Cristal Resort

No water.Poor breakfast.The stuff try to help.But the owner need to do really some changes People to feel better.There is just no water to take shower.is it so difficult to buy new pompe?Breakfast is terrible. Spaghetti for breakfast. Or baked potatoes.when stop electricity no generator- no water.Not all rooms have aircondition.this is stupid because they stay empty- why don’t buy aircondition - give room- and win money ??? What is the logic - rooms stay empty and don’t win money !? They are first line but they give the chair on the left side to the local people. And local people broke 4 chairs for 2 days.why security give them to do that . No one care.

No Water - No hot water.terrible breakfast.From 10people stuff -1 it’s smart. Everyday for breakfast ask - water- bread.they just don’t care.7:30never ready.waiting 30m- for boiled egg.

Excellent location, very quiet with a beautiful beach. Amazing, relaxing setting. Brilliant, very attentive staff.

Water pressure in the room, there were times there was no water at all, hot water was very rare.

The location is super, right on the beach! The staff was really nice and food was great. We had the best food on the trip here! We had a late flight last night so the let us keep the room until 16.00 on the last day which was very comfortable.

Breakfast was ok, but for a 10 night stay I would have appreciated more variation. The rooms were very clean but a bit outdated. Some sunbeds and parasols at the pool woul have been nice. There were several power outages during our stay which also made us change room when the ac broke in our beach room. But I guess is a common problem in Zanzibar..

Outstanding Meals ?️: The dining experience was exceptional! The resort offers a variety of fresh, locally inspired dishes alongside international cuisines. Every meal felt like a culinary journey, with flavors that perfectly complemented the island vibe. Don’t miss trying the fresh seafood like fish and prawns—it’s a highlight!

clean water shortage

The porch on my eco lodge was nice, got to hang out for a while there and relax. The pool stayed pretty empty so it was nice to stay in there. Direct beach access.

I stayed in one of the Eco houses and they were veerrrrry rustic. The shower had no curtain, door, or partition so it was impossible to shower without water getting everywhere. The bathroom was kinda clean. They definitely clean it regularly but it's so rustic that it just feels unclean. The floors of the house were slanted very obviously so. The curtains in the window didn't cover the whole windows, especially the front door that looked in on the bed and the whole room so it was impossible to get full privacy. They never fully covered so I had to make sure I was fully clothed in the room at all times and hide in the bathroom to get dressed. The power goes out all the time, which is understandable but make sure you're aware of the fact that this means the room gets very hot. There is no A/C in the room, only a floor fan, which again, doesn't work when the power is out. Wifi really never worked in the room and barely ever in the main area either. The food at the restaurant was mid, at best. At one point, there was a dead fly in my food. The food was pretty bland. The staff was okay, nothing to rave about but they were there and did their job adequately. The beach was fine but there weren't enough beach loungers. None around the pool at all. If you venture away from the lounge chairs, there are people swarming you asking you to buy things. I honestly expected a lot more and was disappointed.

Location: Excellent.Breakfast: Simple but good food.Beach: Clean good seating and relaxing area on the beach

The pictures and reviews on Bookings.com lead us to have high expectations of the resort. The quality of the our rooms were no where near as nice as the rooms depicted on the website. The beach rooms were poorly equipped. For the price paid, it would be fair to expect tea/coffee, a bar fridge, door mats and a table. The rooms shown on Booking.com were far more inviting and upmarket. The beach front rooms were more reminiscent of a back packers. The cleanliness of the rooms was suspect too. On arrival, there were hairs on the floor of one room. Surfaces were dirty and obviously not wiped by cleaning staff as suspect stains remained uncleaned until cleaned by us. Showers heads, basins and taps were loose, of poor quality, and disappointing. Wifi was non existent in one room and erratic in the other. The beach bar was nice, quaint and rustic. Cold beers would have made sitting there, a far more enjoyable experience.

Proximity to other places

Water was an issue we had to request for water also WiFi was only working at the reception to sum it all ELECTRICITY went off during our entire stay the heat was unbearable all neighbors had lights except this place

Perfect location perfect staff very good food and juices

I will come back !

We loved the large private beach area in front of the bungalows and we really enjoyed the large pool and the great breakfast, friendly staff and great restaurants along the beach, which you can walk to.

The only things we didn't like were that we had little to no water pressure in the shower most of the time we were there, though it was fixed the evening before we left. The showers definitely need upgrading. Otherwise it was just occasional noisy music from the beach club near by and as the bungalows are very close together we did have a noisy neighbour for a couple of nights. We felt a lot of pressure to pay for kite surfing, which wasn't on our agenda or in our budget, this wasn't really the hotels fault though, but you can't walk on paje beach without being pressured every time to do kite surfing. The beach "masai" are also very invasive, also not the fault of the hotel, but we felt that there should be a government initiative to control the harassment on the beaches.

The location on the beach is perfect. The staff is so friendly. Thai food is good at the restaurant. I love their cocktails at their bar on the sunset. That was my 3rd time in this hotel.

My room could have been better especially there was no closed cupbard to store our clothes, only a few hangers. So during 2 weeks, all our clothes remained in the luggage

The hotel's location is its saving grace, offering stunning beach views and a plethora of activities within close proximity.

Our stay in the ECO bungalow Was disappointing overall quality of the hotel falls short. This hotel requires significant improvements, particularly in terms of cleanliness. The restroom facilities within the accommodations were experiencing leakage issues, resulting in unsightly stains on the wooden flooring. Additionally, the cleanliness of the towels was subpar, necessitating multiple requests for replacements.

Amazing friendly staff, beach and love the bungalow.

The shower is really not good, needed to hold the shower head to shower and water pressure is very poor.Mattress super hard, uncomfortable hard and feels like you broke your back after a nights sleep.

The location was good, but that’s all ?

Booked a room with aircon, but no aircon. Moved rooms but the aircon in there was pitiful. Breakfast was terrible, uncovered food with flies on, terrible service, nothing was kept stocked so I was constantly asking for plates, glasses, knives/folks etc, staff had no interest in serving you. The room was basic to say the least. No tea/coffee, no hangers, no iron, very bad aircon.

It was fantastic ....resort ...people ....food ....location

The location was amazing. Right on the beach. Just as it appears in the pictures but near to the town and local restaurants. Always enough sun beds too. The pool was also fantastic Lovely size, warm and clean. Always empty The Ecco lodge was great fun. Not the height of luxury but that was not expected. It was just as we imagined. It was spotlessly clean with cleaning everybody morning and bug spray and turn down in the evening. The view from our lodge was straight over the beach. I think we had the lodge with the best view .,Lodge 9. Sadly it didn’t have air con but the fan was very powerful and we were never too warm. Breakfast was excellent. A good choice of hot and cold food to choose from with eggs cooked in any possible way one would want. The staff were also fantastic. Very friendly and helpful . We lost our sun cream and the receptionist offered to get us more from town. My husband cut his foot on a rock walking on the beach and they immediately offered help. I chose the hotel because of the beach pictures but the place far exceeded my expectations. We are seasoned travellers and our experience at Cristal , though only 3 stars , was on par with our stay at marina bay sands in Singapore, the madinet jamieri in Dubai and the Savoy in London. Thankyou Cristal for a lovely time

I had a run in with the Maasai guard the evening we arrived. I went to sit on two empty sun loungers and he tried to stop us. He said they were for hotel guests. We pointed out we were hotel guests but it didn’t seem to make any difference. The barmaid came and she too was reluctant for us to use the sun beds . However she did relent. As a third sun bed next to the two empty ones had a towel on it I can only assume that the guard had been keeping watch on all three . Probably a healthy tip had been given?It was never a problem subsequently We ate in the hotel restaurant the first night but the food was very disappointing and luke warm . It may have been a one off as we didn’t go back again for dinner. There were plenty of places nearby to try.

Amazing location, we had a great time. The air conditioning wasn’t working in the first place but the staff solved the problem right away. Also the food at their beach restaurant is amazing! Will recommend this to all of our friends.

The location of the bungalows is amazing - walking barefoot on the beach directly from our door was unique.The staff is kind and helpful.

The only downside was the absence of air conditioning in the bungalows (fans are fine but sometimes it becomes too hot anyway).

Location

Poor structure shack. Very dirty showers

Perfect location, Friendly staff, Wonderful breakfast

The room was a bit dated, without it in any way being bad

Location is absolutely superb..paradise.Breakfast was very good, lots of fresh fruit juices meats bacon eggs toast coffee and even Nutella with pancakes and crepes? ? ? . Service was exceptional at breakfast which is included ..loved my room which was clean and on the beach. I was welcomed with a beautiful flower arrangement ? on my bed and throughout the room..room also had a mosquito net which I appreciated. Most friendly and helpful receptionist Elly and Oana not sure of this is the right spelling , great first impressions. They ensured my stay was amazing. Thank you guys❣?Overall felt safe loved the stunning beach the location of this hotel and its staff.I also enjoyed a few delicious dinners here as well that were very flavourful and delicious. Great value and was v. pleased with my stay.✔??❤ I recommend this place and hope to be back someday ? ? ? ?