Customer Reviews

"We prepared ourselves for the worst, having read about "culture shock" but our experience at Coral Rock was very much Hakuna Matata. We felt welcome and were received with the utmost friendliness by the hotel staff as well as the villagers. The view at Coral Rock is unsurpassed and when the tide pulls back you can walk along the beach for kilometres. Jambiani village relies heavily on tourism for its source income, so we tried to support them wherever possible. We bought water and mosquito spray in the village, and also took a taxi (arranged by the hotel) to Paje for lunch one day. We went on a village tour with Eco Tours (just keep on walking and ask someone where Mandla is) where we visited a school, saw the herb garden and also the "herb doctor". We felt very safe at Coral Rock, as its location makes it difficult for all and sundry to just "walk through". We went on Chicken's dhow and although we slapped the sunscreen on we sunburnt a little bit too much for our liking. Kassiem is the person to speak to about day tours at the hotel. He is very obliging and goes the extra mile to guarantee satisfaction. He arranged a "sundowner cruise" for us where we saw the mangroves (trees growing in the salty seawater), and had the most fabulous dinner afterwards. We also went to Nungwe to see how they build the dhows, not much to see as far as the dhows go, but we saw as much as possible of Zanzibar island and it was a lovely drive (which took the whole day) and we had a fantastic lunch. It was a pleasure to arrange the day trips with Kassiem and Ali and I can recommend the whole experience at Coral Rock without hesitation. Very laid back, no plastics, no motor boats just informal and friendly service."

Mariana S., July 2007 · Coral Rock Beach Bungalows

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

"Verblyf by Amaan Kendwa, noord-Zanzibar, Julie 2007. Ons reisreëlings deur Exotic Vacations was uitstekend en alles het vlot verloop. Ons is in Dar ontmoet, blitsvinnig by doeane en paspoortbeheer verbygevat, en met 'n bussie na Coastal Aviation se vertrekpunt geneem. Dit bly steeds 'n lang dag om op Kendwa te kom, met die oorklim op die klein vliegtuig op Dar en die ryery op regte Afrika paaie op na die noorde van Zanzibar. Maar die klein vliegtuig was weer lekker in die sin van die pragtige uitsigte op die eiland. Een tas is deur Coastal Aviation in Dar vergeet, maar het gelukkig 20 minute later met 'n volgende vlug opgedaag. Die Amaan Kendwa se ligging aan die weskus is baie mooi, 'n pragtige strand waar die getye nie so baie verskil nie, en mens dus heeldag in die helder turkooisblou water kan swem. Weens die koraalrif, is daar nie juis branders nie. Baie lekker vir kinders.In Julie was daar vanjaar nogal heelwat wind en bewolkte weer en selfs reenbuie amper elke dag, maar ons kon darem meeste dae ook lekker in die son lê. Daar word gedurig aan die hotel opgeknap en alles was skoon en die hotelletjie verbasend beter toegerus as wat ons verwag het: haardroër, lugversorging, dakwaaier, strandhanddoeke,ketel,yskas, muskietnette en lekker groot beddens.Die klerekas baie klein en mens leef dus uit jou tas: jammer! Die Garden Rooms is heeltemal aanvaarbaar, ek dink nie 'n see-uitsig sou so 'n verskil gemaak het nie, veral nie die Seaview kamers nie: hulle is nogal heel ver van die strand af. Die skoonmaakdiens was goed. Ons het net soms gewens hulle wil dit doen wanneer ons gaan eet sodat ons nie later in die oggend in mekaar se pad is nie. Die ontbyt was lekker genoeg en die restaurantetes orals in die omgewing gewoonlik goed hoewel porsies oor die algemeen klein is. Die vis was heerlik, veral die 'red snapper' en dorado in die Amaanhotel se Taj Mahal restaurant op die strand. Die afstand na Nungwi was verder as wat vertel word, nl 3 km strandlangs. Maar mens kan net met laagwater stap en kan dus nie Nungwi toe en maklik terug nie. Jy moet of 'n boot of taxi huur, ten duurste, of regte bundu bashing binnelands doen: nie aan te beveel nie. 'n Gratis shuttle deur die hotel is slegs vir lughawe maar sou nogal handig wees vir Nungwi.Maar dan weer, moet mens die verskriklike slegte pad ry! (2km na grootpad) Hoewel Kendwa 'n hele aantal eetplekke en stalletjies het, is daar in Nungwi heelwat meer eetplekke en markte, die bootbou-aktiwiteite op die strand en die klein seeskilpad-akwarium, wat alles 'n besoek werd is. Vanaf Kendwa kon ons op snorkeluitstappies gaan, ook na die pragtige rif naby Mnemba-eiland aan die ooskus. Ons het 'n dag Stonetown toe gery met 'n bussie wat spesiaal met ons gery het en heeldag vir ons beskikbaar was. (mens knibbel maar oral oor die prys) Die pakket was m.i. baie bekostigbaar. Die lughawebelasting vir Jhb en Dar was ingesluit in die SAL vliegkaartjie en die enigste verdere lughawebelasting was die $5 pp op die twee Coastal vlugte. Die geelkoorsinspuiting bly 'n totale rip-off met die staat wat redeneer 'mense wat reis, kan die 'travel clinics' bekostig. (Maak nie saak dat die staat sy inkomste uit ons belastings kry nie). Een persoon uit die groep moes sy sertifikaat wys: mens kan dus nie waag om dit nie maar te laat doen nie. Dit was 'n heerlike ontspanne vakansie in 'n basiese hotel met 'n mooi ligging."

