Aquarium Beach House

Location: Nungwi Road, Mnarani Aquarium, Nungwi, tz

Star Rating: 7 Stars

Property Type: Hostel/Backpacker accommodation

About this Property

Important Information

Policies

Check-in: 02:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Check-out: 11:00 AM

Amenities & Facilities

• Offsite parking discounted rates available
• Guest education on local ecosystems and culture
• Parking
• Non-smoking rooms
• Air conditioning
• Restaurant
• Room service
• Terrace
• Luggage storage
• Tour desk
• Ironing service
• Car hire
• Currency exchange
• Shared lounge/TV area
• Board games/puzzles
• Shuttle service (additional charge)
• Kid meals
• Kids' outdoor play equipment
• Evening entertainment
• Outdoor furniture
• Coffee Shop on site
• Staff adhere to local safety protocols
• Guest rooms disinfected between stays
• Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
• Physical distancing rules followed
• Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
• Cashless payment available
• Fire extinguishers
• First aid kit available
• Sanitized tableware & silverware
• Invoice provided
• Shared stationery like menus, pens are removed
• Guest room sealed after cleaning
• Physical distancing in dining areas
• Food delivered to guest room
• Process in place to check health of guests
• Access to health care professionals
• Face masks for guests available
• Thermometers for guests provided by property
• Broadcast Live sport events
• Happy hour
• Cooking class
• Shopping on site
• Free wired internet
• Snack bar/deli
• Scuba diving on site
• Snorkeling on site
• Airport transportation - pickup (surcharge)
• Airport transportation - drop-off (surcharge)
• Beach umbrellas
• Pool sun loungers
• Offsite parking discounted rates available
• Private beach nearby
• Internet access
• Housekeeping on request
• Art gallery on site
• Wine release events
• Japanese garden
• Fishing nearby
• Horse riding nearby
• Water sports equipment
• Beach club nearby (surcharge)
• Hosted evening meal (reserve)
• Bicycle-friendly property
• Beach toys
• Guest education on local ecosystems and culture
• Vegetarian menu options available
• Paddle boating nearby
• Accessible shuttle
• No accessible shuttle
• Accessible train station shuttle
• No accessible train station shuttle

Rooms Available

• Single Room

  The single room features a private entrance and a tiled floor, as well as a private bathroom boasting a shower. The unit has 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Private entrance
  • Tile/marble floor
  • Mosquito net
  • Toilet paper
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body soap

• Standard Double Room with Fan

  The double room offers a private entrance, a tiled floor, a balcony with garden views as well as a private bathroom boasting a shower. The unit has 2 beds.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Private entrance
  • Tile/marble floor
  • Mosquito net
  • Linen
  • Toilet paper
  • Bottle of water
  • Trash cans
  • Body soap
  • Privacy curtain

• King Room with Sea View

  The double room provides air conditioning, as well as a private bathroom featuring a shower.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Air conditioning
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Linen
  • Toilet paper
  • Body soap

• King Room with Garden View

  This double room has a private bathroom, air conditioning and garden views. The unit has 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Air conditioning
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Linen
  • Toilet paper
  • Body soap

