My girlfriend and I spend 3 nights at from the 28th to 31st of December 2019. We booked this hotel literally the day before we arrived, which we normally don't do for various reasons. As a result we paid a heavy price, both in terms of cost and the limited options available for last minute bookings. This was not our preferred option, with others already fully booked we decided to settle on 'Royal' Zanzibar.
This hotel is far from Royal and is not a five star hotel at all. The hotel is dated, and in desperate need of refurbishment in most areas. With the exception of the reception area and some guest rooms the property is generally dilapidated. The quality of the finishing, paint work, landscaping, in and around the guest buildings is is poor. Our guest room did appear to have been recently modernized, but the lack of quality finishing and attention to detail is still very evident. We were put in building D4 on the 4th floor. There was no elevator in D4 and appeared that this is the same throughout the property. I find this astonishing for a so called 5 star! Personally, I don't mind using the stairs, as I am a active person, but what about elderly guests, or persons with reduced mobility?? This property has done very little to cater to them.
When we arrived, and were checking in at reception, we overhead a departing guest agitated and anxiously speaking with someone over the phone about a late taxi. Unbeknown to us, this same issue would face us.
We were told to have lunch at the seaside restaurant which was open, as the other buffet restaurant was not at the time we arrived. I opted for a chicken burger and fries – the worst I have ever eaten. The chicken fillet in the burger had a bone that I had to extract from my mouth, disgusted at the lack of care in its preparation. The cheese used in the burger was dreadful, it looked like and tasted like rubber. The fries were undercooked. It was a complete disaster and we were genuinely worried that this was the standard of cuisine at this resort. This was the only time we ate at this restaurant. The rest of the stay we ate at the buffet restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The quality was better then the disaster at the seaside restaurant, but it was not 5-star. By, the way this property only has 2 restaurants?! None of which have an indoor air-conditioned seating space. This is completely unacceptable for a 5 star hotel, particularly in the heat of Zanzibar. There should be both indoor and outdoor dining options.
The so called Gym is laughable. I was looking forward to working out but didn’t dare. The facility is in an OUTDOOR area! The equipment dated, unhygienic and rusty.
The room itself was pretty comfortable, ensuite, a safe, a small seating area, a large flat screen TV and reasonably good selection of channels from news, to movies and sports, but plenty of room for improvement. Although there is a mini-bar, its unstocked!! Why?? They could not put a few drinks and snacks and refill daily? This is bizarre for an “all-inclusive” resort. Oh, and don’t expect any room service, because there is none. This in itself is astonishing. There is also no iron or ironing board in the rooms.
The hotel prides itself with staff that speak multiple languages, which is helped by some expatriate staff. However, the level of English spoken is very basic for most staff encountered at reception, dinning areas, beach etc.
The final nail in the coffin was our departure from the hotel. We called the reception the night before to inform them that we needed a taxi to the airport for the following morning at 10:30am. The following morning, we called again to reconfirm this. When we arrived with our bags to checkout, and told them we have a booking for a taxi at 10:30am, we were met with bemusement from the front desk staff. They had no idea what we were talking about and looked at each over in confusion. Such a simple task nearly resulted in us missing our flight. After a lot of complaining, the lack of professionalism and incompetence was confirmed. We were charged $90 for the taxi ride that was almost an hour late. A complete lack of organisation and basic management was astonishing for a so called 5 staff hotel. The front desk manager didn’t help much except apologize repeatedly. In the mists of continuously checking up on the progress of the taxi with the hotel’s front desk, we had enough, and decided to call a taxi ourselves for which the rate was $50!! We were told that we could not get the $90 back and the taxi was only 5 minutes away. 5 minutes turned into 15 minutes. The whole experience left us deflated and anxious.
I would not recommend this hotel. Its in need of serious renovations to bring it up to standard of a 5 star, the staff need training on proper management and hospitality. I have been at 5 star hotels elsewhere in Zanzibar, and the mainland – Tanzania, and found in comparison, Royal Zanzibar to be way below the standards required.
