Seasons Lodge Zanzibar

It was nice and the staff were great

Season’s Lodge Pongwe. This is a curious place - very different from the corporate hotels lining the bay. It is seemingly built a while ago by a team of enthusiastic amateurs and tricky to find if you have your own transport. If you are a fan of switches and sockets where you need them it may be a problem in the two original rooms above reception. You can pay $30 a night more to stay in the bungalows lining the clifftop, which are of much higher quality. The site appears to have been extended along the seafront, with dining facilities at the far end in a breezy spot, with a comfortable seating area and a bar. A problem with low, then no water pressure in our original room recurred and we were eventually moved into one of the cottages. Food is good and not too expensive, starters $5, main meals $15. There isn’t much alternative provision nearby and the village which lines the dusty road is little more than a row of shacks with local housing. Wi-Fi is good, but there is no TV. Ideal if you want a quiet stay. At high tide there is almost no beach, and at low, the sea retreats about 400m beyond the rock pools and seaweed farmer’s plots. The one thing which I found disappointing was the fact that bottles of purified water in the rooms was charged at $1 per bottle when we left.

Loved everything about this. We had the best villa and it was 100% like the photos. Such a perfect getaway. Also the service was amazing and they handled everything for us, from pick up to drive to airport and a trip to see dolphins. Very happy