Outdoor pool, open 7 AM to 7 PM, pool umbrellas, sun loungers

Reviews of Mbuyuni Beach Village - Bungalows

2 out of 5
Mbuyuni Beach Village - Bungalows
East Coast of Zanzibar, Jambiani

Reviews

7.8

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 25 out of 106 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 52 out of 106 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 20 out of 106 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 6 out of 106 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 106 reviews" "

7.8/10

Cleanliness

8.2/10

Staff & service

8.4/10

Amenities

7.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

10/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Martina

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Uhuru, the owner of this place, was very welcoming and any request was fulfilled within minutes. Bungalows are very clean, swimming pool as well. Lots and lots of space for chilling and relaxing with the view of the sea. Chefs were creating interesting and tasty dishes from Swahili kitchen. Staff was very friendly as well. This place is great for animal lovers as they have lots of cats, dogs and monkeys. Ahsante Sana!
Stayed 13 nights in Feb 2022

2/10 Terrible

Dissappointed

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The only thing to like was location. Based on the was we were treated, i would never recommend this place to anyone. There are ants and insects in every room, food is terrible and cold, run by men that dont even shower/wash their clothes( and they’re the same ones cooking and serving). I saw one of them breaking ice with his bare hands and putting it in someone’s cocktail. If you are black, regardless of nationality, just be aware that you will be served after all the white people are served.. and your room will have no hot water. White priviledge is real even in useless places like this. iI strongly recommend the neighboring resort ( Pakachi Beach Resort) with a pier and an island. Their food is great, hot, its clean, service is wonderful and staff are clean and friendly.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We had a pleasant stay at a white sandy beach in a quite region between Paje and Jambiani. The hotel offered excellent meals in a daily changing variation. We loved the nice stile of the bungalows with the relaxing leisure areas with the views to the different blue colour sea and the possibilities of nice long walks at the white sandy beaches. Our 12 nights on Zanzibar in this hotel were very relaxing after visiting Tanzania and Uganda.
Stayed 11 nights in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Mary, Nanaimo BC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good choice
Funky, low key beach resort near Jambiani. We saw several rooms, and all were very clean, although somewhat basic in terms of in-room amenities. Most have a large furnished private deck. The grounds and pool were very well-maintained. The atmosphere is very informal with lots of cool and cozy spots to relax along the beach in hammocks, lounge chairs and bed swings. The only downside is that the ocean's not ideal for swimming due to exposed rocky areas at low tide. But the pool is great! The food in the restaurant was excellent, and there are other resort restaurants within easy walking distance.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018

10/10 Excellent

Mr D A

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This is a lovely resort, right on the beach. The pool was clean and well kept and food of a good standard. Our stay was made even better as we were given a large house for our exclusive use, despite paying for a double room, but the standard chalet rooms were extremely comfortable.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018

8/10 Good

Pete, London

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Experience good, beech shoes required as rocky to enter sea when tide coming in ok at high tide though

10/10 Excellent

Graham

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
great place to relax and view the ocean activities available vi the hotel if you want them beach very rocky outside hotel but good sandy beach not far away

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Idyllic location. As much as you could hope for. Food out of this world and accommodating for vegetarians. Staff very friendly and helpfull

6/10 Okay

gemma, London

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Great location and staff
Rooms a bit old and mouldy but staff really friendly and helpful. Great location, pool and beach. Food amazing but order early.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great deal! Very nice, and relaxing pool. The hotel grounds were kept clean- I loved the hammocks, and lounging around areas. The room was spacious. Breakfast was standard (eggs, toast, sausage, juice, coffee/tea). Great staff! The food and drinks were a little over-priced- compared to other places in Paje. The beds weren't the most comfortable, but the hotel is a great price for what you get.

8/10 Good

David, Vancouver, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great quiet place to get away
The hotel is very affordable and has a variety of clean rooms. The pool is a nice touch and has a plethora of pool chairs, hammocks, and swings around it. Staff is very friendly and helpful. The wifi is not that great but just as good as anywhere else in East Africa. The occasional ants will scurry across your floor but no worse that anywhere else. The adjoining restaurant is good and they change the menu for every lunch and dinner (though some of the items reappear depending on what they have). The beach is right out front of the pool and restaurant and makes for good swimming at high tide or nice walks on the sand at low tide.