Eleine R., July 2007 · Amaan Kendwa

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

"Mumbo Island is paradise! We spent 7 nights on the island and cannot have asked for a better holiday. It is a real down to earth holiday away from civilisation so if you are looking for glitz and glamour and shopping, don't go to Mumbo, but if you are somebody that enjoys nature and the sound of fish eagles calling, this is the place to be!!! The food is superb home cooking, the staff are very friendly and the setting is the best!!!"

Lieze M., July 2007 · Mumbo Island

Our service: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5) · Hotel: ★★★★★ (5 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., July 2007

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

"Hi there Stephnie Hope you are well. Am now back in the world of reality and brrrr its cold in SA. We had a really wonderful time at Princesse Bora Lodge. It is really a fabulous place to go to and to be honest the only place to go on Sainte Marie. Very luxurious, excellent food, drinks and the staff were fantastic and friendly. There are quite a few other hotels on Sainte Marie ... but not nearly as good, most are just basic bungalows, mostly with shared facilities. Okie has a really nice place on Ile Aux Natt. Cheers for now and thanks for all your help in making the trip so great !"

Nikky M., July 2007

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

"that was a fantastic holiday !!!"

Joachim K., July 2007 · Shandrani Beachcomber Resort & Spa

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

"We had the most amazing time! We loved the hotel, and all the people of Zanzibar.The snorkelling trip to Mnemba was FANTASTIC! We will go back to just do that trip again. All the staff at Mnarani are so friendly, and will go out of their way to make your stay more enjoyable. Thank you so much to Salome at Exotic for organizing everything for us. You were fantastic, and made everything so easy. We will definately be using you again in the future!!"

Sharon D., June 2007 · Mnarani Beach Cottages

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

"Thank you very much for organizing a wonderful honeymoon trip to Madagascar. We had a stunning time and everything went very smoothly (transfers etc.). Chanty Beach was the perfect spot, very peaceful and quiet with a beautiful garden and a lovely beach. The room (bungalow) was great too, very spacious and private with a gorgeous view from the terrace. The breakfast was simple (fresh fruit, baguette, jam and honey, tea & coffee – you pay extra for juices or cooked breakfast) but always very nice and sufficient. We also had dinner a couple of times and it was always delicious, mainly fish & seafood! Chanty Beach is the perfect place for honeymooners - we very much enjoyed the tranquility, long walks along the beach, lazing in the garden and going for a swim at sunset! We were very happy with the efficiency of Exotic Vacations. Having booked a full holiday on the internet for the first time we would have appreciated a bit more information about the procedure (travel documents etc.) and I had to phone once to follow up. I was a bit disappointed that we had to stay in Tana the last night. Our travel consultant made us believe that there is no same day connection Nosy Be – Tana, Tana – Jo’burg, however there was another couple staying at Chanty Beach who got the direct connection; we met at the airport in Tana and were on the same plane to Johannesburg. From last Saturday on there is a direct flight from Johannesburg to Nosy Be, which makes things a lot easier! We will definitely be back!"

