It was a perfect place to end the holiday after 10 days safari and two days in Stonetown. Its beautiful. The management and all the staff were wonderful. What else can I say, except don't go there if you want to party ! Go to relax, swim, snorkel, read, be waited on, drink an apero looking at the sea …… but I would also recommend a walk around the village guided by a member of the staff there. Its good to know what the real live is like.
Villa Kiva is probably my favorite spot since my honeymoon. The water and beach are gorgeous and the views from the hotel are beautiful. Our room was very comfortable and the A/C worked amazingly at night (which is a huge plus!) The reception set up our taxi to and from the airport as well as an excursion to Prison Island which was absolutely worth the trek and money. The staff was generally friendly and competent with anything we needed. I would go back in a heart beat.
The only things I'd say is it's very remote. It's not an area with shops, restaurants, etc all around. That's part of the charm of the place in my opinion though. The wifi simply didn't work, so if you need to work during your stay I'd recommend a hot spot. But, for us it wasn't a huge deal as we wanted to disconnect. The food is the only thing I'd say needs improvement. Nothing was bad per say, but it wasn't great. It was very flat.
Overall though, we had an absolutely lovely time and I'd highly recommend giving Villa Kiva a stay.
Me and my kids ( 21 and 18) spent one wonderful week at Villa Kiva. We could hardly get words appropriate enough to describe this pearl in Zanzibar. The design of the hotel is relaxing and even if you are not the only guest, you end up feeling so cosy and find and intimate place just for yourself all the time. The staff is wonderful and discret- I loved that. I missed the hotel telling which WONDERFUL SPA they have :-D As a ICU nurse and skintherapist, I got really delighted by that one room SPA- the bodyscrub and the massag are heavenly- book this on at the end of your stay as scrubing is not recommanded when exposing your skin to the sun. The breakfast and all the fruits is a blessed way to start your day, with a calming view. The room WAOW, we went all in and booked that suite with see view, we really ENJOYED each second in our room- we indeed used it a lot to hide from the suniest part of the day. Eating lunch and dinner at the terrasse on the sea side is totally OK even for us 7 days long. Try these Tuna Bruschettas, we got addicted :-) The staff is so present but still so discret. All in one a wonderful and cosy hotel that is worth the stay when in Zanzibar. THANK you Kamilla and staff for giving us a totally calm and great holiday in Zanzibar
Hope to be back
Tazio and his family have done an outstanding job here, converting their beach side house into a top class boutique hotel, which blends Italian romance with an African look and a touch of Omani style. An amazing effect. We absolutely loved it. Great buffet breakfast, and lovely local and Italian meals in the evening. For the very best, choose the top floor rooms overlooking the beach. Very romantic place to stay, and very close to all the dive centres. We want to move in!
My wife and I stayed at Villa Kiva for 5 nights during our honeymoon. We very much enjoyed our stay, and everything about it! The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. The hotel grounds are gorgeous, and the pool is wonderful to escape the hot sun. The view of the beach/ocean is beautiful, and it maintains its privacy from the ‘beach boys’. We ate lunch at a couple other resorts, and while they had their own beauty, Villa Kiva provided the best view of the beach, while maintaining its privacy. The food at the restaurant was good, and the pizza was delicious.
The only tip I can provide is that we had ‘normal’ speed WiFi, which was not very good. So if you need to do work during your stay, just keep that in mind (or perhaps they offer faster speeds for a price).
We loved our stay, and would highly recommend Villa Kiva!
