Hotel Ocean Paradise Resort & Spa 4 * (Zanzibar, Tanzania). Rested in this hotel from 02 to 13 April 2018 Zanzibar Airport (arrival, departure). Looks like a small household. building with low ceilings. We arrived at the same time as the flight from Dubai, we were from a huge Boeing for 300 people, well, plus 1 more plane.
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Hotel Ocean Paradise Resort & Spa 4 * (Zanzibar, Tanzania).
Rested in this hotel from 02 to 13 April 2018
Zanzibar Airport (arrival, departure).
Looks like a small household. building with low ceilings. We arrived at the same time as the flight from Dubai, we were from a huge Boeing for 300 people, well, plus 1 more plane. Crowded into this "hangar", began to fill out the cards (there are 2 forms on the racks). Attention! Ask on your tour. agency these forms in advance, in the country of departure, and ask them for you to fill out or give a sample. This will save time and you will not suffer from “translation difficulties”, you will rewrite on arrival simply from the form. Further in the windows to the left of the tables - queues to pay for a visa. Things are moving slowly. They refuse to take cash, they object emotionally. Required to pay by card. Dollars younger than 2006 are not accepted.
After paying for the visa, you receive a check, it is attached to the questionnaire that you filled out, and further to the right - to the customs officers, take off your fingers, take pictures.
In the exhausted crowd, people dart around wanting to earn extra money and skip the line, naturally, not for free. Those who passed in this way, at the exit, were waiting for the rest in their bus to set off.
We spent about 2 hours at customs, got wet. The girls accepting payment for a visa periodically felt bad in their stuffy booths, they went out to drink and breathe, the queue stopped.
This, perhaps, along with the departure procedures, is the most unpleasant experience. Everything is great after that!
There are exchange offices at the airport. There are several of them, do not rush, study the offers. On the dates of my arrival, the airport exchange rate was $1 - 2200 Tanzanian shillings. In one place it was 2210. This is the rate for bills of 100 and 50 dollars. Smaller denominations are lost in the course, it makes no sense to change them.
And in general advice - do not change much!
Only for small purchases, tips, souvenirs, where the exchange rate "penny" is important, which the locals round up in their favor in dollars, and, accordingly, it is more profitable to pay in shillings. And for payments at the hotel on checkout (account in shillings). Excursions can be paid in dollars, and in general, the dollar is in use there.
For comparison, we had a hotel rate of $ 1 - 2100 shillings.
In Stone Town, the course is about the same as at the airport 2210 - 2250 can be found.
Upon arrival, vaccinations were not asked, as they are not required for those arriving from prosperous regions.
Briefly about the departure immediately: we were brought in a large crowd for 3 flights in the evening at about the same time. A large queue formed to check the luggage at the entrance (immediately there were people who would carry it out for money).
After that, you go through the standard procedures for weighing luggage and determining where to place it on the plane. For sitting together, you may be hinted at a reward.
Do not enter, they will seat you normally if you are not at the end of the line and there are already few places, in this case it is completely pointless to pay extra.
They may also ask you to open your suitcase, if the x-ray shows that you have large shells there, you can’t take them out (large ones are sold on the beach, it’s pointless to buy, they will seize them). Well, selectively, if they want, they will also be asked to open it.
The guide said that those who have a lot of fruit with them, they require a certificate (for a fee). They poke at a sign with inscriptions in Swahili.
On the plate it says that certificates need to be issued if you are exporting some kind of agricultural crops, plants with soil, etc. (due to the danger of introducing pest bugs). But since few of our people speak Swahili, people can't argue. Require $10. Therefore, the guide recommended that in order not to pay, tell them that it's ok, make out and give me a certificate.
Since they do not have them for ordinary fruits and the person who approached you may be generally "leftist", usually the topic fades to "no" and he disappears.
We did not carry much fruit with us, so we did not have such a question with customs.
The ceilings in the waiting room leak when it rains. With a large crowd of people, not everyone had enough places to sit down.
Hotel.
The hotel is located on the ocean, has a large, beautiful, well-groomed territory, round-shaped buildings in African style. Some of them stand as separate bungalows, some are 2-storey buildings in blocks, overlooking the garden. Swimming pool, several restaurants, spa. Spread photos of the territory, numbers. Beautiful weaver birds, lizards, large snails live on the territory, a lemur runs around.
