Matemwe Lodge

Everything about Matemwe is exceptional but the staff is what truly makes this place special. The lodge is gorgeous. The beach has perfect clear water and silky soft sand. The rooms are large and the beds are comfortable. But the staff goes above and beyond to make every guest feel like they are the most important person there. And the foods amazing, especially for someone with food allergies. We were celebrating our anniversary and our son's graduation and they made it truly unforgettable

We just spent two weeks in Tanzania and our four days at Matemwe were our favorite. The rooms were super clean, spacious, and with spectacular views. The meals were amazing (dinner on the beach, bbq buffet, superb fresh fish and fruit...). The snorkeling was perhaps the best I have experienced and swimming with a pod of 18 dolphins is something we will all remember forever. But what made the visit were the people. The staff was unbelievably attentive and kind. We were so sad to leave!

This is the most beautiful location, with friendly and attentive staff. You can relax completely, and everything will be taken care of for you. There are Incredible activities if you want to do them, but if you just want to chill then there is no nicer place to watch the world go by. Food is wonderful. Surprise Moonlit dinner on the beach was a particular highlight. Scuba diving was astounding. I'm running out of superlatives...

The most beautiful place I have ever stayed. Flawless service, superb food, private, relaxed, extremely comfortable bungalows, a sensual treat. I went diving from here, saw Bush babies on the veranda, had my own infinity pool. Travelling alone, I felt safe and very well looked after.

On the positives, the lodge has a great position on the beach sat on the rocks. From your villa or restaurant area you can enjoy the daily tides from waves crashing to the locals fishing in low tide. The garden was great and the villa generously sized and private. The staff are friendly. On the negatives, it is super expensive for what it offers compared to comparable places in Zanzibar in terms of service, amenities and food. There are 100’s of boats coming past ever morning to pick up people from all Zanzibar to go to snorkelling which was not conducive to peace and quiet.

We stayed in this beautiful hotel for three days. Spacious bungalows, cosily decorated with local materials, are perched on a cliff. You can listen to the ocean waves while sleeping or swinging in your private hammock. It’s a perfect place to watch the sunrise over the ocean from your private patio. The staff and management are very kind, they even kept the restaurant open just for our family as we arrived after midnight due to flight delays. The food is locally inspired and delicious. We would definitely come back to this hotel. Snorkeling and diving are great. The hotel is also making good efforts on sustainability, including by providing filtered water instead of plastic bottles. More could be done to join efforts in cleaning up the beach in front of the the hotel properly, separating out plastic and Taka-taka (general garbage) from sea****.

Fantastic three days at Matemwe Lodge with unbelievably helpful and nice staff, well kept property, so beautiful surroundings and last nut not least 6 stars bungalows (I would have said villas, if they did not offer villas too!). Absolutely highly recommendable if you want to be with your loved one away from the crowd!

Nice lodge and environnement, excellent staff, beautiful gardens, good food, good WI-FI if needed, view is really relaxing, thé staff will do everything they can to suit your needs. Very good place to forget your day to day burden. Take a good book, watch the sea, and relax with a good cocktail ! We highly recommand.

This review is a reflection of management, not the staff (who were very kind and helpful and did the best they could). We stayed at the retreat, but used amenities from both the retreat and lodge. We decided to splurge on a fancy resort for our honeymoon and picked this place — and we regret it. This place is not nearly as nice as it looks in the pictures. It is not 5 star accommodations; more like a motel. The furnishings were basic and the rooms were very rustic. There were lots of bugs everywhere—mosquitos, cockroaches, and others. Despite spending so much money, the corporate office tried to nickel and dime us by demanding $120 USD because we asked to make a stop in Stone Town from the airport (the driver had been fine with this and we had just called them as an FYI). Additionally, this is basically outdoor living, with limited indoor space to relax. There is little reprieve from the bugs and heavy winds that happen daily in the afternoons. The vibe of the resort is very sleepy and there isn’t much to do. Finally, traveling to and from the resort, you are confronted by abject poverty of the locals who live here. It is terrible to see. The resort clearly doesn’t spend money outside its walls, on helping the local community or even building a proper road to get to the resort. The people of Zanzibar are a delight and the beaches are beautiful. We wish we had stayed elsewhere so that we could have focused on that, rather than on feeling scammed.