Bluebay Beach Resort

I can’t recommend this resort highly enough and could drone on about it for hours, I’ll try to summarise, the room was lovely, the food gorgeous with lots of options and different theme nights in the restaurant and the resort itself is stunning. But what made our stay so special were the staff who were, without exception, friendly and attentive without ever being overbearing, they simply can’t do enough to make your stay the best it can be. The GM, Jonathon has an eye for detail and has done what all good managers do, built an excellent team which is always easier said than done. We’ve never gone back to the same place twice as we like to try something new but we’re going to be making an exception in this case and are already planning our next visit to the Bluebay Read less

I stayed at Bluebay recently and what an absolute pleasure it was. The whole experience was amazing from start to finish. I really tried to be objective and find something wrong, but I couldn’t. It was a perfect six days. The resort itself is spacious and well laid out. Nothing seemed too far away. I would say choose a superior room. Mine looked out onto the ocean and was quiet. The gardens that the hotel is set in are spacious and open, so you get a feeling of the space which I liked. They are very pretty and very well maintained. The room itself was ludicrously spacious but not in a way where the room had any dead space. For Zanzibar, a hotel room with good air conditioning is a must with the humidity and my room didn’t disappoint at all. The bed was very comfortable and enormous and the whole style and décor of the room is really charming. An island feel. Loads of wardrobe space and a big safe. The bathroom was lovely and big and the shower was great. Whoever was cleaning my room, kept it spotless and the turn down service at night was superb. The internet while I was there was super-fast and fast enough in my room to stream Netflix one night in bed which was nice. I have to be honest in that I have spent a fair bit of time in Zanzibar so I know the beaches on the island. I have seen in the reviews that many people complain about the beaches on the island for this reason and that reason. For me the beach at Bluebay was perfect. The entire stretch of Bluebay has an elevated narrow strip of private beach with sun loungers and then many sets of stairs go down to the public beach. The public beach does have some stuff on it like bits of seagrass but that doesn’t bother me. I did see the staff frequently cleaning both their own private beach and the public beach that stretches out front of the hotel which I thought was awesome. The hotel staff were picking up trash and whatever was there. Yes, it’s very shallow when you get into the water but that’s perfect. It’s nice and calm and with the shallow water, it’s nice to be able to go and stick your legs in the ocean and cool off. You don't have to then go much further before you can swim in the sea. There are people on the beach trying to sell you stuff. That is only the public beach though and if you aren’t interested you just tell them you aren’t, and they move on. You don’t get hassled. The resort’s private elevated beach is completely private, and they have security guards stopping anyone coming up that isn’t a hotel resident but in the whole six days I didn’t seem them have to stop anyone. You feel so safe on the beach and you can leave your stuff by a lounger and not feel like someone may swipe it away. The elevated beach is lovely because it gets the breeze coming off the water and it at times is sheltered by the trees so it’s perfect to lay out. However if you don’t want the beach, the main pool is awesome. Loads of space and no fighting over sun loungers. Great sun all day and the pool itself is huge, spotlessly clean like everything else in the resort and a perfect temperature to cool off in. It’s also big enough and deep enough to do laps in. The food at the resort is amazing. Tasty and delicious and even after six nights the variety on the buffet was always different. So many different courses to choose from and genuinely full of flavour and delicious. The chefs are nailing it. I am a picky eater but I didn’t struggle. If you don’t want the buffet, there is a separate restaurant which is a la carte and even there the food is awesome. I had pasta one evening and it was a good size portion and served in a cheese bowl of sorts which was unique and different in a great way. There is a nice lunch alternative at the coffee shop where you can order a huge sandwich if you don’t want to eat at the buffet and also don’t want a big meal at the a la carte restaurant. The coffee shop is great for pastries as well. The donuts are to die for. This brings me onto the staff. Whoever the management team are, have done a fabulous job with the staff across the whole hotel because everyone seemed genuinely happy to be at work every day. Yes there is always that feeling in hotels of how much the staff are putting on a fake smile for guests but at Bluebay all the staff seemed really happy and are always smiling. I was greeted by any member of staff of walked past me and made to feel so welcome. The staff didn’t just stop there. There were people like Joyce on the main bar who had memorized my drinks preferences and every night would ask me which one of the three I wanted. There was easily 50 guests at the bar one night and she was doing the same thing to every guest. That is superb memory. The Food and Beverage manager greeted me several times and asked me how my stay was going. So many staff would not just say hello but ask me how everything was, and it didn’t feel like they were just doing their jobs. They really seemed to want to know how I was doing. I didn’t try the spa or the gym but I will do that next time I come back. I didn’t do any excursions either, but the hotel is in a good position by where you aren’t going to be travelling large amounts of time to get to places. The weather was so nice even in the rainy season that I just wanted to sit in the sun and relax and I was really sad to leave. I will come back to Bluebay in a heart beat. Read less

The hotel is an absolute oasis. We felt welcome from our arrival and for the whole time of our stay. The resort is very clean and tidy. Our room was clean and the bed was comfortable.Every evening when we came back from a fantastic dinner our bed was closed with mosquito nets. The staff is very friendly and always helpfull. Nothing seems to be a problem for them on enquiry. The food from breakfast in the mornings to dinner in the evening was absolute fantastic. There was so much varieties of food available! Some of the best food we have ever tasted!!Service from the staff was impecable. We enjoyed the bands and entertainment very much!! Out of the top drawer!!! We will definitetively be back again!! Thank you ! Read less

A truly memorable holiday! Thank you to all the staff, especially Simona for their kindness and helpfulness. There really is nothing to fault! The food was excellent, the service excellent! There was always something happening entertainment wise. The rooms were large, spacious and comfortable! I would highly recommend Blue Bay to anyone looking for a great holiday at an affordable price with great food! Bravi! Read less