Guest Reviews

• René (1/5): Es gab nichts zu sehen! Das Hotel ist geschlossen und der Besitzer ist nicht auffindbar! - Es gab nichts zu sehen! Das Hotel ist geschlossen und der Besitzer ist nicht auffindbar!
• René (1/5): Es gab nichts zu sehen! Das Hotel ist geschlossen und der Besitzer ist nicht auffindbar! - Es gab nichts zu sehen! Das Hotel ist geschlossen und der Besitzer ist nicht auffindbar!
• Mellisa (7/5): Good - Food was great No power no water
• Lauren (6/5): Pleasant - Great Location next to the beach and restaurants. Room was clean and AC worked well. Bed was comfy. Had a good mosquito free sleep. It was also rather quiet. The staff seemed unable to do anything without the manager present, such as check out. Also, everything took a really long time (breakfast/check in/check out).
• Bhupinder (1/5): We checked out 4 days earlier as we were not happy with the facilities - Nothing at all. We spent most of our time at other hotels and a restaurant run by another hotel. Nothing. The room was small with no air conditioning. The bathroom was also small with the shower located between the toilet and sink. Not to the standard that we were expecting or as advertised and we were very disappointed.
• Jalon (1/5): Miserable experience - Close to the beach Power outages are frequent and the generator is not good, so we spent our entire night in a hot room with no plumbing and no electricity. There was no toilet seat on the toilet. This was not fixed after we complained about it. Booking says there is a private beach, but it is hardly private as it is right next to public access and there will be hundreds of screaming children around you. It is actually 100 feet from the beach so it’s more like a roped off sandbox in view of the beach . Breakfast is lame and employees don’t seem to understand English and keep giving you the wrong thing. No spread or butter for toast and pancakes, everything was cold and dry. We checked out after the first night, this was exhausting and miserable!
• Nitin (1/5): I spent most of my time begging for running water . Highly recommended if you enjoy wallowing in your own sweat and filt - Decent location No running water for 2 days in a row No power backup ( generator moved to different property and inverter not functional ) Staff started getting aggressive when pushed on complete lack of water
• Handura (2/5): Very poor -
• Wikus (4/5): Definitely will not be staying there again - On the beach Definitely not value for money. Bathroom is terrible. Didnt have water for half a day. Despite other properties around us having electricity, sometimes this “hotel” did not have electricity.
• Andrius (10/5): Exceptional -
• Mzwandile (4/5): Loved the proximity to the beach but that’s the only positive feedback I have. - It’s near the beach and the Maisha Restaurant. Our main issue with the property was the bathroom. The shower and toilet are in one space and are not partitioned, so taking a shower will always leave the toilet seats looking messy and wet. Furthermore we requested a mop to help clean up after showers but we only had it for a day. Another issue with the bathroom was the low water pressure for the shower head and the tap. The bidet sprayer/faucet had better water pressure! Property also didn’t have a good supply of towels, which added to our frustrations. I also think it is slightly misleading to say the rooms are “sea-facing”, based on how the building is positioned relative to the beach.
• Jenna (5/5): Passable - The Staff was really friendly. We also got an upgrade to a room with AC which was nice. The Area is ok…but honestly the Rooms are horrible. We didnt even had a toilet seat…every early morning we could hear the staff outside in front of our window and couldnt go back to sleep. Food was also not really good..
• Lina (10/5): This hotel offers excellent value for money, with its convenient beachfront location and easy access - The hotel is in a very convenient location, almost right on the beach, with easy access to a beautiful shoreline, making it flexible for swimming whenever you want. There’s a turtle aquarium at the hotel, which you can visit easily, and a restaurant that offers wonderful food, which pleasantly surprised us with its quality and taste. The staff is exceptionally friendly. You can also walk to the public beach to explore other restaurants and souvenir shops.
• Jamie (5/5): Passable -
• Maria (10/5): Beautiful ocean view - A very beautiful place, a special ocean view...to be repeated... Very sympathic staff. The turtles visit nearby was super!
• Vikram (7/5): If you're on a shoestring budget, this one's for you! - Great location, safe and vibrant. The best thing one can do here is walk walk walk along the beach - kids playing footie, tourists on boat rides, just lovely. The staff is amazing - esp the hotel manager Nishita. It's close to a lot of locations including 2-3 turtle aquariums, the village, and a lot of activities by the beach. This is a very safe neighbourhood - I had no issues walking alone along the coast as late as 10 or 11pm. "Didn't like" maybe a strong term but the restaurant staff are very checked out, they take forever to deliver and the choices are limited (I'm told it's a low season). Also, the cleaning staff could be a bit more punctual!
• Tyeisha (7/5): Good - The service The food No warm water
