Customer Reviews

"This was best experience of a life time. Exotic V. I want to congratulate you on being so professional and everything went according to plan. Salome - Your are the best. Mtoni Marine realy is something to see. We went to other resorts and Mtoni really are the best.Their Restaurants have the best foods ever and most friendly staff. Again - Well done and will recommend EV to anyone"

Bennie M., November 2007 · Mtoni Marine

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"In hindsight and having spent time on the main Island, Chapwani was an excellent choice for us - especially with having a 5-year-old along. Chapwani Island became our refuge from the noise and chaos of the main island, and after spending time in Stone Town and on excursions we couldn't wait to get back to our little piece of paradise! The staff (with special mention to Maura, Catherine and Ray) were incredible, especially with Kayla, and our every need was met with a smile."

Lara B., October 2007 · Chapwani Private Island Hotel

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"Changuu Private Island is really a piece of paradise on earth..... Each guest is welcomed with a fresh, ice cold cocnut with a straw to drink the juice. After we were personally escorted to our room by management we started enjoying the seclusion, privacy, beauty and magic of the island. We could safely swim right in front of our room where we saw angel fish and brightly coloured star fish! The food at Mathew's Restaurant is delicious and Mr T., the executive chef, spoiled us with the most excellent dishes prepared especially for us. Thank you Roger and Marina (managers)for giving us excellent service and for making our stay on your island extremely pleasant. We will never forget our romantic holiday for our 40th birthdays! Teunis and Hanlie V. South africa"

Hanlie V., October 2007 · Changuu Private Island

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"Dear Stephie, we herewith confirm, that we survived the trip to Nosy Be and back. The arrangements made from your side were 100% and we had no problems; thank you very much. However all flights to and from Madagascar were delayed: arrival at Hotel in Antananarivo was 24:30, fortunatly the hotel could at this time in the "morning" still supply a bottle of the famous "3 Perde" beer. Meet and greet at the airport by the hotel's driver was perfect, the airports "luggage porters" were however a bit sticky and even followed me to the foreign exchange counter, allmost keeping body contact. In Nosy Be we were picked up by Dr. H. who gave us a little "guided tour" on the way to Chanty Beach. The accomodation was very suitable for us and our host was extreemly accomodating and even offered me his speer gun, which I could use succsessfully on a rather small but very tasty fish. All food served by Mrs. H. was excellent. We also tried the food at Corail Noir and Sakatia Passion, both were good. The food supplied as part of our excoursion to Loko Be was hygenically very doubious and some people have to stay for 1-2 days in close proximity of an acceptable toilet which is not so easy on Nosy Be. Diving was good around Nosy Tanikely, with plenty of corals, fish and turtels; a better location but deeper was a reef some km off Nosy Sakatia. Diving is very easy on Nosy Be, not to be compared with diving in Cape Town waters. Some other tourists which we met on the island were a bit disappointed about the relative undeveloped status and one must say, that some of the taxis are by far not roadworthy. We enjoied our stay very much including Andoany. Thank you for your recommendation. Please let us know if you would like to have more pictures. Best regards Regina and Klaus W."

Klaus W., October 2007 · Chanty Beach Hotel

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"Hi! It is quite delayed yet I would like to thank you all for arranging such a great trip. Starting with our first interaction with Exotic Vacations till the day we actually fly to Zanzibar we were impressed with the professionalism and proactiveness of your Company, yet honestly we were not expecting that level of professionalism from Zanzibar operations. The travel was smooth, pick-ups/drop-offs were well organized, reception at the hotel was warm. And Mtoni was such a great place to stay! Not only authentic in style, but also comfortable and clean, providing a really quality service with always smiling and helpful team. They were also very well organized and they have a great Travel Desk that helped us providing lots of outdoor options and organizing them. You can pass our gratefulness for their services to Mtoni as well. Again thanks a lot! In the meantime, could you please also provide me some options for a Madagascsr trip? I am looking for a sight-seeing trip in Madagascar – not a sun/sand and beach trip. Of course with diving arrangements. Talk to you soon! M. Alper K."

Alper K., October 2007 · Mtoni Marine

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"We had a GREAT time in Madagascar. I can really recommend La Petite Traversee on Ill d’ Nattes. It is well managed and a awesome location, away from tourist hordes!"

