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Cheaper
Average
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About
4.5
#1 of 4 resorts in Jambiani
Location
4.5
Rooms
4.2
Value
4.5
Cleanliness
4.5
Service
4.7
Sleep Quality
4.5
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.
Recently renovated resort with 140 rooms and bungalows. Taken over in June 2014 by Paradise & Wilderness Group. With international management, this is the perfect place to enjoy your holiday. The resort is located uniquely near the mangroves and has 270 degrees sea view. The buffet restaurant serves local food with international influences. A small a la carte menu is available as well.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family Resort
Great View
Languages Spoken
English, Afrikaans, Dutch, German and 1 more
Location
Road Jambiani - Makunduchi Exit on left side coming from Paje, Jambiani Tanzania
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The Reef and Beach Resort has earned the admiration of many guests for its exceptional service and pristine cleanliness. While some travelers have found the value debatable, many appreciate the resort's affordable options.
Set in a picturesque and tranquil location, the resort offers a wildlife-friendly atmosphere and engaging nightly entertainment, though opinions on the ambiance vary. Amenities like the beautiful pools and jetty receive praise, but there are mixed feelings about the room quality, with some noting basic features and occasional odors.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Basic
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Satisfactory
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We chose the Reef & Beach hotel for our honeymoon and we were definitely not disappointed. We had read many positive reviews before booking, although had some concerns due to some comments about the food being poor. My husband is a fussy eater so we weren't quite sure what to expect. We need not have worried! If people keep in mind that this is a 3* hotel (providing a 5* service in my opinion), you have to appreciate how well they do with the food they provide. Compared to much bigger (and far more expensive) hotels we have stayed in before, of course the choices and selection available isn't as extensive but we never once went to breakfast, lunch or dinner without easily finding good quality food to eat. For anyone considering not booking this hotel based on the food reviews, please think again. I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
The staff at the hotel are by far their biggest asset. We were greeted everywhere we went with the biggest of smiles and everyone seemed to be genuinely happy. As it is a small hotel you end up knowing most of the staff within a couple of days and they go out of their way to look after you. I hope this level of service continues after the hotel's expansion.
The location of this hotel is phenomenal. Looking out at the colours of the ocean each day cannot fail to put a smile on your face - in addition to the arrival of the monkeys and bush babies. They are very friendly and incredible to watch.
We had an ocean front bungalow and whilst the bathrooms do need upgrading, the current facilities are perfectly functional and did not detract from a great holiday. They are on the list for refurbishment but the hotel can obviously only do so much at a time.
The hotel is fairly isolated so getting out and about requires taxis. We usually go out a lot on holiday but it is fair to say the relaxed atmosphere and beautiful location of this hotel meant we were more than happy to spend most of our days enjoying the hotel surroundings.
In our opinion this hotels represents great value for money, especially when you compare to other places on Zanzibar. You have to remember it is a 3* hotel but in our view they provide a standard of service that far exceeds this. Book it - you won't regret it.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GR-Savannah, Guest Relations Manager at Reef and Beach Resort
Responded Mar 8, 2020
Good day Leigh We just wanted to say thank you for taking time to write a review on your stay here with us. We are happy that we could accommodate you during your honeymoon and meet your expectations during your stay with us. See you again next year?
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My wife and I loved our visit to the Reef & Beach Resort in Jambiani. Food is good, fresh with decent choice of European Asian and African influences. We enjoyed African night and the local bread cooked upside down! Lots of wildlife to see in the hotel from hermit crabs to bush babies and lots in between. All the staff are lovely. You quickly pick up a smattering of Swahili and the Animation Team who organised the entertainment were very enthusiastic and helpful. Cleaners, waiting staff... they made a good stay great. The rooms are comfortable with fans ac and mosquitoe nets- remember it is a 3* resort and as such compares well internationally. Wardrobe storage in the rooms is a bit compact, but we managed. Good sleep was had even though 28 degrees was the minimum while we were there. Lots to do on Zanzibar and hotel can fix it - they use the same guys as TUI. Spice and Stonetown Tours are must, but do take a $20 taxi rtn to Paje where there is a long white beach. They can also fix mainland safaris although we did not make use this time. Take US dollars as this widely accepted. Euro okay, but GBP can be hard to change. An upto 10% commission on credit card transactions is common on the island. The hotel has an I international clientele on a variety of packages including all inclusive. There is free wifi throughout the hotel, but the signal was not consistent everywhere. There are improvement plans for the 2020 offseason so as the song says "things can only get better." With two pools, three bars and a view of the Indian Ocean, we plan to come back and would recommend you give it a go too.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bert Schoonveld... Z, Eigenaar at Reef and Beach Resort
Responded May 12, 2020
Thank you for choosing Reef & Beach Resort for your holiday and taking the time to write your review. We do appriciate your feedback and do share the lyric of the song "things can only get better". Great to read that you explored the island and saw the beauty of the place. We do hope to welcome you back one day to our resort. Asante sana!