• Tori (3/5): Wouldn’t stay here solely based on the manager. - The location is great, the staff at the restaurant/bar were very friendly. The management is not helpful! We booked three rooms, 2 double rooms and one triple room. The triple room was $60 more a night than the doubles. When we arrived the room (which was supposed to have bunk beds) was actually just three beds shoved into a standard double room. The triple room didn’t have air conditioning (which we knew going in) nor did it have glass on the windows which caused us to wake up at 6 am to construction noises. The fact that the room was not what we booked, plus the fact that it was a lower quality of room and $60 more than the other rooms was upsetting. We spoke to the hotel manager who wasn’t helpful and just made excuses for why the room we booked wasn’t available even though later her assistant told us it was just because she double booked the room. After our first night a he ended up moving us to a different double room (still cramped) but at least this room has air conditioning but refused to give us a refund in the difference in price of the room stating she hadn’t been paid by booking so we needed to contact them for a refund. When we contacted booking for the refund they said the hotel has to refund and that she was refusing stating she “upgraded” our room… Or wasn’t an upgrade it was the exact same room I was paying $60/night less for just with an extra bed squeezed in which is definitely not enough space for 3 people and their luggage.
• Nicolò (3/5): Nice staff, but would never go back - The hotel is right on the beach. The employees were nice and kind. Also, we got our food and drinks for free, motivated by some mistakes on their side during our stay. The food and bar from the hotel were barely acceptable. The menu from the bar is already limited, including few local dishes and focused on generic tourists (e.g. pasta, toasts, etc.). In mid-August, we were presented with a low-season menu. Of the 3 proteins on the menu (beef, fish, chicken), 2 were finished. This lack of ingredients seemed to be a recurrent theme during our stay. We settled on a chicken curry due to the poor choice, and the chicken was partially raw. The included breakfast was really NOT good, with poor choice (i.e. you could only choose how your eggs were cooked) and very very low quality, compared to other places we visited on the island. In the end, I believe the kitchen staff was really improvised and the organisation not really well managed. We ended up eating at all the other restaurants close-by, both for lunch and dinner. There were also some organisational mistakes, so we had to sleep in a cheaper room on the first night, but this is ok since they offered us all the drinks (and that chicken curry) we consumed during our stay, although I had to request for it. Oh, and there are some extra taxes (not much, but not expected) to be paid upon arrival, and not included in the price. The final thing is the bathroom: it is one of those bathrooms where the shower has no boundaries and is right next to the toilet. This means the bathroom is constantly wet and you have to enter with your flip-flops, which is very inconvenient.
• Maria (8/5): Very good -
• Olizen (8/5): Very good - The view to the ocean was great, and we were very close to the beach. The design of thw room was nice. The staff were excellent, very welcoming. They made a surprise for us, we were on our honeymoon and they did some decorations for us. We really appreciated it We had electricity issues at times. Also they could improve the quality of the breakfast. But overall, we really enjoyed our stay there.
• Krezza (9/5): Incredible. We had a great time. - Nishita is very helpful. Staff were so friendly. You don’t need to worry about the tour and the transfer. Nishita can sort it out for you. The location was great. Not too busy. There’s a nice restaurant around. Since the place is not crowded restaurant were cheap and at its best quality.
• Jorai (10/5): Exceptional -
• Britt (3/5): Poor - Bad rooms, bad location, noice, no private Beach as announced
• Veronique (4/5): I didn’t get the room I paid for and when I complained they told me that the room was worse than the one they offered me - The location The bathroom
• Das (10/5): Exceptional - Staff are always ready to help you
• Pumpkin (6/5): Zanzibar is expensive compare to South East Asia - The breakfast is Great. Big portion. My only complaint is the size of the room for the price I paid. the size of the room, not even a table and a chair
• Frederic (9/5): My stay was just perfect, right on Nungwi beach. At low tide I was able to walk and run from there o - The room was simple but very clean and functional. The breakfast was perfect right on the beach.
• Tuyet (1/5): Avoid at all cost! - The location - near the beach. 1. Wifi was not working the whole time. 2. Water power was extremely weak. 3. They do not have a generator like any other hotels/lodging places. When the power was out half a day, we had no power the whole time. 4. The appalling customer service: There was no check-in procedures, no info about breakfast etc. Then they disturbed me when I was having dinner the next day at another restaurant nearby to talk to me about these things; The mosquito net has big holes, they said they were going to change it, no change at all during my stay; The manager is very rude and unreasonable by saying 'If you want the internet, you need to look for the hotel with generator stated on the website when you are booking it', please note that their internet was not working even when the power was on. 5. Worst, they admitted the problems and promised to refund half of the money in writing on booking.com platform. But after many friendly reminders from myself and the booking.com staff, they are still ignoring it and I still HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE REFUND - this is clearly MISLEADING, if not, CHEATING. I am writing this review with knowledge of the standards in Africa compared to more developped countries and the power cut situation in Africa. However, this is the worst experience even though I have been to Africa multiple times, especially the poor management and the immoral conduct.
