Mapenzi Beach Tours

The hotel could use some updating, as the rooms feel quite old-fashioned. While some staff were friendly, service was inconsistent — I had to ask multiple times for drinks.

Excellent 24/7 service, the villas are well maintained and private.

While the Melia is a large property, below are pros and cons. Pros: Great pools. The golf cart service to get around is great and needed. If you are a "Level" guest you have personal concierge service to help you book activities and get room service. The villas with own pool are a wonderful family get-away to relax in. Cons: You may have items stolen from your room (we had multiple items of lower value stolen, which I suspect the young staff wanted to try - but the value isn't the point, it's that you can't trust items being left in your room). There is only one dine out option at Jetty Restaurant that offers a unique menu, other Melia's tend to have more. Depending on what level of patron you are you may also get to eat at the Level restaurant which has a set dinner menu. There isn't a lot of beach for walking on when the tide is in if you are looking for lots of walks. We also found getting our in-room water refilled was a continual problem, we'd ask for water in the morning and at 7 pm still be asking for water in our room. You are also far way from Stone Town, so if you want to explore other island areas be prepared for 1 12/ hour drive across or up island, which can take a large portion of your day. Finally, management's idea of help after I submitted a survey was to give a resort credit to replace our lost items - not helpful.