Location: it may be different for everyone. It is located in a small fishing village. Step outside Mambo paradise you will immediately find yourself in the middle of the locals and their lives. It is the true Zanzibar. Staffs: very friendly and helpful. Katja, the captain of the hotel, is a star. She arranged everything we requested, big or small and reacted swiftly to any situation (a late taxi, air conditioning issue, etc). Facilities and convenience: we have everything we expected for the region (Africa) and the price we paid. I like the fact that how the hotel is structured: a few steps up from the rooms you reached the beautiful restaurant/lounge/roof top balcony, with nice breeze throughout the day and a heavenly view of the sea; coming out the of room within a few meters you will come out to the pool, then the back door directly to the beach. Water refill on both floors. Activities: with Katja’s magical power, we have experienced amazing Zanzibar-only activities, and everyone of them went so well because of her tips and the guides she arranged.

The food in the restaurant is good, but price higher than the restaurants in the neighbourhood and portions can be small. A minor suggestion: during this season that we visited, perhaps not a good idea to decorate the bed with flowers, which attracts a lot of little bugs. Nonetheless, it have to be said the the staffs decorated the beds so beautifully that we felt very welcome.

If you are looking for a huge, anonymous all inclusive type resort, don't stay here! Kasia runs a clean, friendly, welcoming, family-feel hotel which just feels like home from home. The rooms are spacious and spotless, the food delicious and the people are so kind and warm. The small pool was perfect and we spent lots of time in it. For a change of scene, we went to the beach, a full 5 metres walk away! Kasia invested a lot of time to make sure we could visit various parts of the island, we got to swim with turtles, try the markets of Stone Town, see the monkeys in the forest and visit other beaches on the island. She and Paul are wonderful, gentle, generous people who do a lot to support the people of the local fishing village and surrounding areas. Of all the places we have stayed on holiday, this is the only place my boys cried when they had to say goodbye. That says it all really. Come and stay here, you won't regret it. Last thing - not a single mosquito bite all holiday, and they normally feast on me!

The infrastructure of Zanzibar is still developing.

I might be stating the obvious, but so there are no doubts - it is a true ocean front property, located on the beach. Mambo offers only seven rooms, and this is what qualifies it to be an authentic boutique hotel... and authenticity is one of the main reasons why you should look no further than Mambo Paradise while visiting Zanzibar. Village of Kigomani, it’s where you will be staying. Kigomani is also home to the hotel staff, no exceptions, including the driver who is going to pick you up at the airport. Why does it matter? While your veggies will be harvested daily at a local farm, fish is going to be handpicked by your chef on the same day it was pulled out of water, home grown cucumber sliced straight over your plate or the restaurant is going to offer multiple catches of the day, limited only by the fisherman's lack of luck… that’s not what drives Kate and Paul, owners of Mambo Paradise... in my view, it is a wild satisfaction when they get to say "no" to the guest. That happens quite often and always when answering a trivial question, one, you’ll ask at some point, too. "Does it get more real and authentic than this?" “No, it’s as real as it gets.” - you’ll hear in return from the managing duo. Here is how real it got for us: on full moon nights the ocean is going to come for you, so go for a long swim, during low tides - learn how to waddle among sea urchins or hop into the boat from your doorstep - snorkeling trip is a must, relax by the pool at some point, get some action - play soccer with local kids on the beach, shower and stay salty - benefit from salt particles in tap water, wander through the village not just once, ask to be driven to hustling and bustling Zanzibar City, swing by Spice Farm on the way back, time for a little peace and quiet, you're back in Kigomani. Respect and appreciate the culture. Hakuna Matata.

Nothing! Everything exceeded my expectations.

Our stay was out of this world. Completely unreal. Blessed to have stayed at many nice places, and this one is my favorite. The level of friendly service was top notch. Stepping through the lobby, I was immediately struck by the very friendly owners. Very welcoming atmosphere. The staff throughout the hotel were very professional, friendly and extremely helpful. The food was outstanding and the service simply wonderful. We were very well looked after. The drinks were delicious, and cocktails very tasty. The location of the hotel is great. The room was very spacious and had a fantastic view.

My wife and I stayed there for 4 nights as part of our honeymoon trip across Zanzibar and we loved staying in Mambo Paradise. The hotel is located in a small fishing village and you can watch the fisherman bring their catches to the shore and experience the everyday life of the locals. The hotel sourced seafood from the nearby local fish market, which meant delicious meals every day! The staff were extremely lovely and helpful, we even got fresh coconuts from the tree gathered just for us :) If you're looking to visit Mnemba for snorkeling, speak to the staff and they will arrange a group or a private tour for you, we loved it. The owners were welcoming and offered advice on other activities.

Nothing.

The guest was very helpful and gave a lot of valuable information about trips. It was really appreciated! There are nice restaurants around the resort specially that on the rock!:)

The location is not suitable for someone that loves to stay on the beach. In the back of hotel there is a village of people and in front of hotel all day there are fisherman's and kids. So, there is not so much privacy. For a proper place to stay at the sun you must walk a considerable distance and find a resort with sunbeds... Also during day the water is not proper for swimming, because of the refluxes. But interesting for that who are looking for different kind of activities.

We had a fantastic Christmas stay at Mambo Paradise. The location is superb - right on the beach - and the hotel is perfect: very helpful staff, all the facilities we'd want (including pool, bar and restaurant), and small enough to have a great relaxed vibe and a personal touch. Kasia and the team couldn't have been more welcoming and helpful, arranging airport transfers, snorkelling, swimming with dolphins and turtles, and tours to Nungwi, Stone Town and the Spice Farm. This is a special place and I can't recommend it highly enough - we had a great time there. If you're looking for a blissful, authentic chilled beach holiday in Zanzibar, off the beaten track and away from the crowds, this is a great place to be.

Leaving.

Mambo Paradise was the jewel in the crown for our very brief stay in Zanzibar. It is a small, family run hotel located on the beach in front of a tradition fishing village. Highlights: food so fresh and cooked to order, staff are exceptionally helpful and pleasant, endless opportunities to savour lical life such as men bringing in their catch to adjacent fish market, kids swimming and playing soccer, walking the beach on soft powdery white sand. To sum up a very relaxed easy going environment. Pandu who works at mambo paradise runs an excellence early morning boat trip, swim with dolphins, in torquoise waters and super snorkeling (very fair rate). Pavel and Kasha run a super hotel - thank you.

Perhaps a savignon blanc, i don't like chardonnay or chenin

The managers and staff were incredibly nice and helpful. The room was large and beautiful. The upstairs terrace has a splendid view and is comfortable. The staff helped us to arrange fun activities according to our preferences. Breakfast was good. The hotel is located far away from everything- which is nice if this is what you expect, but can be difficult if you want to go somewhere or do things around.

The water in the bathroom is SALT water. No wifi in the room, only upstairs. It is written in booking.com that the hotel provides laundry services, however this is not the case. The beach outside the hotel is lovely, but full of boats so swimming is impossible. The restaurant was not to our (mediterranean) taste.

We had a very warm welcome with a little mocktail on the arrival. The room was very clean, with sea front view. The restaurant has amazing Swahili food, on a really nice rooftop!

There's not much not to like, but on the day of our arrival the pool wasn't very clean. The next morning they cleaned it.