Sultan Sands Island Resort
Kiwengwa Tanzania
E-mail hotel
Lowest prices for your stay
$276
$278
$224
Booking.com
Orbitz.com
ZenHotels.com$278
View all 15 deals
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
Full view
View all photos (2,392)2,392
360
Panoramas (9) 
Pool & Beach (668)
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Travel safe during COVID-19
Visit our Travel Safe hub to see how we're helping you make more informed travel decisions during COVID-19.
What you can expect during your stay
- All linens sanitized in high-temperature wash
- Hand sanitizer available to guests & staff
- Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
About
#3 of 27 hotels in Kiwengwa
Location
4.4
Cleanliness
4.4
Service
4.4
Value
4.2
Travelers' Choice
Sultan Sands Island Resort is situated on the wide, sparkling beaches of Kiwengwa on the East Coast of Zanzibar Island. Sultan Sands is a resort with a unique character: an inspired blend of Swahili and Arab architecture and decor creates a relaxed ambience, while first-class amenities and facilities ensure complete comfort. The spacious rooms at Sultan Sands are built in the style of traditional African rondavels, each tastefully decorated with hand-carved Zanzibari furniture. All rooms are ocean-facing with some situated just metres from the beach. The resort's wining and dining venues are equally impressive, offering delicious local specialities as well as Far-Eastern and European favourites. Sultan Sands shares a 500m stretch of beach with its sister property - Bluebay Beach Resort & Spa. Guests of the two resorts also share many facilities and amenities, including the famous Oasis Spa and the One Ocean Dive Centre.
Read more
Suggest edits to improve what we show.Improve this listing
Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Pool
Fitness Center with Gym / Workout Room
Free breakfast
Beach
Canoeing
Airport transportation
Parking
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast buffet
Breakfast in the room
Snack bar
Swimup bar
Poolside bar
Diving
Game room
Snorkeling
Windsurfing
Billiards
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Fishing
Table tennis
Shuttle bus service
Car hire
Business Center with Internet Access
Meeting rooms
Spa
Facial treatments
Massage
Salon
Baggage storage
Concierge
Currency exchange
Gift shop
Mosquito net
Shops
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun umbrellas
24-hour front desk
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Ironing service
Shoeshine
Show more
Room features
Air conditioning
Private balcony
Room service
Safe
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Family
Languages Spoken
Italian
Location
Full view
1003Reviews151Q+A64Room tips
Reviews
Traveler rating
- 631
- 269
- 63
- 21
- 19
Time of year
Traveler type
Language
More
Selected filters
- Filter
- English
Popular mentions
Sort by:
Most Recent
+1
Beautiful location, staff great. Rooms amazing. If any mobility problems ask for rooms on flat and definitely avoid the steep hill. We’re in Rooms 335 and 336 and they are just before the sleep slope, so perfect. Staff are friendly and accommodating. When arrived were given rooms further up the steep hill even though we had advised before hand that we had mobility problems and did not want rooms there. Had to wait a good hour but were moved to 335 & 336 which is perfect. Visa on arrival, from uk $US50 pp. make sure US$ notes are after 2009, bit chaotic at airport with visa but just our luck we got a newby and it seems to take ages. Others we’re going through no problem. It’s about an hour from the airport 45km 1st full day, amazing and it’s worth it!
Read more
Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip: Avoid Steep hill if any mobility issues
US$ bills after 2009
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
+1
Hotel's Favorite
We stayed in August at this magnificent resort, satisfied and happy with our choice. The Sultan is a very beautiful location and the staff is always ready to pamper you and meet all requests. You can tell that they really care about their clients, especially the management itself. The garden is lush, well kept, the rooms beautiful and spacious with giant beds, the buffet restaurant with wide choice and good quality. Also for a special occasion, they organized a romantic evening on the beach ... remarkable indeed (on request). The location is unique, nothing to envy the rest of the island. A fine white coral sand beach, you can even ride a bike there. We chose this area on purpose because the tides give a unique show! Crazy colors. I recommend the walks where you can see in addition to the very large starfish, we were lucky enough to see a small puffer fish, a sole, clown fish and a sea snake, all in a few inches of water. I highly recommend it. What more can we say ... we will definitely go back ! A loving thank you to Mr. Dass and Mrs. Fatima.…
Read more
Date of stay: August 2022
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
creariejcr wrote a review Aug 2022
Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom66 contributions22 helpful votes
+1
We arrived just before 10a.m. so were too early to get to checkin. We were seated by the pool and given coffee and some pastries. We got our all inclusive bands but had to wait several hours to get to our cottage. It was a steep walk up the hill. We were room 351. If we walked over towards the gym and up it wasn't as steep. The gardens were beautiful. Bed was comfy, plenty of pillows. Air con worked really well. We had a tv and fridge. Not much storage for your clothes. Was lovely to sit out on the balcony. Our safe wasn't working properly, Richard came and fixed it quickly. Staff were all lovely. Always a happy Jambo, helpful and friendly. We enjoyed the food. Lots of fresh salads, pasta station, meat and fish stations and always lots of choice of vegetables, potatoes or rice. Lots of fresh fruit and milky puddings, but not really traditional desserts. There was a good selection of drinks available with all inclusive. The beach is stunning. We were lucky with the tides and could swim in the sea lots. Low tide on some days wasn't very low. The beach boys were fine if you just say no thanks.We never felt unsafe. I went a walk out at low tide.Saw lots of black spiky sea urchins. Water shoes are advised in the water. Enjoyed watching the ladies collecting the sea weed from the seaweed farm area. I enjoyed a talk about coconuts one afternoon. Very interesting. I also joined in with aqua aerobics. Entertainment at night was usually a band. Good easy listening music. Checkout on our last day was at 10am. Our transfer to the airport wasn't until 6pm. We had to pay $60 to have lunch and drinks for that day. This felt a bit mean as we had been out for 4 days on different excursions so hadn't had lunch and/or dinner on those days. We really enjoyed our holiday and would return to this hotel again.…
Read more
Date of stay: July 2022
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
This was a holiday in the rainy season so the weather was changing from sunny to rainy all the time. When we booked this hotel in winter we didn't do much of research on the climate or other important things like malaria mosquitoes. However, we had a cracking time here and 6 months later there is still no evidence of a malaria mosquito bite. But if you do decide to come here please make sure you bring the insect repellent with deet and think really carefully if you are prepared to take a risk especially if you have small children with you. I do love this trip a lot. The location is beautiful, the people working here are welcoming and the food is really really tasty and varied. I have tasted some exotic fruit here which one cannot buy in Europe. You are allowed to use the facilities of this sister hotel which we did use as I loved a swimming pool there more than in this hotel. I highly recommend this hotel and I do recommend you stroll along the ocean each day as it brings you not only some needed physical activities but also you can enjoy white sand and gorgeous views. There was a birthday in our party and I didn't quite liked how it was organised. It should be improved, please.…
Read more
Date of stay: April 2022
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Sultan Sands Island Resort Hotel Location is not ideal, as it is 1hr from and to airport. If you go on excursion to Stone Town, you go back on same route again. The bigger sister hotel, Blue Bay, is next door. There were occasional power cuts that lasted a short time. Thatching on roofs needs some attention. Reception Easy to check in. Arrived at 12:00 and room ready at 13:00. Friendly staff. You pay infrastructure Tax of 1 $ a day when you check out. With your key you get two tokens to exchange for beach towels. Warning, check out is at 10:00, if you have meals or drinks after this time, you will be charged. You can get a late check out at a cost. The front desk/cashier mainly only changes US$ and Euro for Tsh. Room Pwani. Up the top of steep hill. There are steps inside room, not ideal. Balcony with two chairs & table. Empty mini fridge. TV with 20 channels, but no channel guide. Air conditioning plus fan. Mosquito net over bed, that is put around bed when room is sprayed in evening. Did not see any mosquitos in room. Electronic safe. Limited drawer space. Clothes hangers. Shower, no bath. Hair dryer. Shampoo, conditioner, body gel. Tissues. Bottle of water, for use brushing teeth. Umbrella. Variety of electrical sockets. (Electrical wiring for TV and fridge is amateurish in my room). Smoke & fire detector. No tea/coffee making facilities. Main restaurant Principally outside under cover. Look out for cats & crows. Breakfast 7-10. Good selection of food, except bacon is tough. Lunch 12:30-14:30. Dinner 19:30-21:30. You could swap menus around and not tell which was lunch & which was dinner. Good selection, except as others have said before, desserts are much to be desired. No ice cream. No decaffeinated coffee. (Suggest you bring your own sachets.) Even if you are all-inclusive and have drinks, you are presented with a zero bill, which you are expected to sign. (Never had that experience before). Bahari a la carte beach restaurant. Chargeable. Snacks Available 11-12 & 4-5. All-inclusive bar Open 11:00 to midnight. Good selection of beverages. Open earlier for bottles of water. Pool/grounds Pool on the smaller side. Footbridge over (Mind your head if swimming under) The pool if split in two, one section is shallow and other is 1.9m deep. There are no lifeguards. Grounds well maintained. I saw monkeys, squirrel, large snails & various sizes of lizards. Sunbeds on raised section above beach & some around pool. The hotel was not full, so there may be problems at peak periods. If you need shade under palm trees or umbrella, pick your spot carefully. It makes a change not to see sunbeds reserved at the crack of dawn. The is a notice about not taking glass drinks or bottles around the pool. This rule was broken by guests and ignored by staff. I saw one person standing in pool with drink in glass. The rule should include around sunbed areas. Towels Hand in token/s for clean towels behind reception. Exchange towels at end of day. On check out, hand in towels to get tokens back. Beach Lovely white sand. The sand is fine and very firm. Motor and quad bikes, as well as bicycles go along the beach, leaving hardly visible tracks. Foot prints are difficult to see. In the sea there is coral, so you need rubber shoes if walking out beyond the low tide mark. Beach patrolled by security guard. There are no lifeguards. There are occasional beach boys selling items or tours. The tide brings in a small amount of seaweed. High tide covers the beach. There are fishing traps off shore at the northern end of the resort, about 100m out, consisting of stakes in the ground, not visible when the tide is in. Facilities Non-motorised water sports free. Spa & wellness centre, chargeable. Gym. Games. Tennis court. One ocean dive centre, chargeable. Medical facilities are available in the Blue Bay hotel. Baby-sitting service available in evening, chargeable. Laundry service, chargeable. Entertainment In evening. Mainly a band, with occasional singer. Acrobatics team. Wi-Fi General good around resort, occasional drop out. Weather Sunny generally, with intermittent cloud cover. Occasional short light rain showers. Had one very heavy rain downpour, that lasted 15 minutes. Temperatures daily high of around 29C and low of 23C.…
Read more
Date of stay: August 2022
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip: Request room that is not up the hill.
