We spent 3 nights at the lovely Next Paradise Resort in Zanzibar (October 2012).

The Deluxe Oceanfront room was wonderful and literally at the oceanfront! Just open the wood framed glass doors and you have your own seating area facing the ocean. There is an air conditioner in the room but the weather was beautiful so we barely used it. At night, you can fold open the glass doors and close the mesh covered wooden slat doors (you may have to struggle a little with it) so you get a little of the ocean breeze to cool the room.

I would definitely recommend this resort for couples as it's calm and romantic. Not ideal for kids or young people looking for a wild time as not much to do at the resort itself. However, they can arrange for scuba or snorkelling trips if you'd like.

The food was wonderful as well. Breakfast is buffet style with quite a good spread and dinner is a sit down 4 course affair. The menu is put up next to the bar and if there's anything you're allergic to or don't like, they will assist with substitutions where possible if you let them know by early evening.

The only 2 things I didn't particularly like were:
1. The bidet is placed in the shower area and I felt it very odd (probaby won't bother most people)
2. The minibar fridge in the room suddenly went crazy and started making really loud noises one evening (we just turned it off)

Be wary that there can be power cuts in Zanzibar so be careful if you're plugging in your camera or mobile phones for charging. If the power goes out, unplug your device or a power surge can damage it when it comes back on! The resort is well equipped with generators so you won't be in the 'dark' for long.

The white sand is like flour. Open your triple French doors in the morning and have an amazing view from your bed. Palm trees, deep pink hibiscus flowering bushes, the aqua blue ocean wtih soothing sounds of water rolling in, and that is just the beginning of a perfect day. The chef was the best ever! His menus, food preparation along with being plated artistically, was the highlight of all the places we stayed during of our 2 week East Africa vacation which included an 8 day safari. One of the best reasons I wanted to stay at Next Paradise is no buffets. Also the Trip Advisor reviews. Breakfast--order what you want, lunch or an appetizer can be ordered, and a set -unbelievable- chef choice dinner. If you check the blackboard in the restaurant that day and you do not want the chef's choice for dinner, as long as you request any part of that to be changed prior to 6pm, you may do so. I just don't why anyone would. I asked to meet this local chef who could own a restaurant in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles and have a very busy 5-Star restaurant. This boutique hotel built in 2009 is so beautiful and relaxing. Plan your day by choosing whether to lay under a pergola, get a massage at the beach or have a romantic dinner at the beach.... oh so many decisions to make! This 20-unit ocean front hotel with two pools is run superbly by Daniella, the manager. She is every guest's personal assistant and best friend. Her smile comes from her heart. This is the place to stay and make memories forever.

My husband and I, stayed 5 days in October at this little piece of heaven called Next Paradise! It was the perfect place to relax after a week long safari. At first we wanted to book the honeymoon suite since this was our honeymoon but it was already book. We ended up staying in the panoramic ocean view room which I think was even better then the honeymoon suite since it was more private and has a big Jacuzzi tub.

Since we are both sea food lovers, we were really happy to see that sea food was a big part of the nightly menu. If you are allergic or just don't like sea food they will gladly make you something else just for you!

I have to say a BIG thank you to they owner for making my stay the best it could be! A couple of week prior to my arrival, I had wrote an e-mail to Stuart to ask him if it was possible to have soy milk during my stay. He did tell me it was very hard to find it in Zanzibar, but to my wonderful surprise he was able to find some! I was so happy to be able to have cereal in the morning and coffee (Cappuccino are really good!)


Overall this was an amazing relaxing vacation!!

My wife and I spent 5 days/4 nights here at the end of 2 weeks doing various African adventures in mid October. The place was better in real life than in the photos - it seemed bigger and more spacious than i expected. Lovely grounds and very relaxed feel. We had a ground floor Superior Double Garden room which was very good - not too exposed to the weather but with a lovely quiet outlook. Really enjoyed sitting on the patio having breakfast. All the staff are great as we found in most of East Africa. The food is pretty good especially the freshly prepared dinners. Mosquitoes can be a bit vicious so be prepared ! Internet is a bit patchy but good enough around the reception area to get stuff done. The beach is spectacular - similar to Mauritius and Seychelles - the touts and kids were OK when we were there - not too pushy so you could enjoy a walk on the beach.

The room is well equipped - everything worked pretty well. Water pressure was good except in the sinks for some reasons. Good spacious bathrooms and hanging space, etc.. Aircon and ceiling fans were good.

Daniella who is the manager is an Eveready "bunny" - seemingly always around to help. She helped organise taxis to Stonetown and tours to the dolphins - all went very smoothly. They use regular drivers and guides who are all very good. Stewart the owner (with his wife) was very helpful with information on Stonetown and if Daniella wasn't around was very always happy to help.

If you want a smaller resort but with all the bells and whistles of a larger resort then this is your place. We certaibnly look forward to going back on our next African adventure.