SBH Kilindini Resort

We stayed at this hotel for 6 nights and made the selection based on reviews which were endlessly positive it seemed and so this review serves as some truth that helps cut the nonsense from easily pleased guests who may never have experienced better. As a family we have stayed in many hotels, some good, some bad and some, like this one, that are average. My main issue here is the fact it is proudly sold as five star, we did not see the proof of that. Staff are good, some try harder than others but most suffer from lack of guidance and management. A teacup and saucer needs a teaspoon, soup or porridge at self service buffet needs spoons next to it, grilled chicken on a skewer should not be raw inside when served. We had no wifi in our bedroom for the whole week, on check in we were proudly told of unlimited data and download speeds but when you cannot connect this is pointless, like the TV on the wall that just has a couple of channels playing foreign adverts on a loop. The wifi was patchy at the beach bar, unlikely at the pool bar, OK mostly at the restaurant and usually at the main bar. The what's app reception system is pointless when you cannot connect and when we actually needed to make bookings and check vital emails and messages we had to sit outside the restaurant to do so. Not 5 star. Beds were so hard, we did get a mattress topper upon complaint but surely comfort is a standard at this level. Around the hotel are broken taps in public toilets so hands cannot be washed properly. The seat cushions and placemats at the restaurant were stained and dirty, crockery chipped. All these are small issues but combined they point to a lack of investment or management, the hotel was quiet and so a great chance to spend time sorting these things out, I dread to think what happens when they are busy. We did have plenty of trips already booked over the first few days and so got distracted from the initial issues but over time the small things start to annoy more, like the bad coffee everywhere apart from the beach bar where they actually had a coffee machine and served a half decent brew from fresh ground beans. Music. So loud it was obnoxious, luckily for the staff they have a separate system so could stream on laptops easily at each bar and play what they wanted, I suspect the volume was partly to drown outside unfortunate building of a new hotel nearby, it just meant conversation was impossible and relaxation was too. As the music selection was made by the bar staff it did seem to be less about the guests and more about them. So we had a nice enough time, nothing was so bad we had to leave, but bad enough collectively that I wanted to leave an honest review that left people in no doubt. If it was sold as a 3 star hotel I would be quite OK, if it said 4 star I would argue it could do better in places. My real frustration is that I have been lucky enough to stay in all of these and 5 star hotels too, even taking into account where it is located and the limitations this may bring the standards are surely the same. This is not as good as people claim and not worthy of the highest praise. The people are nice but sometimes that is not enough.

Lucas very responsible, helpful (if you need some help he always be here and helps you) In one word he is the best animator that I’ve ever seen

The activities were really good, Mussa the animator is the best, he organises all the activities perfectly and they are really good.

What a beautiful paradise and somewhere to zone out.. Absolutely gorgeous white sandy beach very shallow at low tide enabling the locals to go fishing in the mornings. High tide you can just soak up the warm waters and embrace the sea! Very friendly staff at the resort made to feel very welcome, in my experience very humble and from day one made great effort to help and also interact. Food on offer was very good 👌 Zanzibar juice became my go to for refreshment. Really enjoyed my stay and the trips while staying at SBH Kilindini

We stay one week here for this hotel every thing is good ,,good service staff is very friendly ,,they help us a lot of thinks We enjoy every evening activities of animation dance show,,masai,karaoke,acrobatic for real we enjoy to much,,mussa he is fantastic animation

Mussa is the maincharakter of entertaining, we like it very well. Everyday He will spend is a smile and we enjoyed out stay here.

We had awesome vacations in Zanzibar on the Kilindini resort! The experience was great! The hotel was great, the rooms were comfortable, always shinny and tidy! The beach was also amazing! Amazing sand and water and we always had a bed to lay down. One of the most of this hotel is the calm a peace on the entire hotel! If you want peace and quiet this is the hotel! A Major point on this hotel is the staff! I would like to name Mussa and Nickie with the activities and Joffrey, Emmanuel and Jasmine on the meals! Always checking out if we needed something and if everything was as expected! Thank you all for the amazing vacations!

Super hotel, we recommend. Very nice staff especially the boy named Mussa. We ate fresh fruit every day. We also liked the activities organized by the anomator and the themed evenings

Mussa is an exalent entertainer. We had a super time here in Zanzibar @ Kilangeni The seafood was a major treat. And the moctails was our daily fouvorate

Mussa is a great intertainer and the over all great exceprience Played with the children soccer swim and everything at night great dj run with us on the beach super good thanks