This side of Zanzibar Island is quite a distance from any service, shopping or dining so everything has to be arranged through the hotel or a tour company. It is a small boutique hotel, which we liked and worked out ok for us, but we didn't really realize in advance that once you're there, you're kinda stuck. We enjoyed the food, salt-water pool, sit-upon kayaks (not sea kayaks) and walking on the beach but it was quite windy while we were there and the bicycles were old and rickety, but gave us a good workout. There were some poor descriptions about what each tour included, there is no laundry facility guests can use as the website said. They could send laundry out, but not very cheaply, and we were concerned how long it would take. The desk manager did work with us to clarify tour descriptions and coordinated transfers and tours to our satisfaction. He made adjustments to the tour descriptions and our final bill when we pointed out the discrepancies, so were grateful for that. Stone Town and Prison Island tours were not as impressive as expected, but I'm comparing to an extremely well-done tour in Ghana of the slave dungeons of the Cape Coast Castle, which was much more comprehensive and informative.
If you are prepared to just go relax on the beach or by the pool, it's a beautiful setting, but be warned the tide goes in and out nearly 3 times per day, so swimming in the ocean when the tide is out really isn't an option.
It is a gated security property.