Rooms are nice, clean, tiled floors. The room is divided into a small corridor (with a wardrobe and a shelf for luggage) and the main part of the room.
There is a TV in the room (no Russian channels), bedside tables, a wardrobe with a sufficient number of shelves and hangers, a refrigerator (a minibar for an additional fee, a menu is nearby), a coffee table, chairs, a large mirror with a shelf and a chair.
San. the unit consists of 3 parts, washbasin, shower, toilet and bidet.
Large terrace with table and 2 chairs. The terrace opens with the same key as the room. Please leave the door closed to avoid small tropical animals and mosquitoes. In general, I didn’t particularly see mosquitoes there (single specimens), and in the room they could only appear when the cleaner was working. But we were periodically bitten by someone, there were red dots on the body. But I still couldn’t understand who it was, maybe mosquitoes, but I didn’t see how they bit and didn’t itch at all.
Towels are clean and white. In the shower there is a rope for drying clothes, swimwear . . I only left some water to drain there after washing, because it doesn’t dry well there. There are no ropes on the terrace.
The safe is free, locked either with a 6-digit combination lock, above it there is an instruction in English on how to open / close. (meets in different rooms in different ways).
Air conditioning on the remote control (in the "standards", as far as I understood, the general supply ventilation was not adjustable from the remote control, one of our Russians from the group of arrived Russians had such a number). In the "superiors" - on the remote control. There is also a ceiling fan.
The climate, by the way, is comfortable, compared to the “bathhouse” in Asia, Africa in this sense is drier, even when it rains. The temperature was 27-30, in the evening it was also warm, I didn’t have to warm up. The air conditioner was good, the fan did not turn on. At night, because they didn’t want to let in insects, they didn’t open the balcony doors, but I’m sure it would have been more pleasant to sleep with the windows open. And sometimes I had to cool the air because of stuffiness.
The bathroom has a hairdryer, a set of shampoo, shower gel, hair balm and body lotion, a cap, hygiene bags. The shower had good pressure and the water didn't stagnate.
The sockets in the room are 3-plug European, adapters for Russian standard plugs are sold in the store opposite the reception for $ 2 (I posted a photo of what I brought with me, the same ones are sold).
The room has a kettle, tea, coffee, sugar, dry cream. Put 2 bottles of water 0.5 l per day.
The hotel sells water, 1.000 shillings - 1.5l. There is a stall outside the hotel (get out of the hotel onto the road and to the left (cross the road), you can buy it cheaper there. For example, we bought 8 bottles of 1.5l water for 1.000 shillings. There is also fruit in the stall. Bargain (! ).
You can still walk to the village (left the hotel and turn left along the road, look at the map, it's about 25 minutes on foot). There are stalls, you can also buy water, cheaper than in a stall near the hotel and than in the hotel itself.
Even if you go to Stone Town on a tour, ask your guide (from the locals) to buy you water. In this case, it will cost you less than a dollar for 2 bottles (we bought a block of 6 bottles).
Cleaned for four (not perfect, there is dust in some places), but in general the room is clean, things are not touched and nothing is shifted. Valuable things were left and just in the room (cameras, cameras . . ). Nothing was missing.
They left tips periodically, the bed was almost always decorated with flowers and leaves.
The cleaners are almost invisible. They do not break in the morning while you sleep, even if there is no “do not disturb” sign. Apparently, they are waiting for everyone to wake up and go to breakfast (he is there from 7 to 10 in the morning), and then they go to clean up when everyone is no longer in the room.
In the evening, while the people are at dinner, they come - they straighten your bed, a canopy, turn on the light, spray it against mosquitoes . . everything looks very beautiful.
The hotel has free Wi-Fi, catches at the bar (where they give the password), even at the pool and nearby sunbeds. Sometimes the router breaks down, they slowly fix it . . There is paid Internet for $ 15 per week for one device, it catches everywhere on the territory.
The reception staff is friendly, there are no Russian speakers, so basic English is needed for “negotiations” on emerging issues.
In the evening, during dinner, artists perform every day, sing, dance, after dinner you can watch animation: there were acrobatic shows, and a Maasai show, karaoke ..
