So, this is only the second review I've written on trip advisor where I'm not entirely positive and I will try be as balanced as I can. Generally speaking, if I have something negative to say, I'll say it at the time in the hopes of getting the issue rectified. I spoke to 2 managers at the time and have also had a constructive email conversation with the hotel manager since arriving home. If it's something minor or inconvenient, it's not fair to leave a poor review, often these things are beyond the vendor's control and things happen when you travel. In these instances, I just don't leave a review at all. My only fully negative review was in 2015 so hopefully that gives you some context. We booked Meliá Zanzibar for the second leg of our Honeymoon. We spent an amazing week in Kenya and this week was going to be our chill by the pool, eating and drinking away our first 2 weeks married. (We got married on the Friday, left for our honeymoon on the Monday!) Booking and dealing with Meliá was very easy. I had a few questions and because of flight changes there were beyond our control, I had to rearrange our organist pick up from the airport. The car ride to the hotel was straightforward (though the driver drove quite hard all the way which was a little nerve wreaking. Nothing to do with the hotel, just maybe that;s how taxi drivers drive in Zanzibar! Very friendly man though!) We arrived about 9pm and checked in, It had been a long day traveling but the staff member that checked us in was very helpful. She suggested we go for dinner before heading to the room as it dinner was nearly over. The hotel's menu is accessed by phone using a QR code, which is convenient. Our server was friendly but not overly helpful in helping us navigate the gluten free options. Now, in fairness, we had had a long day traveling so that might have contributed to our frustrations. We had a lovely meal and a very tasty cocktail. We were brought by cart to our room and Benson helped us with our bags. (Benson used to be a guide in the Maasai Mara so insisted on carrying both bags, showing no signs of struggle!! A lovely man.) Our room was amazing. Just as advertised. We booked a Romance Pavilion. There are a few of them, with one directly beside us. The others a further away. Our room had a lovely comfortable bed, nice shower and bath, mini fridge etc. House keeping did an amazing job looking after the room and the mosquito net made us feel very safe at night. While on the subject, it's not over clear from the website but the resort is spread over about 2km or so. So the level pool and restaurant is a 15 min walk from the other parts of the hotel and most likely your room of the spice market for example. This isn't a problem though as there is carts that bring guests to and from the different parts of the hotel and there is never a long wait. 2/3 mins at most. All the staff we met were lovely and friendly and would always say hello. We had an all inclusive package for our stay, the first time I had ever experience that so I was excited. We ordered some cocktails to our room, they took a while to arrive but that is to be expected, it was probably close to midnight. Unfortunately they were not as tasty or well made as the ones we had at The Level but again it was late so understandable. We were a little disappointed however. Minor event hardly worth mentioning. Now, the not so positive part. We had early lunch in the pool bar which was very tasty. However, my wife was not served the gluten free bread we asked for and this was unfortunately common issue throughout our stay. Generally speaking, the front of house staff were never sure if something contained gluten or not and often had to go ask the chef. It's great that they went to ask but it always left a little doubt as to whether or not there was gluten in the food. This happened a second time 2 days later when we shared what was supposed to be a gluten free club sandwich we ordered through room service. Anytime we order food, anywhere, we ask, check and confirm again about gluten and unfortunately we were let down twice in Meliá on two separate days. Now, in fairness, we spoke to two very helpful and understanding managers during our stay at the hotel. During one of these meetings, I was assured that steps were being taken to address this issue by changing the note pad the front of staff have to include an allergen box. I also suggested that as the labels in buffet are digital, it would be relatively small but welcome step to include the allergen information there also. It is worth pointing out that according to the hotel manager that Meliá consider "celiac disease a condition we recognize as an intolerance, not an allergy". I feel perhaps this attitude to gluten, for example ,may have contributed to the failure in the food handling process. I digress, we spent a wonderful day by the pool sipping cocktails and snacking on food