The Mora Zanzibar

The Teppanyaki experience was great and Ludwig was the real bomb! He made teppanyaki and experience which was otherwise just food for us.

Edith from Mayuni Beach club is an absolute star👏🏼

The location is fantastic, right on the beach and the beach is super clean. Such a warm welcome from the moment we arrived - drinks, snacks and cold flannel while checking in. Straight to our room and everything explained so well. Literally nothing is too much trouble from all the staff. The food is amazing and the extra restaurants were all of top quality and service impeccable. I can honestly say out of all the hotels we’ve stayed in so far this one has the best staff, they make this place even more magical. The rooms are amazing, with turndown service every night. Anything you need again you just ask and they’ll provide. I’d recommend this hotel and again I’d like to say thank you to all the staff that made our week special especially after a long week of safari before this was just what we needed.

Best expierence in Africa, good accomodation, every questions solved immediatly

The Mora Needs a Serious Shake-Up Arrival Granted, we arrived after 1:00 a.m. following a long journey and an exceptionally slow airport transfer. However, even at that hour, one would expect a warm welcome—a refreshing towel, a genuine smile, and a sense that your arrival matters. We received none of these. Instead, we felt like an inconvenience rather than valued guests. Accommodation Prior to arrival, I communicated clearly that we required quiet rooms located away from entertainment areas, service corridors, stairwells and elevators. Despite these requests, we were allocated Rooms 2031 and 2032—just metres from the entertainment lounge and bar, directly beside the staircase. When I queried this the following morning, reception’s solution was to offer us alternative rooms… again next to a staircase and adjacent to a housekeeping room. Our requests were completely disregarded. This is the first time I have encountered a hotel where staff showed so little interest in accommodating reasonable requests that could easily have been fulfilled within such a large resort. We reluctantly remained in our allocated rooms and, as predicted, slept very little due to the live FIFA World Cup screenings and late-night noise. Rooms The rooms are spacious with exceptionally comfortable oversized beds. Unfortunately, the décor feels dated, and the positioning of a communal jacuzzi in the centre of the room is both odd and impractical. Housekeeping was inconsistent throughout our stay. Bathroom amenities were not replenished regularly, towels frequently disappeared without replacement, and we repeatedly had to ask Zeena to replace hand towels, bath mats and bathrobes. The minibar offered a poor selection of complimentary beverages, while the coffee station was often left without cups or sweetener. These are details one simply should not have to chase at a property marketed as a five-star luxury resort. Grounds The resort is enormous but lacks charm. While expansive, it offers very few memorable or beautifully designed spaces. Overall, it feels like a large commercial resort rather than a thoughtfully curated luxury destination. Beach The beach was perhaps our biggest disappointment. The resort sits adjacent to a market area that unfortunately feels chaotic, with litter and vehicle fumes detracting from the atmosphere. The beachfront itself is lined with numerous local boats and constant hawkers, making it difficult to relax. We were surprised to see pineapple and watermelon skins, plastic bottles and other rubbish left on the beach without any obvious effort from the resort to maintain cleanliness throughout the day. Beach service was also slow, and on many occasions we fetched our own drinks. The one bright spot was the beach attendants responsible for loungers and towels, who were consistently friendly, efficient and welcoming. Food & Beverage The all-inclusive wine offering is, frankly, disappointing. Finding a decent dinner wine became a nightly challenge. My husband and son eventually resorted to beer, while I often abandoned my wine after only a sip or two. Out of curiosity, I requested the premium wine list and was astonished to find Ken Forrester FMC priced at US$155—a remarkable markup. Overall, the inclusive alcoholic beverage selection is inexpensive and uninspiring, falling well below what one expects from a premium all-inclusive resort. There were, however, some outstanding culinary highlights. Munyani Restaurant served several exceptional dishes. The marinated steak, cod fritters, Salsiccia pizza and grilled aubergine were all excellent. Jua Grill was even better. The lobster (well worth the supplement), ceviche, pork and crab cakes were genuinely memorable and deserve recognition. The coffee throughout the resort was consistently excellent and, quite honestly, became one of the highlights of our stay. The restaurant booking app is frustrating and misleading. Restaurants frequently displayed as “fully booked” despite having plenty of empty tables. It gave the distinct impression that guests were being funnelled toward the Horizon buffet instead. Unfortunately, Horizon itself served largely generic buffet food, while many of the servers appeared inexperienced and undertrained. There were plenty of staff members, but very little evidence of effective hospitality training or confident service. Perhaps most surprising was the complete absence of visible management. At no point did we see leaders actively engaging with guests or overseeing service standards. Would We Return? Absolutely not. Having previously stayed at Meliá Zanzibar, the comparison is stark. Meliá delivered exceptional hospitality, contemporary rooms, memorable restaurants with spectacular views and a charming, romantic beach that we still talk about today. The Mora, by contrast, feels oversized, impersonal and lacking in genuine hospitality. The marketing promises an exceptional luxury experience, but the reality falls well short. The marketing team deserves credit—they have created an impressive image. Sadly, the guest experience simply does not live up to it.