The staff was actually outstanding from the check in onwards, regardless if we were at the restaurant, the bar, the beach …. The whole resort is lovely with all the big garden areas between the nice arranged housing blocks. Especially compared to the beaches at other hotels and resorts at this stretch, the beach of Riu Palace Zanzibar is one of the best. At least in the morning the beach was cleaned by the staff, so we had no rubbish from the excursion boats and no sea weed. We ate only at the main restaurant, as it was very good every day, with a good range of different dishes. The drinks and small bites at the all bars leave nothing to be desired. Last but not least the very good spa, Renova Spa has to be mentioned. We had in total 5 treatments and every one was worth the money. At Renova Spa the staff was excellent as well. … guess it’s no surprise, that we highly recommend this resort!

Unfortunately it was highly common during our whole stay, that guests went to the pool and the sun loungers & parasols areas early in the morning and blocked sunbeds, but didn’t show up until midday. On most days all sunbeds were reservated before 8 am. So we highly recommend to the management, that, as in other hotels, there should be implemented and executed some rules regarding this issue.

The resort is superb all round.. The food was exceptional. The specialty restaurants were superb. We must mention Ms Ines who was exceptional at solving a small problem we had at the end of our stay. Her professionalism was exemplary.

If I had to comment about anything, I would say that an upgrade of the facilities on the beach would help. Most of the umbrellas were damaged and if you are not on the beach early enough you got a cranky beach-bed. Also the resort has no F & B service on the beach itself so one has to walk to the hotel beach next door (RIU Jumbo) for service.

The hotel is fully stocked. Food, drink, entertainment, it's all at your fingertips. The staff were auper attentive and welcoming. I felt very spoiled and well taken care of. I also appreciated how vast the property was. Although there were other guests around, it never felt busy or overcrowded.

Clear communications about what is included. For example, they never mentioned free access to nearby Riu Jambo was part of our package. I only learned about this from other guest reviews. Also, ironically, the quality of the food at the main restaurant was better than at the speciality restaurant (Krystals was a huge letdown). Finally...and not the hotel's fault, beware of hawkers at the ocean front. They really disturbed my tranquillity because I kept getting harassed every 2 steps when walking on the beach.

From the minute we pulled up to the gates, we were blown away by the place. First and foremost, the staff were outstanding. We have never been in a place before where the staff have been so attentive, friendly, welcoming, helpful… the list is endless. It was our honeymoon, and not only did we get a bed towel display, they arrived to our room later in the evening with a bottle of bubbles for us. The food is amazing, the buffet includes so many options to cater for many palettes. And, it is not what you would usually know as a buffet. Chef’s are cooking food right in front of you! Krystal, Kilinarium and Il Panzotto were our favourites. The pools were diverse to what you wanted - the main pool had all the activity with two other quieter pools if you didn’t want activity. The private beach was so peaceful, despite other reviews, we weren’t hassled in anyway by beach sellers. Yes, they showed you their products, but left if you said ‘no thank you’. Some water sports being included (SUP, kayaks etc.) was the cherry on top. Without a doubt, we will be back to this place.

The only annoying thing was the system for booking restaurants, unless you were on the ball at midnight, they booked out so fast. I definitely think this system needs to be improved somehow.

The resort is outstanding, great facilities and an amazing beach! The staff were always friendly and helpful. We booked the private villa and it was lovely.

The rooms could have been cleaned better (especially the wooden floors were slippery). We found that the majority of the guests were European and we received a lot of dirty looks at the restaurant and beach for our conservative clothes and bathing suites. I would have preferred if the resort ensures that guests are dressed respectfully during meal times because it is a Muslim country and community in Zanzibar.

Food was excellent with a huge choice in the buffet restaurant each day. Plenty of pools, loungers to accomodate all guests at the hotel. Good selection of free activities at the local Scuba Caribe centre, with additional paid trips/scuba available too.

The booking system for speciality restaurants through the app is tricky as we found every restaurant was booked up when we arrived. However we later found time slots only released two days in advance to book. This could have been communicated better but we managed to get reservations through reception desk. (just a heads up for anyone visiting)

The property was stunning. Such beautiful grounds lush landscapes and views of the turquoise indian ocean from everywhere on the resort. There are multiple swimming pools and beach access with sun loungers and umbrellas to please everyone's choice to spend the day in the sun or shade. My hotel room was beautiful and clean. Excellent housekeeping staff who's creativity with flowers placed on the bed each day always put a smile on my face. The food at the resort was exquisite. Every meal, whether breakfast, lunch, snacks or dinner was superb. I have never had such amazing choice in food, or tasted such delicious entree's for every meal. The chef's and serving staff were outstanding and always made me feel welcome. In addition, the variety of alcohol available and drink specials made the trip even more spectacular. Finally the scuba diving was incredible. Big shout out to ScubaCaribe and Mr. Osman for being the best scuba diving guide!! I did 10 boat dives over the course of 5 days, and every member of the ScubaCaribe family made me feel welcome and ensured safety for all dives. The visibility and variety of corals and sea life was superb, and the variety of dive sites ensured minimal repetition of dives. Overall an incredible trip with a lifetime of memories!

I'd describe staying at Riu Palace as a mind blowing experience! The staff were very friendly and made it feel like a home away from home. The food was beyond exceptional. The interior design and landscaping is simply breathtaking, not to mention the pool and beach experience. Definitely an ideal holiday destination!

Some of the stairways to the beach were closed off, probably due to maintenance and the gym equipment looked a bit old and could do with an upgrade.

Meal were very nice but no way we had to fight to have a place in the restaurants as they looked all booked from the app, although going there they were empty. We were told they had seats but no food. Buffet was very varied, with freshly cooked meals and very abundant. Room was nice but we needed to pay for the suit as the classic one was not as nice as we expected. Beach is very nice and there is enough space to lay down comfortably in the sun or in the shade.

See comments above The money is absolutely too high for the overall stay. You go to teh bar and they try to cheat with the amount of alchool (we never drink more than one glass)

The property really does have a 5 star feel. The staff are beyond welcoming and will look after you throughout the stay. Everyone is so lovely! The rooms are really spacious and clean and the whole resort has a very clean feeling. There is plenty of space around the pool and beach, even in the height of the summer. I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a relaxing stay! The food is amazing. I cannot fault it one bit and it was prepared to a high standard. The restaurant we ate in had amazing service & really made us feel special. The staff are what make the hotel so amazing, there is always someone on hand to help you. Even when lying at the pool they are round with trays of refreshing drinks & checking in on you. There is no wait for service, someone will be with you as soon as you need them. They are amazing!

The only one thing which slightly lets down the 5 star aspect of the hotel, is the struggle to book into the restaurants. You have access to the buffet daily, but must book into the restaurant’s after check in. The app does not let you book before as you don’t have a room number. It was really disappointing that in our full stay we only managed to eat in one restaurant and this is because we complained regarding not being able to get any tables.