Kama Vacations from $3,177

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.

Our stay at Diamonds Mapenzi Beach had several positive aspects. The location is good, the pool area is nice, and the staff are friendly, welcoming, and helpful throughout the stay. That said, there are a few points worth being aware of. The rooms appear more worn in reality than the pictures suggest, which detracts from the overall impression. In addition, the food unfortunately falls below expectations. Considering the price, the culinary experience could have been significantly better. This becomes particularly noticeable when compared to similar hotels in destinations such as the Seychelles or Cape Verde, where the food standard is often higher within the same price range. It is also worth mentioning that the Hotels.com Gold benefits (Early/Late checkout, Upgrade) do not seem to apply here (even when listed on confirmatio). However, this appears to be more an issue with Hotels.com rather than the hotel itself. Overall, a perfectly acceptable place to stay, but somewhat overpriced for the experience it offers.