Enjoyable Stay with some shortcoming

Positive: - Great Location Negative: - super slow waiters - no variety in food; throughout noodles, in general no local specialities - room not as per description on hotels.com

The staff at this hotel is in one word, “awesome .” Frank, Samson, Moses, Johnny, Benjamin, Innocent, Monsli, and housekeeping. Everyone went out of their way to provide the best service. Frank helped me organize tours. I had problems with the safari I booked, but Frank fixed things for me.

Staff is amazing and they all go above and beyond to make sure you are pleased.

Hidden Gem!

We absolutely loved our stay at the Albatross! All of the staff made us feel so welcomed and treated us as family! We loved our surprise dinner on the beach. We highly recommend anyone wanting to get away for a bit to stay here! Would definitely stay here again!

I like that the property was next to the beach and had a nice pool. I didn’t like their food, it was not buffet. Breakfast was buffet but same food everyday. There was no food variety on the menu to choose from without having to pay extra. I had paid for all inclusive but there was limit on alcohol and had to pay to have top shelf drinks which were regular imported drinks. I would not recommend the resort. It was not worth what i had paid.

Loved the place and it was my second time going. The staff go above and beyond to ensure the stay is perfect. All the rooms face the ocean. Will keep going back as value for money.

Staff

Well-maintained. Staff very helpful and friendly. Always kind and offering a helping hand. No barfridge in the room. Suggestion- kettle and coffee/ tea/ sugar in the room.

Very cosy place, amazing stuff & just an amazing perfect long beach .. Best part is the owner Yana is always around to show you everywhere & help you around! Such a legend! .. Was planning for 4 days stay ended up with 10 days & definelty coming back again!

The hotel has brilliant staff who go above and beyond to make your stay really lovely.

This boutique hotel has a beautiful pool, ample seating and a great restaurant right on the beach. The whitewashed buildings are stunning. The beach is public but there are never a lot of people on it. The beds look deceivingly hard but are actually very comfortable. The rooms are pretty and clean, and all have ocean views. The food was fantastic and reasonably priced compared to other resorts we’ve stayed at on the island. The staff were friendly - Youngman and Samson in particular. Right next to the hotel, you can find Dongwe Sport, who have a range of water sports and activities close to the hotel. We recommend them. Overall, enjoyable stay and great value.

A prosaic place

A prosaic place that is functional for the purposes of the plain, frills-free, undisturbed beach holiday. The rooms are plain but functional, the pool site is pleasant and fun, and the beach naturally exquisite.

May/June 2018

Great hotel,but nobody has mentioned the rather important fact that if you have mobility issues then in my opinion you couldn't stay here. If wheelchair bound then probably impossible.We enjoyed a really good holiday but as one of our party has MS and needed to use a travel wheelchair ,movement around the hotel was very slow due to all the paths being sand, and lots of steps.Apart from this the hotel has a great character and the location, for us, was perfect. Sure the food was a little samey, and we couldn't visit the Fisherman shack, as we went out of season, but the staff were friendly and the locals happy. If your fit and mobile, i would highly recommend a visit.

Honeymoon Suite Nothing special about it

Worse beds ever for vacation . No enough equipment in the room to make you feel at home

Nice place, ideal for families, nice access to the beach, rooms are functional, food was good

Quiet hotel right on the beach

Charming small hotel with large and comfortable rooms, perfect for a low-key, relaxing holiday. We made good use of the pool. Even at low tide, easy to swim in the ocean without having to walk far, and at high tide, the water is just a few metres away. Lovely long beach to go for walks. Good range of foods at buffet breakfast. We took the half-board option, and enjoyed many delicious seafood meals for dinner. Take note that there are no TVs in the rooms (which was fine with us), but there is a TV in the common lounge area (which we used to watch Euro 2016 football matches). We were there as a family of four, including two teenagers, who were happy with the free wifi. Also did a great excursion to go swimming with dolphins, organised through the front desk. Very happy with our stay overall.

the hotel was a 3 starr but the staff is a 10 starr

Beautifully kept grounds and pool area.

