Awesome weekend - staff were great and food was excellent

Perfect place to rest, read, enjoy life.

Really amazing boutique hotel. Would highly recommend & certainly recommend staying here again.

Great staff ! very nice and welcoming. Very helpful front desk especially Martin. The pool and beach are great, be aware of the tide but in my opinion this added to the charm of the hotel, allowing us to walk on the beach alone :)

Great staff ! very nice and welcoming. Very helpful front desk especially Martin.The pool and beach are great, be aware of the tide but in my opinion this added to the charm of the hotel, allowing us to walk on the beach alone :)

lovely place with a terrific staff The beach was fantastick och the food excellent

We visited Pongwe Beach after a week bumping around on safari, like most visitors. The hotel was the perfect place to slow down, relax and enjoy the beautiful beach, pool and ocean. The small beach was perfectly lovely and private, with lounge chairs always available and just the right amount of sun and shade for the hot days of summer. Service was great and the folks made themselves available on just the right frequency. Happy hour drinks were beautiful and delicious. Breakfast was a highlight, with perfect omelets, a buffet full of fruit and delicious morning coffee. Oh, and speaking of coffee, the early morning delivery of coffee and tea to the bungalow patios was an unexpected treat. Up with the sunrise, enjoying a cup of delicious Tanzanian coffee on the beach was an absolute joy. We did enjoy lunch and dinner as well, with the menus changing daily. Food was good, but not over the top excellent, but no real complaints. The hotel is slightly out of the way, so be prepared to pay a lot for transportation should you want to visit other parts of Zanzibar, like Stonetown, or eat at other restaurants on the Island (we do recommend The Rock, if just for the experience). As with most visitors here, we were sad to leave and were wondering how we can find an excuse to return someday in the not too distant future.

We visited Pongwe Beach after a week bumping around on safari, like most visitors. The hotel was the perfect place to slow down, relax and enjoy the beautiful beach, pool and ocean. The small beach was perfectly lovely and private, with lounge chairs always available and just the right amount of sun and shade for the hot days of summer. Service was great and the folks made themselves available on just the right frequency. Happy hour drinks were beautiful and delicious. Breakfast was a highlight, with perfect omelets, a buffet full of fruit and delicious morning coffee. Oh, and speaking of coffee, the early morning delivery of coffee and tea to the bungalow patios was an unexpected treat. Up with the sunrise, enjoying a cup of delicious Tanzanian coffee on the beach was an absolute joy. We did enjoy lunch and dinner as well, with the menus changing daily. Food was good, but not over the top excellent, but no real complaints. The hotel is slightly out of the way, so be prepared to pay a lot for transportation should you want to visit other parts of Zanzibar, like Stonetown, or eat at other restaurants on the Island (we do recommend The Rock, if just for the experience). As with most visitors here, we were sad to leave and were wondering how we can find an excuse to return someday in the not too distant future.

Great hotel on a wonderful beach where the low tide is less extreme than in other places. In many hotels in Zanzibar you can see the ambition they had when the hotel was built, but management hasn't been able to maintain it. This hotel is an exception, very well kept. Very professional staff. Only negative thing I can think of is that the food is a bit overpriced.

Just the nicest staff and environment, perfect place

loved the pool, the beach, the staff, the food, the very comfy and unique robes in the rooms

Second time, always the best! Rooms are great, people fantastic and great food! Unique atmosphere

Second time, always the best! Rooms are great, people fantastic and great food! Unique atmosphere

Just book it. You won’t be disappointed. If you can’t feel happy or unwind whilst you’re here, then I don’t know where you can?! They have thought of so many little things to make your stay so special (I won’t spoil the surprises). The hotel is officially a 3* hotel, because it doesn’t have things like tv in the rooms, or hairdryers or air conditioning. But why come to paradise looking for those things?? Honestly you don’t need it. The staff, food, location and cleanliness are all tip top. I can’t wait to go back again!!

I have never stayed anywhere quite like this and would advise that you install another option that is higher than "exceptional". Cannot rate the hotel high enough, for quality, location, scenery, facilities, food, drink, flag and best of all, the staff.

I have never stayed anywhere quite like this and would advise that you install another option that is higher than exceptional. Cannot rate the hotel high enough, for quality, location, scenery, facilities, food, drink, flag and best of all, the staff.

