Ng'ambo Holidays from £1,144

We recently stayed here and picked the hotel because of a couple of things - quiet beach and the eco friendly credentials - both of which we thoroughly enjoyed and I’d give a 5 star for that. The staff are really great and mostly super helpful - once they get to know you especially if you are not Italian. Couple of things to note: The hotel is 90% catered to Italians so if you don’t like pasta and pizza you are pretty much stuck. One of us was vegetarian so ate pizza and chips the entire time which wasn’t so nice! On the positive side the gelato was first class but you had to ask for it , so if you didn’t know, you would easily miss out on it! And if you want to take nice insta worthy pictures after dressing up in the evenings then better be prepared to pay premium for a drink just to get a nice glass or land up taking picks in papercups because that’s all you get as an All inclusive paying customer! And noop apparently it’s non negotiable to get a decent glass at the bar otherwise! Finally our room - it was probably the farthest from the beach and right behind the amphitheater. The room was smelling mouldy and full of mosquitoes when we entered which to be fair they fixed quickly by cleaning with a strong cleaner and spraying with repellent. But we couldn’t do much about the noise level in the evening. Overall we loved the beach and the quiet location of the hotel.

Place is clean but really basic and over priced. For 500$ a night you would expect absolute luxury but was really disappointed. The staff are really nice and friendly which was the only positive from the huge price paid.

Overall it's a beautiful property. The rooms, pools, beach and other amenities are all very nice. The main concern we had was that it is essentially a "compound". You can't talk to a nearby town or enjoy local culture because the resorts are all very separated from the rest of the island. We also thought the food was not up to the standard of other RIU Palace hotels. This was our fourth stay at a RIU Palace and the food at the others was definitely better. That being said, the hotel is beautiful, the staff lovely and we enjoyed our stay.

We visited The Island at Pongwe as the final stop on our honeymoon to Tanzania and Zanzibar and it was the perfect way to conclude an incredible trip. Set on a coral island just off of Zanzibar, the Island Pongwe is run by the amzaing Michela and her team. The island feels like pure rustic luxury and prides itself on being as sustainable as possible - they source food and materials locally. The service was amazing and we were greeted by the team who showed us to the Villa - a room with an incredible vista of the Indian Ocean. We were also kept company, by the islands dog, Ara, who was so sweet. The team were very helpful in organising a Dhow sailing experience with the local fishermen/sailors. At low tide you are able to walk out towards the reef - just watch out for sea urchins! The food was incredible and tasted so fresh. We were also lucky enough to be treated to a performance by local Masai on our final night. 10/10 - would definitely recommend even at least 1 nights stay here - it's so worth it for this little slice of paradise.

All inclusive hotel with great buffet. Beautiful and large beach.