Kilindi Zanzibar Reviews

The beach is a huge disappointment! Kilindi hotel has a beautiful territory. It also has a very friendly and helpful staff and a very good kitchen with diverse food. However, when you are on Zanzibar the most important is the beach and here we had a huge disappointment. The hotel shows very beautiful pictures of the beach with blue water, however, you need to be aware that it’s not always like that. During low tide which is between 9am and 15pm the beach is completely dry and there is no place to swim, unless you want to walk around 20 mins to the public beach or get back in the swimming pool. The sunset is at 18.30, so basically you can only swim for 3 hours during the day. See the pictures of what we experienced during our stay in the end of September. Besides that, there are lots of fisherman boats (which don’t look nice at all when there is no water) and you almost constantly hear how fishermen fixing their boats with some hammers. There is also quite often a smoke from the fire that fishermen make to repair their boats. It was very disturbing. But the worse part is that either due to the low tide or because fisherman don’t throw away dead fish- but the last 3 days we also had an absolutely horrible smell of dead sea animals or rotten fish coming from the beach. The smell was even at our villa, so we had to close all windows. Another thing is that the hotel has 5 starts, however, there is no gym. The quality and cleanliness of the public furniture (e.g. sunbed covers and towels) is not on the highest standards as there were lots of yellow stains (probably from the suncream) Also, the bathroom is located outside in the separate area. It has a cool view but not complete privacy and it requires you to climb a few stairs which is not convenient in the middle of the night when it’s dark and/or raining. So some improvments defifnitely needed to justify the 5 star rating and the price. Overall, I would give 4 stars to the hotel and 2 stars to the beach.

For me it is very rare to Write a Review, but in this case I could not help, I needed to let you Know! I have been to the best Hotels around the world (FourSeasons, Mandarin Oriental, SixSense and so on) but in my opinion there is no better experience than a really good Safari lodge. You have a Great Service, Great Food and the best of it is that it is a quite intimate experience. But what Kilindi gives you, I have Never experienced before! It is as if you are in a Safari Lodge on the Beach! The Service is so overwhelming (They will Know what you want and think Even before you do), the Food is absolutely astonishing and your surrounding is like paradise! I stayed for 10 Nights and i have to say it will be my number one Memory. I have to thank especially Saloum, who was my guest ambassador and has always been there when I needed him, but was Never TOO attentive. It was the Perfect Balance (which is very Hard to achieve). Thank you so much for this. Also thanks to the General Manager, who was always really and truthfully interested in the wellbeing and feelings of her guests. Even if i just mention those two, everyone is great! After mentioning all the above, I think I do not have to say, that the Food and the rooms are georgeus and yes, you have sometimes quite some tide, but when you have high tide there is no better (Most beautiful, calm and intimate) beach than this one. If you can, do Not hesitate to come here.

Staying at Kilindi hotel was an unforgettable experience. From the beautiful location, in a bush garden, to the uniquely designed villas, set on multiple levels, with separate bathrooms, lounge area and two plunge pools. One pool was accessed from the room. The room was very large, circular, decorated minimalist yet very functional. Everything very nicely maintained and very clean both the room and the entire resort. Thank you very much to our housekeeper. We stayed in villa 5, but next time we would like to stay in villa 3. We were visited daily by monkeys, eating in two trees nearby. The entire resort is all-inclusive and adults only. The food was excellent. From breakfast through lunch to dinner. Breakfast we generally ate in the villa, on the terrace only once during our week-long stay we had breakfast in the restaurant. Lunches and dinners are generally ordered from the menu, with daily catch of the day offerings. We had two exceptions to this rule, an amazing Valentine's Day buffet with lobster, seafood, and other great food. The second instance was a dinner on the beach also grilled seafood, chicken, lobster. A wonderful dinner. The restaurant itself also beautifully located and designed with a pool around which tables were set in the evening. And most importantly, what makes this hotel great - amazing people. from our maid Felisterto the buttler Saiun (sorry if I spelled it wrong), to the gardeners, the people cleaning the pools every day, to the chefs to Derren and Liz managing this hotel. Very friendly, helpful, smiling and trying to make your stay a memorable one. Especially thank you for your help with my wife's illness. Liz recommended us a hospital arranged transportation. so that after a few hours we returned with a diagnosis and medication. Thank you again to the entire Kilindi team for a wonderful and memorable stay. We will be back!!!! Derren for you with Żubrówka.

