Baraza Resort and Spa Zanzibar

We had a wonderful stay. This is the most relaxed I’ve ever been on a holiday. All of the staff were extremely pleasant, polite and helpful. Our villa and splash pool were perfect, the cleanliness every where is exceptional. The gardens are beautiful. The choice and quality of food is...

We had a wonderful stay. This is the most relaxed I’ve ever been on a holiday. All of the staff were extremely pleasant, polite and helpful. Our villa and splash pool were perfect, the cleanliness every where is exceptional. The gardens are beautiful. The choice and quality of food is very very good and the rotation of restaurants works well to prevent that feeling of boredom that can happen in resorts. Having allocated sun beds with the most amazing ocean view and waiter service ensures a relaxing start to your day. The beach is long and beautiful but we didn’t feel the need to live our sun beds for long. There is lots of privacy with space between villas and sun beds adding to a sense of luxury and guarantees a relaxing stay. The house drinks were all of good quality with no need to buy any other drinks. We used the spa and had wonderful massages. I could keep going, there are no negatives!

Arriving at Baraza Resort felt like an oasis. Regina welcomed us with a warm smile and cold drinks (it was more hot and humid than we expected). We had been traveling in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania for two weeks and were on the go. We visited Zanzibar Island to enjoy...

Arriving at Baraza Resort felt like an oasis. Regina welcomed us with a warm smile and cold drinks (it was more hot and humid than we expected). We had been traveling in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania for two weeks and were on the go. We visited Zanzibar Island to enjoy some quiet before returning home to the states. The resort is stunning, the accommodations are private, beautifully furnished, spacious and comfortable. We were a group of 10 (5 couples) and found Baraza to be exactly what we needed. The food was delicious.We especially enjoyed the expansive buffet-style meals. So many choices and each dish more tasty than the next. Some of us played tennis, swam or rested in the air condition while others enjoyed yoga with Premma, a spa treatment with Dorothea or shopped in the gift store. We were well taken care of by the wait staff while relaxing on the beach. Cosmas and Leonce stand out as being attentive and accommodating, though all of the staff had big smiles and were friendly. If you are looking for a remote place to escape and be well cared for, Baraza Resort and Spa is the place for you!

This place is amazing. The staff are one of the best parts of it and the food was so good. It has a chill vibe - with limited people it is both relaxing and posh. The villa was out of this world - huge floorplan with a piunge pool, sitting...

This place is amazing. The staff are one of the best parts of it and the food was so good. It has a chill vibe - with limited people it is both relaxing and posh. The villa was out of this world - huge floorplan with a piunge pool, sitting area, massive bathroom, dedicated beach chairs. There is nothing we didn't like here and would love to come back again one day. Definitely worth the price and time to make it happen.

The resort took our breath away. From the view, to the drinks and the rooms everything was breathtakingly beautiful and the people were the best. Angela our concierge and the chef made us feel at home. I renewed my bows on our 25 th anniversary and couldn’t have chosen better...

The resort took our breath away. From the view, to the drinks and the rooms everything was breathtakingly beautiful and the people were the best. Angela our concierge and the chef made us feel at home. I renewed my bows on our 25 th anniversary and couldn’t have chosen better place! Thank you for the excellent service and hospitality. Hope to see you again.

What a lovely resort. Staff are excellent, the accommodation, villas, are well equipped and large. The swimming pool is lovely and you can stay private on your own bit of beach in front of the villa, or sunbathe at the pool. The beach is pretty but no one sunbathes on...

What a lovely resort. Staff are excellent, the accommodation, villas, are well equipped and large. The swimming pool is lovely and you can stay private on your own bit of beach in front of the villa, or sunbathe at the pool. The beach is pretty but no one sunbathes on it because of the clay like sand and tidal flow. The main chef is Lucas, an Argentinian, who really knows his stuff and prepares super buffets and then cordon blue evening meals which are so well thought out but if, life my wife, you want something els, not offered, then it is prepared and served without any trouble whatsoever. The island is pretty but third world. The hotel is first rate and has a wonderful spa. Do not hesitate to go there if you can.

