Bluebay Beach Resort & Spa

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Minstrel246

5/5Tripadvisor· a month ago

The Bluebay Hotel in Zanzibar is located overlooking a long beautiful stretch of white sandy beach. The hotel has outstanding service whereby nothing is too much trouble - the staff go the extra mile to ensure all the guests are happy. Mike, the hotel manager was extremely helpful, attentive & efficient. He made such a difference to my stay, ensuring it was most enjoyable & he always said hello with a smile. Ibbrahim, one of the chefs took the trouble to make me poached eggs in the morning - most enjoyable. All the staff are pleasant, polite, attentive and always there for you. The golf carts are a great way to go to your room, the drivers are always happy to drop you off at your room. The bedrooms are immaculate & are attended to twice a day. The four restaurants are wonderful, all serving delicious & excellent quality food. The location of the restaurants is idyllic with a choice of Asian, Italian, Indian & a huge buffet style restaurant in the hotel. There is an enormous choice of different types of food, all beautifully presented & cooked to perfection. The pools, bars and areas around the hotel are kept immaculate - you always see people cleaning or attending to the most beautiful gardens surrounding the hotel. There is a new children's area, which is most inviting with beautiful artistic art work of animals on the walls, books to read & other entertainment. There is also a great games area which was most popular & you will not be hungry as there is a snack & coffee bar located near the games area & the pools. There is wonderful entertainment every night around the pool area, from amazing singers, acrobatic demonstrations, dancers & special Zanzibar evenings. The coconut demonstration was extremely interesting with the opportunity to have a coconut drink at the end. I had an excellent stay at the Bluebay Hotel in Zanzibar & I would definitely agree that it is a FIVE STAR HOTEL. I would completely recommend it & I'm sure you will have an amazing time. Thank you! Kirita Aldred

LJ

Lewis Jeynes

4/5Google· 3 weeks ago

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bluebay Beach Resort & Spa, Zanzibar – September 2026 My wife and I stayed here from 13th to 28th September 2026 and, overall, had a fantastic, relaxing holiday. The hotel is relatively small, peaceful and ideal for couples looking to unwind. The grounds are immaculate, the pools are clean, the rooms are comfortable, and the free Wi-Fi is pretty decent. Housekeeping was excellent, with daily cleaning and a nightly turndown service. The food was absolutely fantastic! The buffet was consistently fresh, hot and well cooked, and the à la carte restaurants, particularly Cinnamon and Trattoria, were enjoyable, filling and tasty. The biggest positive, however, was the staff. Everyone we encountered was exceptionally friendly, polite and helpful. Special mentions go to Tuma, Jonathan, Grace, Sophia, Hawa, Ibrahim, Yona, Jimmy and Zena, who all helped make our stay memorable. The entertainment is worth watching, although some of the singing is more like karaoke at your local pub! Surprisingly, this adds to the fun. The hotel generally winds down around 23:00, so don't expect an all-night party atmosphere. Unfortunately, the all-inclusive package was our biggest disappointment. The selection of included drinks is limited, with numerous cocktails, milkshakes, cakes and other items attracting additional charges. Coming from Caribbean and Mexican all-inclusive resorts, we felt this could be considerably better. Our advertised minibar was also never stocked. The beach is beautiful but public, and local traders can be persistent when approaching guests. The sea can also be quite rough, so take care when swimming, particularly with children. One particularly concerning event during our stay was a serious fire at the Trattoria Restaurant on 25th September. The building, particularly the roof, suffered extensive damage. We experienced smoke around our room that night, and aspects of the emergency response raised concerns for us, including the apparent lack of an immediate guest roll call and fire alarm. I cannot verify conflicting reports we subsequently heard about injuries, but I sincerely hope the hotel reviews its emergency procedures and learns from this incident. My Ratings: Food: 5/5 Drinks: 2.5/5 Service: 5/5 Room: 4.5/5 Entertainment: 3.5/5 Grounds: 5/5 Overall, I would rate this hotel 4 to 4.5 out of 5. It is a beautiful, relaxing resort with excellent food and genuinely lovely staff. The all-inclusive offering needs improvement, and I hope the hotel addresses the concerns surrounding the fire. Despite these criticisms, we had a wonderful holiday and would potentially consider returning. Don't let the negatives put you off, but do go with realistic expectations of what the all-inclusive package actually includes!