Alcohol in this Muslim country is not sold on the street, except for expensive beer. In the hotel - for a fee. It makes sense to grab something in duty free if you need to.
The audience is diverse: British, Germans, Israelis, "locals" from Africa, guests from Asia . . Basically, couples, with children, there were not very many people when we were there, everyone was very friendly.
All hotels in Zanzibar charge $1 per night of stay. Don't forget to set aside this money, it will be included in the check-out bill (will be reflected in shillings at the rate of the hotel).
Nutrition.
We were there on the HB system (breakfast, dinner). They feed great. For breakfast there are cereals, yogurts, pancakes, waffles, jams, scrambled eggs, eggs, meat, bacon, side dishes, salads, cheeses. . Delicious juices, tea / coffee, they ask you to bring cold or warm milk to coffee. pineapple, passionfruit, mango, bananas..
For dinner, there are always a lot of different side dishes and meat dishes - you will find seafood (crabs, sushi / rolls, salads with shrimp, squid, octopus .. , seafood on a skewer), and fish, and poultry, beef, pork . . They practice national days cuisines (for example, India, Italy). On such days there are many national dishes, but there are others. During dinner, all drinks for an additional fee (for HB). Delicious desserts, ice cream, fruits.
The chef from India comes out personally to see how everything is there, whether the guests like everything.
If the day turned out to be rainy (and we went in April, let me remind you, during the “long rains” season), then dinner is served not below, as usual in the restaurant by the pool, but where breakfast is - from the reception to the right, along the way after the shops.
Lunch boxes on the tour are prepared for an additional fee (5.000 shillings), but there is an option "early breakfast" for those who go somewhere in the morning before breakfast, it's free.
Special thanks to the manager of the hotel (F&B Meneger) Lorenzo Sabella for his help in resolving issues, openness and hospitality.
Beach.
Our hotel has a large beach and recreation area, umbrellas stand at a distance from each other, no one interferes with anyone. There is a shower on the beach and a toilet - how to go towards the pool and go around to the left where is the restaurant for dinner.
From the "public" area of the beach, where the locals from the village and the visiting Masai hang out, who have shops to the right of the hotel from the beach side, the hotel's beach is separated by a fence. The locals don’t come close to him, there are guards, they won’t let them in.
But as soon as you go beyond the fence, you will immediately be "attacked" by those who want to offer you excursions, massages, tattoos, tunics, offers to go to the store, take a walk at low tide on the reef ($1). Moreover, since our hotel is almost the only one that has a large “sand” zone near the coastline behind the fence, more people accumulate there than other hotels further along the coast (for many hotels, if you take a walk, you will see that the territory of the hotels themselves is separated by stones , a small descent and immediately water, well, if it's high tide). And the sellers just stand in front of you, on the other side of the fence. You lie sunbathing, they stand facing you.
Any movement of the head in their direction, and they open their stoles, wave their hands). In general, they are all positive, politely and with a smile refuse if you are not interested in their offer.
Of the offers on the beach, we chose excursions for ourselves (and bargained well). I will write about them separately.
In front of our hotel at low tide, the shore area is covered with algae (they are periodically removed, but they are still there), stones, hedgehogs . . Therefore, take beach shoes, this will protect you from cuts and needles, both while walking and swimming. There were no jellyfish during our stay. The sand itself is fine, light, pleasant.
Take sunscreen with a high protection factor, the sun is very active! Avoid sunbathing during peak hours.
Well, more than one review has already been written about the ebb and flow, their time depends on the moon, there is a schedule on the beach. The water at low tide did not go very far (compared to Paget beach, where the water goes 2 km), to the edge of the reef, where the locals take them to look at hedgehogs and stars. In the morning, before low tide, the water is cleaner than after high tide, with the tide comes algae and the water bubbles with foam. It is worth waiting an hour, do not immediately go into the water.
Souvenirs.
Souvenirs can be bought in shops from the Maasai, this is to the right if you look at the ocean, or in local shops - this is to the left. There is a gift shop on site. Also, at least once a week, the Masai come with their plates, paintings, bracelets, and so on. to the hotel itself, on the day of their national show. Souvenirs can also be bought during a trip to Stone Town, where prices can be pleasantly reduced after the auction.