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
3 Helpful votes
Helpful
+1
BEACH: Kiwengwa beach is picture perfect, low tide, water is amazing and always inviting. Long white sandy beach with blue water. Loved it!! Beach boys are there every day selling their craft & products, they are harmless. Just say thanks I'll come to you when ready, let me enjoy my beach walk. HOTEL: infrastructure could do with some modern upgrades but overall, it's great. The grounds nicely maintained and kept clean. The people working there are just amazing humans, friendly always smiling and willing to go the extra smile to make your stay comfortable. ROOMS: The resort is big, with outdoor rooms scattered across the resort. The rooms are spacious inside with a little tv lounge, very small bar fridge, beds covered in mosquito nets and our bathroom only had a shower. The mosquito nets are lowered in the evening and the room is sprayed with anti mosquito spray which is a nice touch. FOOD: amazing, different fresh seafood dishes with some spice which we loved. My husband even had the kitchen lady make him the hot sauce to take home;) We took the all-inclusive package which had all meals, 2 snacks in between and all beverages flowing throughout the day. The only thing I was not happy about is no alcohol is served before 11am and I am a MIMOSA girl during breakfast...LOL ENTERTAINMENT: We did a few trips: stone town, spice tour, blue safari. Our travel agent had someone come meet us at the hotel to plan and book the trips for us. the hotel is also happy to co-ordinate the trips for you. My advice, book the first one with an agent and negotiate with your driver for the next ones. You will always get a better price as they are independent suppliers. You get picked up from the hotel in an air conditioned with water minibus and chauffeured around to and from your destination. The hotel also has live local entertainment every night, Dj, live band, dance groups etc. Very nice and lively. The rooms are far from the dining area and the noise does not reach there. PEOPLE: Everyone is Pole Pole in Zanzi. The people are gracious, humble and just soo friendly. Most are Moslem, look out for each other and live in harmony. It's humbling to witness. Highly recommended!!!…
Read more
Date of stay: June 2022
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
We were in this Resort in February with friend and stayed for seven days. While staying there we did some trips arround the Island from hotels to site seeng excusions, Sultan Sands is the best of all. The Manager Dass was the King of all he is perfect. The reception staff Sheti,John and Lemalali were wonderful . Sorry I can't mention all but most of F&B staff were wonderful as well.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2022Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Nice location and resorts, just had some unfortunate experiences. 2nd nights had a lot of water leaking through the roof on to me as the hot water burst in the roof, they then moved me to another room where they very next night it lost power for 16hrs. Also they forgot to organise my airport transfers like asked and paid for so was running late
Read more
Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip: Hopefully I was just unlucky and this won’t happen to you.