Tina E., June 2007 · Chanty Beach Hotel

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

"Arriving in Zanzibar is quite a culture shock!! :) but it doesn't take long for the friendly locals and the Exquisite view to take over and before you know it your are relaxing and baking in the warm sun. Coral Rock Hotel was absolutely fabulous. Thanks to the Wonderful friendly staff that made our stay as perfect as it was. The day tours offered by Kasim and the snorkling offered by Chicken are a deffinate must for all guests. I highky recommend Coral Rock for an amazing uncommercialized stay in Zanzibar. You realy get to experiance the Isalnd!!! Thanks"

Janet S., June 2007 · Coral Rock Beach Bungalows

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

"A very big thank you to Exotic Vacations and to Beachcomber for a fantastic holiday. We had spent about 2 months prior to contacting EV trying to get quotes out of agents in Durban. What a nightmare. I had seen the EV website while I was researching hotels, so decided to contact them. This was one of the best things I have ever done. Dealing with EV was an absolute pleasure - prompt replies to our requests for quotes, quoting on what we asked for (you will not believe how often we got quotes that did not cover everything we asked for) and, our holiday booked and confirmed within 3 days. Thank you EV - keep up the good work. We spent 6 days/7 nights at Beachcomber's Le Cannonier. This is a beautiful, well-run hotel. From the moment we arrived, when we were greeted with juice and cold towels, to the moment we left we had a fantastic holiday. The staff were friendly, helpful and nothing seemed like too much trouble. We spent most of our time lying on the beach and swimming. The beaches are rocky, but we were expecting this and had our rubber shoes. With these on we could swim out far into the calm, blue lagoon. We also bought some goggles and snorkels (an absolute must) and enjoyed some excellent snorkelling just off the beaches. I must mention the food. We were on the All-Inclusive package. This is really the way to enjoy a holiday - never having to worry about the size of bill you are running up. Some people have asked us if we had good food on this package. We ate at both restaurants at the hotel, and the food at both was excellent - very fresh, properly prepared and presented and a large selection of food. I do not normally eat fish, but I had fish each day for lunch and supper. Freshest fish I have ever eaten. Our only complaint is that 6 days went by to quickly and the holiday was over too soon. Thank you Exotic Vacations and Beachcomber for a fantastic holiday."

Janette H., June 2007 · Canonnier Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa

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

"Thanks for your help with the planning of our Zanzibar holiday, we really appreciated it. Kendwa is the most excellent beach to be on, west facing, calm, warm and lots of restaurants and places. Sayd of the transfer company was most knowledgable and gave us tons of information about the island. And the flights and transfers worked very well, Coastal air was fine, very organised and quick. So it was a good choice of resort and companies. Regards, Thomas"

Thomas A., June 2007 · Amaan Kendwa

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

"Hi Salome Just to let you know that we had a lovely trip to Malawi, our accommodation at Palm Beach was great and all flights and connections went according to plan, thanks to you. For your future reference I would like to advise that the road trip from the airport to Palm Beach or Club Makakola is a nightmare (approx 4 hours of mega potholes) but there is a Air Malawi flight which costs only a few USD more and which flies direct from Lilongwe or Blantyre to Club Makakola which is only 12km from Palm Beach - this is definately a much better option. Thanks once again, I can really recommend your Palm Beach accommodation - real value for money! regards Cheryl B."

Cheryl B., May 2007 · Palm Beach

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

"Club Mak is a wonderful place to just relax and unwind. The staff are very friendly and always helpful. The rooms are fine. They do however need to put in airconditioners at some stage. (they have overhead fans) The food is excellent and plentiful. Drinks and bottled are reasonably priced. I think cheaper than in South Africa. Some of the excursions are very expensive by South African Rand standards, but there are some that are reasonable. It is one of the few resorts that I will most definitely go back to. We had a wonderful relaxing holiday."