From the moment we were greeted at the entrance to the Baraza the service was extraordinary. There is nothing more we could have asked for. The entire property is immaculately taken care of. The grounds are being taken care of constantly. The buildings and decor are beyond beautiful. The entire...

From the moment we were greeted at the entrance to the Baraza the service was extraordinary. There is nothing more we could have asked for. The entire property is immaculately taken care of. The grounds are being taken care of constantly. The buildings and decor are beyond beautiful. The entire service staff in every department is professional, pleasant and go beyond what any guest could ask for. The food is delicious; it is presented beautifully and artfully. The dining rooms could not have better service; it is excellent. The pool and beach are gorgeous. The chaises, cabanas and total area is being cleaned and maintained all the time. I have been to very few properties where the cushions on the loungers are scrubbed each day. I could go on and on........it is definitely one of the most magnificent hotels we have been to anywhere in the world with the best high level service and fantastic food and beverages. This extended to our departure as well.

We have enjoyed our stay at Baraza during our honeymoon. The villas was clean and cozy with the beautiful sea views, the staff were so friendly and the food was amazing. I have also enjoyed the meditation session at the SPA with the guidance of the coach. I can't recommend...

We have enjoyed our stay at Baraza during our honeymoon. The villas was clean and cozy with the beautiful sea views, the staff were so friendly and the food was amazing. I have also enjoyed the meditation session at the SPA with the guidance of the coach. I can't recommend Baraza enough.

What a stunning resort! This entire resort is so beautiful! The grounds are gorgeous and the villa rooms were so luxurious it made us feel like royalty. The villas are very spacious and beautifully designed. Dipping in our private plunge pool overlooking the Indian Ocean could not be beat. The...

What a stunning resort! This entire resort is so beautiful! The grounds are gorgeous and the villa rooms were so luxurious it made us feel like royalty. The villas are very spacious and beautifully designed. Dipping in our private plunge pool overlooking the Indian Ocean could not be beat. The pool area and beach are lovely. Having our own assigned beach cabana area was a very nice detail. The entire staff was friendly and helpful...always smiling and offering a kind greeting. Meals were all wonderful and dinner often included local entertainment. On our last day, I was telling our breakfast waitress how sad we were to be leaving. She then arranged a special private beachside table with a special seafood lunch for our last meal in Zanzibar. It was a very thoughtful gesture and a nice ending to our wonderful time there. I am so sad that I didn't write down her name so I could thank her in this review. Our only other regret is that we didn't stay longer. We were just here 3 nights after a safari but it was the ideal place to relax after our adventure. I have traveled a lot but this is one of the most beautiful spots we have stayed.

We had 5 days dumped in the car (but what chance we had (lioness and her cubs, elephant, giraffes, impalas, buffalos, lot of birds including vultures and eagles, zebras, a leopard and very rare a serval. I am pretty sure I am forgetting some but we never spend more then...

We had 5 days dumped in the car (but what chance we had (lioness and her cubs, elephant, giraffes, impalas, buffalos, lot of birds including vultures and eagles, zebras, a leopard and very rare a serval. I am pretty sure I am forgetting some but we never spend more then 20 minutes without seeing animals even very close)). Then we arrive in Zanzibar. I did not know that Tanzania and Zanzibar were sisters countries like the EU, but language, money... are the same. even of the religion is different, more Christians in Tanzania, more Muslims in Zanzibar, all leave together and peacefully. And the Baraza then seems like an oasis. There are no rooms but villas, very spacious, very well designed, with a private garden and a private pool (I'll come back to this later). The cleaning service is of high quality, and globally the staff is very nice, very kind and keen to make your stay the best. Food is delicious and I must admit I ate a lot of dishes I never ate at home. The place is beautiful, very Moorish type, I enjoyed it. Being in what they called the low season, we were able to find free sundecks without problems. If you prefer the beach, each villa has its own private area on the beach. A wonderful week to rest and enjoy. Two annoying things : - If you are over 50 and not especially supple, DO NOT use your private swimming pool at the villa. The pool is 1 meter deep but with only one step to enter and exit. It was a nightmare for me to exit the pool. I thought I was going to crash on the floor. Fortunately thanks to my wife and the sundeck, I was able to stay on my feet. - This is a message to the management : People stayed two to three days, so they may not noticed it, but when you stay 7 nights, it is very very annoying the last three days to have waiters and waitresses (again very kind and efficient and helpful ) come to ask every 15 minutes if you need a drink or anything, even if you are reading, listening to the music, resting... Unbearable. I suggest to the management to have wandered at the pool, and as we are grown up people, we can wave, make a sign... when we have a need. Again the staff is so nice but the instructions given are, to my opinion, not appropriate. Apart from these two minors worries, we had a wonderful stay at the Baraza.