By the way, during the departure from the airport, we were surprised to find adequate prices for coffee, water, all sorts of rags at the airport itself! Keep in mind. Somehow the guide told us that there was nothing at all on departure, no duty free. There are shops. But you should not expect from this airport anything like the Moscow airport and its shops and cafes.
Don't buy "gems" on the beach, no matter what they tell you, it's fake. Tanzanites can be found in Stone Town in jewelry stores, they give a certificate.
Tours
Having asked the price of Pegas tourist, we decided the issue in favor of beach excursion offers. Luckily, there are a few of them. There is a shop near the Maasai (even on safari they carry to the continent), and there is also to the left in the direction of the local stalls from the village. Offers will find you. You will be shown photos, a map, everyone will tell you what and how. But in English, mind you!
Ask, ask the price, the more you (there were 5 of us), the more profitable you can bargain. Make a small advance payment when booking an excursion. The rest of the calculations - on the day of the tour. The car was delivered to us exactly at 8 am, as agreed. Punctuality 5+ and thanks to Rama from our beach for the adequacy of the offer, we bargained well with him. I still have his contact, if anything, I will write to those who are interested in personal messages, he is in vatsapp.
We chose to explore the island 3-in-1 (Jozani Forest, Prison Island and Stone Town) so as not to go on short excursions for half a day, we allocated a day for this and we were formed such an excursion for 5 people , found us a Russian-speaking guide from the locals for those of us who are not very good at English (the guide tried very hard, although he speaks in such a way that sometimes you don’t understand). What is important, our price included all entrance tickets, boat rental to the island. We didn't pay anything anywhere.
Bring your own water, this tour does not include drinks.
In the morning we went to see the “red colobus” monkeys in “Jozani”, walked through the mangroves, then sailed on an African boat to “Prison Island”, there we watched Seychelles turtles, walked around the island and looked at the vegetation, swam (there is a nice sandy beach), then we returned to Stone Town, walked around the central part, looked at local attractions (the fort, Forodhani Park, the house of miracles, Freddie Mercury's house, walked along the narrow colorful streets, admired the famous doors with spikes, reached the market, bought spices, fabrics, tea) . And keep in mind, they call the market a real market where they sell fish, crabs, vegetables.
And if you want souvenirs, just tell the guide. But at first we did not realize, we even had to return.
There are also shops with fixed prices. Coffee is expensive there, even at the airport in the departure area is cheaper! For all sorts of stoles, pareos, T-shirts and so on. you need to bargain, and, by the way, they can also be found not expensively on the island of a stop on another excursion - "Blue safari". For example, on a safari 2 T-shirts were bought for $10, in Stone Town they didn’t drop below $14, despite the fact that it’s not a season. There are many tourists in the city, apparently the sellers are sure that they will sell goods to someone.
I also recommend her. We arranged a separate boat for the 5th of us. Excursion for the whole day, includes drinks, fruits, a delicious lunch with shrimp, lobsters.
Its plan is as follows: departure from the southern part of the island, where you will be taken by car. You change to an African boat (I posted how they look in the photo for the review), do not wait for white yachts, they are not offered there; and sail to the island, which appears as a sandbar at low tide. There you land, relax, swim.
Slippers are not needed there, sand. They put up an awning from the sun, cut fresh fruits (watermelon, coconut, pineapples, bananas). Other boats were scorching at the time, we were alone on the island for a while, we got great photos. Then we went snorkeling, when others arrived on the island, we swam with a mask (we had our own, so they didn’t find out about the rent), fins are not needed there, there is no big current. Then we swam and looked at the mangroves and rocks exposed at low tide. We landed on the island, dined on delicious seafood, went to see a huge baobab, we were told that it is already 3.000 years old and continues to grow. We went to local shops, bought pareos, T-shirts at a profit. We could have stayed there to swim on the shore, but it started to drizzle and we started to make our way back. We did not meet dolphins, but the guide said that it was a matter of luck, sometimes they meet.
In general, the excursion is rich, for the whole day, we arrived at the hotel before dinner.