8/10 Good

Couple, Switzerland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly place, very good value for money
Mbuyuni is a quiet place - nothing to do but relax which is what we were looking for. Staff were very nice and the restaurant was excellent and inexpensive. You have to order your food in advance but this worked well as we found restaurants in Jambiani took one hour to prepare food anyway. Room was very big with decent bathroom. Not a big swimming pool and when the tide goes out, you have to wait to swim as the whole beach is behind a reef.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic hotel on the beach very welcoming staff
We had a fantastic time here and will be going again everyone was welcoming and very kind 10 out of 10 .
Rasta man

8/10 Good

Henri, Dubai

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Could do so much better
We have enjoyed our stay at Mbuyuni. Service could be improved as well as the breakfast. The front sea bungalows are the one to stay in. Spacious and romantic. The others are smaller and have no view. Be ready to spend a lot of money on taxi if you want to move on the island and from the hotel. Advise, rent a car, it s' cheaper.

6/10 Okay

Fe, UK

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Good well located hotel for those on a budget
Pool very nice, staff very helpful, restaurant very good for evening meals and breakfasts. Room comfortable but bit sparse, no towels and bit shabby and shower lacked power. Good if on a budget.

10/10 Excellent

Navid

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Mbuyuni Beach was a very nice place to relax, enjoy the view and the beach. The lounge area was the highlight. In addition to the comfortable cushions to relax on, there were different activities including board games and pool that allowed the family to enjoy quality time together and enjoy the view.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

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

10/10 Excellent

Ian, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Fantastic Location
Mbuyuni Beach Bungalows are right on the beach between Paje and Jambiani. You ideally need some transport if you are going to visit other areas of Zanzibar. The secluded location is perfect for a quiet week or two away and the staff are great. Friendly and attentive. No air con in the room but for the price I can't fault it.

10/10 Excellent

Anne-marie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely place for rest and relaxation
As a volunteer working with an NGO, I was seeking solitude and respite and not the typical "tourist - cram in so much as you can in a day" kind of vacation. Mbuyuni was exactly what I needed. The salt water pool is good for swimming when the tide is out. There was not a sign of sea urchins or jellyfish I have experienced on other trips to other beaches in Zanzibar. The white sands beach is great for relaxing and there are hammocks and chairs and other things you can lounge on. There were few hawkers or touts and I never felt hassled. The food was great for the price point and the menu changes every day You do have a long delay between ordering and receiving food but we just grabbed our mobile devices and took advantage of the free wifi while we waited. The portions are huge and the seafood is delicious. The staff was always friendly and available to answer any questions we had. The room was simple but everything worked and was clean and ready for us. I will definitely return for another stay next time I am in Zanzibar.

10/10 Excellent

Olga

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
As good as ascret beach hideaway
Loved my stay an Mbuyuni. It is rustic, simple and relaxed but also has all you need for that tropical beach holiday. The staff are great, friendly and helpful, the food is tasty, and the cocktails - well, the best I have ever had! All this in addition to the obvious benefits of vast expances of beach and sea and sun, off course. If you are accustomed to 5 star western treatment, this may be an adjistment for you. For me, it was perfect. I felt right at home. Best value for money ever. I would go back in a heartbeat.

10/10 Excellent

Mike, Montreal, QC, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
See past the first impressions
I booked this hotel for a post-Kilimanjaro trek. Appearances upon arrival at this hotel are deceiving; the entrance drive is a bit cluttered and is not terribly inviting. Do not let first impressions cloud your judgement. I was glad I didn't. The atmosphere at this hotel is relaxing and inviting. If you are looking for excitement - this might not be the place. If you are looking for a decent hotel with excellent staff and a good menu, then give it a whirl.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice quite get away
All together my stay was very nice. I was there to relax and that is just what happened. Beautiful beaches, it was quite and far enough away from the markets but close enough to be able to get out for a bit if you wanted to. Services are slow but i wasn't in a rush. I enjoyed my rest and relaxation.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A great place to spend a holiday! The people are so nice and relaxed... everything is Hakuna matata:-) You do not need to make a visa at home, they will make it for you in the airport of Zanzibar and it takes 2 min. Have a beautiful holiday:-)

2/10 Terrible

Alex, Vancouver ,Canada

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A
This Place was very far from every thing. The Beach was not well kept, limited items on menu. Service took forever. And they over charge for everything. In My opinion the 3.7 rating must be Tanzanian. In American and Canadain Standards this place is like a -(minus) 30 a real dump and not well kept at all. I promptly checked out and went to the Hilton Double tree in Nungwi Beach a small piece of Paradise. Stay away from this place, IF cost and money is an issue try finding a cheaper place closer to civilization this place is alos 170KM from Town. My advise " Stay away " . Then again I travel like his royal Highness" .