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Jambo all! OK, so not been to Zanzibar before, but would definitely go again and first time for a long time that I've not wanted to come back from a break. Pretty long flight(s) to get there, but well worth it. Hotel was excellent. On arrival, nice cold drink and flannel to cool off and room was ready within an hour. Accessibility OK, but not perfect re., for example, wheelchair access. Reception was good (thanks, Lucas et al!) and manned pretty much 24/7. Nothing was too much, or too trivial, if you needed something. Room itself (mia tatu thelathini na sita!) was lovely, but ours could have benefitted from a little TLC - only minor issues though. Room was kept spotless and the staff cleaning the rooms were brilliant (thanks, Doreen!). Air-con was very welcome. We were there for my wife's birthday and, in addition to daily cleaning etc and towel sculpting on the bed, there was extra with flowers etc on the day (tip: if you're there for a special occasion such as birthday, anniversary, honeymoon etc, tell the hotel as they'll make your stay that bit more special if they know). The odd power cut was an unpredictable extra, but hey! hakuna matata! Food was excellent, especially if you like seafood. Quite an influence from spice, but none of it that hot. Just great flavour. If you want hot, there's plenty of hot sauces or chopped chillies that you can add! Some decent themed evening food. Staff in the restaurant were superb - always, always friendly and upbeat. In fact, the staff throughout our stay, everywhere, were a large part of what made the holiday so good. Too many to name in the restaurant, but shout out to Ochieng (apologies if I've spelt it wrong!), Moudy, Happy and everyone else. Agree with some other reviews in that desserts probably the weakest part of restaurant food, but the fresh fruit was excellent. Bar and staff were superb and the choice of all-inclusive drinks more than enough. Staff happy to deliver to tables, even if not asked for. Maisha marefu! The entertainment was good, as was much of the live music. The latter wasn't ever intrusive and was done by 23.00 at the latest. Some of the dancers and acrobats were a very good watch. Special shoutout to the legendary Dass - you can see why the hotel atmosphere is what it is and why the staff are so good. Ate one evening at the partner Blue Bay after speaking to Dass one evening, which was great (special thanks to Lamek who looked after us superbly). The Beach Boys - what can one say? Once you get used to it, they're not really that much in your face. Laugh along with them and say maybe next time! Thanks to our own Beach Boys, Roman and William, for the superb tour, great humour, and really interesting information on some of the local sea life when they showed us round at low tide one day. Thanks also for the superb service re. the ebony craft pieces that we haggled on, but were worth it. Hotel beach was lovely and water sports (wind surfing, canoes etc) were pretty good. The hotel pool was good - not large, but clean and relaxing. Trips? We did one - to Stone Town - that was really interesting (Prison Island less so, but the boat ride to-and-fro was lovely). Shout out to our guide there, Juma, who was brilliant, knowledgable and just an all-round good guy. Overall, just a lovely holiday. The place was fantastic, but the people made it for me. Get into the pole, pole! pace of life and you can't go far wrong. Pick up a little bit of Swahili as well - everyone happy to help, a good laugh and interesting. Go with the flow and enjoy. Asante sana, Zanzibar.…
Read more
Date of stay: May 2022
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Great hotel, our room was ready within an hour of arrival. Quite a steep walk to get to some of the rooms. Rooms are nice and clean, but space for putting your cloths away is a bit limited. In evening the mosquito curtains are closed around the bed, a nice touch ! All the staff are very friendly and the always do their best to help. Food is good for all-in, enough variety, quite a lot is spicy and curry based, which i found very tasty. My only complaint is the desserts are a bit basic sometimes. Bar is also good with plenty of cocktails etc. Entertainment is ok, no noisy music during the day due to activities etc , pole pole is the key word here. Beach vendors can be a bit of a pain sometimes, especially if you just want to have a nice walk along the beach. All in all great hotel to relax and getaway from it all. Perfect !!!…
Read more
Date of stay: May 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
PRICE RANGE
$202 - $322 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
sultan sands island hotel kiwengwa
LOCATION
TanzaniaZanzibar ArchipelagoZanzibar IslandKiwengwa
NUMBER OF ROOMS
76
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Listing Frequently Asked Questions about Sultan Sands Island Resort
Which popular attractions are close to Sultan Sands Island Resort?
Nearby attractions include Kiwengwa Beach (0.6 miles), Kiwengwa Caves (1.5 miles), and Mussa Abasi Village Spice Farm Kisongoni (4.3 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Sultan Sands Island Resort?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include a swimup bar, free breakfast, and a pool.
Which room amenities are available at Sultan Sands Island Resort?
Top room amenities include air conditioning, a flat screen TV, and a mosquito net.
What food & drink options are available at Sultan Sands Island Resort?
Guests can enjoy a swimup bar, free breakfast, and an on-site restaurant during their stay.
Is parking available at Sultan Sands Island Resort?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Sultan Sands Island Resort?
Conveniently located restaurants include The Island - Pongwe Lodge Restaurant, La Base JungleKite, and La Capannina Zanzibar.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Sultan Sands Island Resort?
Yes, guests have access to a pool and a fitness center during their stay.
Does Sultan Sands Island Resort have an airport shuttle?
Yes, Sultan Sands Island Resort offers an airport shuttle for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Does Sultan Sands Island Resort have airport transportation?
Yes, Sultan Sands Island Resort offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are any cleaning services offered at Sultan Sands Island Resort?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Does Sultan Sands Island Resort offer any business services?
Yes, guests have access to a business center and meeting rooms during their stay.