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Reviews of Albatross Ocean View

4 out of 5
Albatross Ocean View
Dongwe Road, Dongwe

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 86 out of 149 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 45 out of 149 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 14 out of 149 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 3 out of 149 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 149 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Kay

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Enjoyable Stay with some shortcoming
Positive: - Great Location Negative: - super slow waiters - no variety in food; throughout noodles, in general no local specialities - room not as per description on hotels.com
Stayed 9 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mary Janice

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff at this hotel is in one word, “awesome .” Frank, Samson, Moses, Johnny, Benjamin, Innocent, Monsli, and housekeeping. Everyone went out of their way to provide the best service. Frank helped me organize tours. I had problems with the safari I booked, but Frank fixed things for me.
Stayed 11 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Evelyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Evelyn

Stayed 6 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Zakkiyyah Bibi

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff is amazing and they all go above and beyond to make sure you are pleased.
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Iris

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Gloria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hidden Gem!
We absolutely loved our stay at the Albatross! All of the staff made us feel so welcomed and treated us as family! We loved our surprise dinner on the beach. We highly recommend anyone wanting to get away for a bit to stay here! Would definitely stay here again!
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Samson on Jun 20, 2023
HalloThank for staying with us during your holidayWe were all happy to accommodate you. We appreciate for sharing review about and we wont take it easy than doing more for futureWe wish you all the best together with your family

6/10 Okay

Phyllis

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I like that the property was next to the beach and had a nice pool. I didn’t like their food, it was not buffet. Breakfast was buffet but same food everyday. There was no food variety on the menu to choose from without having to pay extra. I had paid for all inclusive but there was limit on alcohol and had to pay to have top shelf drinks which were regular imported drinks. I would not recommend the resort. It was not worth what i had paid.
Response from Samson on Apr 7, 2023
HiThank you for sharing your comment about our propertyWe are sorry if we didn't able to satisfy your needs during your stay, We value all our clients and take all challenge to be our responsibility to solve for futureThank you

10/10 Excellent

Fermeen

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Loved the place and it was my second time going. The staff go above and beyond to ensure the stay is perfect. All the rooms face the ocean. Will keep going back as value for money.
Stayed 6 nights in Nov 2022
Response from Samson on Jan 6, 2023
Hi Fermeen Thank you for your good time with us and also sharing opinions after your holidayIt was our great pleasure to accommodate you and we are happy that you enjoyed with usWe pray for you to remain in good health and for your future holiday if happen to visit Zanzibar please dont hesitate to visit us again Thank you Regards

10/10 Excellent

MERCY

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022
Response from Manager on Sep 26, 2022
Thank you for your good time with us and also sharing your feelings about usWe Appreciate and wish you all the bestRegards

10/10 Excellent

Halfmann

Stayed 8 nights in Aug 2022
Response from Manager on Aug 31, 2022
HiThank you for your good time with us and we appreciate a lot for sharing your opinions about us With Regards

8/10 Good

Maik

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2022
Response from Manager on Jan 19, 2022
Hi Maik Thank you for good time with us and also sharing review about us We appreciate believing to see you again Regards

8/10 Good

annelie

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Well-maintained. Staff very helpful and friendly. Always kind and offering a helping hand. No barfridge in the room. Suggestion- kettle and coffee/ tea/ sugar in the room.
Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2021
Response from Manager on Dec 25, 2021
Hi Thank you for your good time with us We appreciate for good advice we promise to work on it We wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2022 Regards Samson

8/10 Good

Manish

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2021
Response from Manager on Apr 2, 2021
Hi Thank you for spending your holiday with us and all your opinion about us. We appreciate and wish you all the best. Regards

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very cosy place, amazing stuff & just an amazing perfect long beach .. Best part is the owner Yana is always around to show you everywhere & help you around! Such a legend! .. Was planning for 4 days stay ended up with 10 days & definelty coming back again!
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2021
Response from Manager on Feb 21, 2021
Thank you for your time to comment on our hotel. For us it is a great honor to serve you throughout the rest. We appreciate your compliments and we hope you will not hesitate to come to us again once you get another holiday. Thank you and be healthy Samson