Donnalee S., April 2007 · Club Makokola

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

"Malawi was excellent. Accomodation at Club Mak was very good and the service and friendliness of the staff wonderful. Resort facilities where fine with variety of water sport activities on offer. Would certainly recommend it as an alternative to places like Mauritius. Only gripe I have was the transfer from Lilongwe to Club Mak took 5 hrs! On the return we caught an Air Malawi charter from Club Mak to Lilongwe ($80-00/person)."

Barry O., April 2007 · Club Makokola

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

"What an experience!!!!! This was a fantastic holiday filled with snorkelling and swimming and spending lazy days relaxing on a deck chair on the beach. Visiting the islands is spectacular. Feeding lemurs and seeing brightly coloured chameleons and thousands of colourful tropical fish in the bluest water is just breathtaking!!! And as an added bonus you leave speaking a fair amount of French!!"

Jacqui V., April 2007 · Nose Be Hotel

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

"We went to Shandrani for 2weeks end of March, beginning April, and we had a lovely time. The people were extremely friendly and helpfull. The weather was fantastic. Lots of restaurants to choose from and lots to do especially for the kids. I would suggest that people should take the all inclusive pck, it is quite expensive if you dont, and then they also need to go on a catamaran outing, holiday wont be the same if you dont experience it, and the crocodile farm was also an nice experience if you've got small children."

Nina K., April 2007 · Shandrani Beachcomber Resort & Spa

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

"What an experience! Heidi, thank you for all the arrangements. Although Hotel Alpha is only a 2 star, it is truly good value for money with very friendly staff. We never felt that we were not looked after and no photo's can do Zermatt justice. We were only booked for 5 nights but extended our stay by 2 nights. We forgot that it is Easter Weekend and couldn't find accommodation for Friday night. Therefore Plan B: Stay in the Iglo Hotel. What an experience, although very cold. We had a cheese fondue the evening and breakfast at the Riffelberg Hotel the next morning. I would advice all to do this for one night, but please remember to go for a swim in the whirlpool before getting into your sleeping bag otherwise it will take too long to warm up :) I must be honest, we weren't too confident that the ski conditions will still be so good in April, but it was STUNNING!!! With enough slopes, one never realized just how many people there were on the slopes untill all were queing to get back to town! But even then, you can always ski down. I would like to thank Heidi for an unforgettable holiday."

Madri S., April 2007 · Hotel Alpha

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

"Greetings Salome, We got back from our honeymoon last night and had an absolutely amazing time at the Ocean Paradise Resort in Zanzibar. I would just like to thank you from Brenda and me for all your help to make this trip possible and great. Thanks Greg Barrett-Smith"

Greg B., April 2007 · Ocean Paradise Resort

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

"We were very happy with our holiday choice, the guidance of Exotic Vacations was superb. What a fantastic Definately ask about the sunset cruize when you are there, it is beautiful. The best thing about Mtoni Marine was the sunsets - simply unforgettable. We also stayed at Boabab Beach bungalos, which have the best beaches and ocean views. Take a trip to the Mnemba Islands, the snorkeling was amazing. Thank you to Exotic vacations, we will definately use you on our next trip! Graham and Bells"