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Cleanliness
It was perfect for us. Nice people and quite

6/10 Okay

Tia, Helsinki

Liked: Cleanliness
I stayed over the weekend. Hotel and the stuff there where nice, but I was looking for more of a party/ back packer place over the party weekend. For couples on their budget honey moon this would be a perfect place to stay. For people travelling on their own and looking for meeting other travellers, wouldnt recomend. The only minus in the room that the fan didn't work.

8/10 Good

Jan Willem, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great, friendly place. You cannot swim all day :-(
Nice, affordable place to stay. Great, quiet beach. Staff is friendly, rooms are okay. Some comments: - Due to tides, you cannot swim in the ocean whole day (during our stay in Feb until 9AM and from 5 PM to 7 PM) - Food is good, though a bit one sided - In the 5 days we've stayed there, we had no electricity for about 50% of the time

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
great hotel for the money
for the price it is amazing, the beaches are much nicer on the north side of the island but you will pay for it and we took a cab up there one day for jet skiing and beaching, but the ocean tide comes back around 3 pm perfect for swimming, also if you wanted there is kite surfing 20 min walk up the beach...the wi fi only worked in the restaurant but it did work nicely, i also received a massage on the beach by some of the staff which was wonderful, not therapeutic but definatley relaxing and can't beat the price!! great food too

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Simple Time at Mbuyuni Beach
This simple living resort is for those who want quiet and cheaper though we found the food lacking in choice and certainly not cheap. Otherwise, OK accommodations, nice beach, very lay back place.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good value for money
Nice stay -very good and friendly service. Nice&clean rooms. Good value for money.

8/10 Good

Marina, Dallas, TX

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
nice little hide away
the star rating does not exactly agree with US or Europe -standards, but the stuff and the overall invironment made up for it. They make you feel like extended family. Very accomodating with the african version of "take it easy" - hakuna matata ..... good experience

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Mybuni Beach Bungalows - Jambiani
Spectacular location and very friendly serviuce from the hotel proprietor with the best name in the world (uhuru - swahili foir freedom). Would definitely return in the future.

8/10 Good

Tom, London UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Not too rustic and good value
A very pleasant stay for two of us. Enjoyed the small well kept pool for times when the tide is out and the sea not accessible for swimming (its a tidal lagoon in Zanzibar) A good accommodation between a charicature of African style and pace with the reasonable needs of the western tourist. Had very pleasant times on the beach at night even, with the serenity that comes from choosing to be away form the luxury-all-in, home-from-home that is found elsewhere at three times the price. You dont need to be adventurous to enjoy this place, it was good.

6/10 Okay

Lize, Cape Town, Souther Africa

Wish they would build path to restaurant. After long day on beach, and after a shower- you want to be clean when you walk to the restuarant. Too much sand everywhere- feet and legs always dirty

8/10 Good

michael, Ohio, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice , quiet beachside hotel with pool and wonderful , kind, courteous staff
ok. about 1 hour walk away is paje city where the beach is much nicer.. because of the tide, the beach is not near the hotel most of the day.. early moring swims and late evening swims are nice, BC the tide came in.. Wildlife is there: monkeys, bush babies, some small lizards, the beach is rather private and you dont get many vendors bothing you like at other beaches. i suggest to go here if you are HONEYMOONER or RETIRED. But if you want fun and meeting people: go to NORTH BEACHES of island or Paje. staff was nice and let guests use the computer for free. the staff are also ALL nice and if you stay a few days, you will eventuatlly know them all by name. i liked here when i left, i felt that my stuff in room was safe, bc there werent a lot of people coming and going , staff or guests.. the town and other hotels are kindof far away so this hotel/ beach is kindof secluded and private,,.. i think ideal for retired or honeymooners or people who want it quiet. i stayed 5 days, and to be honest, i would ahve stayed longer.. just my one comlaint wasnt taken serious.. i have asthma and people working there kept burning trash including plastic, bones, and other garbage at night and the smoke was hard to breathe all night. I talked to manager about it and he said it wouldnt happen again but then one guy burned stuff again and at 6 am it woke me up as i was coughing... , but many hotels in zanzibar do the same thing.. but seabreaze in the morning would have been better thantrashbreez

8/10 Good

Tiina, Finland

Liked: Staff & service
Mbuyni beach hotel near Jambiani
Nice atmosphere, friendly staff but not very fast or effective (lunch dinner drinks etc. takes a looong time to get). Room was ok but seemed like it had been cleaned a week ago or so and had spiderwebs when we arrived. It was cleaned better during the stay. We had two beds out of which one was very bad. The surroundings are nice and it is very quiet, relaxed and calm place to stay. The "swingchairs" are nice and the pool clean. The beach could maybe be cleaned a bit better - it is strange how well they keep cleaning the walkways etc. but do nothing to the beach litter. Hotel organized good value snorkelling trip with dhowboat.

