The Residence Zanzibar

Imagine this 6:30 sunset watching on the beach either from the warmth of the mod pool or the beautiful sunbeds. Huge shout out to Renu who fed me my pina coladas on the beach! obviously they were rose coladas as im only 15! The most amazing place to celebrate my birthday with all the super friendly staff to make it possible.

Beautiful hotel and amazing staff. The accommodations were flawless. The property was stunning and offered everything you could dream of. The only downside is that while we were there, the tide retracts for most of the day, limiting our time in the water. I also want to note that the food and drinks are fantastic! You need to do the all-inclusive for lunch to be included and unlimited drinks. It is worth it though!

Whilst some aspects of our break were fantastic - superb serving staff and a real desire to please especially catering for my celiac disease, other aspects were less positive. Some of the food and drink was extremely expensive ie $33 for a large on and tonic. As elite status holders with an aggregator site we were meant to be offered a complimentary upgrade. This did not happen and when the aggregator company asked for feedback on our check in, specifically whether we had been offered an upgrade, I said we hadn’t but did praise the hotel too. Shortly after we were invited to meet with management who then ad used that there were no upgrades available. On checking their site there were upgraded rooms showing as available. When I contacted management about this we were told that they didn’t do upgrades (despite this being specifically mentioned at the time of booking) so incredibly misleading to be polite. On one day our room was not serviced at all and the a la carte restaurant was v underwhelming in relation to the good on offer and the service. Ie no vegetarian options for my daughter. Half way through our 5 day stay the general manager did offer us a room upgrade but by that point we didn’t want the inconvenience of moving (the last day necessitated a 5am start so want worth the packing, moving and repacking) and instead I asked fur done complimentary drinks. This was refused despite the difference in the price of rooms being $300 per night - so $1500 over the 5 days. I didn’t think this was an unreasonable request but it was shut down completely. This has left an unpleasant feeling and indicative of a management who were happy to tell mistruths about occupancy, ready to pass the blame to the aggregator company, and not prepared to try and compensate and make good. This was supposed to have been the highlight of the end of our 17 day holiday, but sadly we will be leaving feeling disappointed

We stayed at The Residence Zanzibar in July 2025 to celebrate my husband’s 70th birthday. Sadly, our experience was far from the luxury escape we had envisioned. Security Incident – Intruder in Our Villa At 1:15am on July 11th, I was shocked to see an unidentified man enter our outdoor shower area while I was using the bathroom. He attempted to enter our room via the shower door, I screamed twice for my husband, and the intruder fled over the 8ft wall. Reception and security responded quickly, but the initial response questioned whether I had been dreaming, hardly reassuring after such a traumatic event. Having checked the area they confirmed scuff marks on the wall had been identified, and we were also told there was CCTV footage which would be shared when the incident report had been completed and submitted to the local police. The official incident report (which I’ve since obtained) says no suspicious movement was “detected” on camera, and no one was held accountable. In my opinion, the handling of such a serious breach was woefully inadequate, and at no point did we receive a personal visit from management, although the email received following our return offered a loose apology. Safety & Maintenance Issues The main villa entrance was insecure for most of our stay (missing a bolt), only being fixed on day 11 after I fell ill and the doctor pointed it out and called reception. There was a complete lack of communication both before and during our stay. I had emailed ahead about upgrading for a birthday celebration and received no reply whatsoever. Excursion Disappointment We paid $250 each for a sandbank boat trip with snorkelling. I made sure it was suitable for me as I have knee replacements and some limitations, which I was told wouldn’t be an issue. On the day of the trip we had a long walk along the beach, boarding the boat was extremely difficult, and once on board, I was told I couldn’t snorkel, another guest sustained a nasty leg injury from the boat ladder and the sandbank was already crowded with 50–60 people, nothing like the tranquil experience sold to us. Beach and Resort Conditions The jetty had been demolished without prior notice, and heavy machinery was due to operate on our last day. The Beach was substandard, littered with plastic and debris which was rarely cleaned, other than clearing seaweed directly in front of the main area of the hotel. There were no general sun loungers on the beach unless you stayed in a beach villa. The hotels response disputed this but there was absolutely none, other than around the main pool. The main pool area paving was dirty and stained, it was cleaned with bleach only once during our 12 day stay. Overall Experience No contact from the resort rep, lack of service, no follow-up after the security incident, and poor maintenance left us feeling unsafe and uncared for. For a resort that markets itself as five star luxury, and was very expensive, this fell shockingly short on every front, especially safety, service, and sincerity. We travel often, and have never needed to leave a negative review. I waited until now and soul searched about what to say, but I feel compelled to share this so others are aware. The response to my complaints with the hotel was very dismissive and what should have been a luxury holiday and joyful celebration, became an experience we’d rather forget. I would like to say that the restaurant staff were very friendly and attentive as were other staff members around the hotel. The location of the hotel is remote, the grounds are well kept, the island is not as exotic as described, would we return? Sadly, never.

My wife and I stayed at The Residence for our honeymoon, expecting a true 5-star experience. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the worst part of our holiday. For £750 per night, what we experienced was nowhere near acceptable for a resort of this supposed standard. The villa was poorly maintained. The bath was filthy to the point we could not use it, and the shower was covered in mould. Although the bath was eventually cleaned after I complained, the shower never was. Shower pressure was inconsistent, and there were several power cuts during our stay. The bed was uncomfortable and not of 5-star quality. The water bottles provided were not sealed and appeared to be recycled. When I questioned staff, they avoided answering and pretended not to understand me. I requested to see a manager about these issues, but despite being told he would meet me, he never arrived. Reception staff were generally rude and unwelcoming. We were offered a “romantic meal on the beach,” which turned into a disaster. We were left unserved for 30 minutes, forcing me to open our own Prosecco. The lobster starter was poorly prepared with pieces of shell left inside. The steak had hair trimmings in it. When I raised this with the manager, he dismissively claimed the hair was “too long to be from staff” and accused us of bringing it ourselves, ignoring the clear shorter hairs in the dish. His attitude was rude and unacceptable. To make matters worse, a movie was being played on a screen right next to our table with a crying baby in the background – hardly the romantic setting promised. The buffet was very average, with limited variety and poor quality compared to the price point. My wife and I even suffered mild food poisoning. Despite being “all-inclusive,” premium items such as salmon or prawns came at an additional cost. Staff were constantly pushing for tips. At the end of every buffet meal, a $0 bill was presented which was clearly designed as a prompt for gratuity. On one occasion, a barman actually chased us down during a private walk to demand a tip for a drink he had served hours earlier. This completely ruined what should have been a special moment. There is no Wi-Fi available in the lobby, which is unacceptable for a hotel claiming 5-star standards. For a ‘5 star’ hotel every level. Poor cleanliness, rude management, mediocre food, relentless tipping culture, and a general lack of care made this an extremely disappointing experience. At £750 per night, the value for money is appalling. I would not recommend The Residence to anyone.