Shooting Star Boutique Hotel

This Boutique Hotel is a true little paradise. Given the set-up (garden rooms, little houses with extra pool, private villas) you feel like you have the place „almost“ to yourself. Just the prices for food and drinks outside of the half board felt a little „pricy“… chicken sandwich $10, plain chips $6, Gin Tonic $8, Virgin Colada $10, a bottle of Coke (0,5l) $3, small scoop of ice cream $2,5. The staff is very friendly!

The hotel complex is a dream. It is located at the end of a beach, so the hotel beach is also very quiet in comparison. You feel absolutely safe in the hotel itself. If you go to the beach, you have to be prepared to be chatted up and accompanied by Masai. I found this to be rather intrusive and felt very safe. The staff are extremely friendly. Both at reception and in service - and even the owners! - are extremely helpful and do everything they can to meet the needs of their guests. The rooms are a bit outdated and rather on the smaller side in terms of size (we had a room that - according to the beds - was designed for a family including 2 children. And we hardly knew where to put our luggage etc.). The bed in our room was very old and when you move, the whole frame creaks. The rooms have a fridge, air conditioning and fan and were always clean. The meals were very good. The breakfast was delicious and fresh with lots of fresh fruit and everything else your heart desires. You can also order fresh egg dishes, pancakes, crêpes, special toasts directly from the kitchen, which is included in the price. What is a pity, especially considering the room rates are not cheap: the cappuccino is not included under coffee and is rather expensive at 5 dollars per cup! Dinner, lunch and snacks were excellent - although again not cheap! The selection may be a little small, but the individual dishes are all delicious (and of a very good European standard). The menu is updated daily. As for excursions: Hands off "swimming / snorkeling with dolphins"! Our experience was sobering... At the places where dolphins were sighted (the day before?), ours was one of about 30-40 motorboats waiting for the dolphins to appear. As soon as just one fin was visible, all the boats started to move and literally chased and corralled the dolphins - it broke my heart! And as an animal lover, I was ashamed to have spent money on this.... Zanzibar should not be surprised if the dolphins eventually disappear.... I highly recommend that the hotel stops selling that tour.

Very nice small, boutique hotel with lovely views. The service by the staff was exceptional. The owners were accessible and very engaging. The food was very good and the African buffet night combined with live music and dancing was very enjoyable.