This resort is superb with a great location and probably the best service we have had in our extensive travels to 5 star resorts across the world over the last 20 years. All the staff were great but a particular shout out to Esther and Cosmas Who went out of...

This resort is superb with a great location and probably the best service we have had in our extensive travels to 5 star resorts across the world over the last 20 years. All the staff were great but a particular shout out to Esther and Cosmas Who went out of their way to make our visit special. We were all inclusive and the food was restaurant quality. Buffet breakfasts and lunches were what you would expect in a resort like this and we enjoyed the mix of set menu and buffets in two locations in the evenings. Our villa was spacious and spotlessly maintained throughout. Our only suggestion for improvement would be that it would be nice if there was a casual bar/ restaurant under the palm trees in the beach. Highly recommended

To all travellers and readers. Please bear with me on this review. I usually keep it brief, but this resort deserves so much more. I hope that my review provides some more detail on questions I would have had before selecting Baraza. In addition, I wanted to reflect on some...

To all travellers and readers. Please bear with me on this review. I usually keep it brief, but this resort deserves so much more. I hope that my review provides some more detail on questions I would have had before selecting Baraza. In addition, I wanted to reflect on some criticism other travellers raised in their reviews. So, this is of course, my personal take on our very own experience. I understand we are all individuals with individual needs, likes and dislikes. I put my review in sections, so you can skip or find content more easily (this is at least the aim - you judge if I succeeded). Note for resort in case you read this: Sincere apologies if I spelled names incorrectly and did not mention all members of the resort, as there are too many to mention but all deserve an equal share of our gratitude and heartfelt Asante Sana! So, here we go: My wife and I stayed 17 (seventeen) nights at Baraza from end of November 2024. 1. Arrival a. Airport transfer to Resort No problems whatsoever. We had pre-booked private transfers which I strongly suggest. It was easy to identify our pick up person and the driver was excellent. The journey from the airport to the resort is approx. 1 hour due to the completion of new roads. b. Check-In Extremely warm, welcoming and no issues. Refreshing towels, welcome drinks and big smiles. The process is extremely quick and uneventful. c. Tour of resort I read from other reviews that the arriving guests were given a brief resort tour prior to being taken to their villas. We did not have this when we arrived, but I rather found that to be a positive point. Travelling from Europe means you almost forgot what day of the week it is. So, less immediate information and activities upon arrival, the better (for me personally). The resort however provide a brief overview of the property before escorting guests to their villa, but this is only during daylight hours. If a guest arrives in the evening, the briefing will be rescheduled for the following morning. d. Tour of villa Very informative and to the point. Again, warm and welcoming. e. Personal villa host / Resort Management (GM, Resort Manager, etc.) Every villa/guest has a dedicated assigned contact person from the guest relations department. We had the utmost pleasure and luxury of 2 villa hosts during our stay which is normal due to days off, leave, etc. Ghabi and Cosmas, 2 true gentlemen and ambassadors to Baraza. Whether you meet them first them first thing in the morning, during the day or at night: You are met with the same big Jambo and smile every single time. While we mainly enjoyed the privacy of our villa, as we had everything we could ask for, we certainly wandered around the resort at least 3 or 4 times per day where we easily met with other guests and the guest relations manager every single day. The Resort Management introduced themselves at the beginning of the 2 week stay. And that was fine. We do not need Management to acknowledge us every day. This does not define whether we are more welcome or less welcome than other parties. So, all good here. 2. Stay a. Villa There are 1 and 2 bedroom villas. All 1 bedroom villas are beach villas, i.e. the first row of villas. All rows of villas have 5 individual villas. Depending on which row of villas you stay, you will have either shade or sun on the terrace in the morning. The afternoon sun seems to hit most of the villa outside area. Just in case you are solar powered and need sun 12 hours a day, or you prefer more shade. All villas are really spacious with ample room and without the feel of being stuck in a hotel room/box. Amenities The refrigerator is big enough to hold a selection of soda drinks, water