They have a “Dolphin Tour”, you need to sail a little south, but we were not impressed with this program . . According to the guide, boats in search of dolphins surf the open spaces, having found them, they command people “everything into the water” . . Dolphins get scared . . So we didn't go
If I forgot something, ask, I will write, I will answer)) Have a nice rest!
Rested in this hotel from 02 to 13 April 2018
Zanzibar Airport (arrival, departure).
Looks like a small household. building with low ceilings. We arrived at the same time as the flight from Dubai, we were from a huge Boeing for 300 people, well, plus 1 more plane. Crowded into this "hangar", began to fill out the cards (there are 2 forms on the racks). Attention! Ask on your tour. agency these forms in advance, in the country of departure, and ask them for you to fill out or give a sample. This will save time and you will not suffer from “translation difficulties”, you will rewrite on arrival simply from the form. Further in the windows to the left of the tables - queues to pay for a visa. Things are moving slowly. They refuse to take cash, they object emotionally. Required to pay by card. Dollars younger than 2006 are not accepted.
After paying for the visa, you receive a check, it is attached to the questionnaire that you filled out, and further to the right - to the customs officers, take off your fingers, take pictures.
In the exhausted crowd, people dart around wanting to earn extra money and skip the line, naturally, not for free. Those who passed in this way, at the exit, were waiting for the rest in their bus to set off.
We spent about 2 hours at customs, got wet. The girls accepting payment for a visa periodically felt bad in their stuffy booths, they went out to drink and breathe, the queue stopped.
This, perhaps, along with the departure procedures, is the most unpleasant experience. Everything is great after that!
There are exchange offices at the airport. There are several of them, do not rush, study the offers. On the dates of my arrival, the airport exchange rate was $1 - 2200 Tanzanian shillings. In one place it was 2210. This is the rate for bills of 100 and 50 dollars. Smaller denominations are lost in the course, it makes no sense to change them.
And in general advice - do not change much!
Only for small purchases, tips, souvenirs, where the exchange rate "penny" is important, which the locals round up in their favor in dollars, and, accordingly, it is more profitable to pay in shillings. And for payments at the hotel on checkout (account in shillings). Excursions can be paid in dollars, and in general, the dollar is in use there.
For comparison, we had a hotel rate of $ 1 - 2100 shillings.
In Stone Town, the course is about the same as at the airport 2210 - 2250 can be found.
Upon arrival, vaccinations were not asked, as they are not required for those arriving from prosperous regions.
Briefly about the departure immediately: we were brought in a large crowd for 3 flights in the evening at about the same time. A large queue formed to check the luggage at the entrance (immediately there were people who would carry it out for money).
After that, you go through the standard procedures for weighing luggage and determining where to place it on the plane. For sitting together, you may be hinted at a reward.
Do not enter, they will seat you normally if you are not at the end of the line and there are already few places, in this case it is completely pointless to pay extra.
They may also ask you to open your suitcase, if the x-ray shows that you have large shells there, you can’t take them out (large ones are sold on the beach, it’s pointless to buy, they will seize them). Well, selectively, if they want, they will also be asked to open it.
The guide said that those who have a lot of fruit with them, they require a certificate (for a fee). They poke at a sign with inscriptions in Swahili.
On the plate it says that certificates need to be issued if you are exporting some kind of agricultural crops, plants with soil, etc. (due to the danger of introducing pest bugs). But since few of our people speak Swahili, people can't argue. Require $10. Therefore, the guide recommended that in order not to pay, tell them that it's ok, make out and give me a certificate.
Since they do not have them for ordinary fruits and the person who approached you may be generally "leftist", usually the topic fades to "no" and he disappears.
We did not carry much fruit with us, so we did not have such a question with customs.
The ceilings in the waiting room leak when it rains. With a large crowd of people, not everyone had enough places to sit down.
Hotel.
The hotel is located on the ocean, has a large, beautiful, well-groomed territory, round-shaped buildings in African style. Some of them stand as separate bungalows, some are 2-storey buildings in blocks, overlooking the garden. Swimming pool, several restaurants, spa. Spread photos of the territory, numbers. Beautiful weaver birds, lizards, large snails live on the territory, a lemur runs around.
Rooms are nice, clean, tiled floors. The room is divided into a small corridor (with a wardrobe and a shelf for luggage) and the main part of the room.
