Sultan Sands in Zanzibar is a fantastic hotel to unwind after a few days on safari. The rooms are excellent (spacious, quiet, and comfortable). The social areas are also well above average, with four pools (including a quieter one for those looking to truly relax), several restaurants, bars, and various game areas like snooker and ping pong. There’s even a spot for beach soccer and volleyball. The staff is attentive and professional, from the gardeners to the receptionists, restaurant staff, and entertainers. Everyone we encountered was friendly and eager to ensure we had a great stay. Two standout aspects of Sultan Sands, in my opinion, are the quality of the food and the beach. - The food is local, spicy, and of excellent quality with a great variety to choose from. - The beach right in front of the hotel is stunning, with soft sand, crystal-clear water, and a perfect temperature. Surrounding the hotel, the beach area has several shops selling local crafts, and there are also numerous vendors who enjoy chatting with tourists. While they are keen to sell their products, they are polite and not overly pushy if you’re not interested, which adds a charming and authentic local flavor to the area. There are a couple of areas where the hotel could improve: 1) The hotel should invest in maintaining the cleanliness of the beach in front of and around the property. The beach and ocean are beautiful, but there is quite a bit of plastic and some litter that should be collected. While I understand that the beach isn't the hotel's direct responsibility, they have enough staff to handle this additional task and greatly enhance the cleanliness of the environment. I strongly believe the hotel should work to ensure the beach is consistently clean and should encourage their staff and local vendors to participate in regular cleanups. 2) All goods at the hotel (food, drinks) are priced in the local currency. However, when it comes time to settle the bill via credit card at the end of the stay, the hotel only accepts payment in USD, with an exorbitant exchange rate—nearly 15% higher than the actual rate. If prices are displayed in the local currency, it doesn’t seem fair to force guests to pay in USD, especially with such a significant markup. My final payment ended up being considerably higher than the advertised cost for additional products and services.
Very Good
59 Reviews