and have as many questions about our culture as we do theirs. The restaurant was fantastic with so much variety. It caters for so many different cuisines, and despite it not being the largest there was always something different to try across the 10 days we stayed. The transfer time to the resort took a while and put us off going on many excursions, we were there simply to have a relaxing honeymoon. As you can imagine Zanzibar isn’t the most built up of places, and some areas have real poverty. The roads therefore aren’t great and they are very busy meaning the 40mile journey can take nearly 2 hours. We did go visit the nearby turtle sanctuary 10 minutes away, which is a good afternoon out. We did a day trip safari booked with Fisherman’s tours, which took us across to Mikumi on a 50 seater aircraft (the biggest one about) and had an absolutely once in a lifetime day. We saw a lion within 5 minutes and our guide was fantastic. He took us where no other jeeps were going and found all the animals. We booked the hotel directly with Riu on Black Friday and then the Emirates flights separately. It was nearly £1000 cheaper than the TUI package! Riu provided free airport transfers if booked direct!! We’ll go back in 5 or maybe 10 years to see how it’s changed for sure! What a fantastic up and coming place Zanzibar is!

Everything was pretty fine including cleanliness of rooms, facilities and also security service.