bucky1

My husband and I are going with another couple to Zanzibar for three nights in November at the end of two weeks in Kenya and Rwanda. I have booked the Matemwe Retreat, but have read a couple of reviews about rats and general uncleanliness that concern me.
I'm now considering changing our hotel to the Kempinski. I'd really appreciate some guidance!

LyndaS

Bucky,

see my thoughts on that person's reviews at the bottom o:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34942788

I'm still planning on booking!

divine54

bucky
KEMPINSKI is the best choice!
beachwise the best and also servicewise!
matemwe is okay but nothing to compare to kempinski!
if your budget is not concern #1 i would definately opt for kempinski!
ypu won't regret in any way!

div

divine54

i forgot to mention:
at loo tide the beach at matemwe is next to nothing.
at kempinski it's fantastic at ANY time!

div

hlg22

bucky,
I hope my initial mention of the one "rat" review on the thread Lynda referenced isn't what made you concerned - that was pretty much the only negative review I found, and I am keeping my reservation for Matemwe Retreat. Honestly, I found when researching for my trip that pretty much everywhere on Zanzibar had some mixed reviews. We ruled out Kempinski because it is much more of a big beach resort than Matemwe, but that may be what you're looking for.

sandi

Kempinski has 110/rooms and you get around on golf carts if you choose not to walk.

As to beach? What beach at high tide? None. Swimming pool yes!

Don't get me wrong, Kempinski is a beautiful new hotel, well appointed and has the name which is tops.

Matemwe Retreat has only about 4/cottages. We're not comparing apples-to-apples here.

An alternative might be The Palms, hi-end lux property next to Breezes.

chrisf9

I've just come back from Zanzibar having spent a week at both Matemwe Bungalows & Pongwe Beach. Matemwe was a class above Pongwe on every level although if beach swimming is your thing Matemwe is a struggle because of low todes and rocky/coral underfoot. My personal feeling would be that you could stay at a big resort anywhere in the world, they are all pretty much identikit places, try out somewhere different.