Pongwe Beach Hotel was a much-needed detox from our 7-day mt Kilimanjaro climb. Location was good not great. It’s located in a lesser developed region of the eastern coast without easy access to Nungwi to the north or Jambiani/Paje to the south—both would have been >30 min cab rides amounting to >$50 USD. The beach/pool and the food were definitely highlights. I would have gone with the full board option instead of just breakfast included had I known the lack of alternative options in the area. Our first night the AC broke and the management graciously spent an hour from 3-4 am repairing it. However, when they relocated us the next day to another room, the water pressure on the shower was minimal. All in all, it was a nice hotel with extremely friendly staff, but we’d likely stay in nungwi or paje next time around.

We have never stayed in a tropical beach hotel before and we found the whole place wonderful. The facilities are great (we had a room with plunge pool), the staff are amazing and the location is beautiful. The food was also delicious and we highly recommend this hotel.

The stay was amazing. Staff, food, beach, and the beachfront room with private plunge pool was very spacious. Two things to note:- 1) our room (20) was great but right next door to the Tulia resort just a few metres away and right next to their evening entertainment area. Quite loud but very pleasant music some nights. Earplugs are provided in the room but we didnt use them a) music was good, and b) stopped at 10pm so not a problem. 2) We tried to reduce our stay from 5 nights to 4 in the free cancellation period but system doesnt allow !! We were offered the 5 night refund and a new booking elsewhere - not at all what we wanted. The hotel would clearly have preferred to sell the 5 nights to someone else rather tha to us and maybe not sell the one cancelled night. Disappointing but Hotels.com did help us out.

The stay was amazing. Staff, food, beach, and the beachfront room with private plunge pool was very spacious. Two things to note:- 1) our room (20) was great but right next door to the Tulia resort just a few metres away and right next to their evening entertainment area. Quite loud but very pleasant music some nights. Earplugs are provided in the room but we didn't use them a) music was good, and b) stopped at 10pm so not a problem. 2) We tried to reduce our stay from 5 nights to 4 in the free cancellation period but 'system doesn't allow' !! We were offered the 5 night refund and a new booking elsewhere - not at all what we wanted. The hotel would clearly have preferred to sell the 5 nights to someone else rather tha to us and maybe not sell the one cancelled night. Disappointing but Hotels.com did help us out.

Excellent hotel in a very quiet area which is what we wanted. Food very good. The beach is just incredible.

Great staff, excellent service. Restaurant is really good

Wonderful family-friendly beach and extremely serviceminded and friendly staff. Clean and big rooms. Very good food, even if there could have been some more dishes to select from. Recommended for romantic holidays, as the place is peaceful and very nice. Wifi is not the best.

Our stay was all that we hoped for. The site is beautiful and the service is impeccable. We found the staff to be gracious, welcoming, and all helped make our stay a vacation we will always remember.

very pleased with the beach and staff,excellent food.

Our stay was all that we hoped for. The site is beautiful and the service is impeccable. We found the staff to be gracious, welcoming, and all helped make our stay a vacation we will always remember.

Food on half board was great with a change of 3 course menu every day. Superb happy hour cocktails and very safe location. Beach is to die for, dont hesitate book it, im glad we did.

A truly beautiful spot with nice facilities and kind, hospitable staff and management! The only possible downside is the fairly firm mattress, but this was overshadowed by the beuaty of the surroundings!

Amazing staff, plenty activities, beautiful beach. Food was fine, but nothing to rave about. Our room was amazing

We stayed for a really magical two nights three days at Pongwe Beach Hotel. From our first contact with efficient and welcoming Heidi to our last drop off at airport by friendly driver All staff were kind smiling hospitable and genuinely helpful without being intrusive. The beach is lovely with about an 1/8th of a mile difference between low and high tide. The facilities are tasteful and comfortable. Food was delicious- especially anything with seafood. My only thought while writing this review is a selfishness that I don’t want to share this experience with anyone else as it was such a special holiday for me and my wife. But that wouldn’t be fair to the staff so please accept our thanks and this review of your special hotel.

A fantastic slice of paradise. The staff are amazing, so friendly and helpful, they really helped make our stay. The private beach is beautiful and the hotel is perfect. The rooms were clean and beautifully kept, ours overlooked the sea and had a balcony to sit on. The food was excellent, the chefs were absolutely amazing. Couldn’t fault it and can’t wait to go back again!!!!

Pongwe Beach is a wonderful little boutique hotel, on a private beach that is possibly the most beautiful on the island. The room are hidden between the palm trees to maintain the idyllic situation and are built in traditional style - no concrete monstrosities here! The food is extremely good and always beautifully presented. The beach changes by the hour, as the most gorgeous expanse of sand opens up at low tide. But the greatest accolade must go to the staff; without exception, they are the friendliest, happiest and best bunch that we have ever met. They make the holiday.