Lovely hotel, really clean with the very best staff who really looked after us and made our holiday extra special. The room was beautifully prepared for our arrival and whilst the bathroom could have done with some refurbishment, it was thoroughly cleaned every day. The hotel is right on the beach with a lovely bar and dining area. The beach is clean and there are a few sun loungers on the beach in front of the hotel but you can also see the beach perfectly well from the pool. Beach shoes are a must as you have to walk across coral to get to the sea when the tide is out, this is not an issue when the tide is in. There are plenty of excursions available either through the hotel or through freelance tour guides on the beach. The food is plentiful if not always very varied, and the tea and cake at 4.30pm are very welcome! The lunch menu is better and more varied than the dinner choices (2 choices each evening for starter and main course).The hotel has a real family feel about it as everyone is so friendly; a very well run and charming place to stay.

one of the best options in Zanzibar

compared to other places we left in Zanzibar because of insufficient standards (Double Tree) we had a very good time and incredible service here at Dongwe Ocean View by Anita and the staff. Very nice facilities, perks, support and great location, for a reasonable overall prices compared to others

Wondeful. The staff were nuce. Very calm and collected area.

Hidden treasure

The staff was amazing! They were very attentive and pleasant to talk to. All of the meals spoke to my heart but dinner was simply "Devine." The bartender had mad skills and kept me really happy.

Awesome Beach, Great Staff!!!

Had a wonderful time recently at the Dongwe Ocean View. This is a small resort that is very relaxing and peaceful.The beach in front of Dongwe Ocean View was the best compared to the rest of the peninsula. At high tide other hotels had their beach disappear but Dongwe Ocean View still had a a very nice beach during high tide. The beach also had the nicest/softest sand compared to other areas. Samson (the manager) and his staff were amazing and very accommodating. We decided to change some of our travel plans and they went above and beyond to help us book flights and hotels. Overall, a great place!!!

Dongwe Ocean View

Better rates if booked directly through hotel Hotel is in an isolated area of Zanzibar, this makes it very good for recovery from jet lag or the constant go go go of a safari. It's better to stay in Old Stonetown to explore the alleyways rather than do a day trip from the hotel.

Great little hotel

The hotel's simplicity makes it a beautiful place to stay in the east coast of Zanzibar. Location is great, next to a beautiful and long beach, and with pool access to compensate for the low tides of the Indian ocean. Service is great. All members of staff were incredibly friendly and always smiley and would go out of their way to make your stay as enjoyable and memorable as possible. The reservation also came on HB (breakfast buffet and dinner), which was great as the hotel is quite isolated. Food was great and variety pretty good. A lot of seafood available (lobster pasta, cigal, octopus, tuna steaks) Massage service also highly recommended and very affordable. A few activities also available nearby (sea sports, snorkelling). Bargaining is a must, do not pay asking price, it’s part of the culture!! Very friendly people as well. A great stay overall, do give it a go!! it’s totally worth it.

A gem

The accommodations are lovely, the atmosphere sweet and calm. And the staff could not be more gracious.

Good hotel and confort.

With my wife and friends enjoyed a gread holiday in a very beatiful and special place.

Awesome ocean views

Staff was great and friendly and very accommodating. The rooms are very basic, no tv, no clock or telephone. The Property needs renovating,mosquito netting on bed has holes. The restaurant need to be enclosed,too many flies/bugs around food especially during breakfast time. Outdoor beach chairs need better cushions and beach umbrellas would be nice to have, as there is no shade when outside. Bathrooms are spacious. The property is very peaceful and a great place for a retreat. With the proper renovations and perhaps some scheduled activities for guests, this place could be a true hotspot! I love the small intimate atmospehere and as a solo traveler felt totally comfortable.