from the pool bar. My wife was a little feeling unwell at this point but we chalked that down to the gluten in lunch. We went the Spice Market for dinner that night. The buffet was varied and looked amazing. We mostly ate separate menu items for obvious reasons but as we were assured some items were GF ( after staff asked the chefs) there was some cross over too. We enjoyed a lovely bottle of wine and enjoyed the band as well. Now for the actual negative part. Having been at the resort in good health and standing for over 30 hours, that night for my wife, and early the next morning for me, we both became very sick. I wont go in detail but the next three days of our honeymoon were mostly room bound and unwell. Something we ate or drank made us ill there is no doubt. We made an appointment with the doctor (that proved difficult as well but that was down to a misunderstanding on the part of the staff member I spoke to, these things happen) who called to the room. There was higher cost for a room call but given our situation, traveling to the clinic was not possible. In fairness to the both managers I spoke to, they were professional and empathetic to our situation. I gave a full account of everything we both ate and drank over the course of stay, where we ate and when we ate. The first gentleman said he investigated the matter and I have no reason to doubt that. He also called in to see us later that day and we felt was genuinely sorry for our plight. As the week went on, he would make the effort to say hello and ask how we were doing. It was appreciated. As we were sick, we could not enjoy any of the food or drink included in our package nor were we able to enjoy the pools, beach or entertainment at the hotel. It was a massive disappointment considering we were on honeymoon. To try and make up for some this disappointment, the second gentleman we were dealing with offered an upgrade to a villa on our final night which we accepted. It was a lovely room with a private pool, unfortunately we were just too miserable to enjoy it. He also arranged for a romantic and private dinner in the room, a gesture that was greatly appreciated, however, we declined the offer of the full regalia. It would have required us to leave the room for 2 hours and that just wasn't possible. We suggested just sending the food as room service which in hindsight wasn't a fantastic idea. The food looked amazing and what we ate was delicious, but eating such rich food after being so sick just wasn't possible so we weren't able to eat very much. However, again, it was a lovely thought and we appreciated it. The hotel arranged for us to be dropped to the airport in the hotel car, which certainly made our trip more manageable. Since returning I have have been emailing the hotel manager with regards to our stay. Apart from a delay of 7 days in to one of my emails, he has been very approachable, apologetic and helpful in our conversations. In the efforts of full transparency, the aim of my email conversation has to highlight a number of things Firstly, the lower than expected standards of such a wonderful resort. With regards to being served gluten and with regards to a failure in hygiene standards. While the manager was certainly accepting in some aspects of this, especially when it came to being served an allergen, I feel he was less so accepting of source of our illness. It is also worth pointing out that, according to the manager, the hotel was at 75% occupancy and no one else reported sick. I have no reason to doubt the veracity of this statement which is great for the other guest, but was of little comfort to us. Secondly, it was to see how our experience might help the next guests who may have similar issues. This I feel was very productive in the meeting I had with the manager while at the hotel and afterward by email. Finally, though the hotel made a substantial effort to make our last day more enjoyable, I wanted to discuss the possibility of how better the hotel could compensate us given the extenuating circumstancing. After all, we arrived healthy and 30 hours later our honeymoon was effectively over. In conclusion, I'm sure for the rest of the guests, their stay was lovely. The rooms are excellent, the food (issues apart) are very nice, the staff are helpful and resort itself is beautiful. The managers are attentive, understanding and helpful with the issues we faced. With regards to the two gentlemen I dealt with while there, again, thank you very much for all that you did and they way you interacted with us. I hope, if you managed to read all of this, I have been as balanced and accurate to the events as I could have been. We first day spent at the hotel was fanastic and everything we had hoped for. The rest of our time, we made the best of a bad situation and did our best to enjoy what ever we could. It's likely we experienced a blip in what otherwise is a wonderful hotel.