and a few larger bottles. You can let the villa host know your preferences of restocked drinks, for example in case you rather have tonic or soda water than coke and Fanta. Coffee The coffee itself is nice, but a lot of paper waste using those small sachets. it would be great if glass jars of coffee or coffee powder and French or Turkish Cafetieres could be provided. We mentioned this to the team and we believe they already started something similar in sister resorts. Water A super great idea having the office style water dispensers! We love the fact that you do not have plastic water bottles. Room service I do not think housekeeping staff should have to clean the room, change towels, bed, etc. every day. We use our towels at home more than once and can also make our bed. We informed the resort about this on arrival and arranged to have our villa every third day. Improves their planning and helps the environment. All rooms have complimentary insect repellent outdoor/indoor sprays stocked proactively and upon request. This is great if you want to enjoy evenings on the terrace. In room technology There are ample power outlets and now USB chargers as well. The TV is slightly on the smaller side but offers some in-build apps including Netflix. So, if you have an account, you can log in directly without the need of HDMI from laptop for example. Private pool We had no issues with the private pool which we used daily throughout our stay. The pool is cleaned frequently and upon request b. Restaurants Buffet This is clearly the best ever buffet we experienced in all our travels. Breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets leave nothing to desire. It includes healthy options and low or no fat/sugar free plain yoghurts. The team were always happy to accommodate specific preferences where possible. We enjoyed all meals and options. A la Carte – set menu Depending on occupancy levels, it is understandable not to have Buffet dinners every day. The team worked hard to improve the bar menu and dinner menu with a variety of wonderful options. If you experience a menu that you did not like or want to find out what might be on the menu for the evening, simply talk to the chefs at breakfast time. Share your thoughts and feedback. c. Bar Fantastic and approachable and interested staff. If you are interested in local culture, music, food, etc. like we are, this is the first time we experienced staff actually taking the time and having informal chats. We learned so much from talking and listening to all individuals, that we felt like friends and family within days (if not hours). Again, super ambassadors to the brand, resort and country. The drinks menu is fine, nothing extra special or unusual but also nothing missing. We like the fact that the resort offers low calorie tonic waters! d. Children area and Gym The children club was closed due to occupancy levels when we visited. The gym is located in the SPA and has everything you need for a good workout, treadmill, cross trainer, free weights, weight lifting machines, etc. It is air-conditioned; there was no unpleasant or pleasant smell. Just neutral as you would expect in a gym in a climate like this. e. Miscellaneous Go Green It is great to see improvements and planned future improvements on sustainability. The current water dispensers (gallon sized drinking water dispensers) are currently replaced with a number of reusable 1 litre water bottles from their own fresh drinking water well (the same water served in all restaurants and bars throughout the resorts) The team is always reviewing and looking into improvements and are open for suggestions. At least this is what I felt. So, they always welcome thoughts and feedback while you are with them. Resort maintenance The grounds are kept immaculately. If you (and you will) experience power cuts and outages, please note that this is due to an overload of grid user and gaps in infrastructure. This has nothing to do with Baraza and effects the whole island. When power outages happen, please remember Hakuna Matata. Tour desk If you need a trip, the team are happy to assist. We arranged a trip at short notice and were more than happy. The cost is added to your hotel bill and you pay when checking out. Resort events / entertainment We enjoy the fact that no one is forced to do anything here. If you want you can join, if not, this is fine too. We enjoyed the cooking classes immensely! Mohamed is a true rock star! Still enjoying that Garam Masala! The bonfire night was fun, too. With life DJ and dancing the night away. So we heard, as this was the only day I was sick. But hey, next time. If you enjoy the likes of nightly Casinos, live music entertainment and endless animation throughout the day, then this is not the place for you. If you prefer individual bliss and serenity, you will love it. f. Staff Saving the most important and best part of any operation here at last. None of the success would be