Hein K., October 2007 · La Petite Traversee

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"Dear Salome We were very impressed by the friendliness of the local people. We arrived in the dark and were driven thru a very delapidated village, coming from RSA, we all thought we were being hijacked and were petrified until we reached the gateway of the Coral Rock Hotel. Clean Bungalows, air-conditioning, bar fridge, fan, mosquito net over bed which was strewn with beautiful flowers and clean fresh linen, whew what a relief. We neednt have worried as the locals are so friendly and the children only want pens if you speak to them, they do not beg. The next time if we go there we will take some breakfast cereal, which we all rather missed and a kettle in the room for early morning coffee. For a budget hotel, though, it was right on the beach, who can ask for more, except the TV which was not working so we had to catch up on the rugby scores by other means. Thank you for all your help and organising us from so far away, so efficiently.....highly recommended. Thanks again regards Ray and Moira G."

Moira G., October 2007 · Coral Rock Beach Bungalows

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"Firstly, I just have to say that I am not happy to be back at work. We had a fantastic holiday and it was with a lot of regret that we left Zanzibar. I would recommend this vacation to everyone. As far as the service from yourselves – it was outstanding. When we arrived there was someone waiting for us to take us to the hotel even after our flight landed an hour late. The hotel was fantastic and so were all the staff. The only ‘complaints’ that we have were how expensive it was to just get a taxi to Stone Town through the hotel. The hotel charged $45 per person to be taken to Stone Town and returned to the hotel. Also, the diving & snorkelling prices through the dive centre based at the hotel were astronomical. We found a snorkelling expedition through one of the other resorts nearby which was almost half the price of Ocean Paradise. Also, for a five star hotel there was a certain amount of upkeep that hadn’t been done. Nothing major but things like pool towels were old and shabby, the pool, although sparkling needed some maintenance. The other thing that we found with the staff was that there was an expectation to be tipped. My partner went to one of the daily organised events (to learn to play BAO) and afterwards the staff member asked him for a tip. This is not great when you are on holiday and everything that you do you feel that you have to tip for. Also, there were a couple of discrepancies on our final bill, which we were warned by another couple to double check, but which was sorted out by the hotel. Apart from those small things I have to say that we really did have a good time. Thank you very much for everything and I will definitely recommend you to anyone interested in going on an exotic vacations. Regards Debbie"

Debbie M., October 2007 · Ocean Paradise Resort

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

"Hi Heidi Just wanted to drop a short note to you to let you know about the fantastic service I have had from Salome thus far. I have been struggling for 2 weeks to sort out my honeymoon with various so called “Internet Travel Agents” with no success, Salome managed to get everything done and dusted within 1 day, Hotel, Flights, Passports, Insurance all sorted out. And when I had to change the itinerary at the last moment she did it gladly! I know this sounds like just another complimentary email, but I really just want to get across that you guys have got the formula right and the right kind of people to fit that formula! Fast, Efficient and Friendly! I will be telling all my friends about your company and will definitely use you guys again when I recover from the financial drain of my wedding! Regards Richard"

Richard W., October 2007 · Karafuu Beach Resort & Spa

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"Hi Heidi Just wanted to drop a short note to you to let you know about the fantastic service I have had from Salome thus far. I have been struggling for 2 weeks to sort out my honeymoon with various so called “Internet Travel Agents” with no success, Salome managed to get everything done and dusted within 1 day, Hotel, Flights, Passports, Insurance all sorted out. And when I had to change the itinerary at the last moment she did it gladly! I know this sounds like just another complimentary email, but I really just want to get across that you guys have got the formula right and the right kind of people to fit that formula! Fast, Efficient and Friendly! I will be telling all my friends about your company and will definitely use you guys again when I recover from the financial drain of my wedding! Regards Richard"

Richard W., October 2007

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"Hi Salome ……….. we arrived back late last night ………. Clearing out my emails and your address popped up …………….. just to let you know we were VERY happy in the resort and would recommend it highly to anyone looking for holiday like that ………… the accommodation and meals were super, plenty of staff to see to your every need and we enjoyed the fact that it is a very low key resort re noise and entertainment - although there was always something on offer ………….. Thanks again Lesley v.N."

