Coral Rock Hotel, Zanzibar

My girlfriend and I went to Tanzania/Zanzibar for vacation in February of 2009--Just the right time to escape Washington DC's brutally cold winter. Coral Rock Hotel in Jambiani was exactly what we were looking for. Very slow paced/relaxing with plenty to do like walking the white sand beaches, snorkeling with Captain Chicken, and hanging out by the pool/tanning. The food and drinks were great and the staff was very friendly, welcoming, and provided excellent service. Our bungalow was simple (you are in Africa, what do you expect?) but comfortable and was cleaned daily. Cost of food/drink, the room, and excursions was very reasonable. I would definitely recommend Coral Rock to other travelers and would like to return one day.

I have travelled the world over, and have experienced many types of establishments. I have stayed in palaces and amongst pestilence, but have not usually felt deceived. Though I have been a Travel Advisor member for many years, this is the first time I thought it necessary to submit a negative review. We saw many “rooms” at the Coral Rock “Hotel” due to problems upon each new bungalo assignment. We spent one night in the first room. The first thing that was apparent upon entering this room was the sewer smell. It turned out that there were numerous plumbing problems. The second thing we noticed was the stain on the bed; we later learned of its other idiosyncrasies. The bed was only about 170 cm in length, too short for my husband, and I would guess most men. Further, the pitch of the bed had a dual-camber; during the night we would both slide down and end up in one corner of the bed. We were switched to another room, which proved equally intolerable. Upon entering the new room, we stuck to the floor. Apparently the sticky mess on the floor was the cause of the mineral spirit smell. The air-conditioner couldn’t help with ventilation, as it didn’t work. In the morning, not only was there no hot water, there was no water at all. This was consistent with all of the other pandemic plumbing problems. Perhaps the unclean condition of the establishment was partially due to lack of water for sanitation. Another surprise was the price list for drinks; the menu at the bar reflected prices dramatically inflated from those on the Internet. Our bar tab reflected drinks we never drank (or ordered). The food was distasteful. Given the isolation of the “resort”, other dining options were few. This isolation made the entertainment and activity options limited as well. The choice was between spending $50 each way for an hour-long taxi into town or paying the exorbitant prices Coral Rock charged for “Chicken” (the Coral Rock on-site tour operator) to guide a trip. This “hotel” is has only misery to offer. Having visited the property, I am very suspicious of all of the rave reviews for this hotel. Check the feedback on TripAdvisor before risking your vacation.

I will never forget my stay at the coral rock!! i have travelt a lot around the world, and stayed in a lot of different places, but nothing beats my experiance in Jambiani. My girlfriend had ben working in Kenya for 4 months, while i was home in Denmark, so we agreed to hoock up in Zanzibar for some vehacation, so we agreed to find a place far from stonetown and turism, and we fonde our spot in Jambiani, a little fishermans village on the south-east coaste of zanzibar. The bongalows at the coral rock, are nice and simple, with AC, fridge, fan toilet and bath. in the rooms you will find planty of space for your cloths. The restaurent, togehter with the pool, is the most special thing at the coral rock, it is based on a rock, streaching out in to the ocien, and when you sit there injoying your food, its allmoste like being on a boat. The staff there are so friendly, and will do their best to grant any wish you might have, i went game fishing one day, and brought home a big Durado-fish, it was no problem, getting the kitchen to clean, and prpaire the fish, i just gave my instructions on how i would like it, and i got it exactly so. Also it is not a problem if you should run out of sunscreen or batterys even being far away from town, just ask MR Ali to pick up the things your missing, on hes way to stonetown (he goes there almost everyday. So all in all there is no doubt in my minde where i am ging to stay the next time i visit Zanzibar, i went to quite some hotels there, but non of them had an atmosfear that could compair with the coral rock hotel. By Kasper Lisborg

I loved the people and the relaxed atmosphre. I love going out on the dow (fishing boat) to go snorkling and I loved the great weather. Zanzibar is very slow paced and this took some getting used to, but it was so relaxing. Really had an amazing time. was very sorry to leave!

gorgeous view and everyone went out of their way to make my stay (five weeks) comfortable. a quiet, safe place to write a book. will definately return.

We decided on Jambiani when visiting Zanzibar because we were looking for a beach holiday away from the standard tourist traps. What we wanted was 7 days relaxing on the beach, sun-tanning, snorkeling, eating and nothing else. We ended up staying 10 days because we found it hard to drag ourselves away. Being from Johannesburg we needed to de-stress and relax and from this perspective I can honestly say that it this holiday we finally achieved that in droves. Getting back to JHB was a total shock to the senses and after a couple of days in traffic we were longing to return. The beaches were nice and uncrowded with the odd local lady offering henna tattoos or massages. My fiance got a 30 minute massage from two ladies for $3 which he thoroughly enjoyed and ended up ordering the same every other day although not all the ladies could actually massage properly and one or two he actually asked them to stop. Apparently April to November the beaches are sublime. The food was good if you enjoy fish and north indian style dishes in coconut curry sauce. Don't expect bacon for breakfasts (Muslim place) and don;t expect big juicy steaks. Exercise caution when ordering the stingray though. If not cleaned correctly it builds up amonia which can be very unpleasant to taste. So find out how fresh it is - anything older than 24 hours - don;t take a chance. Alcohol is cheaper than in South Africa except for wine - so take your own, they don't seem to mind. Service is friendly but not as professional as in South Africa. We spent a lot of time in the swimming pool. it has a salt water chlorinator which was great for my dyed hair and you also can stay in for long periods without turning into a prune. take lots of suntan lotion as the sun will fry you. The rooms had good air-con, basic furniture, massive carved beds and are fine if you are looking to not spend your whole day in the room (no T.V - no baths). Water was also brackish and you can't drink water from the tap. We'll go back - whenever too much Johannesburg builds up in the system

It's a beautiful place with excellent beaches and well suited to those who like the sea. It's rather a journey from Stone town to the hotel, 1 hour on a good day if the hotel mini bus does not have any problems! The village of Jambiani isn't anything great to look at and if you go out at night then you'll need at flashlight because the village has no street lights......infact no streets, just dirt tracks. The staff are really very helpful and friendly. If you have the right group of people at the same time as your stay then it makes a big difference. When I was leaving the hotel had plans to paint all the bungalows and carry out renovations........I think this will enhance the look of the place and perhaps encourage more visitors.

Coral Rock is propably the best place to stay on the South East coast. The views are incredible especially form the elevated inifity pool and restuarant where at night you can see fish swimming beneath the spot lights illuminating the water which rises beneath the whole hotel at high tide. Rooms are clean and well equiped (air-con, fridges, en-suite bathrooms). It's not 5 star luxury but you have everything you need so you're not uncomfortable in any way (mosqiuto nets, fans etc). The rooms also have great views. the staff are incredibly friendly and the little fishing village of Jambiani is also a great place to visit if you want the real authentic, rustic, rural zanzibar. Prices are much cheaper here than in Paje and Nungwe, it's safer and on the beach it's just you, the odd fisherman, cows that go out to sea and graze on seaweed (weird) and a goat or two. It's like travelling back in time. It wont be this way forever though so best you visit soon