Kena Beach Hotel

Overall it was a beautiful location and the staff were friendly. They did have everything we needed there, but we did have items in a bag in our room that were stolen - expensive earrings and perfume purchased duty free. I reported this to their email, as we only noticed once we left the hotel (we flew to Nairobi). That was a week a go and we had no response. We did not expect much in the response, a sorry would be better. But no response is not good enough. Our room was always locked, so it must have been someone with a room key and they went through my partners bag. Tarnished an otherwise good stay.

As above - we had two expensive items stolen from a bag in our locked room. Reported this with no response. One item, the earrings, was a personal gift to my partner. The other was an expensive bottle of perfume she bought duty free. Not happy. Some sort of response, even to say sorry or something, would have sufficed as we know little can be done. But to get no response after almost a week, not good enough and not happy about it.

Beautiful property with gorgeous rooms, great food, and attentive staff.

Kena Beach Hotel is a small paradise with direct access to the beautiful beach. On arrival, we were offered a free tour through the water to show us local sealife which was very interesting and kind. The room was very spacious with a large bedroom, separate shower, toilet and bathroom as well as an outdoor shower and a terrace. The bathroom even included a tube. We also made use of the Spa program and enjoyed a relaxing couple massage. The whole facility is very beautiful. In addition, the Scubafish Dive Center is part of the hotel which was very convenient for our diving. They offer tours for advanced divers and also tours that you can join without a diving certificate.

The food served for breakfast and dinner was ok but could not hold up to the high standards in all other areas. The chips we had as a snack in the afternoon and drinks were great! There are nice places for dinner nearby e.g. Zanzibar Queen next door. Therefore, you could still have a great time in Kena Beach AND enjoy great food.

The deluxe room is vey spacious and the bed is incredibly comfortable!

the tranquility and the beautiful designs and the spacious rooms

variety of breakfast it’s the same every day

Our room was spacious and comfortable- from the bed to the AC. We made good use of our room’s outdoor seating area and the outdoor shower. The staff was exceptional: very friendly, accommodating, and professional. We booked scuba diving though the on-site group, and it couldn’t have been easier- we were kitted up and in the water within an hour of finishing breakfast. Excellent boat diving off Mnemba Island!

The beach is largely unusable due to the overpopulation of sea urchins. At high tide, it is possible to float a bit, but this is not a beach for water sports (other than kite surfing) due to the generally shallow level and urchins. This issue affects the whole coastline from Kigomani - Pwanimchangani in front of the reef break. The hotel pool was refreshing and provided respite on the days we didn’t dive. Oh! Also, GoogleMaps shows the property location has a mile south of its actual location: important to know if you’re driving. Kena Beach Hotel is located directly next to the Zanzibar Queen Hotel (see photo).

The location, although much affected by the tides, is absolutely ideal. You are close enough to the north in case you want to go there (in my opinion not worth it) and you are enjoying a familiar and calm place. The dive center is one of the best I have been on and I would say the best on the island: organised, safe and tolerant. The rooms in bungalow style, quite arabic, very large, with the little garden are just lovely. Live music on the weekend and just marvellous personal. All very pole pole (slowly slowly) and hakuna matata (no stress). Is the island spirit. We loved it ❤️

Be prepared to face the horrible road to get there. Not really fault of the hotel, just be mentally prepared for it. And if you want to go around with your own car do get a proper SUV. The food at breakfast and the choices for dinner and lunch are limited, but very tasted. I think it is a fair "price to pay" for having a quiet familiar space and not be in a resort. Would not change it for a resort I must say.