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hotel has brilliant staff who go above and beyond to make your stay really lovely.
Stayed 6 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Manager on Mar 10, 2020
Hi Thank you for your feedback about us It was our pleasure to look after you during your holiday. I hope we will met again Regards Samson

10/10 Excellent

Aden, Johannesburg

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This boutique hotel has a beautiful pool, ample seating and a great restaurant right on the beach. The whitewashed buildings are stunning. The beach is public but there are never a lot of people on it. The beds look deceivingly hard but are actually very comfortable. The rooms are pretty and clean, and all have ocean views. The food was fantastic and reasonably priced compared to other resorts we’ve stayed at on the island. The staff were friendly - Youngman and Samson in particular. Right next to the hotel, you can find Dongwe Sport, who have a range of water sports and activities close to the hotel. We recommend them. Overall, enjoyable stay and great value.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2019
Response from The Manager on Dec 16, 2019
Dear Aden, thank you very much for your kind review! We hope to seeing you again at Dongwe Ocean View. Kind regards.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
A prosaic place
A prosaic place that is functional for the purposes of the plain, frills-free, undisturbed beach holiday. The rooms are plain but functional, the pool site is pleasant and fun, and the beach naturally exquisite.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from The Manager on Aug 17, 2019
Thank you very much for your review! Kind regards,

8/10 Good

Nick, Hampshire UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
May/June 2018
Great hotel,but nobody has mentioned the rather important fact that if you have mobility issues then in my opinion you couldn't stay here. If wheelchair bound then probably impossible.We enjoyed a really good holiday but as one of our party has MS and needed to use a travel wheelchair ,movement around the hotel was very slow due to all the paths being sand, and lots of steps.Apart from this the hotel has a great character and the location, for us, was perfect. Sure the food was a little samey, and we couldn't visit the Fisherman shack, as we went out of season, but the staff were friendly and the locals happy. If your fit and mobile, i would highly recommend a visit.
Stayed 8 nights in May 2018
Response from Manager on Jun 27, 2018
Dear Nick Thanks for your email and compliments to us. Sorry for you didn't know about wheelchair access at Dongwe We do accommodate clients with wheel chair only when we be informed about that, Ground floor is suitable for then and we normal make wooden palate though the balcony so they can have easy access, Our staff are also aware of helping clients with wheel chair, i am sorry for difficulties you had, We thanks you again with great hope to see you again Regards Samson

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Honeymoon Suite Nothing special about it
Worse beds ever for vacation . No enough equipment in the room to make you feel at home
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2017
Response from Manager on Aug 19, 2017
Hi Thank you for your opinion, Any advice on adding to the rooms you would speak directly to the hotel's leadership and it was a challenge for us.   So far we do not know what you expected of the room to have more to feel like at home.  We are grateful for your Review of the Bed too and we promise to do what is possible to be the best Regards Samson Manager

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice place, ideal for families, nice access to the beach, rooms are functional, food was good

6/10 Okay

Thomas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Kati, Addis Ababa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Quiet hotel right on the beach
Charming small hotel with large and comfortable rooms, perfect for a low-key, relaxing holiday. We made good use of the pool. Even at low tide, easy to swim in the ocean without having to walk far, and at high tide, the water is just a few metres away. Lovely long beach to go for walks. Good range of foods at buffet breakfast. We took the half-board option, and enjoyed many delicious seafood meals for dinner. Take note that there are no TVs in the rooms (which was fine with us), but there is a TV in the common lounge area (which we used to watch Euro 2016 football matches). We were there as a family of four, including two teenagers, who were happy with the free wifi. Also did a great excursion to go swimming with dolphins, organised through the front desk. Very happy with our stay overall.

