The Residence Zanzibar

Magnifique

We were staying here for our first 5 nights in Zanzibar during our 12-night holiday which was not following a safari, we were exploring the island, staying in different hotels. For anyone reading this review I feel it is as important to provide some trip advice which I have learnt from our trip; the reason being the island of Zanzibar is best described as RAW tourism and there are points that you will need to know before travel and selecting your hotel base. The visa process cannot be processed using the official Tanzanian tourism site and the e mail address is not monitored so at this time do not waste your time on the official site. We selected an established visa online service provider who we found to be excellent, providing the visas within 6 days. A word of caution there is some confusion regarding the ability to obtain your visa on arrival at the airport for $50, on check in with Fly Dubai they requested our visas and confirmed that it was mandatory to have a copy prior to boarding. During the flight visa application forms were distributed but only to selected passengers who were not referrals, my strong advice is to have it before you go. So, Raw tourism, well the island economy is 90% dependent on tourism and the authorities are in my personal view making some very poor decisions which will impact on tourism. As of the 1st of October 2024, you will now be required to purchase mandatory travel health insurance from a single source in Tanzania regardless of whether you have cover or your status at a cost of $44 for each person. Your stay will be taxed each day at $5 each day for each person, so for a 12 night stay you can add on $120 dollars. This meant our stay cost us $246 for visas, $120 tourist tax and you can now add on $88 for travel insurance making an extra charge of $454. We took low denomination US dollars and sufficient to pay expected charges and tips, if you decide to pay by credit card be prepared for 3 – 5% charges applied to every transaction and make sure you check, as on several occasions we were present when clients were hit with a 10% charge, which when challenged was reduced to 5%. When paying with US dollars ensure you request that prior to paying the change is provided in the same currency and not the local currency shillings; The difference is significant in value. The island may well establish itself as a tourist destination of choice for Honeymooners and post safari relaxation, with its current stance it will struggle to attract return visitors. My apologies for my opening which has nothing to do with the hotel, but these are things which travelling from the UK I wish I had known before I travelled. We selected The Residence to be our second hotel following 5 nights in the north. We had been unimpressed with the standard of our first hotel in the north but enjoyed the area and beaches. What a difference this hotel provided, our villa was modern and spacious, we loved the grounds which allowed us to see varied wild

I’m not the type to complain but I wanted to share my experience and explain the reality of this hotel it’s not what it shows on the pictures. This hotel wasn’t cheap to stay we stayed for 2 weeks and this is what we experienced • Hotel dark, dated and not very clean examples of the dining area toilets attached in the pictures and also the paintwork it's all over the tiles • The staff were friendly and helpful however the management and general manager very poor • The food was average, the dining room chairs were all warn need repainting or new ones need purchasing • The beach all covered in seaweed continuously (again not shown on advertisement) if you like going to the sea be prepared to walk a mile until you get to the sea •Parasols - the bottom of the parasols were rotten, which caused our parasol to fall on top of our sun beds luckily when this happened we was at breakfast and not lying on the sunbed. • Promenade - again wood rotten, missing bannisters. Part of the promenade was taped off because it was unsafe. Very wobbly. •Uneven Decking - in many places there was uneven decking, which causing people to trip and not very good for pushchairs or people requiring wheelchair access. •Swimming pool leaking - the hotel put G clamps on to hold the swimming pool together. They did their repair with glue and g clamp the next day which resulted to the repair being an eye sore. • Bathroom in hotel room - paint was flaking off looked like paint and being sprayed on it • Pallets For Tables - on the beach there were pallets lying around and used for table not very stable but again the cost of the hotel surely they can get tables on the beach. Would definitely not recommend this hotel. We went for the day at Gold Zanzibar and it was amazing!

Stayed here with my husband for a week in February 2023. Welcome was very warm, we were offered some refreshments right away and got to know the monkeys on the property. We arrived very early and were offerred to use the shower and pool while waiting for our room to be ready. Through out the stay the staff was incredibly polite and helpful, breakfast was delicious and options plentiful (buffet style). The cleaning staff arranged a couple of surprises during the stay (romantic bubble bath for example!). They kept the villas exceptionally clean, also the private pool. AC worked perfectly. Overall the villas were amazingly comfortable. We stayed in the Luxury Garden Pool Villa. Pool staff amazing as well! They regularly asked if everything was OK and if we needed anything. They also offered snacks (fruits). Dinner entertainment was cool and the food great, also buffet style. It was nice that the dinner venue changed. We had a late departure flight and we were kindly offered to keep our room later than normal check-out. We definitely recommend to stay here in Zanzibar!

Great location and excellent staff. Couldn't be more helpful and attended to any issues in a timely manner. Lodges were fabulous and the view was breathtaking. Food was varied and really good especially as my wife is quite selective on what she prefers to eat. Watch out for the colibus monkeys who can be quite annoying around your personal pool at the lodge and can open the inside shutter if you don't lock them from outside. Beach was amazing looking but difficult to swim in due to washed up coral and sea urchins. You need to use reef boots which are available for free from the hotel. Nice location but would probably prefer to be on North or Northwest/east coast of zanzibar for better beaches.