Tikitam Palms Boutique Hotel

Idyllic Boutique Hotel on the east coast of Zanzibar. The best hotel we’ve ever been to!Everything was very special. The staff are so friendly and attentive. The food is delicious. The rooms and pool are spotlessly clean. Ideally situally for diving at Mnemba and sightseeing. This is our 2nd visit and we will return again.

Few suites makes the time in Zanzibar a quiet relaxing rest after safaris. Beautifully decorated. Great food with a different specialty buffet menu each night by the ancient baobab hearing bushbabys around. What i missed was getting into the ocean. The beach is so small but in the morning you can walk an have the water at your ankles and see a lot of incredible sealife and reach small white sand banks. The room was simply perfect and private. Stayed at the Sultan Room. The staff give you extra attention to all your need. Excellent service. Far away from nearest town. Like 10 minutes drive.

We had 4 wonderful days at Tikitam Palms in complete peace and tranquility. There weren't many guests when we were there, so we usually had the entire pool area to ourselves and felt almost alone in the world during the daytime. There were a few more guests in the evening for dinner, which was pleasant. The area was absolutely fantastic with beautiful details in the rooms and buildings, and it was a lot of fun to see monkeys and other small animals in the outdoor area. We took a walk to the coral reef and strolled along the beach during low tide, visiting Kiwengwa. We borrowed a kayak for a paddle and swam in the sea from the small pier. Please note that there is no beach there, which we were aware of, so it was perfectly fine for us. The food was good, but considering that this is a 5-star hotel, there are a few things I would have preferred to be different. 1. An all-day a la carte breakfast option would be preferable. At this type of resort, it would be nice to choose when to have breakfast. 2. A la carte restaurant - in such a small place, it would be possible to have a menu to choose from, at least on some evenings instead of the semi-buffet style they have. Even though you could choose between meat and fish, etc. 3. More frequent visits from staff to the pool area to take drink and snack orders. 4. The swimming pier could be a bit easier to access, especially when it's a bit wavy. But all in all, a very pleasant stay, extremely relaxing with complete peace and quiet, good Wi-Fi, which is not always guaranteed in Zanzibar, excellent food, outstanding service, and friendly staff. We also enjoyed several delightful treatments at the hotel's spa, which we highly recommend.

If you cherish privacy, silence, a bit of wilderness and good cuisine you can’t go wrong with the place. Absolutely recommend the resort-stylish villas/rooms, great service, monkeys in the morning and cats in the evenings 😅 Greetings to all the hotel staff and hugs to Getrude😎

Last month my wife and I stayed at Tikitam Palms for 4 days. We were very excited when we arrived at the reception, but here we were well received. Pleasant and smiling people and we were given a tour on the way to the room. The Maasai who were on guard and who also carried our luggage came and shook our hands. Everyone who worked at the hotel was very nice and welcoming. The food is very tasty and exciting. The head chef always came to the table to either talk about what was on the menu or to get feedback. We had a nice room and it was clean and in a good condition. We had a short distance to the swimming pool where we enjoyed the silence apart from birdsong and the sound of the monkeys in the trees. After our stay at Tikitam Palms, we moved to a hotel by Nungwi beach. It was also good, but it is Tikitam Palms that we remember best and that we want to go back to.

The aim with our stay was to rest and relax and have a 5-star experience on Zanzibar. We have visited the island before, also in the Kiwenga area. Since being a Boutique Guest Owner myself, and my travel companion (son) having worked for top-rated Hilton’s and Seasons Resorts across EMEA, we very well know the requirements for meeting the star grading and the standards that need to be met, for a property like Tikitam to present itself as 5-star and for the apparent reviews and awards to be justified. Unfortunately, the complete opposite of what was expected, was offered, and our experience was nothing short of horrible, even now post check-out. WRONG ROOM TYPE: We specifically booked a twin room, and the hotel confirmed our request (via Agoda). Instead, the room had only a King-bed which we had to share. Reception / check-in staff was not even aware of the confirmed request, so it remains a mystery who then actually confirmed the room type. It was a huge discomfort for, and disrespectful towards me and my travel companion, to not have the room type we specifically booked and had confirmed. NO MANAGER, DUTY MANAGER, 2ND IN CHARGE ON PROPERTY There was literally no one on the property who could assist when we wanted to address our concerns. We had to wait 30 mins because in the reception area, where no one was present, and there is only a bell to ring. The in-room phone doesn’t work, so you cannot call the front desk or anyone from the property for that matter. And there is nearly no mobile signal. The only “manager” we could speak to, was Gertrude who is apparently the reservation manager, and based in Stone Town, about an hour away. We never met her, and only spoke on the phone via the receptionist. Cancellation & Refund Based on our experience, and the extensive list of shortcomings and sub-standard offerings (mentioned below), Getrude mentioned the entire booking would be cancelled from the Hotel’s side, and that we would be refunded in full. The only charge we would need to cover, would be the $5 per person Tourism Tax, which we paid in cash upon leaving. My son and the receptionist were also present when Getrude confirmed the cancellation conditions. There was no question about any “cancellation penalty” etc. – since all charges would be waived by the hotel and the hotel promised to send a confirmation email, to avoid any further confusion, which they did not. However, when I enquired through Agoda, apparently the Hotel went back on their word, did not initiate the cancellation as promised, demands a one night stay cancellation penalty and in fact no-one from the hotel contacted us directly after leaving. So you can imagine, not just having the bad experience at the hotel, but there is no care given even afterwards and severe dishonesty. We had to pay our own taxi to get to Kiwenga and find another hotel that could accommodate us (in peak season), and now this ongoing dispute and lengthy emails and messages regarding the stay is spoil