6/10 Okay

Jacobus

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
the hotel was a 3 starr but the staff is a 10 starr

10/10 Excellent

Fiona, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Beautifully kept grounds and pool area.
Lovely hotel, really clean with the very best staff who really looked after us and made our holiday extra special. The room was beautifully prepared for our arrival and whilst the bathroom could have done with some refurbishment, it was thoroughly cleaned every day. The hotel is right on the beach with a lovely bar and dining area. The beach is clean and there are a few sun loungers on the beach in front of the hotel but you can also see the beach perfectly well from the pool. Beach shoes are a must as you have to walk across coral to get to the sea when the tide is out, this is not an issue when the tide is in. There are plenty of excursions available either through the hotel or through freelance tour guides on the beach. The food is plentiful if not always very varied, and the tea and cake at 4.30pm are very welcome! The lunch menu is better and more varied than the dinner choices (2 choices each evening for starter and main course).The hotel has a real family feel about it as everyone is so friendly; a very well run and charming place to stay.

10/10 Excellent

globtrottole, california

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
one of the best options in Zanzibar
compared to other places we left in Zanzibar because of insufficient standards (Double Tree) we had a very good time and incredible service here at Dongwe Ocean View by Anita and the staff. Very nice facilities, perks, support and great location, for a reasonable overall prices compared to others

8/10 Good

johan, Stockholm

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wondeful. The staff were nuce. Very calm and collected area.

10/10 Excellent

Divainchrg, Abu Dhabi/ Detroit/Atlanta

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hidden treasure
The staff was amazing! They were very attentive and pleasant to talk to. All of the meals spoke to my heart but dinner was simply "Devine." The bartender had mad skills and kept me really happy.
Room
Lobby
Hotel view from beach
Lovely dinner

10/10 Excellent

Alin, California, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome Beach, Great Staff!!!
Had a wonderful time recently at the Dongwe Ocean View. This is a small resort that is very relaxing and peaceful.The beach in front of Dongwe Ocean View was the best compared to the rest of the peninsula. At high tide other hotels had their beach disappear but Dongwe Ocean View still had a a very nice beach during high tide. The beach also had the nicest/softest sand compared to other areas. Samson (the manager) and his staff were amazing and very accommodating. We decided to change some of our travel plans and they went above and beyond to help us book flights and hotels. Overall, a great place!!!

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dongwe Ocean View
Better rates if booked directly through hotel Hotel is in an isolated area of Zanzibar, this makes it very good for recovery from jet lag or the constant go go go of a safari. It's better to stay in Old Stonetown to explore the alleyways rather than do a day trip from the hotel.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Konstantinos, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great little hotel
The hotel's simplicity makes it a beautiful place to stay in the east coast of Zanzibar. Location is great, next to a beautiful and long beach, and with pool access to compensate for the low tides of the Indian ocean. Service is great. All members of staff were incredibly friendly and always smiley and would go out of their way to make your stay as enjoyable and memorable as possible. The reservation also came on HB (breakfast buffet and dinner), which was great as the hotel is quite isolated. Food was great and variety pretty good. A lot of seafood available (lobster pasta, cigal, octopus, tuna steaks) Massage service also highly recommended and very affordable. A few activities also available nearby (sea sports, snorkelling). Bargaining is a must, do not pay asking price, it’s part of the culture!! Very friendly people as well. A great stay overall, do give it a go!! it’s totally worth it.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A gem
The accommodations are lovely, the atmosphere sweet and calm. And the staff could not be more gracious.

8/10 Good

I'm very happy, Mozambique

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good hotel and confort.
With my wife and friends enjoyed a gread holiday in a very beatiful and special place.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Awesome ocean views
Staff was great and friendly and very accommodating. The rooms are very basic, no tv, no clock or telephone. The Property needs renovating,mosquito netting on bed has holes. The restaurant need to be enclosed,too many flies/bugs around food especially during breakfast time. Outdoor beach chairs need better cushions and beach umbrellas would be nice to have, as there is no shade when outside. Bathrooms are spacious. The property is very peaceful and a great place for a retreat. With the proper renovations and perhaps some scheduled activities for guests, this place could be a true hotspot! I love the small intimate atmospehere and as a solo traveler felt totally comfortable.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Nice hotel very close to the beach
In expadia it says the hotel is 4 stars. But I think it is like 3 star hotel. But the staff, food and cleanliness is very good. It is like a boutique hotel. It has 18 rooms. There is no TV in rooms