There is a TV in the room (no Russian channels), bedside tables, a wardrobe with a sufficient number of shelves and hangers, a refrigerator (a minibar for an additional fee, a menu is nearby), a coffee table, chairs, a large mirror with a shelf and a chair.
San. the unit consists of 3 parts, washbasin, shower, toilet and bidet.
Large terrace with table and 2 chairs. The terrace opens with the same key as the room. Please leave the door closed to avoid small tropical animals and mosquitoes. In general, I didn’t particularly see mosquitoes there (single specimens), and in the room they could only appear when the cleaner was working. But we were periodically bitten by someone, there were red dots on the body. But I still couldn’t understand who it was, maybe mosquitoes, but I didn’t see how they bit and didn’t itch at all.
Towels are clean and white. In the shower there is a rope for drying clothes, swimwear . . I only left some water to drain there after washing, because it doesn’t dry well there. There are no ropes on the terrace.
The safe is free, locked either with a 6-digit combination lock, above it there is an instruction in English on how to open / close. (meets in different rooms in different ways).
Air conditioning on the remote control (in the "standards", as far as I understood, the general supply ventilation was not adjustable from the remote control, one of our Russians from the group of arrived Russians had such a number). In the "superiors" - on the remote control. There is also a ceiling fan.
The climate, by the way, is comfortable, compared to the “bathhouse” in Asia, Africa in this sense is drier, even when it rains. The temperature was 27-30, in the evening it was also warm, I didn’t have to warm up. The air conditioner was good, the fan did not turn on. At night, because they didn’t want to let in insects, they didn’t open the balcony doors, but I’m sure it would have been more pleasant to sleep with the windows open. And sometimes I had to cool the air because of stuffiness.
The bathroom has a hairdryer, a set of shampoo, shower gel, hair balm and body lotion, a cap, hygiene bags. The shower had good pressure and the water didn't stagnate.
The sockets in the room are 3-plug European, adapters for Russian standard plugs are sold in the store opposite the reception for $ 2 (I posted a photo of what I brought with me, the same ones are sold).
The room has a kettle, tea, coffee, sugar, dry cream. Put 2 bottles of water 0.5 l per day.
The hotel sells water, 1.000 shillings - 1.5l. There is a stall outside the hotel (get out of the hotel onto the road and to the left (cross the road), you can buy it cheaper there. For example, we bought 8 bottles of 1.5l water for 1.000 shillings. There is also fruit in the stall. Bargain (! ).
You can still walk to the village (left the hotel and turn left along the road, look at the map, it's about 25 minutes on foot). There are stalls, you can also buy water, cheaper than in a stall near the hotel and than in the hotel itself.
Even if you go to Stone Town on a tour, ask your guide (from the locals) to buy you water. In this case, it will cost you less than a dollar for 2 bottles (we bought a block of 6 bottles).
Cleaned for four (not perfect, there is dust in some places), but in general the room is clean, things are not touched and nothing is shifted. Valuable things were left and just in the room (cameras, cameras . . ). Nothing was missing.
They left tips periodically, the bed was almost always decorated with flowers and leaves.
The cleaners are almost invisible. They do not break in the morning while you sleep, even if there is no “do not disturb” sign. Apparently, they are waiting for everyone to wake up and go to breakfast (he is there from 7 to 10 in the morning), and then they go to clean up when everyone is no longer in the room.
In the evening, while the people are at dinner, they come - they straighten your bed, a canopy, turn on the light, spray it against mosquitoes . . everything looks very beautiful.
The hotel has free Wi-Fi, catches at the bar (where they give the password), even at the pool and nearby sunbeds. Sometimes the router breaks down, they slowly fix it . . There is paid Internet for $ 15 per week for one device, it catches everywhere on the territory.
The reception staff is friendly, there are no Russian speakers, so basic English is needed for “negotiations” on emerging issues.
In the evening, during dinner, artists perform every day, sing, dance, after dinner you can watch animation: there were acrobatic shows, and a Maasai show, karaoke ..
Alcohol in this Muslim country is not sold on the street, except for expensive beer. In the hotel - for a fee. It makes sense to grab something in duty free if you need to.