Lesley N., October 2007 · Ocean Paradise Resort

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"Hi Salome Firsdtly, let me start by thanking you for everything you did and all the arrangements. The whole trip was magical and the wedding brilliant. Mtoni Marine is excellent value for money comparedto much else on the island and Mbweni organised a SPECTACULAR wedding - their ruined church and the gardens as well as lower deck for the reception is the PERFECT wedding setup! Ingrid looked awesome - we will send you a picture some time. Also, I strongly recommend Chumbe island as a real magical Robinson Crusoe escape that is NOT to be missed. It is quite special and remarkable. Thanks again - the trip has been great and we owe you a great deal of thanks (and a box of chocolates). JP S."

Jp S., October 2007 · Mtoni Marine

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"Hi Salome Ek vat nog nie grond vandat ons terug gekom het van Zanzibar af nie. Wil net graag vir jou baie dankie sê vir al die uitstekende reëlings. Alles het volt verloop en ons het geen probleme gehad nie. Wens ek het jou in die Kaap gehad sodat ek my besigheidstrips ook deur jou kon bespreek!!! Dit was absoluut heerlik, ek en my man het ons gate uit geniet. Was ‘n regte second honeymoon!! Hulle het ons ge-upgrade na ‘n beter kamer en die diens en gasvryheid was van uitstaande gehalte. Ek beveel jou by al my pelle aan. Nogmaals baie dankie vir alles Regards, Maretha W."

Maretha W., October 2007 · Bluebay Beach Resort

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"Hi there! The honeymoon was absolutely fantastic and better than we could ever have imagined. Everything went smoothly and all services provided top class! Thanks for assisting in making our honeymoon something that we will never forget! Excellent resort as well with excellent service! Will also load some photo’s! Kind Regards Marialda"

Marialda S., October 2007 · La Pirogue Mauritius

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"We had a relaxing time at Princesse Bora. Was a bit tricky not knowing French, as the hotel staff cannot really speak english. But management can speak good english so we got by ok. Princess Bora is a beautiful hotel on a really stunning island. We relaxed, ate, slept, and generally just chilled out. The food at Princess Bora is excellent, especially the dinners! It was definitely one of my best holidays. We recommend that people spend some time on the nearby Ile Aux Nattes - it is a tropical paradise island (only about 1km from Princess Bora). The Sainte Marie locals are friendly and generally don't hassle tourists. We loved our time in Saint Marie Island. Beautiful, a bit rough around the edges, but all in all a very relaxing, rejuvenating, and peacful time. If you want to get away from commercial tourist destinations then this is the place."

Russell L., October 2007 · Princesse Bora Lodge

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

"We only stayed at the Guest house for one night. The room and the service was good. Also, the hosts were very friendly. We did not get to see much of the town except to visit one of the local markets which we found very interesting. Thank You!"

Alfred K., October 2007 · Country View Guest House

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5)

"Well, we had a super time. Nosy Be Island is amazing and so are the people.Very friendly and honest.the towns of Madirokely and Hellville is very delapidated and is in desperate need of new infrastructure.We hired a motor cycle for transport, because the roads are so bad. But we loved it because we could set to places most tourists would not see, such as the Volcanic lakes, Mont Passot and all the little villages in remote places. We also did a boat excursion to Nosy Komba & Tany kely. The most impressive experience on the excursion was the spread of food served on the beach. The Madiro hotel where we stayed was pretty average and so was the service. Thank You!"

Alfred K., October 2007 · Madiro Hotel

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

"Our experience with Exotic Vacations and Coral Rock was more than we had expected!! The resort was beautiful and well managed, and after exploring the rest of the island we discovered that we really had chosen one of the best spots for our holiday! The excursions that were offered from the hotel were all really worth while, and were provided by experienced guides. The only issue that we had on our holiday was seating in the aeroplane, as Air Tanzania had overbooked the planes and we ended up not having seats, and so were moved around alot. This is perhaps something worth looking into. That, however, was not enough to taint the wonderful experience that we had in Zanzibar."

Kirsten S., October 2007 · Coral Rock Beach Bungalows

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

"Mtoni Marine is an excellent affordable place to stay in Zanzibar. Close to Stone Town, yet out of the bussy centre of "town" and on the apparantly "not so popular" west coast. The atmosphere, staff, environment, food, arrangements for transport etc are all great at Mtoni! Some people might find the food a bit expensive but we never had a bad meal. The Sushi Bar caters for all types of customers: pizzas, pastas, steaks, chicken dishes, sea food, sushi etc. The bar has big screen TVs that broadcast all popular sport events. What I liked about the island is the friendly and welcome atmosphere. I felt extremely safe where ever we went and finding transport e.g. a taxi was very easy. Using the dalla dallas (transport for the locals) is not advisable but if you like exploring, try it once. It is important to negotiate prices with everybody, whether purchases at the market, taxi transport, tour guides etc. The mozzis are there but they did not managed to kill us!! I will definitely visit this place again."