possible without the people behind the scenes. From the office workers, back of house, front of house, maintenance and facility personnel, every single person we were lucky to meet and engage with was so welcoming and friendly. The resort manages to retain their staff which is great for returning guests and of course the staff itself. Collaboration: Talk to the people you meet. Address anything you think should be different (in case you find anything). But if you do, believe me, the team are keen to find out there and then to help you and improve your experience or exceed your expectation. Nothing seems to be too much for any of the team members we met. Front of house Jambo is on everyone’s face combined with a big warm smile. Nothing is ever too much and you could not ask for better ambassadors. Chefs Now, this is a very different calibre of excellence. We met all chefs during our stay and were amazed by their flexibility, friendliness, approachability and overall expertise in their different kitchens. A melting pot of cuisines from around the world combined with the willingness to go a lot further than the usual extra mile to exceed expectations. What a fantastic and wonderful mix of chefs you can call your own! No wish is too much – they are ready to blow your mind. Any special wishes we might have mentioned at ad hoc conversations were met the same day or at the next meal sitting! We are not foodies or super difficult, we just enjoy clean and healthier food but also understand the existence of budgets for food etc. But we always felt listened to and all attempts were not only made to accommodate special wishes, all wishes were met. And we loved the way the chefs were able to adapt menu items, for example when we asked for food locals would like to eat. We are always interested in trying out local food and recipes. A special shout out to Lukas, Bharat and Mohamed! You three musketeers made our experience truly wonderful! Waiters Again, all super friendly and engaging. We found some really interesting individuals, especially those who worked in the kitchen before and explained menu / food items really well and interesting. While all waiting staff were wonderful, a special shout out to Hidaya whose smile made even grey days feel sunny and bright. Kitchen staff In our eyes the stars of the show. Working in a hot environment in a hot weather country and smiling at the end of a long day in the kitchen is something else. The consistency of how they executed and produced wonderful dishes every day is simply amazing. Bar staff Nothing more than fantastic. Enjoy a pre or after dinner drink sitting outside and being part of a bar team, which are all fun, friendly, special and professional at the same time. We learned so much about local sports, language, history and traditions. All of you are gemstones. To our dear friends Adam ("Edo"), Rama and every single one of you! We miss you. Doctor on-site My wife unfortunately needed to see a doctor for a minor issue. It is great and extremely comforting to know that my wife was seen, attended to and taken well care of almost instantly. The doctor and Guest Relations manager Regina also followed up throughout our stay ensuring all was okay. This was in a non-intrusive but rather genuinely caring way which I cannot thank all enough for. Guest Relations Manager & General Manager Thank you Regina and Simone for the most wonderful time. Your commitment to customer experience is filtered down to every single member of staff. Of course, there are more managers responsible for the success, but you two are the facing guests every moment of your work life. So, thank you for your friendliness, kindness, approachability, patience and will-do-attitude. While it is probably impossible to make everyone happy, you easily succeeded in our case! Asante Sana! 3. Departure a. Check out Our time ended way to soon and we did not want to leave. When you made us leave on our departure day, all went well without any issues (other than you refusing us to stay forever). So, this is why we will return soon. And maybe we can convince you then to keep us! b. Transfer resort to airport Again, we had pre-booked private transfers which was great. Pick up on time, safe and smooth road journey. No issues at all. Conclusion: If you ever feel, you do not get the service or product you expected, approach the team and talk to them while you are at the resort and as soon as you encounter and gaps. Baraza team members are open to feedback and aim to resolve anything you need to address. This is of course a lot easier and more effective and possibly satisfactory while you are at Baraza, then complaining after your stay. We fully and sincerely enjoyed every minute of our stay! A big, warm and sincere Asante Sana. And as we always say, this is not good-bye, this is see you soon. My wife and I consider you now more than before our Baraza friends & family who make us feel home away from home!!!