The audience is diverse: British, Germans, Israelis, "locals" from Africa, guests from Asia . . Basically, couples, with children, there were not very many people when we were there, everyone was very friendly.
All hotels in Zanzibar charge $1 per night of stay. Don't forget to set aside this money, it will be included in the check-out bill (will be reflected in shillings at the rate of the hotel).
Nutrition.
We were there on the HB system (breakfast, dinner). They feed great. For breakfast there are cereals, yogurts, pancakes, waffles, jams, scrambled eggs, eggs, meat, bacon, side dishes, salads, cheeses. . Delicious juices, tea / coffee, they ask you to bring cold or warm milk to coffee. pineapple, passionfruit, mango, bananas..
For dinner, there are always a lot of different side dishes and meat dishes - you will find seafood (crabs, sushi / rolls, salads with shrimp, squid, octopus .. , seafood on a skewer), and fish, and poultry, beef, pork . . They practice national days cuisines (for example, India, Italy). On such days there are many national dishes, but there are others. During dinner, all drinks for an additional fee (for HB). Delicious desserts, ice cream, fruits.
The chef from India comes out personally to see how everything is there, whether the guests like everything.
If the day turned out to be rainy (and we went in April, let me remind you, during the “long rains” season), then dinner is served not below, as usual in the restaurant by the pool, but where breakfast is - from the reception to the right, along the way after the shops.
Lunch boxes on the tour are prepared for an additional fee (5.000 shillings), but there is an option "early breakfast" for those who go somewhere in the morning before breakfast, it's free.
Special thanks to the manager of the hotel (F&B Meneger) Lorenzo Sabella for his help in resolving issues, openness and hospitality.
Beach.
Our hotel has a large beach and recreation area, umbrellas stand at a distance from each other, no one interferes with anyone. There is a shower on the beach and a toilet - how to go towards the pool and go around to the left where is the restaurant for dinner.
From the "public" area of the beach, where the locals from the village and the visiting Masai hang out, who have shops to the right of the hotel from the beach side, the hotel's beach is separated by a fence. The locals don’t come close to him, there are guards, they won’t let them in.
But as soon as you go beyond the fence, you will immediately be "attacked" by those who want to offer you excursions, massages, tattoos, tunics, offers to go to the store, take a walk at low tide on the reef ($1). Moreover, since our hotel is almost the only one that has a large “sand” zone near the coastline behind the fence, more people accumulate there than other hotels further along the coast (for many hotels, if you take a walk, you will see that the territory of the hotels themselves is separated by stones , a small descent and immediately water, well, if it's high tide). And the sellers just stand in front of you, on the other side of the fence. You lie sunbathing, they stand facing you.
Any movement of the head in their direction, and they open their stoles, wave their hands). In general, they are all positive, politely and with a smile refuse if you are not interested in their offer.
Of the offers on the beach, we chose excursions for ourselves (and bargained well). I will write about them separately.
In front of our hotel at low tide, the shore area is covered with algae (they are periodically removed, but they are still there), stones, hedgehogs . . Therefore, take beach shoes, this will protect you from cuts and needles, both while walking and swimming. There were no jellyfish during our stay. The sand itself is fine, light, pleasant.
Take sunscreen with a high protection factor, the sun is very active! Avoid sunbathing during peak hours.
Well, more than one review has already been written about the ebb and flow, their time depends on the moon, there is a schedule on the beach. The water at low tide did not go very far (compared to Paget beach, where the water goes 2 km), to the edge of the reef, where the locals take them to look at hedgehogs and stars. In the morning, before low tide, the water is cleaner than after high tide, with the tide comes algae and the water bubbles with foam. It is worth waiting an hour, do not immediately go into the water.
Souvenirs.
Souvenirs can be bought in shops from the Maasai, this is to the right if you look at the ocean, or in local shops - this is to the left. There is a gift shop on site. Also, at least once a week, the Masai come with their plates, paintings, bracelets, and so on. to the hotel itself, on the day of their national show. Souvenirs can also be bought during a trip to Stone Town, where prices can be pleasantly reduced after the auction.