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What I loved about the place: beautiful garden and flowers and the staff that was taking care of it, monkeys, bush babies, friendly staff, and meals! Breakfast was a bit monotonic but lunch and dinner always good, especially grilled beef and octopus! Nice drinks, beer straight from the bottle. I recommend the tours form the hotel, they have the same prices as local tour guides. I was using taxi from the hotel as well, you can negotiate the price. Our taxi organizer was Wania +255 687084589. There is SPA in the hotel, massage was nice. I was staying in the bungalow and what disturbed me was little amount of light inside, you can open the curtains but then people can see you from outside. Also the staff sprays 2 times a day rooms against insects, however 2 times I found cockroaches in the room at night :( Room cleaning every day and towel changing. The lack of proper beach in this hotel maybe advantage in Zanzibar - everywhere we visited other beaches, there was a lot of local people approaching you and wanting to sell everything. Next to the hotel are also a few sellers but very kind. Its good place to chill and close to great spot Mtende and Eden Rock Restaurant with beautiful view on the ocean <3 I recommend this please, but it's not a luxury place for demanding people! Take shoes to the water, there is a lot of rocks and stones in most of the beaches, as well in Reef and Beach. Already missing holiday!
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Date of stay: June 2021
Location
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The location of this 3 star establishment is excellent. Close to Paje and a “comfortable “ drive to Stone Town. The resort has Beach , Garden Bungalows and rooms. We stayed in a Beach Bungalow 95 which we thought had one of the best positions on the east cost of Zanzibar. The magnificent blue sea was 20m from our room. The accommodation is good. Room a great size with high ceilings. Fan and airconditioner were our saving grace. We had to ask for white linen on our arrival as the rooms had light brown sheets .... the change was done immediately and with no fuss. The bathrooms are a good size. Small fridge in the room comes extremely handy. The jetty at this resort is its best feature. It allows you to have cocktails all day long while looking out and swimming in the beautiful sea. The pool/ outside furniture is tired. The cushions: loungers could do with reupholstering. The food was ok.... not great. That being said the pasta and pastries were really good. Coffee awful!! Staff was very helpful, clean and professional. Management is young and very helpful. It would be nice to be welcomed with a glass of ice cold water or a drink upon arrival. Tours were handled professionally and whenever we needed a taxi they arrived punctually and the cars were in good condition.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Overall a lovely, relaxing island experience. A couple of negatives...We made our booking through Africastay in November 2019, and requested 2 rooms close to each with at least 1 on the ground floor. The reason, 75 year old mom was accompanying us on her final "overseas" trip. Her mobility (due to 2 knee replacements) is now very limited and we did not want her to climb unnecessary stairs. I also sent an email to the hotel group and they replied that they had informed the hotel accordingly. However when we arrived, both our rooms were on the first floor in separate blocks. I asked reception to move her to a ground floor room, but they were very unsympathetic and in no rush to accommodate her . They did however come back to us the following day with a ground floor bungalow right at the end of the resort which was way too far away from us and right next to the "local" shops, not acceptable at all. It feels like they did not make any effort at all. The welcoming was not very good either, we were dropped off at a back gate with a shocking amount of dirt and rubble surrounding us, and then no welcome drinks after an hour and a half"s drive from the airport. Rooms were very clean and tidy. Beds are extremely high, with bed pedestals way too low. Cupboards quite limited space and no comfortable chairs inside the rooms. The maintenance and gardens and grounds are well maintained. Very "natural surroundings with lots of wildlife. We loved the little monkeys that entertained us daily. Bars were good, and drinks acceptable for a 3 star resort. The restaurant was excellent. The staff were all very friendly, and here, at least they were more sympathetic towards my mom. We had to rush to meals in order to get a table on the ground floor, and after noticing this, a waiter called, Damas (excuse the spelling), arranged a "reserved" table for us on the ground floor. This made dining much more relaxed and easy for us. "Titus" another waiter, was also very friendly and worth mentioning. Delicious food and variety quite acceptable for a 3 star resort. One more negative, when we booked out, we had to carry our own baggage,no porters...again to the back gate surrounded by building rubble and dirt. We do not mind the renovations etc.., BUT at least tidy up where guests arrive/depart. Overall it was a good holiday, very relaxing and laid back atmosphere.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2020
Room Tip:Bed pedestals way too low for the high beds.
Maybe comfortable chairs inside the room.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bert Schoonveld... Z, Eigenaar at Reef and Beach Resort
Responded May 12, 2020
Dear Anlo D, thank you for choosing our hotel Reef & Beach Resort and taking the time to write this review. We do appriciate your feedback and we will take this into account. We are happy to read about the great service of Damas and Titus, which made your time in the restaurant more relaxed. We do hope that your mom enjoyed her final 'overseas' trip!