Kilindi is an oasis. It is where we ended our East Africa trip, and was the perfect ending for the hustle and bustle of our various safari stops. While we didn't love that it was a 90 minute drive to and from the airport, it was well worth it. I believe that there are 15 suites in the all-inclusive, adults only property. We were in one of the suites that was facing the beach (I don't think that any of the suites are directly on the beach), and it was stunning. We saw both our suite and the suite that our friends had (numbers 8 and 7, respectively), and both had multiple levels, spaces, and structures. There is an outdoor open large bathroom space with double sinks, rainhead shower, toilet, etc. Below the bathroom is an open lounge area. There is also a main structure that houses the bedroom. The bedroom is large and well-appointed. The suite also has 2 (yes, TWO) private plunge pools, of which we took advantage. The main area has a lounge, bar, dining area, large T-shaped pool, etc. The food was delicious. We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the main dining area except for one dinner on the beach, and one breakfast in our room. The beach dinner was beautiful and quite memorable, not only for the gorgeous setting and sunset, but also for the grilled chicken and seafood that were served. This review HAS TO mention our personal butler, Lilian (Lily), who took care of both our friends and us. She was so wonderful and took great care of us!

We cannot speak highly enough about our time at Kilindi! From the moment we arrived, we were impressed by not only the beautiful property but with the welcoming staff. They gave us a quick, yet thorough, tour of the grounds (restaurant, bar, main pool) then showed us to our Villa which was perfect in every way. From our beach front vistas to the 2(!) dipping pools, it was everything we had hoped for and more. The A/C and oversized bed was also an added bonus! We can’t count how many good meals we had because every meal was fantastic / fresh! Breakfast typically consisted of perfectly cooked eggs or fluffy pancakes which were always accompanied with an assortment of fresh fruit & juice/coffee. The fish or calamari tacos & assortment of salads at lunch are a can’t miss and the pre-fixed dinners were always something to look forward to! (Fish, chicken, and a traditional Zanzibarian BBQ). Our concierge, Julius, was outstanding and extremely friendly. He arranged some wonderful meals / beverages and went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable during our stay. Chef Doris lead an amazing cooking class one afternoon where we helped cook a traditional Zanzibar lunch which consisted of steak & fish skewers, rice with chicken, shrimp curry, and Chapati! Darren, the assistant manager, was very friendly and not only handcrafted some amazing cocktails but also provided us with interesting insight into Zanzibar, the resort itself, and African culture we had not known! The house keeping staff (especially Hamis) was thorough and very flexible as our morning routine was not very consistent! They not only kept the villa neat & clean but also left wonderful flowers/fauna each morning and turned down the bed each night (along with a little bedtime snack!). The beach attendant was always eager to assist with a kayak, paddle board, beach towel, or cocktail! In short, if you have the opportunity to stay at Kilindi, you 100% should! You won’t be disappointed!

Loved everything about Elewana Kilindi. The staff were very kind, made our stay so pleasant. Everyone was so available to make it perfect. Anything you need, they manage to make it happen. You have your private villa, that makes you feel away from the rest, with an amazing pool. The front beach is breathtaking. And dining there was so special. Everynight a different menu. Such a good experience. Ideal for couples! Bucket list worthy!

My husband and I stayed here for 4 nights on our honeymoon and loved our time at Kilindi. The villas are stunning and we had 2 private pools that overlooked the ocean. The food was SO delicious! Our last night we had the most amazing grilled seafood we've ever eaten. The staff is great - special shout outs to Jacob, Deucen, Abdul, and the two managers, Lisa and Darren, for taking care of us during our stay.

After a long week+ receiving African massages in a land cruiser on safari in the Serengeti, a stay at Kilindi Zanzibar is the perfect way to relax, unwind and sleep in past sunrise. Despite some persistently rainy weather during our stay in early November, we enjoyed paddleboarding in the Indian Ocean, enjoying their amazing dining and being cared for by our thoughtful and immensely helpful liaison, Bariki. The private villas are so spacious and comfortable, with ample space to lounge and relax in private plunge pools, a massive rain shower and a beautiful bedroom with an incredible view from the balcony. Cannot recommending wrapping up a trip to Tanzania with a stay at Kilindi enough! Special thanks to Jessica and Dancing Zebra Safari Co. for connecting us with this amazing property and for planning the honeymoon of our dreams.