Graham Y., March 2007 · Mtoni Marine

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

"Although the weather was extremely hot and humid when we were there, we had a very memorable stay at Casa del Mar Jambiani. My sister, daughter and I shared a room during our 5 day stay due to the fact that the hotel was fully booked and we were unable to get the single and double room we’d requested. We were allocated a ground floor room and I would suggest that where possible you recommend to any of your guests that they try for an upstairs room which provides a better view and I would imagine would also be cooler. Because the two accommodation buildings face each other, the rooms tend not to benefit from the breeze coming off the sea. This is particularly evident in the case of the ground floor rooms, where the fairly lush vegetation in the form of a garden although providing a certain amount of privacy, further diverts any passing breeze. All rooms are equipt with an overhead fan, however we found these to be fairly ineffectual with no control device with which to increase the speed of the fan and in order to maximize the effects of the air movement the fan provided, we slept without mosquito nets and with our heads towards the center of the room in an attempt to try and keep cool. We did however love the choice of the basic rustic furnishings at Casa del Mar as opposed to the rather heavy dark Zanzibarian furniture typically found in most hotels on the island. The buildings themselves are cleverly designed by one of the architect owners and have a lovely light rustic feel with thatched roofs and palm woven doors adding to the whole beach experience. I would certainly go back to stay at Casa del Mar Jambiani. The food was very good and the staff were warm, friendly and helpful. One point however I feel should be made clear on both the hotel’s website and on Exotic Vacations website, is the fact that Casa del Mar is a “dry” hotel with no alcohol being sold on the premises. Fortunately in our case this was picked up by my daughter through one of the guests’ comments she’s read, otherwise we would not have been aware of this fact and would have been extremely disappointed when we sat down to dinner and ordered a bottle of wine. With this pre-warning we arrived with an ample supply of wine we’d brought with us from South Africa which proved to be a huge saving to us, wine being a very expensive commodity in Zanzibar. Some of the guests were not so lucky and we were aware of the wistful glances from new arrivals as we were delivered a bottle of chilled wine to our table at dinner-time. Alcohol is available at the beach bars of Jambiani but it comes at a price and normally in the form of beer. So providing one knows about this fact in advance, it can be a huge saving to visitors. Casa del Mar Jamiani provides a welcome “get away from it all” experience and guests can either opt for one of the many local tour options available or simply “chill out’ at the hotel with a good book on one of the many sun beds provided at the hotel’s beach front garden. Kind regards Pam B."

Pamela B., March 2007 · Casa del Mar Jambiani

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

"We had a very pleasant stay at Zanzibar Palace Hotel on our first night in Zanzibar. The rooms were comfortable and the aircon was a welcome relief from the hot humid temperatures outside. The service at the hotel was friendly and good. Breakfast (our only meal there) provided a good choice of options and we were very happy with Salome’s choice of accommodation for us. At the end of our stay in Zanzibar we decided to spend our last night in Stone Town as opposed to the accommodation at Casa del Mar Jambiani which formed part of our package and Salome was extremely helpful and efficient in helping us to book our transport from the hotel to Stone Town a day early. Kind regards Pam B."

Pamela B., March 2007 · Zanzibar Palace Hotel (Stone Town)

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

"Thanks a ton, it was absolutely fabulous!!!!!!!!! If ever we get the opportunity again, we will return!!! The only suggestion, would be if the hotel could have more MNET sport channels. Although it had channel 21 (rugby) and channel 23 (soccer), as a sports fan, I could not watch the cricket world cup because that was on channel 22,25 etc. Apart from that an out-of-the-world experience. Thanks for your assistance."

Francois J., March 2007 · Shandrani Beachcomber Resort & Spa

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

"We had a wonderful time. First of all the taxi rides were a new experience and wat a ride. The people are wonderfully hospitable. Everywhere you go you just hear "Jambo!" Great. The weather was great. Although very hot, the rooms were nice and cool. The staff at the hotel were freindly. Everywhere you go on the island everybody welcomes you. We did three "tours". We swam with the dolfins. Great. Too many boats though but after we all got relatively close to the dolfyns our "captain" took us to a quieter spot and we did some snorkeling. The spice tour was very interesting. We learned a lot. Stonetown was wonderful. I would have liked to spend more time there. The thee island tour was a highlight. Super!!! I would really like to go back to Coral Rock with my children. Thank you!"

Corné H., March 2007 · Coral Rock Beach Bungalows

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

"Hello Salome, We cannot thank you enough for your superlative service. We left everything in your hands & you did not disappoint! We were married on 6 jan 2007 and spent 6 glorious nights at Ocean Paradise. It was romantic & dreamy.. We didnt want to return home! Thank you for giving us an unforgettable experience.. Ryola & Amil"

Ryola S., March 2007 · Ocean Paradise Resort

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