Right from the outset I was worried - from the 4km bumpy ride to the resort front gate. We were greeted and whilst everyone else were given a welcome drink we were quickly forgotten and left sitting whilst everyone else was showed to their rooms. When we were the only ones sitting in reception we had three different people come over to greet us before someone rudely came up to us to tell us the agent we had booked through (and already paid!) hadn't sent them the payment. It was Saturday so we couldn't contact our agent - who was in South Africa, but we asked if they had followed up with him for payment - which they hadn't. We found it a bit off putting from the outset that they demanded payment from us without following up with our agent first. All this aside, we were shown to our room - which for a five star resort is fairly basic. The upside however is every room has its own individual pool. Note however that the Ocean Room views are essential, as if you select a garden room view everyone can see you swimming in your own pool - and you get no privacy whatsoever.
When booking this restaurant it says breakfast and dinner included. Please note, breakfast is included, however dinner is a set menu and if you don't like the set menu you get to spend $50 per person for dinner - and this does not include drinks. Also the main meals are about $38 dollars each and as we found out on the first night its $50 per person and you can't transfer so even though our meal was much lower than $100 for the two of us we had to pay an extra $35 due to the fact its $50 per head - regardless of whether the other person only eats something worth $20.
Tours are also quite expensive, however I think this is across the whole island - as tourism is their major source of income they really know how to pump money out of tourists. Even though we went to a number of other places in Tanzania and had much better service they never expected tips - this was quite different in Zanzibar and at The Residence where its almost expected - and not deserved.
Put simply, for the cost of this resort its far from five star. I would say service is about 3 star, facilities are 3 - 4 star and value for money sits about 2. I won't be returning.

We loved this place!!!! Amazing! We relaxed and had a wonderful time. The staff are amazing and will go out of their way to
Ensure you are happy and have everything you could wish for. From the moment we where collected from the airport to the time we left we felt the service and the resort is exceptional. If we where to be back in Zanzibar we would not hesitate to stay again

We stayed there for a few night the welcome was alright we had heard so much about this hotel that we had to see it for ourselves. the villas are spectacular like others i agree that the beach is not the best but the pools make up for it. the staff are nice and polite almost too automated response almost robot like and at times annoyingly so. the food was average nothing too great we hated our stay and would not want to revisit this particular hotel

I have been on beach holidays all of my life but this is a really exceptional hotel and must rate as the very best beach hotel I have stayed at - easily surpassing other hotels I have visited in South Africa, Zanzibar, Mocambique and Mauritius. We arrived in the late afternoon and asked to be upgarded to a two bedroom unit (we had mistakenly booked a luxury villa and needed something slightly bigger). The switch was painelss and fauirly quick. Although it cost a little extra the new villa was absolutely stunning and more suitable - although I did not see the unit we were originally booked into. The unit had a huge private pool and was virtually on the beach. The rooms were very well appointed and extremely comfortable with a noiseless airconditioner. The water pressure was brilliant and we had both indoor and outrdoor showers - extremely luxurious bathrooms. There was a good selection of TV channels as well (not that we watched TV). The resort itself is very large and a nice touch was to give the guests bicycles so that they can get around (made eating slightly more guilt free as well!). They offer various restaurants and in-room and beach dining at no extra charge as well. The food was brilliant and the variety was exceptional. The spa facilities were also ultra modern and clean. A wide variety of massages were offered at reasonable rates and although I didn't have one, two of our party did and really appreciated them. There are other activities such as volleyball and tennis but we din't use those facilities - they looked good though. Snorkelling and other water sports were free of charge and the diving was great (in a marine reserve so the sea life was extensive. The staff were amazing, pleasant and very helpful and never in your face (something which many resorts don't get right - the Residence certainly does get it right). I only have one 'complaint' and that was at the cost of the drinks. The pricing was excessive and should be moderated considerably. To pay USD 7 for a local beer (cost about USD 1 at a local shop) and the cheapest wine - admittedly a really great South African wine - was USD 44 per bottle - and these cost around USD 5 in South Africa) and gin and tonic at USD 10 each was really a little over the top. I guess they are catering for the European travellers and in that context it may not be seen to be excessive. This appears to be significantly more than other hotels on Zanzibar (in my experience anyway - in fact many include all drinks as part of the package). It didn't spoil my perception of what is a truly remarkable hotel