Zanzibar, Karamba vs Pongwe
 

Help, which hotel shall we choose in Zanzibar, Karamba Resort or Pongwe Beach Hotel? Is here anybody in the forum who can compare the two?

We are 4 adults and 3 kids (age 8,11 and 15) looking for

- a clean hotel with charm, hospitality, good food and beautiful surroundings
- a beautiful beach with good swimming and snorkling facilities
- a hotel neither in a tourist-ghetto nor too isolated as we wish to explore the rest of the island without too much huzzle
- possibility to have meels elsewhere than only in the hotel

Titte

We stayed in Pongwe...

- a clean hotel with charm, hospitality, good food and beautiful surroundings
-> it is just as you describe

- a beautiful beach with good swimming and snorkling facilities
-> you could not be at a better place

- a hotel neither in a tourist-ghetto nor too isolated as we wish to explore the rest of the island without too much huzzle
-> Pongwe's got it's own beach, and is quite far from the tourist centre. To be precise, it's on the other side of the island which is about a one-hour drive. So I'd say it's rather isolated. But then again, so are all the other, similar hotels. I'm afraid there's no inbetween; you are either in the tourist centre, which is far less exotic, far less unspoilt and far less private. Or you choose a hotel like Pongwe.
But trips to any part of the island are no trouble. They come and pick you up with a minivan, and drop you back off at the hotel. A one hour drive takes you to most known places (Stone Town, Jozani forest, ...). The island is not that big.

- possibility to have meals elsewhere than only in the hotel
-> I'm afraid that's out of the question at Pongwe. The only time to eat out is when you are on a trip. Around the hotel there's nothing. At one end it's empty plots of land, and on the other end a small fishing village with no restaurants. But I don't see why you should not eat at the hotel. They got all you need, and it's not expensive.

Happy travels!

J.

Thanks J! Exactly what I wanted to know.
What do you think about the combination one week Pongwe and one week Langi Langi Beach Bungalows?

Well I don't know Langi Langi at all. But I'd say two weeks is too long for any island.

Perhaps that is because I'm not the person to lay on a beach for days on end. I need something to do. After a "sipce tour", a visit to Jozani forest, some snorkeling/reef tours, and a visit to stone town... I'd be out of options to fill that second week.

Besides, I did not like Zanzibar in particular. I mean; I liked the hotel and the staff, but outside the hotel... The way the population looked down on tourists was obvious, and I don't mean to offend anyone but I can only blame their religion for that.
We've had quite a few unpleasant little incidents while we were there. The difference with the mainland is huge.

B.regs,

J.

I've stayed at Pongwe and enjoyed it. The lagoon is beautiful, but there isn't really any coral to see if you want to snorkel. That said, they can take you out on a snorkeling trip in their boat. I agree with Pixelpower that 2 weeks in Zanzibar seems excessive. Unlike him, I've only had great experiences with the Zanzibaris. They have all been friendly and welcoming. Do you have a tour operator for Zanzibar? My favorite guide there is Masoud Salim, who is now with Indoma Tours: http://www.indomatours.com/indomatours/index.html

You might consider doing a short safari for one of those weeks. One suggestion is Saadani NP, which is unique with its combination of "beach and bush". There are companies that offer combination tours of Zanzibar and Saadani. You could also go to Mikumi NP by road from Dar es Salaam. Foxes has a nice camp there, Vuma Hills (with a pool for the kids.) They also have a smaller tented camp out in the park by a waterhole. From Mikumi, you could also do a day trip to Udzungwa NP.