• Manon (9/5): A gem right at the beach - The manager is truly exceptional. We encountered a minor inconvenience during our stay, and she handled it with utmost care and efficiency. Her attentiveness and kindness made our experience truly special. The breakfast is delightful, and the location is superb.
• Kay (9/5): Superb - The management was always helpful .
• Giorgianaa (10/5): Exceptional - The staff was very very nice, the local food was delicious and the views are beatiful.
• Usama (9/5): Great value and amazing location - Great location and staff. Amazing access to the beach. A little overpriced food at the bar restaurant in comparison to the local food restaurant along the beach.
• Roger (7/5): Good -
• Jiahong (9/5): Superb - The owner updated us the room with ac. The room is nice and clean. Good coffee and breakfast, great place for sunset. The shower head is not on the wall, so it was a bit difficult to wash my hair.
• Janis (10/5): Exceptional - Perfect place, delicious food, we recommend it.
• Mária (10/5): Exceptional - Exceptional place located directly on the beach, the owners very very helpful and friendly! Great value for money, clean rooms and good food in the restaurant, definitely coming back!
• Peter (10/5): Relax and get spoiled. - The Aquarium Beach House is located directly at on the more relaxed side of Nungwi beach. There are less beach vendors and our vacation to relax and enjoy could be met to 100%. The management and staff of the Aquarium Beach House made us feel like at home away from home. The restaurant / bar belonging to the beach house serves great sea food and rice dishes with local spices. We can highly recommend a stay here. We have nothing to mention as we really enjoyed our stay. It would be great if we all would use less plastic as the plastic the oceans deliver us to the beautiful beaches is a product of us all.
• Kagiso (4/5): Not ideal place to stay - Perfect location on a beach front with sun lounger chairs positioned perfectly. There is a bar and 2 restaurants right at the accommodation. 10 minutes lazy walk gets to fish market restaurant which is where I found affordable and tasty dinner. Many excursions / activities launch right next to the place daily. An easy 30 minutes on a boat gets to the dolphins and snorkeling area. If you want to ride horses on the beach, this is the right area, though you have to book well in advance, online. Be careful of thorny plants that are also driven to the beachline at certain spots. Evening you can join locals and guests playing soccer. Nights can be spent on the sun lounger right till around 11:00 when shops closes. The area is safe. I could walk around 10:00 at night on the beachline. We arrived early and the manager was nowhere to be found and She is the only one who holds the key. There is no covered reception area when its cold and you can not be checked in. The room we slept in had no water on the first evening as they didn't pump the water and we couldn't get hold of the manager from the number she gave us. The following day they pumped the water and our room didn't have warm water and that made us miss the excursion. We spent all our 2 nights there without warm water. The bed also was worse, every turn is a noisy one, though this was sorted for the second night. The manager only can after 12:00 even though the stuff called her early morning to come sort the issues.
• Marchela (10/5): Great and clean hotel. Wonderful staff. And the wonderful, responsive and unforgettable Juliane. -
• Ruth (10/5): beachfront - beach front and location , we spent a very nice stay thank you
• Michl (10/5): Exceptional - Great place to stay, manage by amazing manager. Room clean, nice restaurant with bar. Close to turtles sanctuary. N/a
• Sara (9/5): Superb - The manager and owner could not have been more welcoming, friendly or helpful! Great location and the staff lovely. Felt very at home. Delicious food in restaurant and good value. Breakfast was included which was great. Would have liked a fridge in the room.
• Mwambu (10/5): Exceptional - The host, Julia is such a sweetheart and was attentive to our needs.lovely apartment with stunning views of the ocean. I loved it here
• Mei (8/5): A cozy and quiet stay on the beautiful white sand beach - The room was clean and comfortable, it had a great beach-view on the top floor. The shower was very hot and had a good pressure. (Perhaps, put the shower head hook a bit lower?) The manager Julienne was very friendly and helpful, she really took the time to explain things and to assist all my needs. (Thank you!) The food from the restaurant was overall delicious. I am very happy to have chosen this accommodation! There was the electricity cut several times during the evening.
• Viviana (6/5): Nice staff and with few minor investments, this location has the potential to become a good place. - The manager did her best to make up for the disadvantages. The kitchen could benefit from an improvement in cleanliness. The bathrooms could be improved to 2023 standards.
• Sparrow (10/5): I loved the view and the location. Very relaxing and beautiful. The rooms were clean and had comfortable bedding. It ha - I loved the view and the location. Very relaxing and beautiful. The rooms were clean and had comfortable bedding. It had hot water and high water pressure and the air condition was working exceptionally well well Nothing
• Steven (10/5): Exceptional -

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