Nice hotel very close to the beach

In expadia it says the hotel is 4 stars. But I think it is like 3 star hotel. But the staff, food and cleanliness is very good. It is like a boutique hotel. It has 18 rooms. There is no TV in rooms

In need of improvement

Dongwe Ocean View was not as great as we hoped it would be. Service was friendly and personable, but often lacked a sense of professionalism. The hotel was in need of a spruce up, with wooden decks in need of some TLC, although the pool itself was fantastic. The food was good enough, but lacked a sense of flair which one expects on holiday - the food seemed slightly canteen-like. This is particularly so when comparing the food to some of the other food we experienced in Zanzibar - which was generally out-of-this-world amazing in its creativity and flavour. The hotel's ambience was also marred somewhat by the incessant reggae music played around the pool which, although not objectionable in itself, becomes problematic when the same six songs are played over and over and over again - it did our head in, to be honest. The hotel was well-priced, the beach on which it was located was beautiful and interesting in itself, and the coconut oil & clove massage we received was wonderful, but we still thought we could have received better value for our money.

Nice and peaceful

Nice hotel. The pool is a bit more decent that it looks on the photos. Great food.

Wonderful Beach View

We rented a family room, which was very comfortable and the view from its balcony was amazing. Hotel staff were very accommodating, with minor exceptions.

A great break for a small familiy

We had a great time in Dongwe. The beach is lovely and the pool is great. Great service minded staff that did their best to accomodate our children (1 and 3). I think the price/quality ratio of food in the restaurant is bad - I would expect better at the prices we paid. But overall, I would surely recommend the hotel.

Excellent Location, Service and Price

Well managed, great service, very relaxing vacation where everything has been anticipated by the staff.

If you looking for isolation this is the place

Stayed two days of shear relaxation. I like the idea of no TV in the rooms. Great white sanded beach. Staff very friendly at times it appeared they outnumbered the quest. About an hour from Stone Town.

Great location and service - would recommend

Hidden away down a bumpy track a little gem of a place :-) Great service, very personal, lovely relaxing facilities bar, pool, chilling area outdoor restaurant. Literally 4 steps to the beach, wonderful views. No TVs in room so big thumbs up from me.... Pay as you go wifi works fine. Buffet breakfast and dinner OK but nothing special - however lovely location to eat :-) Rooms spacious but can get hot (check air con works)

Nice hotel to relax.

In my experience the hotel is excellent for relaxation. Ocean View. Different activities to do. Quiet. Vrey nice !!!!

quiet beach destination

Takes about an hour to drive to from the Zanzibar airport but once we arrived we could not be more impressed with the friendliness and attention of all the staff. We took advantage of the half board option (breakfast and dinner included) and felt no real need to venture outside of the hotel for the weekend. We were surprised that WiFi was an extra charge (can buy for one hour, two hours or 10 hours, I believe) but that was a pretty small issue for us in light of how wonderful everything else was that weekend.

Lovely stay on Zanzibars east coast!

- Extremely friendly and helpful staff who go out of their way for you - Beautiful rooms and facilities - Situated right on the beach where you can swim or bake on the sand

Perfect place for a romantic getaway

A very nice little hotel on the beach and it's perfect for relaxation. The room/hotel was clean and the service of the staff was great. A great breakfast- and dinner buffet and a good variety of dishes for lunch.

Beautiful 18 room hotel on the beach

Spotless hotel and rooms, more staff than guests ? And so helpful, nothing was too much trouble. Food was excellent and restaurant was kept open and fully staffed due to our late arrival ( 2 of us). Beach is used by the local fishermen in traditional canoes who are also very friendly and an opportunity to watch a very different lifestyle take please, so much better than just wide empty sea. We loved every minute of our 7days there and would not hesitate to return or recommend to anyone. Truly a very special place.

Great place

Absolutely fantastic hotel, especially for the price. Everybody were very friendly and helpful. The room and and rest of the hotel, including the pool were very clean and well maintained. A bit more quieter area of Zanzibar, which was perfect for us. Great snorkeling in near by Blue Lagoon. Certainly recommend this hotel warmly and we will return to the same one next year.