We have just returned from the most incredible honeymoon, Safari in the Masai Mara followed by a stay in this absolutely beautiful resort in Zanzibar. Baraza is definitely one of the top hotels we have ever stayed in. All the staff are so friendly and helpful, always ready to greet...

We have just returned from the most incredible honeymoon, Safari in the Masai Mara followed by a stay in this absolutely beautiful resort in Zanzibar. Baraza is definitely one of the top hotels we have ever stayed in. All the staff are so friendly and helpful, always ready to greet with a smile. They can't do enough for you and are so accommodating in anything you may request. A special mention to Angela our villa host, Regina in guest relations, and Anthony in the restaurant/bar. The food is exceptional with great options for accommodating dietary requirements. We had wonderful treatments in the incredible spa. The resort is beautiful and peaceful with an amazing pool and private beach area. The villas are large and luxurious. Overall the resort is a dream and it was the perfect place to celebrate our honeymoon. We have returned with special memories that will last a lifetime. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to return some day!

I stayed at this luxurious, exclusive beachfront hotel in January 2023. The hotel is very well maintained. The rooms are large and comfortable. The all-inclusive system is very good with a variety of foods. The service is very friendly and generous. The beach is beautiful but not the most beautiful....

I stayed at this luxurious, exclusive beachfront hotel in January 2023. The hotel is very well maintained. The rooms are large and comfortable. The all-inclusive system is very good with a variety of foods. The service is very friendly and generous. The beach is beautiful but not the most beautiful. They offer day use at other hotels with more beautiful beaches.

We had the most fantastic stay at Baraza resort and Spa - from the moment we entered the gate to the resort to the moment when we unfortunately had to leave. We experienced everyone there as smiling, welcoming and offering a high quality of service. But most of all we...

We had the most fantastic stay at Baraza resort and Spa - from the moment we entered the gate to the resort to the moment when we unfortunately had to leave. We experienced everyone there as smiling, welcoming and offering a high quality of service. But most of all we experienced a familiar atmosphere, which felt quite unique. We stayed 2 weeks in beach villa 5, and enjoyed the possibility to relax at the wonderful quite beach. One particular thing that we highly appreciated was the pre-reserved sunbeds in the beacharea, so this was really a totally stress-free vacation. Baraza made our smiles wide, and we would love to come back again!

We enjoyed our 5 nights stay at Barraza tremendously. The villa was beautiful, very comfortable and well equipped. The resort ambiance was unforgettable and the service was impeccable. We will highly recommend this resort to our friends and family. Can’t wait to come back.

We chose to stay at baraza after staying a couple of nights in stone Town. Upon arriving at the resort we were greeted warmly by the staff who offered us a welcome drink whilst checking in. The experience was surreal and very relaxed compared to our stay in stone Town....

We chose to stay at baraza after staying a couple of nights in stone Town. Upon arriving at the resort we were greeted warmly by the staff who offered us a welcome drink whilst checking in. The experience was surreal and very relaxed compared to our stay in stone Town. We felt like we were in a different universe offering unparralled peace and serenity, exactly what we needed after a busy travel schedule in Kenya. We were then escorted to our luxurious villa which was next level. Although we did have much of a view we were truly amazed at the level of detail and the middle eastern inspired theme. After spending a quiet and relaxing day at the pool and beach which were not crowded like the other beaches in Zanzibar we came back to a nice anniversary surprise at our villa. All meals at the baraza are exceptional and special mention to the chef who went above and beyond in preparing us a special meal on one of the days to celebrate our anniversary. That being said all the staff are amazing and work hard to ensure your stay is perfect. We loved the nightly entertainment at the bar and restaurant. Thank you to the team at baraza for making our stay special and we will definitely return soon.