10/10 Excellent

Laurence, Chicago

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very friendly staff, clean, simple and inexpensive
The hotel is on Zanzibar's East coast. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The restaurant chef cooks great local food. The bungalows are very basic but super clean. The location is ideal. Laid-back setting. All you need for a relaxing vacation.

6/10 Okay

Sebastian

Travelled with group
Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Goede locatie aan het strand, zwembad met ligbedden en handdoeken, ruime schone kamer (we hadden een kamer aan het zwembad met zeer ruim balkon en meubels), prima ontbijt, goede maaltijden, vriendelijk personeel.
Stayed 5 nights in Feb 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Stayed 21 nights in Oct 2019

8/10 Good

leszek

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Bardzo nam się podobało. Pyszne jedzenie. Bardzo pomocna obsluga. Dzieciom podobał się basen i przyjaźnie nastawione psy i kot.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2017

8/10 Good

Adam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lugnt och avslappnat
Mycket bra valuta för pengarna men det är långt till allt och du är i stort sett tvungen att äta på hotellets egen restaurang, vilken varierar stort i kvalité - vissa rätter var fantastiska, andra rent usla. Som andra också skriver, kass frukost. Stranden är även den inte den bästa, mycket bråte i form av sjögräs å dyl. Samt massa vass sten. Stor skillnad på ebb och flod. Med andra ord, är stranden viktig för er, ta ett annat hotell uppe i Paje. Rummen däremot fina, takfläkt och veranda/balkong. Vi hade två olika bungalows, fick byta då vi delade den ena med råttor - vilket personalen iofs tog itu med så fort det gick, så ja skulle inte va orolig att boka för den sakens skull. Trevlig personal, väldigt goda utrymmen för avkoppling, både kring pool och beachside. Wifi och safety deposit i restaurang/reception. Kort sagt, ett bra hotell för bra peng om ni inte är rädda för att gå en bit till de riktigt fina stränderna eller andra restauranger/affärer.

6/10 Okay

magda, spain

Liked: Staff & service
At the beach with the best food!
The best food in Zanzibar. Hotel is just at the beach so you can enjoy the view and fresh breezy wind. It is clean but quite old. If you want to enjoy the island and you just want a nice place to sleep go there.

8/10 Good

Bjarne, Danmark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dejligt hotel i rolige omgivelser
Et veldrevet hyggeligt sted med god atmosfære. Maden er fremragende og poolen ren og god..Rimelige priser på mad og drikke i forhold til andre steder i området. Vi boede 4 mennesker her i 8 dage.Personalet er venlige og hjælpsomme
Udsigt til havet

10/10 Excellent

Eva, Halmstad

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Underbar liten pärla i Jambiani!
Mysigt och enkelt boende direkt på stranden. Fantastisk god mat, jätteduktig kock. Personalen var jättetrevlig och hjälpsam. Bokade alla våra turer, transfer m m via dom till bra priser. Pga av tidvattnet så kunde vattnet vara "borta" större delen av dagen men då fanns ju poolen eller kunde man gå bort till Paje och bada. Vi hade en fantastisk tid på Mbuyuni men vill man ha mer party eller fler restaurang alternativ så ska man nog välja nåt annat.

8/10 Good

Per, Helsingborg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Nice!
Maybe not the greatest surroundings, but quiet and great for relaxing. The best thing about this place is the staff. Friendly, helpful, personal.

8/10 Good

Maria, Bayern

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
wir waren eine Gruppe aus neun Jugendlichen. Uns hat es sehr gut gefallen, direkte Lage am Strand und auch abends häufiger die Möglichkeit weg zu gehen und etwas zu unternehmen. Der Strand könnte etwas schöner sein, aber das liegt ja nicht in der Hand des Hotels.

8/10 Good

Ingela, Stockholm

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Vi bodde 10 nätter på resorten. Perfekt budgetboende. Träffade många nya vänner. Stranden vid lågvatten var dålig, men en promenad på 15 min o du hade en härlig strand, dessutom fanns ju poolen som var härlig. Rummen rena o stora

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities