Karafuu Beach Resort & Spa

The staff made us feel right at home. the highlight was being able to bond and make friends with them. We miss Karafuu already. The snorkling was amazing, love the destination and the hotels excursion made it special and save. The food was nice and fresh, the drinks were also nice. Then the hotel rooms were kept clean and sprayed bug spray each night to prevent bugs entering rooms. The bathrooms may need un update. We would definately visit again in the future. Lovely place to go for a holiday.

The resort looks nice but the staff is unreliable. On the day of departure we had the alarm set and they didn't wake us up... Rooms roughly clean. Poor animation. Beautiful beach with stone pier. The food is good but not 5 star. The dessert area is always invaded by wasps and flies. Many things in the all inclusive service are paid. Beach Boys at the edge of the beach really annoying. NO GOOD

We stayed at Karafuu for our honeymoon and it was the best decision we’ve ever made! We had a junior suite room and it was exactly like the photos. It was right on the beach with french doors looking out to the ocean. You could hear the waves from your room. It also had a lovely terrace to relax with a morning coffee. On our arrival the room was decorated for a honeymoon and we received a complimentary bottle of red wine and a fruit platter. The hotel restaurants had a massive variety of food and as vegetarians we had plenty of options to choose from. The main swimming pool and swim-up bar were amazing and we used quite a lot. Drinks were very tasty and you get to have a laugh with the bar tenders while they mix up your cocktail! The beach is beautiful! There’s no words to describe how pretty the beach is, white sand, crystal clear waters! We recommend wearing reef shoes as there’s quite a lot of sea urchins in the shallow parts but there is a path that leads further into the ocean where the clear bottom sand so you can stand freely. The entertainment was amazing. There is always something to do! The animators always have games planned and the evening entertainment is very fun and inclusive! Be expected to get up and dance! The staff were all incredible. Everybody is so friendly and will go out of their way to make sure you have the best time. They made our experience even more special. Thank you everybody for everything you did for us! We absolutely recommend Karafuu especially if you’re looking for a true African feel! Hakuna Matata!

We stayed in a family cottage well adapted to our needs (2 kids, 4 and 7 years old). It was a bit rustic, which is exactly what we wanted. Even when the place was full, we never felt overwhelmed by people, which was a big plus. The staff members were always nice to us, especially to our kids. The location was perfect, allowing us to enjoy the beauty of Zanzibar. We went snorkeling (20 minutes by boat) and saw thousands of fish, starfish, and coral (unfortunately, much of it was bleached due to global warming). We highly recommend the various excursions available, such as trips to Zanzibar, Paradise Highland, spice farms, and all the different beaches. We particularly enjoyed Mtende Beach, where you can have lunch at Mtende Rock. However, we suggest avoiding the dolphin tours. For excursions, head to the beach and trust Eddie. He is very well-organized and offers cheaper rates than the hotel tours.

My fiancé and I visited Karafuu over New Year - a trip that we had planned in March 2023 already. After numerous emails with hotel management, we were pleased upon our arrival to see that all requests had been attended to. Our room was beautiful- sitting on the cliffs with a very clear view of the ocean. The staff were all very friendly and the overall hygiene was impressive. However, it was downhill from there. Our aircon in the room did not work the first night - and as we only arrived at 2am, we were desperate for much-needed sleep which was impossible in the heat and humidity. We complained to management the next day and they sent maintenance to our room to inspect - the answer they gave us was that there was a voltage issue all over Zanzibar and that their generator was not able to meet the requirements 24/7. We asked them to please just keep the generator on during the night as that was when everyone would be in their rooms - but our request fell on deaf ears as we did not sleep yet again. This carried on for another 3 days whereby maintenance kept being sent to our room even though they could not fix the issue. We were highly annoyed as Karafuu is supposedly a 5-Star hotel - but without aircon! My fiancé and I eventually resorted to sleeping outside on the patio with make-shift beds. Really not on!! Luckily it wasn’t mosquito season but we were utterly disgusted about this situation. You cannot not have aircon when you are a 5-star beach resort with ＞30 degrees Celsius heat and 90% humidity every day! As for the food…. we were expecting fresh seafood every day but were very disappointed with what we were given. None of the seafood was fresh - in fact it smelt so bad that neither my fiancé or I even wanted to eat it. I decided to give it a try on two nights and both times regretted my decision. We both had upset tummies every single day - most likely due to the very poor refrigeration of all the food. On New Year’s Eve, the people sitting next to us threw up due to the rotten shellfish that was served at the buffet - and we had to pay $80 supplement per person! My fiancé ended up having 2 pieces of pineapple for dinner - the most expensive meal we have ever paid for. We chose to do the half board option instead of all-inclusive and just as well because the all-inclusive drink list was so limited that most people had to spend additional money anyway so that they could have what they wanted. All in all, we enjoyed the pool, beach and people but won’t be rushing back to Karafuu. You really need to up your game with basic amenities such as aircon, as well as your food - otherwise you might be down rated to a 3-star hotel in the near future.