6/10 Okay

Graham T, Johannesburg

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
In need of improvement
Dongwe Ocean View was not as great as we hoped it would be. Service was friendly and personable, but often lacked a sense of professionalism. The hotel was in need of a spruce up, with wooden decks in need of some TLC, although the pool itself was fantastic. The food was good enough, but lacked a sense of flair which one expects on holiday - the food seemed slightly canteen-like. This is particularly so when comparing the food to some of the other food we experienced in Zanzibar - which was generally out-of-this-world amazing in its creativity and flavour. The hotel's ambience was also marred somewhat by the incessant reggae music played around the pool which, although not objectionable in itself, becomes problematic when the same six songs are played over and over and over again - it did our head in, to be honest. The hotel was well-priced, the beach on which it was located was beautiful and interesting in itself, and the coconut oil & clove massage we received was wonderful, but we still thought we could have received better value for our money.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice and peaceful
Nice hotel. The pool is a bit more decent that it looks on the photos. Great food.

8/10 Good

Omar, California

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful Beach View
We rented a family room, which was very comfortable and the view from its balcony was amazing. Hotel staff were very accommodating, with minor exceptions.

8/10 Good

Tina, Nairobi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
A great break for a small familiy
We had a great time in Dongwe. The beach is lovely and the pool is great. Great service minded staff that did their best to accomodate our children (1 and 3). I think the price/quality ratio of food in the restaurant is bad - I would expect better at the prices we paid. But overall, I would surely recommend the hotel.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Location, Service and Price
Well managed, great service, very relaxing vacation where everything has been anticipated by the staff.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
If you looking for isolation this is the place
Stayed two days of shear relaxation. I like the idea of no TV in the rooms. Great white sanded beach. Staff very friendly at times it appeared they outnumbered the quest. About an hour from Stone Town.

8/10 Good

Charlie, Buxton UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great location and service - would recommend
Hidden away down a bumpy track a little gem of a place :-) Great service, very personal, lovely relaxing facilities bar, pool, chilling area outdoor restaurant. Literally 4 steps to the beach, wonderful views. No TVs in room so big thumbs up from me.... Pay as you go wifi works fine. Buffet breakfast and dinner OK but nothing special - however lovely location to eat :-) Rooms spacious but can get hot (check air con works)

10/10 Excellent

Nana

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice hotel to relax.
In my experience the hotel is excellent for relaxation. Ocean View. Different activities to do. Quiet. Vrey nice !!!!

10/10 Excellent

Jessica, North Carolina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
quiet beach destination
Takes about an hour to drive to from the Zanzibar airport but once we arrived we could not be more impressed with the friendliness and attention of all the staff. We took advantage of the half board option (breakfast and dinner included) and felt no real need to venture outside of the hotel for the weekend. We were surprised that WiFi was an extra charge (can buy for one hour, two hours or 10 hours, I believe) but that was a pretty small issue for us in light of how wonderful everything else was that weekend.

10/10 Excellent

lizzy, australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely stay on Zanzibars east coast!
- Extremely friendly and helpful staff who go out of their way for you - Beautiful rooms and facilities - Situated right on the beach where you can swim or bake on the sand

8/10 Good

Karlskrona, Sweden

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect place for a romantic getaway
A very nice little hotel on the beach and it's perfect for relaxation. The room/hotel was clean and the service of the staff was great. A great breakfast- and dinner buffet and a good variety of dishes for lunch.

10/10 Excellent

Adrian, devon uk

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful 18 room hotel on the beach
Spotless hotel and rooms, more staff than guests ? And so helpful, nothing was too much trouble. Food was excellent and restaurant was kept open and fully staffed due to our late arrival ( 2 of us). Beach is used by the local fishermen in traditional canoes who are also very friendly and an opportunity to watch a very different lifestyle take please, so much better than just wide empty sea. We loved every minute of our 7days there and would not hesitate to return or recommend to anyone. Truly a very special place.
Dongwe village
From balcony
Evening sun Kai
Local beach