The Palms Zanzibar

My wife and I just completed a 4 day stay at the Palms after our Tanzania safari trip. After a hectic week on safari, the Palms was the perfect retreat to recharge our batteries. Siriak and his staff made us feel very welcome and the level of service and attention to detail is second to none. There are 7 individual villas onsite which allows the guests a lot of privacy whilst not feeling at all neglected. Each villa also has their own cabana next to the beach. At the pool, the staff bring amazing drinks pre lunch. Lunch and dinner are 3 options of starters and mains whilst Chef William is happy to adapt to any dietary issues one may have. The food each day was wonderful. Of an evening, a pre-dinner cocktail is delivered to the villa with that evenings dinner menu. Over our 3 night stay we had a sundowner, a caipirinha and a banana daiquiri whilst we decided on our dinner choice. Guests of the Palms can also use the facilities of the sister hotels,the Breezes and Baraza next door. If you're looking for an intimate place to spend time in Zanzibar look no further than the Palms.

This place is terrific. Personal, tailored service from start to finish. From management (Siriak, operations manager) through everyone on the staff, well, team, there is a keen desire to make sure your experience is perfect. The setting is stunning. The accommodations are beautiful and thoughtfully designed and executed. We have a few dietary issues that were 1) inquired about, and 2) taken very seriously. Quality of food is outstanding. I give this place my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.

Last month we spent an utterly perfect 5 days at the end of our honeymoon at The Palms. From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel like royalty. The staff are welcoming, attentive and always have a smile on their faces. Siriak, the operations manager, was always on hand to chat, check we were having a good day, and happy to sit and teach us how to play bao. The bar and waiting staff; Kibalabala, Jackson, Ngasa and Mau (apologies if any misspelt!) were wonderful, so kind and friendly and nothing was ever too much to ask. This is all without even having got on to describing the hotel itself, which is simply idyllic. There are only 7 bungalows, so the whole thing feels so intimate and exclusive. It is so quiet and peaceful, and you really feel like you’re the only people in the world, a feeling amplified by the staff who always made us feel so special. Our bungalow was so spacious and beautifully decorated, with a seating area, a gorgeous bathroom with free standing bath, a separate dressing room and a whole other bedroom and bathroom which we just used for storage! The little private terrace and mini pool was such a wonderful place to sit in the evenings before dinner. The communal areas, again, are beautiful. They are so thoughtfully decorated, such that they feel authentic and in keeping with the surroundings, but also modern. The pool area is lovely, with a little pool bar where lunch was served most days - however they like to shake things up occasionally and on one day we found our beach cabana transformed into a private beach dining area, and on another the staff created an entire wooden and palm-leaf structure right on the beach for everybody to have lunch under, with the waves lapping almost at our toes. Similarly the tables for dinner were moved to slightly different spots every night, which kept things exciting and interesting. Almost every night there was different entertainment, from live music to a talk on local history. The food itself was exceptional, hats off to Chef William! There was so much variety every day, and everything was cooked to perfection and presented beautifully. We could hardly move after five days of 4 course lunches and 5 course dinners every day! Similarly with the drinks - the bar staff are always on hand to create something delicious - we were big fans of the passionfruit mojitos! We really miss our morning non-alcoholic cocktails in our beach cabana and being brought our sundowners and canapés with the dinner menu every evening. I cannot find a single criticism of this place, and could talk about how wonderful it is all day. We have travelled a lot around the world, The Palms is hands-down our favourite. We hope to be back one day

We had a spectacularly relaxing week at The Palms. There are seven gorgeous villas, each with their own cabana and plunge pool. The villas are very spacious with excellent air conditioning. The staff were all very welcoming and the food was always delicious. We were very sad to leave.

Wonderful place, quite small but with big, comfortable beautiful houses. Close to the beach where you have your own cabana. Wonderful service and terrific surroundings. Closeby you have Barazza and Breezes hotels where you can find gym, spa and tennis! Only take a couple of minutes walk to get there. The Palms only have eight houses, which means that you really can relax and enjoy a place without a lot of tourists all around! We were really sad to leave this wonderful place and can absolutely recommend this if you want something extra. The tide is something special, but you need shoes when you walk in the ocean due to many seaurchins! We will definitely come back!

We stayed at The Palms 3 nights after a long safari to enjoy some beach time. PROS: The villa (Clove) was very spacious with bedroom, living room, day room, 2 bathrooms, 2 walk-in closets, and porch with a plunge pool. Also comes with private beach cabana. All areas of the property are kept immaculate and picturesque. All meals are 3 courses which are expertly prepared, plated, and served. (There are no quick and casual options should that be important for you.) A nice perk is the evening cocktail and menu service to take your order early. Beer, soda, tea, coffee and water provided in the minibar. All staff we encountered were friendly, helpful, and professional. The manager helped us set up a private sunset tour and snorkeling trip from neighboring properties. They also allowed us to have a late check out which we greatly appreciated. CONS: While the amenities provided covered the basics, they seemed a little scarce for such a luxury hotel; eg no dental kit, shaving kit, bar soap, slippers, or in-room snacks. We were told wine & champagne were included and available upon request, and we clarified this again when we ordered a bottle for our sunset cruise; however we were charged for it at checkout. I was under the impression we’d get service in the cabanas, but we had to walk up and order at the pool bar each time. The laundry service is not included but it was very efficient and affordable. Overall the Pros far exceeded the Cons and we would definitely recommend this place to friends traveling to Zanzibar.