Marea Boutique Hotel

Nice relaxing location

I did lots of research for my family's trip to Zanzibar because there did not seem to be a lot of accurate information online. I felt comfortable with my reservation at the Marea (fka Geo) and it turned out I was right. From the owners (who may be there to greet you) to the hospitality, and dining options were perfect for a middle class family from the West Coast. The room is basic but comfy enough. You can ask for extra pillows. The besds have sheets but no blankets. This encourages you not to blast AC all night long. Also: the beach. I heard mixed answers about the quality of the beach in Jambiani. Well, I can tell you the beach right in front of the hotel is perfect white sand. The water is not clear. There's some (not a lot for us) seasweed. Maybe it's not as good as Kendwa and Nungwi. But there were almost no beach boys. And the ones who were there accepted a no after the third time. My family had the beach all to ourselves each morning. That's never really happened to us before! Don't miss out on a walk to the village. The people are super nice. Bring something to MOVE Zanzibar to donate to the kids it benefits.

My friend and I stayed at this hotel for 6 nights, and it was absolutely remarkable. Despite the initial rain, which made things quite gloomy, the staff's smiles quickly overcame that. Their enthusiasm and happiness were contagious. The housecleaner was astonishing, cleaning the room every day and leaving delightful towel swans and decorative flowers. I loved the breakfast, with a special shoutout to the host who greeted us with a huge smile and great admiration. She made our mornings amazing. We had lunch a few times, and I must say, the pizza was the best I’ve ever had. As for the location, Jambiani Beach is beautiful with plenty of lounge spaces. It’s a bit of a drive from Paje, but it was worth it. The hotel made us feel very comfortable, always checking on us and making us feel at home. The energy of the staff was incredible. Thanks to the receptionist who kindly arranged both our early check-in and late check-out. This hotel is certainly great value for money, and I recommend it to anyone wanting to stay in Jambiani.

Few insects in the room

Absolutely loved this hotel! We were surprised by how beautiful it was. Loved the beach loungers, restaurant food was tasty, staff was so friendly, breakfast was very extensive and good. A great place and probably my favorite I stayed in on Zanzibar!

We did not get the beachside room we booked because a big storm a few days before had caused water damage, but the staff was very good in accommodating us to another room. Also wish the property was closer to the town, as it was about half an hour walk down the beach to other restaurants.

I really enjoyed that the hotel had a great location and was located on the beach. Overall, it was very beautiful. The Italian restaurant has amazing food. The pizza is absolutely delicious. In addition, the breakfast at the hotel was also amazing. There were plenty of options, and it was included in the stay. It was truly a great way to start the day! I was also extremely pleased with the hotel staff. They are very friendly and accommodating, and not to mention, very helpful. All in all, I am very satisfied.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the hotel. The only thing is that the hotel rooms were not the most fancy; they could use a bit of renovation.

The staff were nice and the owners are nice too. The italian food is good. Very nice pizza. Nice swimming pool, nice restaurant and nice beach access. Breakfast is very good and reach but no brewed coffee!

I must begin by mentioning that if you are a coffee drinker you should carry your own coffee making equipment as they do not offer brewed coffee with breakfast. I asked for black coffee in the morning and they said they only have expensive coffee they make at the espresso machine and they cannot offer it included in the breakfast so the option was to either pay for a good coffee or to make my own out of the instant coffee bags on the table which were of bad quality. Now seriously, how hard is it to buy a coffee filter machine and coffee from the local stores and offer your customers brewed coffee in the morning with breakfast. Anyhow I decided to pay every morning for a good cup of coffee they were making at their espresso machine. To mention that one day they run out of coffee for the espresso machine and when I was asking for the coffee they didn't tell me they run out but they were making coffee for me in the kitchen with the instant coffee bags and charging me as it was from the espresso machine. I realized and I questioned the waiter and she admitted and accepted to remove the coffee cost from my bill from the last two mornings. But this was really not a big deal. The big deal breaker was the following. The rooms are a big disappointment and definitely way under expectations. The online photos of the entire facility are looking stunning but the reality about the rooms is totally different. The water at the shower is very salty and the shower accessories and sink taps are eroded from the salty water. I asked the owners to do something about it and they tried but still the water was too salty. We were feeling dirty after each shower and feeling our skin sticky. It made our entire stay a nightmare and after the first three days we couldn't wait to leave although we paid in advance for a week and we couldn't leave. The beachfront rooms are to be avoided! Do not make the mistake to book those rooms.

Nothing

Everything

It was right at the beach and the people in the restaurant were warm and mostly helpful.

We changed e-mails and booked according to the guidlines from the property two months ahead and agreed on the ground floor rooms, but they didn’t keep their promise on that. Also were not any way willing to even offer some compensation of their mistake. Water in rooms is salty to shower and wash your teeth and there is no fridge in the rooms.