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This is a wonderful location for a break in Zanzibar. The Island is safe and welcoming and has an enormous amount to offer already and wonderful potential. the hotel room we had was great. 6 foot comfortable bed, good air conditioning and a walk in shower you could fit 15 people in. We were lucky enough to have great wifi in our room but this is not the case in every room i believe. Food was good, but not the best point for this hotel. Where the hotel excels is with its staff and the location and the enthusiasm of the management team. We would return in a heartbeat, and we went with Qatar airways who were wonderful. Zanzibar itself is quite expensive out and about. Expect to pay $10 for a meal minimum and $4 plus for a beer or cider! Considering the standard of living here this is unnecessary and will force people into staying in their all inclusive resorts and not exploring. We went to The Rock Restaurant which was fabulous, and great value for money. We visited Stone Town with a guide which was fascinating and we went to Paje Beach up the coast a couple of times, this was beautiful. The highlight for us was visiting a local village. We were privileged to meet families and children there who were genuinely pleased to meet us and demonstrate their way of life. This costs next to nothing and is a wonderful experience. A special shout out to our guide Abdul for making this a day we will never forget. The only down side of the entire trip is the airport. It is hell on earth and by far the worst airport i have ever been to. The air conditioning does not really work, it is tiny and packed all the time and we spent 3 hours plus in pointless ques. Take water and a dry top to change into as everyone i saw was soaked in sweat from head to toe. There is a brand new airport next door that has been under construction for years. This need s to get finished! You will encounter wild Bush babies and Monkies at this hotel. They are friendly and are happy to engage with people but they are completely wild.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:We were facing the new pool and this was great.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I had a great stay. The room's furniture is locally sourced, very authentic rooms design, no plastic or environmental unfriendly items. The staff is great, the buffet has good vegetarian food selection. The jetty bar.. just great!
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: November 2019
Room Tip:Sea view is a must!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My partner have to work remotely while we travel and that is why we booked Reeff and Beach resort as they advertise wifi throughout the entire resort which is not the case
You also have to pay a deposit for the beach towels and safety deposit box which should be factored into your room rate.
Buffer dinner: really limited options with only a coffee option after dinner , no dessert. The staff also take your plates away after you barely finished your food and don't even asked if you want to order another drink.
Gym: exceptionally poor most equipment is broken.
Rooms are ok but there is no cupboard to pack anything away.
Worst resort i have ever been to!
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Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Reef & Beach resort is in a fantastic location giving you amazing sunrises on one side of the resort and the best sunsets on the other. The resort is spotless, the gardens, cleaners and maintenance men work hard in the background to make your holiday the best it could be. We stayed for 15 days and the meals ( apart from breakfast ) were always different and tasty, my favourite was the beef stew. We also had a meal from the A la carte, I had the surf’n turf with the biggest prawn I’ve ever seen, very good. The resort has 3 pools, the new pool in the middle is very deep, the small pool which is by far the best and the Indian Ocean which is bath water warm. The snack bar does good pizza in the afternoon. The star of the show is the Jetty Bar Service Point (still makes me smile) best place for an afternoon cocktail, a dip in the ocean or to put your feet up and watch the sun go down. Also live music twice a week. The wife had the foam massage in the spar, took 2hrs and she would recommend it. There’s also an excursion centre for you trips, we chose the blue lagoon and starfish snorkelling trip, so good we did it twice.
All the staff deserve a medal, some of the guests left there manners at home, and the staff put up with it and never stop smiling. We’ll done one and all.
If your thinking of coming to this resort, I would seriously think about including a safari, I’d never been on a safari before and it blew my mind, absolutely fantastic. The resort can arrange a safari for you and at the moment they have some deals.
The biggest thanks goes to all the staff,
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joy Reef and Beach Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at Reef and Beach Resort
Responded Jun 26, 2022
Dear Mac, Thank you for your review and for the 5 Star rating! We are thrilled to know that you had a fantastic stay at our resort, and we will be more than happy to welcome you back again to our resort in your future vists here in Zanzibar.
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Recently spent a 10 day holiday at Reef and Beach. We stayed in an ocean view room which had the most wonderful views of the ocean., Would not have changed this room for any other. Even though there was no TV or phone in the room. Super clean shower room, and mosquito nets. Towels changed regularly although we had to ask for bed linen to be changed. Entertainments team work tirelessly and are so committed to providing guests with a great experience. Restaurant could do with a little intervention regarding keeping food covered as open containers attract flies etc. Waiting staff work very hard and are on hand to get drinks etc, and the African nights are great. On the whole we had a great time the grounds are beautiful room confortable and staff helpful. Would definitely go back
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:170 ocean front has great views
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kingston-upon-Hull, United Kingdom90 contributions66 helpful votes
Hi there
Depending on the tide you can. There wasn't many fish species but still good to see what jet under the jetty.
If the tide is out it's out for miles though. We had only the last 3 days to be able to snorkel as the tides were not in til late.
There are places on the island though with great snorkeling opportunities with amazing fish and coral you would need to book a trip though for this.
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