Zanzest Beach Bungalows and Hotel in Zanzibar

I met up with six American friends in Zanzibar in April 2012.

We had no plans, but we had heard about Zanzest Beach Bungalows from a friend of a friend, and thought we would check it out.

We stayed for four nights, and I would have to say that it was definitely in the top 5 vacations of my life, easy.

Accommodation was stellar. The beach bungalows were beautiful both inside and out - very clean, and very private.

The food was the best I've had in a long time. I would also highly recommend the seafood pizza.

The chile salsa was phenomenal. Every meal I finished left me satisfied, and yet upset that it was over.

Other Hotels and Beach Vacation Lodges in Zanzibar

The resort itself was in a perfect location. They have their own private cove, and you don't have to worry about being bothered at all by the beach vendors or other tourists.

It was almost like we had a resort to ourselves, and we felt very at ease leaving some of our less valuable personal belongings lying around.

Of course, it's only a short walk up the beach to Jambiani town, where there are plenty of other activities and services available.

Service was perfect. The resort is so small that we were able got get to know some of the staff very well.

They hung out with us in the evenings, and we were able to get drinks from them on an honors system. It was basically like we had a running tab for everything, and only had to pay for it all at the end of each day.

It was so cool to be able to have that level of intimacy with the staff. Additionally, they helped us get in touch with some of the locals to set up an awesome snorkeling experience for a very reasonable price.

Two of us spent the day after leaving the resort in Stone Town on the west side of the island. We were a bit worried about finding a reliable tour guide among the touts and con men, but one of the owners of Zanzest went above and beyond to hook us up with breakfast, a trustworthy guide, and a cheap place to stay the night in town.

This was all AFTER we had paid for our experience at the resort, so they didn't owe us anything. They really went the extra mile for us.


I don't think this vacation experience would have been the same at another beach resort. I don't throw the word perfect around, but everything about this was. I didn't wear a shirt or shoes for over 90 hours. Trust me, you'll love it. Go now, before this place becomes too popular.