Diamonds Mapenzi Beach

The resort is located about 1 hour from the airport on the east of the island. Don't make the mistake that we made in booking a hotel transfer directly from the hotel as they are obliged to use the in-house "Zanzitours" transfer service at $75. (We booked a local taxi for the return transfer at $40) We arrived at the hotel just after 15:00 local time which was after lunch time cut-off but we were invited to have lunch regardless - big thumbs up for that The hotel is about 25 years old and is beginning to look a little tired but it is a lovely nonetheless. Our room was nice: well appointed but again, needs a refresh. We had a beachside villa (room 145) which was probably the best located villa on the resort - closest villa to the main resort building and the beach club hut. Rooms 144 and 147 will also share this ideal location The food is delicious - drinks are plentiful (we took the all inclusive option) and service is friendly. However, step out onto the public beach and you are fair game for constant pestering from the locals, selling their wares and offering sightseeing tours and sailing trips (at reduced costs offered by the hotel) Entertainment is provided by the "animation team" led by Shuma, who are young, enthusiastic and linguistically talented - amongt them, they could converse with all Europeans guests and provided a number of activities for those who wanted to take part A special mention to one of the waitresses, Zazibu, who was stand-out friendly and always looked after us

The resort is beautiful and in an ideal location next to a white sandy beach. The resort and accommodation are outstanding, the staff are friendly and very helpful. The food was also delicious with plenty of variety. There are plenty of activities and the beach is gorgeous to walk along. If you are considering staying here you won't be disappointed!

This was a nice small-scale resort. The pool was medium-sized, very clean and the perfect temperature. Not enough sunbeds at the actual pool area, but there are many more down on the beach. The common areas are spacious and breezy, and we loved the lounging beds with fluttery curtains. The décor is rustic/ethnic chic with whitewashed walls and fixtures. The wifi was good in the common areas. The beach is impressive to look at, but not really somewhere you can lounge because of the extremely low and extremely high tides and also the touts and hawkers who don`t give you any peace. The water is warm, but most of the day, you have to walk about a mile to get even waist-deep. In the evening, the waves lap right up against the esplanade. The buffets are excellent, with a very wide selection of good quality dishes, including a pasta station at lunch and dinner, and an omelette station at breakfast. Good snacks and beverages at the pool and beach areas. African night was especially nice, with dance performances and a beach BBQ. The room lacked the `wow` factor when we first arrived, but it was comfortable enough. No TV or wifi, which fostered intellectual stimulation and family interaction, though we did not spend much time in the room. Unfortunately, the ceiling fan didn`t work so we had to use the aircon, which was hard to adjust to the right temperature. The bathroom was very good, with two strong showers and reliable hot water. The cleaning ladies always left beautiful flower arrangements on our beds.