My boyfriend and I visited Kilindi for their beach BBQ dinner. The food was devine, the cocktails were delicious and the team were all simply amazing. We celebrated our anniversary and my boyfriends birthday, they made a special cake and sang happy birthday in English and Swahili, each team member gave a special greeting which I could see made my boyfriend so happy! Even though we were so full of after dinner, we couldn’t say no to cake and it was delicious. A special thank you to our waitress Julieth, she took such good care of us and is such a lovely lady with an incredible singing talent. This was my second time visiting Kilindi, the atmosphere is so calm and you’re really able to appreciate the sounds and tranquility of nature here. Can’t wait for our next visit!

Great villas in the north of the island. Nestled on a beautiful beach, the staff are all courteous and welcoming with an all-inclusive board that made the stay even more delightful. The butler for our room did an exemplary job and kept us comfortable throughout our stay.

We spent 8 wonderful days in this fantastic hotel. Really a special place in the middle of nature. The hotel is top managed. All the staff were very helpful and accommodating. Everything is very clean and tidy. The food was exceptional in quality and choice. Special thanks to Julieth who was very supportive during our stay. We can highly recommend this place.

I don’t know where to begin with Kilindi. First and foremost, I have to send the biggest thank you and hug to our butler Lilian, words can’t express how well she took care of us. She sang us the most beautiful song To celebrate our honeymoon on our last night and she always made me the most delicious Kachumbari. I miss her already! Kilindi is that kind of place that doesn’t feel real, our room (if we can even call it that) felt like 3 villas in one. We had two plunge pools, and an exceptional shower which stared at the ocean. On top of being located on the most beautiful beaches of Zanzibar, the hotel provides the coolest attractions, one of our favorites was the Swahili cooking class Chef Helen gave us, it was the most fun!! Private beach dinner BBQs, amazing cocktails, poolside service are what awaits you when you visit Kilindi. They also pack you a fun lunch if you’re traveling around the island. We’d also like to thank their general manager Lisa who was very attentive and would always check in on us. We are counting down the days for when we get to go back!

Had an amazing time on our honeymoon. We came from safari in the Mara and spent 6 nights in Kilindi. We actually extended for another night instead of returning to Nairobi as we had a great time. Staff were incredible especially Salum our dedicated butler throughout our stay. All inclusive was fantastic as great range of included wines (inc sparkling) and cocktails available. Multi-course dinner menu changed every night and food quality was great. Excursions were arranged by the hotel and were great. Definitely do the cooking course with Helen on-site was a highlight. The views were amazing too and highly recommended.

We can't recommend this hotel more. We arrived after a very tiring week on Safari in Tanzania. It truely was arriving in paradise. We were greeted by our wonderful Butler for the 9 nights Witness who was a breath of fresh air. Nothing was too much trouble and she became holiday family. Highlights for us were the esthetics of the place, its stunning, and totally private so perfect for couples looking to totally get away from it all. There is only one key to your villa so no chance of attendants coming in when you are there and the attendents keep it spotless. The food is of the highest standard, this is always an area of concern for me as we are such foodies but this was perfect. We ate there all meals for 10 days and each meal was a delight. All the staff here work to the highest standard, always smiling, they genuinly want you to have a wonderful stay from the chamber maids to the management, by the end of the holiday we knew everyone. After reading some of the reviews about insects I had been a bit worried about the open nature of the room however the largest windows have glass in the bedroom and the 2 other windows have very tightly shut wooden blinds, the room is highly airconditioned so bugs were not a problem at all for us. Yes the bathroom is open to the elements but as the villa is totally private, it isnt a problem. We saw a couple of insects but no more than you get in the bathrooms in the Maldives and other luxury holidays where bathrooms are partially open to the elements. We were visited by bush babies each evening in our bathroom they are absolutely gorgeous and harmless and very shy so will only come if you encourage them which we shamelessly did. Thank you to the onsight management Lisa and Darren for looking after us, always smiling and regularly checking in, with advice and conversation they were even on call when we had left and we got let down by our transfer company Tanzania side. We can't recommend this resort more and will be back! Thank you to all the team you made our honeymoon!!