DoubleTree Zanzibar Stone Town Hotel Review
Book the DoubleTree Zanzibar Stone Town Hotel here.
Trip Index (what we have published so far):
Help me plan my upcoming trip to Africa (Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Zanzibar, Dakar, Marrakech)
Air France Economy Class Review AF65 – the second flight
Ethiopian Airlines Economy Class Review Tel Aviv (TLV) to Addis Ababa (ADD)
DAN Lounge Tel Aviv (TLV) Ben Gurion Review (B Concourse)
Photo Review Jaffa (Yafo) Old Town (Tel Aviv)
South African Airways involuntary denies me boarding, keeps me in transit 24 hours, (almost) loses my bag and still has no idea how to fix it…
Book DoubleTree Zanzibar here
As part of my quick stay in Zanzibar, I chose the brand new DoubleTree Zanzibar. The hotel is in the upscale part of historic Stone Town and just opened in late 2014. It's right across from the soon-to-be-opened new Park Hyatt Zanzibar.
I chose an 'official' taxi from the airport for $10. It's just a quick 10-minute ride to the hotel.
My check-in was VERY friendly and my (expiring) Diamond status was recognized. The agent managed to secure a suite upgrade (room 401) and decided to make the mini bar free of charge for me (this isn't a standard Diamond benefit). I would also be able to have breakfast free of charge (which is a standard benefit for Diamonds).
The building is old but renovated up to the latest standards. It's very well done and the white walls contrast with the dark wood floors and furniture.
I had trouble getting the AC to work (all that was needed was to press the ON button, but it was really well hidden). It took the care line 3 calls and one hour to send someone to my room to explain this fact to me.
The WiFi was very fast, topping out at 20 Mbit - excellent for such a remote location and so much better than the bad internet performance during my stay at the DoubleTree Seychelles just a few weeks ago.
I booked a boat trip for the next day with the front desk and then ventured into town. I later realized I'd probably overpaid by at least 100% doing that but oh, well - at least I got a boat ride all by myself the next day to Prison Island.
My room was fresh and cold and the bed soft when I returned. The linen hadn't been washed correctly and reeked from improper drying. I did not have the patience to have housekeeping change them, though, so I put up with it.
The shower in the morning took 10 minutes to produce warm water, but once that had happened, the shower pressure was strong and the shower was excellent.
I went upstairs for breakfast and my hopes for a yummy feast were dashed - especially after just coming out of coffee and food paradise (Ethiopia). The items were well-presented, but I had a hard time finding anything I wanted to eat because of the poor quality of the bread, pancakes, jam and coffee. Thankfully they did not mess with the bottled water, which was the only highlight of the breakfast. So much for the free Diamond breakfast....
All in all, I had a mixed stay - I was very happy with the rooms and the friendly check-in and I didn't expect such fast internet, but management needs to fix the service and catering flaws - I feel they are just not acceptable.
Rates were about $120 for my stay.
Book the DoubleTree Zanzibar Stone Town Hotel here.
If you like this post - subscribe via email or follow us on Twitter.