Fantastic place to stay

Hotel staff extremely helpful - they couldn't do enough to make our stay more enjoyable. Our room was great and the girls decorated it beautifully each day with flowers.

Great hotel if isolation is OK

Fantastic small hotel on a wonderful beach. The staff are fantastic - very happy to always look after you. And you get to know both staff and guests as the hotel is small. The food is good without being awesome. I think there needs to be a wow meal every now and then. Due to its location, you have to eat there, so you are restricted by the food available. The hotel organises excursions at reasonable rates, but the days are long due to distances needing to be covered.

Very basic, but amazing location

The room was spacious and the furniture throughout the hotel was lovely, still, the room was very basic with only a table and a bench in it. It has a lovely little bar area, however it was swarming with flies at lunch time. A bit of citronella wouldn't go amiss! Bar Staff were friendly and welcoming, but service overall was questionable. When the food was good, it was very good but when it was bad it was terrible! It had a limited selection, which meant there was noting to look forward to and the serving staff were intimidating!

Ideal hotel for honeymooners or couples...

We had an excellent stay at Dongwe Ocean View, we enjoyed all aspects of what the hotel had to offer but what really made it was the helpful and friendly staff who really couldn't do enough for you and were always looking for ways to make our stay extra-special. The hotel makes for an excellent quiet retreat for a couple, although between beautiful beach walks, visits to the Rock restaurant and going out snorkelling on a dhow are some of the activities which will ensure that although the hotel is quiet, there is still plenty to do. Rooms are cool and spacious and decorated daily with local flowers which was a lovely touch. The quality of the food at the restaurant was very good, although we did visit a couple of other locations for sake of variety as our stay was 10 night (taxis can be easily enough arranged).

beautiful beach,accomodating staff, but broken A/C

It would have been a really great place to stay if the A/C had worked. That's really the only problem but it was very hot and we weren't comfortable in the room for more than a few minutes. Staff was very friendly and accomodating but maintenance couldn't get the A/C working and we had the same problem the second night in another room. Beautiful beach, great snorkeling, good food.

Very happy

Resort staff very friendly. Clean rooms. Great food.

Ok but not for honeymooners

We had the honeymoon suite which admittedly was better than the other rooms that we saw but the bed was so uncomfortable and the toilet seat wouldn't even stay up when you sat on it. The restaurant was lovely and the setting was beautiful but I do think the rooms left a lot to be desired. There wasn't anything to do either but that is fine if you only want to stay by the pool. The staff were lovely and very helpful though.

A wonderful stay in Zanzibar

Had a great time at the Dongwe Ocean View. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Very reasonable rates for such a beautiful location.

Quiet and relaxing

Great location for sunbathing and lazing. Various water sports available fuether down on the beach if you are in need of some activity. Nice breakfast available and free tea and cakes at 4.30-5.30 daily. (Cake selection is poor though- its the leftovers from breakfast). Lunch and dinner menu is good and reasonably priced. Great pool and nice chill out/tv area. Definitely recommend but no choice locally of alternative restaurants so be prepared to stay under one roof!

Beautiful small hotel, large rooms with multiple views, located directly by the sea, nice pool. Nice beach, if you want to do something you need a hire car or private taxi

Unser Aufenthalt im Albatross ovean view war einfach fantastisch! Alles, von den Zimmern bis zum Service, hat uns begeistert und uns die Möglichkeit gegeben, uns richtig gut zu erholen. Die Sauberkeit der Zimmer und die Qualität des Essens haben unsere Erwartungen getroffen. Doch das herausragendste Merkmal dieses Hotels ist zweifellos das Personal. Jedes einzelne Mitglied des Teams war äußerst nett, zuvorkommend und verbreitete trotz ihrer vollen Arbeitstage stets gute Laune mit einem Lächeln im Gesicht. Ihre Freundlichkeit und Hilfsbereitschaft haben unseren Aufenthalt unvergesslich gemacht.

