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"Lovely place to stay. Food was ok. Room very spacious and beautifully decorated. Massage was absolutely beautiful. The staff were very attentive and friendly, the manager was a bit of an opportunist and will try get extra $$ when he gets a chance. Overall beautiful place. Would definitely recommend."

"We had a great stay at Pongwe Bay Resort! As soon as we arrived we felt taken care of and comfortable. We got to Zanzibar quite late but when we arrived we were welcomed with cool hand towels, our luggage was carried to our room for us, and our bed had beautiful hibiscus flowers laid on it. It was the perfect relaxing getaway! Prices were really reasonable, AC in the room was strong, and they arranged airport transfers for us which was convenient. WiFi was a bit of an issue- we had to go to the front desk in the morning most days and ask for the new password as they had to keep resetting it due to poor connection. The WiFi didn't seem to work in our room either so when we sent messages we had to go the main communal areas. Another small concern was when we wanted to explore the beach during low tide, as there were quite a few locals who would come up to us and try to take us on "tours" to find sea creatures or monkeys etc. They were always friendly and listened once we said we were not interested, but we felt bad always turning them all down. I didn't think it would be an issue since the resort has a "private beach," but we didn't like being followed around so it kept us close to the resort pool most days. Other than that though, we had an excellent time and would be back! :)"

"Amazing Stay!!!"

"We really enjoyed our stay at the Sands Resort. Each suite is actually a separate bungalow with large, comfortable rooms and wonderful AC. There is an onsite restaurant that serves all day as well as a beach bar that serves snacks/meals during the daytime. It was very relaxing to be able to have all of our meals on the property. The staff were all very friendly and professional. Everything about the staff and property was wonderful. The hotel also offers excursions. The nice thing is that they are private which entailed having a driver and tours that were just for our party. However, I would not recommend doing the "swim with dolphins" excursion because there are too many other boats doing the same thing, and we didn't feel safe going in the water with so many boats moving around quickly to try to bring their passengers close to the dolphins. So, we stayed in the boat. Also, there were no life jackets available, and it was unclear how we would get in/out of the boat without a ladder or rope; the snorkel and other equipment was old, and we didn't get a chance to try the snorkel/mask before going on the water. We also did the Jozani Forest/Butterfly excursion, which was interesting to do to see the monkeys, mangroves, and butterflies, but the price the hotel charged seemed disproportionately higher than the experience merited; please note that I say this without knowing how much the hotel paid the driver to stay with us for several hours and for the forest guide. "

"This is a beautiful hotel in a great location, right in the middle of the very long Matemwe beach. We loved everything about the hotel. Our room - a junior suite with a beach view and balcony - was gorgeous and very large. There was a view of the ocean from every room, including the shower, and the room was very clean and comfortable in every way. The restaurant is also excellent as is the bar (better cocktails than most places in East Africa). Our favorite dish was the ceviche, but everything was great. The pools, lobby, lounging areas were all beautiful as well. Also appreciated the friendly and helpful staff, who arranged activities including a snorkeling and dolphin trip to Mmemba atoll. The hotel also offers excellent massages onsite and a free yoga class twice a week. We just loved everything about this hotel and would happily return here."

"A grate place!!! Just take in considiration that there is not much to do arround and car/texi is needed."

"Christina and George were incredible hosts. Very accommodating and helpful. Were very quick to offer their assistance. Staff in the dining area as well, Amos was a God send. If you are looking for a home away from home, this is the right hotel. "

"The food, the service and the amenities were very good. It is a beautiful property and the staff are so helpful. There was some noise from the construction next door but we didn’t really notice it very much. The company running the diving and snorkeling excursions on the property were very organized and professional. There was entertainment 2 of the 4 nights we stayed. The Italian dinner night on the beach with dancing on Saturday night was a nice treat and the acrobats on the Friday night was great entertainment. "