This lodge is in an incredible location, on the quiet south west with its own beach and stunning sea views and sunsets. The pool is gorgeous and the beach clean and inviting and we had a great week... but we also felt badly let down in several ways during our stay.
On the plus side, we had a great couple of boat trips and good diving and snorkelling and we were close enough to Stone Town to hire a car and do some exploring.
However...on the flipside... the roof of our room had big holes in it. We pointed this out to the manager when we arrived. Nothing was done and that night it poured with rain, so our room flooded. We reported the holes again the next day but again nothing happened.. except more rain and more leakages. After three sleepless nights we reported it again, but this time to one of the more attentive waiters at breakfast and finally, after the (Dutch) manager telling us he couldn't help if African roofs were bad quality, they fixed the holes!
Our next gripe would be the food. The breakfast buffet was limited and SWARMING with flies and wasps, so much so that most of the food there was inedible. I didn't dare try the milk which looked curdled and my husband said his tea was undrinkable as it tasted of coffee, the water having come from an old coffee urn. I told staff several times about the flies (which also swarmed around the tables making eating unpleasant) but nothing was done except to replace the bowls of honey and jam which had become wasp baths.
The cooked breakfasts weren't great either - the eggs overdone, the mushrooms tinned and the toast always cold - and bizarrely on an island like Zanzibar, the mango was consistently unripe.
Evening meals were ridiculously formal with a set menu you had to unravel when you were seated and then try and read in candlelight. It would have been good to have some anti-mosquito coils to stop us being bitten to death (all meals were served outside).
Some of the dishes were good but what was delivered varied wildly from the menu. Eg "prosciutto, mint and pea salad" was actually "greasy bacon (rind on), watercress and five frozen peas".One other occasions we were given squid instead of scallops, tinned ham instead of Parma ham, "mussel sauce" was actually "mango sauce" and rare tuna came tough as old boots.
Worse was that the icecream was off (twice) and so was the cheese cake topping.
Most of the serving staff were lovely, but some lacked basic English and came across as quite rude, huffing and puffing when we asked questions.
A few of the dishes we were served were traditional / local and these were definitely the best. Esp the pumpkin and coconut soup and the grilled fish and curries. I would recommend the chef sticks to what he knows instead of trying to make up fancy rubbish like "Lobster cappucinio" and "aubergine involutin".
Considering we were paying quite a lot per night we expected something a bit better, esp not frozen white bread rolls and butter sachets from New Zealand. The polyester napkins and faded table clothes were also a little disappointing.
But don't get me wrong, we didn't really want haute cuisine... we just wanted tasty food and local flavours. Grilled lobster would have been the ticket, or some swahili curries for instance?
I would say that if we had been eating that food in Johannesburg we would have sent 60% of it back/ expected not to have to pay. Not an option when you're halfboard as you're prisoner to what you're given.
When I tried to suggest that the dinner service was a little formal and old-fashioned the manager snapped me down saying people always raved about the food so they left the chef to his own devices.
My next gripe is that there was NO music anywhere, not even in the bar / restaurant. I can appreciate people want peace and quiet but it made at times for a rather dour atmosphere and not surprisingly hardly anyone bothered with pre / post-dinner drinks. Even on Xmas morning, it was deadly silent... though on Xmas evening they did arrange a duo who played instrumental versions of pop songs / christmas carols on an oboe and guitar.
The wine list was limited and stupidly over-priced: a bottle of KWV bog standard Cab Sav for US$42 when it's barely R50 in South Africa!
We paid a US$25 pp supplement for Xmas Eve and Xmas Day which came in the form of a weak luminous pink cocktail and some deep frozen chicken wings and spring rolls, again swarming in flies.
Despite my moans however, we did have a good time here... and we loved our private dining experience and our beachfront dinner on the last night. But I just feel the management needs to do less drinking at the bar and pay more attention to detail.
They tried to do nice things like give you a bedtime story "from the bush"... but we got the same story four times in seven nights... so the novelty wore off pretty quickly.
Our room wasn't properly cleaned all week and was damp and with bad lighting. We were glad to get home to have a proper shower. The reception area had a gift shop with some nice items but the bags I saw were mouldy and covered in dust.
Reception staff were generally helpful but took 55mins + to make up our bill and we were late leaving for the airport.
They also charge you a ridiculous US$45 for a one-way airport transfer when it costs less than that to hire a car for a day.
I would recommend Fumba for two nights max, mainly for the diving and pool. But take your own wine and ipod!

I stayed at Fumba beach lodge for three nights with my husband and a few friends. This was my fourth trip to Zanzibar and first time at Fumba. The food was delicious and the staff are really friendly although a bit slow when it comes to service. However, several of us experienced leakages in our bathrooms and we witnessed one of the dogs biting one of the guests. In summary, although the hotel is located right by the ocean and the staff are friendly, the hotel is extremely overpriced (accommodation, drinks, and spa) and there are definitely better options in Zanzibar.

Stayed at Fumba Beach at the end of October 2011. Pleased to get a get a room right by the beach rather than being set back. Management was attentive and helpful throughout and staff were friendly. Some were exercising their English but this fitted with what we had read about the lodge's relationship with local community. Others here have talked about slow service; sometimes slow in comparison to life in London perhaps, but really, I came to switch off and slow down, no complaints here. Food service was very good. I really appreciated not having piped music anywhere, another peaceful aspect. The spa treatments seemed a bit pricey and we skipped those. Rooms were clean and well maintained. Good availability of power sockets though power itself was slightly patchy, but the lodge's generator was quick to kick in. We were charmed by the bedtime stories we were left with when the beds were turned down. Afternoons mellowed into complimentary afternoon tea before a chill out and a shower, then back to one of the bars for a Dawa cocktail (get it made with the local Konyagi if possible) with magnificent sunsets and starry skies before dinner. I guess the one thing I'd tweak would be to emphasise local cuisine and use of spices more, but really the food very good; this is a matter of style and personal taste. Sitting on the veranda or down on the beach was pretty idyllic, with dows sailing past and when the tide was out (huge reach) locals out working collecting goodies. I'd be very happy to go back to Fumba Beach or to recommend it.

My wife stayed here for our honeymoon for a total of 7 nights. The lodge is in a fantastic location and is very quiet and chilled as it's off the beaten track. The rooms are spacious and the views are excellent. The staff are superb - friendly, helpful and we even had dinner in our room prepared by one of the lodge's chefs and served by there rather than being shipped from the kitchen. I would also recommend making the most of the dive centre there rather than something external like Safari Blue as they focus solely on guests and go away from the heavily used dive sites meaning you get a more personal and intimate experience.