This was our second visit to Melia Zanzibar and the greeting was as warm and as welcoming as last time. The view out of the lobby area, across the pool to the Jetty and the sea, is amazing!   We visited in April, during the ‘big-rain’ season so we were expecting the rain but equally not worried by it. It does rain and it is, at times, BIG, so be aware of the seasons here, Hakuna Matata!   We were fortunate enough to experience both the main hotel as well as The Level, which is even more luxurious than the main area, which in itself is wonderful.   The Melia room was spacious and clean, with a bath tub and separate shower and WC. The towels and linen throughout the hotel, were clean, soft and bleach free, the toiletries in the rooms and across the public areas, were good quality and a lovely scent.   Breakfast at the Melia has plenty of variety and eggs are freshly cooked, nice selection of fresh fruit, pastries, bread, juices and cold meats and cheeses.  Local breakfast was also available.Dinner at the Spice market buffet has different theme each evening and the local Zanzibar food is very tasty. wonderful fish curries!   Dinners on the Jetty have a very romantic setting and delicious food, the Indian and coconut curries were so yummy, the menu was not extensive but everything we had was excellent, the ravioli and pasta dishes were also great. The ice cream across the hotel restaurants is very good.   Dinner at Tamu was amazing, we enjoyed the Swahili curries, everything tasted really good!   Evening entertainment at Spice Market was good with a variety of bands whilst we were there, playing local and international and a Masai show where you get to see and hear their traditional chanting and jumping high in the air, beating their sticks on the ground from time to time. Quite an experience!   The Melia hotel is clean and decorated beautifully, with some very traditional furniture that look really ancient but completely right for their setting. The Library bar looks out over the terrace and the pool and is a great place to sit and sip a cocktail whilst taking in the scene, set in the Indian Ocean.   Reception and Guest Services were always on hand to help with any queries and could also be contacted via Whatsapp for any questions.   Lunch at Gabi beach, a short golf-buggy ride through the beautiful grounds, has a beautiful, serene setting, where you can sit and enjoy fresh fish, octopus or several other dishes, whilst sipping a cold glass of wine and watching the locals out in the shallows, catching fish or octopus, or seeing the children play in the sea. The shades of blue in the ocean are amazing!   The beach area has plenty of sunbeds for relaxing and enjoying the scene, although the water at low tide is not ideal for swimming as it is very shallow and quite rocky. At high tide, the sea is perfect, 27c or more and gentle waves, thanks to the reef breaking any waves down on their journey towards the beach.   The Level is an exclusive area just above Gabi beach and we were fortunate enough to have had access to this for most of our holiday and also spent 3 nights in a lovely bungalow there towards the end of our holiday. The pool area is clean, tidy and plenty of sunbeds, with the pool set looking out towards the ocean so you can just sit and relax whilst watching the clouds drift across the horizon or the occasional storm out at sea, moving slowly northwards. It is the kind of area where your book gets ignored frequently, as you find yourself just gazing out in wonder at the beauty of the ocean. Soft, traditional African and Indian music in the background adds to the calm of the surroundings!   Breakfast at The Level is a-la-carte and we enjoyed a slow lazy breakfast (our pace, not the staff) of fresh fruits, followed by eggs benedict, with soft bread, avocado, smoked salmon and a rich sauce and then some toast and pastries…. Indulgent, yes…but it is a holiday so why not?   Dinner at The Level was equally indulgent, with the Lobster dish or the steak, making us want to return again and again…   There are so many people that we should like to mention but having not written their names down at the time, we will likely overlook some. Without exception, the team are lovely! The names we do remember and loved to talk to… Witness, Samson, Richard, Dai, Twahil (Eddie Murphy), Abbas, Daudi, Alfonso, Valeria, Lilian, Hamisi, Paul, Marian, Fahad, Elisabeth, Athuman…. Apologies to the people we omitted, you are all great!   A special thanks to Orio (F&B manager) and Riccardo (Level Manager) who both went out of their way to make our stay great! Thank you!  

Thank you so much for an AMAZING stay. The airline lost my luggage and so turned up with nothing. They did everything they can to reunite me with my case and successfully got it back for me. The staff are what make this place so special. One of the best hotels I have stayed in. Food was delicious. Gym was fantastic. More than 5 stars everything was PERFECT! Thank you so much to all the staff who are welcoming, happy and helpful.

My husband and I visited Melia Zanzibar for our honeymoon in December 2023. I have been so impressed by the quality and hospitality of Melia. We stayed at a Melia resort in the Serengeti as well. The property was stunning and had so much to do! At some of the public beaches in Zanzibar we were unable to avoid being asked for money or followed. Staying at Melia allowed us to feel very safe and allowed us to relax and enjoy our vacation. The food was excellent and all of the staff were so wonderful!

The hotel was so good and lovely service from there workers, Melia hotel is most beautiful hotel in Zanzibar island cause you can get peacefully of the mind and enjoy the experience. Always nice vacation needs good hotel. Habibi welcome to Zanzibar