Great staff and lovely place

I really enjoyed my stay at Albatross. My room was very spacious and the view was great! They cleaned the room in a very good way and all of the staff (cleaners, restaurant, reception) was great! The masseuse was actually one of the best I’ve tried. The pool kept very clean. The beach is nice and with the pool I don’t see any problems with the tide making the water go out from the beach for a while. Go to the pool or the pier instead then. It’s a quiet area with not a lot of restaurants more than hotels. All inclusive or full pension is to prefer. The downsides is that I’ve wished for curtains that keeps the light out from the room. You get the morning sun super early and a bit hard to sleep. The people in the bar might need a bartender course… unfortunately the drinks were no good (to have syrup in the bar is an advice for example). But over all I’m very happy with my quiet, peaceful stay and may come back

Excellent

Un petit coin de paradis

L'hôtel Albatross nous a permis de passer de merveilleux moments tant en bord de mer, de piscine, dans son restaurant et évidemment en chambre. Toutes les chambres donnent sur la piscine et la mer. Toute l'équipe a été aux petits soins pour nous et nous les remercions encore. Ne pas oublier de se laisser aller aux massages tonifiants qui sont proposés. Moment de bonheur supplémentaire.

Kleines,familiärens Hotel. Sofort nach Ankunft wie zu Hause gefühlt. Alle Mitarbeiter sind sehr freundlich,stets lächelnd. Alle Zimmer mit Meerblick,sauberer kleiner Pool. Essen im Restaurant ist in Ordnung.

Excellent

Nous venons de passer un séjour d’une semaine dans cet établissement et nous en sommes très ravis et gardons un souvenir inoubliable notamment grâce à toutes les personnes du staff de la restauration, la réception, leur bienveillance est touchante. Mention spéciale pour Rasheed et Eddie et d’autres que j’oublie de citer. Chambre « lune de miel » hyper spacieuse et propre, donnant sur la piscine avec vue sur l’océan. Marrée basse entre 10h et 14h selon mes observations. Plage propre et vaste. Piscine régulièrement nettoyée. Je recommande vivement cet établissement.

bel endroit

le personnel est très bien très gentil et réactif, la plage est belle naturelle et nettoyée chaque matin des algues ce qui n'est pas toujours fait pour les hôtels à côté. la nourriture est bonne et de qualité. La seule chose qui m'a gênée c'est la literie franchement très dure pour mon dos et à l'inverse des oreillers trop mous.

Excellent hôtel, très belle plage, et personnel très sympas

Ganska fräscht hotell. Bra personal. Litet isolerat och tyst på kvällarna.

Skuffende dårlig strand.

En helt ubrukelig strand / beach det meste av dagen, utenom high tide mellom 13.00 og 15.00, dog fortsatt full av tang og annet plantemateriale. Svært høye priser i restauranten. Få alternativer i nærheten. En øl f eks kostet her det dobbelte av hva den kostet på Veskystens Kendwa Beach.

Sol o strand

Mycket trevligt ställe om man gillar att lapa sol på stranden och bada. Fin strand. Enda nackdelen är att den inte är privat så man får va beredd på människor som vill sälja prylar och utflykter. Dock kan man ligga på hotellets mark o bara va på stranden när man ska bada då hotellet gränsar till stranden. På hotellets mark får man va ifred. Hotellet va fint o personalen mycket trevlig. Det man kan klaga på är att sängen va stenhård och att det enligt hotellet skulle finnas TV på rummet, det gjorde det inte. WIFI funkade heller inte så bra på rummet. I närområdet finns egentligen ingenting annat. Så detta ställe är till för folk som bara vill slappa, sola o bada. Då passar det utmärkt.

Las vistas y la situación del Hotel. Muy tranquiloy bonito

Ett trevligt hotell med utmärkt läge direkt vid havet. Personalen var genomgående vänliga och hjälpsamma. Sett som en resort-anläggning var allt toppen!

Fantastiskt läge. Sämre mat.

