I spent ONE week at Essque, and the only regret/complaint I have is: it should have been ONE month. ( or longer) . The photos on their website are so on point of giving you the right feeling of what to expect, however when you step onto the property, you are taken away. They give options of water sports, and city excursions, but I found myself not desiring to leave the property. However after 4 days, I finally gave in to stepping away for a day on a Sand Dune ( great experience ) and Stone Town. The Spa at Essque is a must do, and a do-over! Some people I traveled with, made it a daily ( twice a day ) activity. That was another regret I had, I waited toward the end of my stay, to experience the spa, and ran out of time to do more.

Pay attention to the schedule of the tides ( which is provided in your room) I have a few scars to remind me of Essque because I didnt read the schedule and decided to go swimming off the Jetty.

The rooms, are also quite beautiful, and if your budget allows you -- book a villa ( as it comes with a butler) however if you get a regular room, ( garden view) , you will be as well pleased, and comfortable.

The food, service, staff - were great.
I choose the ONBOARD package ( which is all inclusive, with exception of drinks) and it was worth it.
However if you are NOT a big eater-- and opt not to eat three meals a day ( 4 courses at dinner ) then dont choose this option.

I cant say enough, as I write this on my first day back to work- sitting here feeling very relaxed, but sad that i am not at Essque.

My wife and I checked into your hotel on the 24th Jan and spent 3 nights leaving on the 27th Jan, 2013. We were impressed with d cleanliness, excellent service by a dedicated team, unparalleled level of organisation and genuiue passion to please the customer.

I plan to be back with my children later in the year becasue I truly believe that I received value for the money paid.

I want to seize this opportunity to commend the Management and Staff of Essque Hotel Zalu for a job well done and challenge them to continue to maintain this high standard.

Well done.

Regards,

Oludotun Osiyemi

I am from Guatemala and was there with my family (parents and 3 siblings) as the last stop of a very fun vacation throughout Tanzania. From day one, we were greeted by the most friendly staff and were handed a smile every minute of our stay. Everyone was very attentive and made us feel at home. The resort is amazing and has the most breath-taking views and a very enjoyable infinity pool. The entire resort is spot clean and well taken care of. We stayed at one of the villas and enjoyed our own little private pool, massage room, and wide environments. The different restaurants are all delicious and handled by good staff. The manager was always in sight making sure our stay was delightful. I loved it and I would go back anytime!

We just spent a heavenly week at the Essque Zalu, it absolutely deserves all the top reviews, staff level really is outstanding - so many beautiful smiles all around and great attention to detail and making guests feel like nothing is too much.
Massages almost every day and there too we were surprised at how high the quality was and how wonderfully flexible they were in terms of booking changes etc.
Fabulous food, whether on the jetty or at the restaurant (the a la carte restaurant upstairs seems a bit lost in space and slightly impersonal so never went there...)
All of this is to a large part clearly due to the very present manager - rarely the case these days - who came to greet and chat with most guests at lunch and/or dinner every day, implementing guest feedback straight away.
There weren't any kids other than babies around when we were there so I am not sure I would take mine plus there really isn't a beach for them to play on though the enormous pool of course is a great plus.
We stayed in Suite 15 on the waterfront (biggest bed we ever had in any hotel! wonderful) and just sitting on the terrace watching the tides come and go was paradise. (not one mosquito bite during the whole week by the way, extraordinary!)
Nungwi village 15 minutes walk on the beach at low tide makes for a nice little excursion into a more authentic African experience than the hotel. Kitesurfing school/rental and kayak rentals 10 minutes walk down the beach.
All in all a great place to get away from it all and let yourself be pampered rotten...
Thank you to all of the 180 staff at the Essque who made this such a lovely week for us!