Daleen C., September 2007 · Mtoni Marine

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"It was a wonderful experience. The atmosphere was so relaxing, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I was a bit dissappointed with the organised tours so next time (hopefully)I would be careful with who the tours are booked with. However this did not spoil anything about my vacation. The weather was perfect and it made the vacation even more perfect. The beach boys did become a bit bothersome but I manage to get the hang of brushing them off. I simply loved Stone Town. The history behind the Town is fascinating, we loved it so much that we went back to explore the town. Coming back we had issues with the Charter flight which was a bit unnerving because we were not sure what was happening. All in all it was a great experience."

Nadia K., August 2007 · Ocean Paradise Resort

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

"Hi Salome This is an ideal way to see Zanzibar. A romantic island experience with the very best of Stone Town. Being able to visit Stone Town as often as you like without having to stay there was ideal for us, The Kids loved the boat ride and we could manage how long we spent there. Being able to retreat from a hot and bustling Stone Town to our breezy secluded island was just perfect. The island was ideal for our children, all the freedom they wanted in complete safety. The people of Chipwani are wonderful. They make you feel so welcome in their own quiet way. Nicole and Michael run things beautifully. The food was glorious. Great snorkeling and swimming right off the island. I would highly recommend this for anyone wanting to visit Zanzibar. Robin M."

Robin M., August 2007 · Chapwani Private Island Hotel

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"My clients had a wonderful time in laid-back Zanzibar at the lovely Blue Bay Beach Resort & Spa. We went in June and fortunately for us we arrived just after the rainy season and before peak holidaymakers season so we really got to make the most of the beach and resort facilities. The staff all spoke impeccable English whilst the locals (selling their wares on the beach and performing Henna tattoos!) were very enteraining and also spoke very good English. The journey from SA was a bit long, having to stop over in Dar Es Salaam and then take a charter flight from Dar to Zanzibar and I would be more inclined to return if I could get a direct flight. Salome at Exotic Vacations was very knowledgable and helpful. Thank you for assisting us in putting together a lovely Travel Incentive for our clients."

Jacqui C., July 2007 · Bluebay Beach Resort

Our service: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

"Dear Michelle, Just a word of THANK YOU to you for the outstanding, quick, professional friendly service that you provided us! It was the experience of a lifetime ! But without your help it wouldn't have been so easy !! For the Exotic vbacations, I will always in future use Michelle or Exotic vacations for trips and will always refer my friends and collueges. Mauritius is the most WONDERFULL relaxing vacatio I've ever had, and it is so beautiful, one can't explain in words to anyone how awesome my experience was !"

Natascha B., July 2007 · Sugar Beach Mauritius

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

"Fabulous is how we would describe our stay at Zanzibar Palace. We spent two days in Stone Town after our holiday at Coral Rock and to us Zanzibar Palace depicts the essence of Stone Town. The owners, Marion and Sebastian bought it as an empty shell and renovated it in accordance with the Arabic and Indian influences which are the predominant building styles in Stone Town. It was like giving a step back in time with all the mod cons! Added to that were the friendliness of the owners, and the absolutely scrumptious breakfasts which all contributed to our wonderful stay at the hotel. We did a tour of Stone Town which is a must, whereafter my husband managed to unravel the confusion of the winding and criss-cross little streets without names to enable us to find our way around. There is a night market where people sell food, perfectly save to walk through, but we were warned not to eat there as some unfortunate guests had contracted food poisoning. The night market is not to be missed and I must confess on our last night we were persuaded to have the chocolate and banana pizza which was a lovely desert after our meal at Dhow Palace earlier. I am happy to say that we did not suffer any unfortunate after effects. Then we had coffee and spice tea at one of the hotels and as we walked back to our hotel we were quite sad that our wonderful holiday had to come to an end!"

Mariana S., July 2007 · Zanzibar Palace Hotel (Stone Town)

Our service: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)