Langi Langi Beach Bungalows, Nungwi (west), Zanzibar, Tanzania

Location:

LangiLangi Resort is located on the north coast of Zanzibar in a town called Nungwi. The hotel was difficult to find as there weren't any signs to point us in the right direction, unlike other hotels in the area. Furthermore, the directions provided by the hotel were not very clear which made it even more difficult to find. If you are driving to the hotel, the easiest way to get there is to ask someone for directions once you hit the end of the main road to Nungwi. To us, it seems that there isn't really a good or bad location on Nungwi west, it's really all the same.

Nungwi is approximately 45-minutes from Stone Town. The town on Nungwi is small but is known as the more livelier beach in Zanzibar. The shoreline is lined with hotels and restaurants making it difficult to tell where one ends and where the other begins. There are small patches of sandy beaches spread out along the coast; however, they were full of sand flies making it difficult to relax on the sand. Other than the small patches of sand, there isn't much of a beach in Nungwi anymore as the tide is high most of the time. 

Room Comfort:

There are 34 rooms at LangiLangi Resort. Accommodations range from garden/pool views to sea view suites. The sea view rooms are located in a building adjacent to the large patio which hosts the lounge chairs and beach umbrellas made of palm leaves. The sea view of the rooms at the bottom of the building are obstructed by the patio furniture and are not worth the price. We stayed in a sea view suite which really just seemed like a large room that shouldn't be classified as a suite. Our room was on the lower floor which meant we didn't have much of a sea view at all. The bed in our large room was draped with a well-maintained mosquito net and decorated with langi langi flowers. The bathroom in our room was also spacious. The room had all the amenities to make our stay comfortable, such as mini-fridge, air-conditioner, seating area, toiletries (even though some were half used), and so on.

Cleanliness:

The hotel seemed clean, but upon check-out we noticed that the cleaning staff did not change the sheets for the next guests but rather just made the bed.  The restaurant also seemed clean and the grounds were well-maintained. The faucet in our bathroom showed signs of rust so some things in the rooms were definitely starting to show signs of aging.

Service:

Despite receiving timely responses to our emails before booking, when we arrived at the reception desk the staff seemed very disorganized. Fortunately, they had everything in order and our reservation was there. Overall, the staff was friendly and approachable as they helped answer most of our questions. 

Internet service is available at the hotel for a fee but it's relatively expensive. Laundry service can also be arranged at the hotel but again is expensive. There is a local place that does laundry not too far from the hotel called Nungwi Modern Laundry Services (Tel: 255 777416269). They charge per item, but we negotiated a sum price for a large bag of items which was very reasonable. 

At check-out the women receive a small gift ,(perfume made from the langi langi flower), which we thought was a nice touch.

Food:

The food was good. Breakfast was included in our reservation and was filling. We also had dinner here and it was good. They had a range of local and international foods to choose from. We ordered dinner from the restaurant and had it delivered to our room so we could enjoy it on our balcony.

Overall Value:

Overall, the resort was adequate and provided the comforts we were looking for. Although we recommend the hotel as an option to consider in this area, we probably wouldn't stay here again. The rooms are overpriced for Zanzibar, but at least the hotel staff were friendly and welcoming.

Other Notes:

Due to the tide, there isn't a beach at this hotel, but as a result you can swim most of the time. There are stairs that lead down to the water. Unfortunately, the stairs are located at the side of the outdoor part of the restaurant and can only be reached by passing through the restaurant. We found this a bit odd as you have to walk through the restaurant in your bathing suite to go for a swim. Alternatively, at the highest point of the tide, we jumped from the railing of the lounge area into the water, but that can be challenging for some individuals. The railing is about 2 meters above the sea, so it's a bit high. To get back to the lounge area, you have to swim against the current to the stairs and than walk through the outdoor part of the restaurant.

As mentioned, there is a local place that does laundry not too far from the hotel called Nungwi Modern Laundry Services (Tel: 255 777416269). They charge per item, but we negotiated a sum price for a large bag of items which was very reasonable priced.

Our Rating: 3.5/5   Year Reviewed: 2009 

For the best possible price, please visit Expedia.ca or try Priceline.com. You can also visit the hotel's website at: www.langilangizanzibar.com

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