Fantastiskt läge. Underbar och lugn strand med turkost vatten. Wi-fi överallt. Ok rum. Hade ett familjerum med två rum och stort badrum. Badrummet behöver uppdateras. Fläkt och AC som fungerade fint. Det sämsta var maten som inte var bra alls.

Splendide endroit en bord de plage. Piscine à quelques pas de la mer. Personnel extra! Nous avons passé un séjour inoubliable dans cet établissement

Kan rekommenderas!

Fantastiskt bemötande på hotellet. Vill verkligen göra det bästa för gästen. Kanonläge med tanke på tidvattnet. Bra med halvpension. Frukosten var ok, men middagen var jättegod.

Best Hotel I stayed in till now

Everything was perfect. The staff the room the food. The best Hotel I stayed in on my trip through Tanzania. Cant find anything to complain about.

Fantastisk udsigt og lækkert at vågne til bølgerne

Super dejligt sted lige på stranden, fantastisk udsigt fra værelset - meget stille og fredeligt. Super sødt personale. Lidt kedeligt aftens mad som var med i prisen. Vi kommer gerne igen

Very nice hotel with great surroundings

Rooms are clean and the ocean view is great. Nice pool area next to restaurant. Dinner is good and has some variety each night. There is also great small fish restaurant next to the hotel.

Familiäres Hotel direkt am sehr schönen Strand

Die Lage direkt am Strand ist sensationell. Das Hotel ist sehr familiär geführt und nicht allzu groß. Das war für uns wichtig und wurde voll erfüllt. Die Zimmer sind geräumig. Die Betten sind bequem und groß. Das Essen war sehr gut zubereitet....die Küche kann was. Nach einer Woche beginnt die Wiederholung des Menüs. Da es immer 2 Essen zur Auswahl gab, reicht die Abwechselung für 2 Wochen. Das Personal ist extrem freundlich und spricht gut Englisch. Der Hotelmanager Samson ist sehr freundlich und flexibel bei Wünschen. Die Getränkepreise sind ein wenig hoch (Wein).Ein Kühlschrank ist leider nicht im Zimmer. Der Strand ist sehr schön. Bei Ebbe empfiehlt es sich das "Watt" zu erkunden oder in der Nähe der Jetty schwimmen zu gehen. Dort gibt es einen sehr schönen Fleck mit Traumwasser am Kopf der Jetty (ca 1,5 Stunden nach niedrigstem Wasserstand aufsuchen!!!).

Hotel aan een paradijselijk strand

Prachtige locatie, perfecte plek voor een relax zon vakantie. Het personeel is super vriendelijk en vooral zeer service gericht! Aanrader!

Hotellet ligger paradisisk lige på stranden

Det var en ualmindelig god oplevelse at bo på Dongwe Ocean View! Hotellet placering i sig selv var nærmest paradisisk, værelset glimrende og personalet var MEGET behjælpeligt og imødekommende. Maden var glimrende - og interessant lå hotellet lige, hvor de små fiskerbåde kom ind, så der var lidt liv omkring hotellet (men ellers MEGET stille og roligt). Hotellet er ligeledes godt udgangspunkt for ture rundt på øen.

Meget fint lille sted

Meget fint lille sted Søde og servicemindede medarbejdere God stil i lounge og restaurantområde Skøn udsigt fra både værelse, restaurant og pool

Relaxing at Dongwe

Dongwe Ocean View is really a perfect place for relaxing! Nice surroundings, service minded staff, paradise beach and the view from the hotel and rooms is fantastic. Food was OK and the rooms could need renovation, but if you are not picky, the rooms are OK. If you are looking for party nightlife this is not the place to go (or if you demand many restaurants to choose between). This is also maybe not a place for families with children who demand entertainment, i.e Kids Club, at the hotel. You also didn't feel like being closed and stuck in a "gated community". There were some beach sellers but they were all OK and friendly, so no need for "high fences" like in many other resorts. This gave us a natural and pleasant feeling staying at the Dongwe Ocean View and we felt secure all the time. We want to give Dongwe Ocean View our highest recommendations.