By the way, during the departure from the airport, we were surprised to find adequate prices for coffee, water, all sorts of rags at the airport itself! Keep in mind. Somehow the guide told us that there was nothing at all on departure, no duty free. There are shops. But you should not expect from this airport anything like the Moscow airport and its shops and cafes.
Don't buy "gems" on the beach, no matter what they tell you, it's fake. Tanzanites can be found in Stone Town in jewelry stores, they give a certificate.
Tours
Having asked the price of Pegas tourist, we decided the issue in favor of beach excursion offers. Luckily, there are a few of them. There is a shop near the Maasai (even on safari they carry to the continent), and there is also to the left in the direction of the local stalls from the village. Offers will find you. You will be shown photos, a map, everyone will tell you what and how. But in English, mind you!
Ask, ask the price, the more you (there were 5 of us), the more profitable you can bargain. Make a small advance payment when booking an excursion. The rest of the calculations - on the day of the tour. The car was delivered to us exactly at 8 am, as agreed. Punctuality 5+ and thanks to Rama from our beach for the adequacy of the offer, we bargained well with him. I still have his contact, if anything, I will write to those who are interested in personal messages, he is in vatsapp.
We chose to explore the island 3-in-1 (Jozani Forest, Prison Island and Stone Town) so as not to go on short excursions for half a day, we allocated a day for this and we were formed such an excursion for 5 people , found us a Russian-speaking guide from the locals for those of us who are not very good at English (the guide tried very hard, although he speaks in such a way that sometimes you don’t understand). What is important, our price included all entrance tickets, boat rental to the island. We didn't pay anything anywhere.
Bring your own water, this tour does not include drinks.
In the morning we went to see the “red colobus” monkeys in “Jozani”, walked through the mangroves, then sailed on an African boat to “Prison Island”, there we watched Seychelles turtles, walked around the island and looked at the vegetation, swam (there is a nice sandy beach), then we returned to Stone Town, walked around the central part, looked at local attractions (the fort, Forodhani Park, the house of miracles, Freddie Mercury's house, walked along the narrow colorful streets, admired the famous doors with spikes, reached the market, bought spices, fabrics, tea) . And keep in mind, they call the market a real market where they sell fish, crabs, vegetables.
And if you want souvenirs, just tell the guide. But at first we did not realize, we even had to return.
There are also shops with fixed prices. Coffee is expensive there, even at the airport in the departure area is cheaper! For all sorts of stoles, pareos, T-shirts and so on. you need to bargain, and, by the way, they can also be found not expensively on the island of a stop on another excursion - "Blue safari". For example, on a safari 2 T-shirts were bought for $10, in Stone Town they didn’t drop below $14, despite the fact that it’s not a season. There are many tourists in the city, apparently the sellers are sure that they will sell goods to someone.
I also recommend her. We arranged a separate boat for the 5th of us. Excursion for the whole day, includes drinks, fruits, a delicious lunch with shrimp, lobsters.
Its plan is as follows: departure from the southern part of the island, where you will be taken by car. You change to an African boat (I posted how they look in the photo for the review), do not wait for white yachts, they are not offered there; and sail to the island, which appears as a sandbar at low tide. There you land, relax, swim.
Slippers are not needed there, sand. They put up an awning from the sun, cut fresh fruits (watermelon, coconut, pineapples, bananas). Other boats were scorching at the time, we were alone on the island for a while, we got great photos. Then we went snorkeling, when others arrived on the island, we swam with a mask (we had our own, so they didn’t find out about the rent), fins are not needed there, there is no big current. Then we swam and looked at the mangroves and rocks exposed at low tide. We landed on the island, dined on delicious seafood, went to see a huge baobab, we were told that it is already 3.000 years old and continues to grow. We went to local shops, bought pareos, T-shirts at a profit. We could have stayed there to swim on the shore, but it started to drizzle and we started to make our way back. We did not meet dolphins, but the guide said that it was a matter of luck, sometimes they meet.
In general, the excursion is rich, for the whole day, we arrived at the hotel before dinner.
They have a “Dolphin Tour”, you need to sail a little south, but we were not impressed with this program . . According to the guide, boats in search of dolphins surf the open spaces, having found them, they command people “everything into the water” . . Dolphins get scared . . So we didn't go
If I forgot something, ask, I will write, I will answer)) Have a nice rest!
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