Pongwe Bay Resort

We have just had a fabulous week at Pongwe Bay Resort. This is more like a wellness retreat than a hotel. The layout is fantastic. Our chalet/villa was situated on the beach within 50m of the magnificent restaurant and pool. The beach area is idyllic with ample palm tree seated shelters. A 300-meter wooden pier leads to 'The Club' a further restaurant/bar within the Indian Ocean. OUR VILLA We were in 302, which had a seated verandah, a 4 poster bed with mosquito netting. Ample space for clothing and luggage and a spacious bathroom. It was cleaned daily and also visited in the evening to turn down the bed. THE RESTAURANT/BAR It is an awesome structure that is aesthetically beautiful. There is plenty of room for everyone. The food was both varied and plentiful. Some evenings were a la carte and some buffet. Every other evening, an event took place, including a beach bbq, a poolside gala dinner, and a Masai show. THE POOL Beautifully clean with ample sunbeds and parasols. No deep end, so really safe, too. THE SPA Predominantly for a large selection of massages, but what massages they were. The best I've ever experienced. If all of the above sounds good, they all come a distant second to... THE PEOPLE Tanzanian people have a reputation for being super friendly, and Pongwe Bay has delved deep into that gene pool when recruiting staff. Everybody and I mean everybody was an absolute pleasure to be around, and the teamwork was so good to witness. The resort is owned and managed by Italians, and they have assembled a Tanzanian workforce to be very proud of. Everyone was so welcoming, and smiles were in abundance from morning to night from all quarters, whether that be the cleaners, waiters, reception, and bar staff to management. There are far too many to mention them all but a big shout out to the following who left a lasting impression. Manjeet - The ever cheerful restaurant manager with a great eye for detail. Carolina, Irene, and Jennifer - just 3 of many waiting staff, but these in particular always stopped by to chat and make sure we were happy. Janenth- Cocktail maker extraordinaire Openda & Fatima - the girls with magic hands. Seriously good masseuses!! Davide - Fabulously attentive member of the management team and a Laziale too!! To conclude, if you are looking for an active break with plenty to do, then this may not be for you. On the other hand, if you want one of the most peaceful, relaxing, and chilled times of your life, Pongwe Bay Resort ticks all the boxes. 5* all the way. Asante Sana.

We stayed here during our visit to Zanzibar. A beautiful place, great location, a walk to clean, well maintained beach. 5 mins walk to Kongowea Pier restaurant. Hotel rooms were great, cleaned daily, evening curtain drawn, insecticide sprayed, mosquito net drawn. Lovely relaxing porch, a ladder provided to hang swimming suits by the porch, Breakfast was well organised so was lunch and dinner. Pool was wonderful, small, exclusive and relaxing. The staff are amazing, friendly, helpful and always smiling My only frustration was the sand on the path, walking on with sandals at dinner time was always a challenge and frustrating but had to give in after a day, was time to relax so ditched the sandals and bare feet walking was the thing. Will definitely visit again.

It was fabulous love every moment of it