Essque Zalu Zanzibar

This hotel is NOT a five-star property—more like a 3.5-star at best. It may have been five-star quality when it first opened, but definitely not anymore. The rooms and facilities are very poorly maintained and seriously in need of renovation. We stayed in the Ocean Suite for three nights. I was immediately disgusted by the sofa as soon as we checked in. The beige fabric sofa had stains all over it—something you would never expect to see in a five-star hotel. Additionally, the pool lounge chairs are uncomfortable and the recline cannot be adjusted. The only positive aspects of this hotel are the beautifully maintained garden and the location, which offers breathtaking views of the ocean. The food was also fairly decent; the breakfast buffet and dinner were average. Unfortunately, I also suffered from bed bug bites during my stay. When I reported this to the front desk, the staff didn’t seem to care. When I asked for a room change, the front desk said, “It’s the first time we’ve heard about bed bugs in that room, and I wish you had told us earlier. I can ask housekeeping to clean your room again.” I was very upset and insisted on changing rooms, and only then did they agree. I also noticed that the staff seemed unmotivated, which leads me to believe the hotel management may not be treating their employees well.

Hotel was amazing! Food and staff were excellent and rooms were very spacious. The jetty provided an amazing view. We would stay here again, I would note that if you're looking for beach access, I would recommend Paje. Also, it's at the very top of the island which makes traveling to other towns (e.g., Paje, Stone Town, etc.) a little far. We had close access to Sexy Fish, quad tour, Mnemba tour which was organized by Steps.||Steps was conveniently located in the lobby of Essque Zalu in Nungwi. We used them to book the Mnemba swim with dolphins, spice tour, transportation to The Rock, and the Payo Quad adventure. Execution was flawless and communication was great. The dolphins were the highlight of trip for half my kids and the quad tour the other half. Definitely recommend this operator.

I feel like I have to give this hotel the review it deserves, especially after seeing so many negative ones. The hotel is lovely, everything from the rooms, the amenities and facilities. They also have a lovely play area for kids. But most of all the staff, especially Digna, she was the jewel of our stay! From the moment she greeted us at the reception even the kids fell for her contagious great attitude. The food was nice, with a variety of options on different days. Always with a live cooking station at the buffets. The hotel does seem to be a bit older, but it has been exceptionally maintained. Rooms are very clean with amazing hardwood floors. I would recommend for anyone wanting to visit Zanzibar for a quiet and romantic getaway. Will visit Zalu again for sure!

‏‏We chose Essque Zalu for our honeymoon, expecting a once-in-a-lifetime experience in what is advertised as a luxury resort. Instead, we paid USD 1200 for 3 nights and got the worst holiday we could have imagined – entirely because of the hotel.||‏From the moment we checked in, we had no hot water in the shower. Not once during our entire 3-night stay were we able to shower properly. We reported this issue to the staff every single day, yet nothing was ever fixed. Coming back tired, sweaty, and dirty from long day trips, we were forced to shower in freezing water – an absolute disgrace for any hotel, and unimaginable for one that charges premium prices and calls itself “luxury.”||‏The way management handled the issue made everything worse. The front desk manager was dismissive, unhelpful, and completely indifferent to our situation. There was no sense of responsibility, no urgency, no real apology, and no effort to make things right. Even on the third night, when it was clear the problem would never be solved, we were not given the option to cancel the stay and move elsewhere. We were forced to endure another night of frustration.||‏This was supposed to be our honeymoon – and Essque Zalu ruined it. Instead of celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, we left angry, disappointed, and feeling cheated. For USD 400 per night, the minimum expectation is hot water and basic guest care. Essque Zalu failed at both.||‏To future travelers: stay away. Zanzibar has plenty of wonderful hotels that truly care about their guests and deliver on their promises. Essque Zalu is not one of them. Save your money and your holiday – do not make the same mistake we did.

My mom and I had a phenomenal experience at Essque Zalu Zanzibar. Staff were exceptional accommodating and the food was delicious. I will definitely refer friends and family to visit the Essque Zalu Zanzibar. We will be back. A very special thank you to Maureen, Shine, Amina, Fatima and Finesse. We stayed in room 12 and what a beautiful way to wake up every morning to a beautiful beach view.

We had our wedding in Essque Zalu Hotel. Wonderful ceremony on the jetty with a somptuous view. Canapes were also amazing. Later, diner with all the guests around the pool, everything was perfect. Special mention to chef Louis : it wasn’t an easy task, but each meal was great.

We planned a 3 night stop over, after our intense 7 day safari in northern Tanzania, at Essque Zalu (Zanzibar) for a fun filled relaxing time before our journey home to the UK.|The good points of this hotel are its location , decor and general communal facilities, like the pool . The rooms were well equipped and the gardens were well looked after . The place is very picturesque . |Everything changes once you include the human element , particularly the management team and sadly some staff .|We had booked half board but were told categorically we were on full board . We asked for confirmation of this change and were reassured that we were on full board .|Only to find out at check out we were charged around $ 400 for lunch’s over the period of our stay |We disputed this charge as we had lunch only on one occasion and were happy to pay around $ 80. After some to and fro conversation exchanges it was agreed , they had charged this in error. |In addition we were also asked to pay government tax $10 per person per night , we again disputed this charge as our booking agent had confirmed this was prepaid . It took some convincing and proof of email exchanges to verify the prepayment . | |They also charged us for the taxi transfer to the airport $70 , which was prepaid at the time of booking . Again this was disputed and needed convincing on our part to remove this charge .||On the first night one of our cottage entry door wouldn’t lock , we had to get support to resolve this issue .|The internet was down in the same cottage and we had to call out support to resolve this issue .||The toiletries ( small sealed shower gel , shampoo & conditioner )which they provided in the shower were part used and had to call house keeping for replacement.||The mosquito nets in one of the rooms was littered with holes we had to ask for replacement||House keeping staff used her master key to enter whist we were in the cottage , it’s normal practice for the staff to knock on the door in case we are in before using their master key . This is concerning that they could just walk in any time using the master key .||We were discussing our interest in visiting ‘stone town’ and were approached by a staff member to arrange this with him and not the hotel as they will charge double .|He also mentioned to keep this amongst ourselves . Alas we didn’t go with his recommendation as he couldn’t accommodate our preferred time for the visit , so we asked the hotel to arrange this for us .|It seems that the staff are always looking to earn some extra cash , it appears that there is a lack of harmony between staff and the managment . The general staff don’t seem happy in their jobs or with their bosses . This does not negatively reflect in their attitude towards us , they were nothing but courteous , friendly and warm at all times . ||Several members of serving staff mentioned also not to tip them on the receipts eg bar drinks , this was because they said the management keeps the tips and they don’t receive any of this.||I was astounded , no wonder their moral is low .||It appears the reception team / management do not seem to communicate nor use their internal operating systems to input correctly or rectify information. We spoke to the manger Maureen and her team several times during the day time regarding Government tax’s , airport transfer and lunch charge , it’s evident our conversations as agreed weren’t elaborated on their check out system . This is a fundamental area of data input which needs regular maintenance with accuracy. A total failure in my view .||In a sceptical world I would think that the hotel management is trying to scam their Client : absolutely abhorrent .||( assumed they had upgraded us

“I really enjoyed the cooking class! Learning local recipes and tasting everything we made was so fun |What impressed me most was the attention to detail and genuine care from the team — they truly make you feel valued as a guest. I highly recommend Essque Zalu for anyone looking for a luxurious and relaxing stay in Zanzibar!