MM

Mark McGinlay

5/5Google· a month ago

A little bit of paradise. We had such a nice time here on honeymoon. I’d like to come back eventually. Very chilled. We were here 8 days and not once was there something not interesting for food. They had tuna caught that morning for lunch and dinner, almost every day. The chefs do an amazing job to keep it new and change it up. The bar servers are always friendly and happy for a joke. I’d like to mention a few staff members who were a highlight. Joban who worked on the bar and helped me with wifi issues when I was trying to watch football, one of the most attentive and nice barman ive ever came across. Sabato in the Indian restaurant who treats his diners as though they are VIP and Matui in the reception who sorted anything we asked. The staff in the Asian restaurant were great also. Thanks for making it an amazing experience and welcoming us. The only downside of the place is the beachboys when going for a quick swim, it’d be nice just to not be disturbed everytime we go for a walk or want a quick dip.

PJ

Przemysław Jarosz

5/5Google· 5 months ago

Outstanding place. We came for over a week and felt like in paradise. If you’re looking for something different than just another modern hotel resort this might be a good place to consider. We felt like in garden dominated African village with substantial terrain to cover if you’re up for a stroll every now and then. I’d you’re not, staff can give you a lift with a golf cart. Staff - very pleasant and what surprised us - Polish speaking haha! Guys, you and your smile is so much appreciated! Entertainment - A nice performance on stage almost every evening - personally I liked Michael Jackson night the most. :) Very nice ocean view with beach access (remember to bring your diving shoes to protect your feet from sea ​​urchins and rocks and sun screen. If you don’t bring those, there is a small store in the resort. Prices - at European level already I’m afraid. Especially SPA massages and rituals. Don’t expect this place to be super cheap if you’re looking for a budget site. Once again thanks to all the staff.

HP

Heather Pinckard

1/5Google· a month ago

Do not recommend, there are much better resorts in the area. Visited here with a group. Most of the rooms had a musty odor throughout our stay and almost every room had a broken toilet at some point. Our shower smelled like sewage every time we flushed the toilet. I will say staff was attentive in repairing the toilets. One person had $40 stolen from her room, the front desk staff seemed unfazed which is more concerning. Part of our group was double charged for airport transportation and were refused a refund. I called 2 days in a row for laundry services, one time the housekeeping moved the bag of clothes but never picked them up. Bar staff was excellent. For the specialty restaurants prepare to spend 2 hours for dinner. We didn’t go to the beach because of the beach boys but the view from the resort area is amazing.

TM

Trip.com Member

3.7/5Trip.com· a year ago

Hotel advertises all inclusive however nothing is indeed included. Hotel charges surcharges for almost everything which was not appreciable after paying additional fees for all inclusive packages.

BM

Bhavesh Mistry

4/5Google· 2 months ago

Great place all round! The grounds are well planned with immaculate landscaping. The rooms are spacious with great amenities and interior decor. Being directly on the beach, its a perfect place to enjoy the ocean and powder sand. The food at all the dining places is of a high standard. Can't fault the place ☺️

TD

Tiffany Doop

5/5Google· 3 months ago

This place is a charming five-star resort located on the beautiful white-sand beach of Kiwengwa. Surrounded by lush tropical gardens, the resort offers spacious and clean rooms with a comfortable bed, 3 swimming pools, a relaxing spa (extra charge), and a cozy terrace where guests can enjoy a drink while overlooking the tropical surroundings. One of the resort's greatest strengths is its outstanding service. The staff are consistently praised for their warm hospitality, friendliness, and genuine attention to detail, making every guest feel welcome and ensuring a truly memorable stay. You can enjoy a varied buffet featuring both local and international cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere.