Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Kiwengwa Beach Resort 5* is situated on the north east coast and is one of the best hotel in Zanzibar, the Spice island. The hotel has just been completely renovated into the bedrooms and in the public areas. The architect has chosen to combine the typical warm colors of Africa, used for the common areas, to the typical blue sea, used inside the rooms: the end result is a refined style that fully respects the ambient and present to the atmosphere something to special. Kiwengwa Beach Resorts have 120 rooms facing the longest white sand beach on the island. There is 30 suites and 90 standard rooms, all with en-suite bathrooms. There is 1 Honeymoon suite of 56 mq; it is directly on the beach with stunning view, private terrace, large en-suite bathroom, indoor jacuzzi, mini bar, tea & coffee facilities and free wifi. It have the possibility to be connect with a suite of 36 mq, with private entrance to make a Royal Family Suite of 92 mq. There are 17 Luxury bungalows & suites. They are room of 36/46 mq; they have: sea view, outdoor jacuzzi, private terrace, mini bar, tea & coffee facilities and free wifi. There are 12 bungalows, 2 with sea view and 10 with garden view. They are room of 30/36 mq and have outdoor jacuzzi, private terrace, mini bar, tea & coffee facilities, free wifi. There are 90 standard rooms, 30 with sea view and 60 with garden view. They are room of 30/32 mq. All rooms have been up-graded, with new bathrooms, furniture and fittings. About the restaurants Kiwengwa offer a Main Buffet and Grill Restaurant, with water-feature and view of the new swimming-pool and a Beach Restaurant, a la carte, directly on the beach with bar and lounge There is a Lounge bar with view of the beach and serving finger food and imported alcohol, this bar have a large lounge area and a zone with satelite TV. There is also a new extended beach bar, on the beach with music and dancing. Kiwengwa Beach Resort is directly on the beach of Kiwengwa, have a private zone with typical sunbeds and umbrella. For the guests are available the beach towels, for the beach and for the pool area. For who love the wellness and the relax of the mind there is a Spa near the beach with 2 massage room, hammam, hair and nails salon, outdoor relaxing tea and juice lounge. Upper floor Gym with panoramic view. Other facilities: reception area, swimming-pool and pool terrace, shuttle service or private limousine, water sports, beach volley ball, tennis court, mini golf, bike rental, 2 shops, travel agents front desk, beach massage area, beach disco, entertainment, live music and beach wear fashion show.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family Resort
Family
Languages Spoken
English, Arabic, German, Italian and 1 more
Location
Kiwengwa Tanzania
Kiwengwa Beach Resort
4.6 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Kiwengwa Beach Resort is lauded for its spotless premises, with guests applauding the immaculate rooms, public spaces, and beach, all meticulously tended to daily. The resort's beachfront location is a highlight for many, offering a prime spot for relaxation. While the resort boasts beautiful gardens, multiple pools, and beach access, some guests cite additional fees for certain amenities and spotty Wi-Fi.
The service staff receives high marks for their friendliness and professionalism, enhancing the guest experience. However, opinions on value are mixed, with some travelers feeling charges are excessive for the quality provided. The resort offers a mix of tranquility and vibrant evening entertainment, though room conditions have received mixed reviews, with some suggesting updates are needed.
Location
Beachfront
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Satisfactory
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Kiwengwa review We stayed here over the Christmas and NY holidays. Lovely resort suitable for young and old. We had an amazing holiday 😍.
The positives: The resort looks amazing. Direct access to a pristine white beach. The majority of the staff is awesome, both management and workers. The gardens are beautiful and the pools terrific.
The restaurants offer great variety of food. There is a varied choice of cocktails and mocktails, our favourite was the vodka passion. Talk to the food & beverage manager for great special arrangements for anniversaries and birthdays. We dined on the “I ❤️ Zanzibar” boat which is highly recommended. During the holidays special dining events were organised which were really added value to our trip.
Special shout out to the wonderful ladies that keep the public bathrooms superb throughout the day.
We did the one day safari, which is so worth it if it’s within your budget!
WiFi is quite reliable but not fast. Free at bar and lobby, paid at the rest of the resort for an acceptable rate of 20 USD for two weeks.
Not great: You cannot leave any valuables in your room. Most days the cleaners leave the sliding door in open position allowing anyone to come in without a key.
We had family room 626 which in fact has no pool view while it’s advertised as such. The rooms were in good condition with a few things broken. In our case the shower door didn’t close and the shower head was pointed to the wall instead of downward, which both wasn’t fixed during our stay.
As all inclusive guests should be invited to both speciality restaurants once during their stay. Although we asked many times we never were invited to the fish restaurant. If you book all inclusive please be aware that espresso and cappuccino are excluded , as well as icecream.
The pool side DJ announces all kinds of “wonderful” activities but each time you try to join with your kids you are denied. Also one animator shouts at your kids and is not able to reason. The pool and beach side animation at this resort is not kids friendly (none existing), avoid Kiwengwa if your family does appreciate that.
Note that the tennis court is painted concrete and not in great condition.
Security guards on the beach keep local people and Masai that try to make a living at distance, you either hate it or love it. We found it quite disrespectful to the locals. As a result as soon as you leave the safe zone everyone jumps on you.
On our last day it appears chemicals (chlorine?) of some sort were added to the pool in too large proportions. All six family members had itchy and burning skin rash where our swim clothes were for multiple days.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kiwengwa Beach Resort, Marketing at Kiwengwa Beach Resort
Responded Feb 3, 2025
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your stay at our hotel. Our team works hard to provide exceptional service, and it’s heartwarming to know that we succeeded in making your visit memorable. We hope to welcome you back soon for another delightful stay. Safe travels! 🌟 Kiwengwa Beach Team
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Top resort to stay a week. We had a room with beach/sea view. The room is african style and the bathroom could use an update, the shower was top, spacious and hot well running water. There are plenty of beds at the pool and on the beach, the "locals" are kept at bay so you are not bothered but can make contact if you wish. The beach is fine, very fine sand and a lot of difference between ebb and flow. The food was buffet style, fine, varied although I expected more fish and shellfish. We ate 1 x in fish restaurant and 1 x in african restaurant, especially the latter was a nice experience with good food. The staff was very friendly and always ready for you. If I have to mention one flaw: we only got 1 (old-fashioned) room key and there were many Russians / Eastern Europeans who were not always friendly to the staff. On our last day we could go to another cottage (we had night flight), top arranged by Said. In short, highly recommended for a week, especially if you do not do excursions.
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Date of stay: January 2025
Value
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Location
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Neem lokaal geld mee voor fooitjes
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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We spent 10 days at this resort in June and we are more than happy with our stay. So many things added to the great experience, such as a beautiful beach, amazing sand. It was never crowded at this time at the beach, by the pools or at the various bars, and sunbeds. Furthermore, if you like serenity, there is a very quiet pool area by the African restaurant and family rooms, the salt water pool by the beach is also quite calm and if you like music, aqua gym, beach volley and water polo, the main pool is the place to hang out by. The animation team there is kind, fun and energetic.
The food was varied, very tasty and the chef even went out of his way to make our favourite dish on our last evening, just for us! The service was always impeccable, during every meal, and always delivered with a smile.
We got a family room, which was spacious and we are very happy with the cleaning and service with towels and water bottles etc. The air conditioning was on even when you left the room, which was a nice surprise. There was never a lack of hot water in the shower. Some mosquitoes in the room, but fewer than we had expected and the mosquito net did its job well.
The whole area is well kept and clean, and should you travel by yourself you can feel perfectly safe here. During our stay there were at least three people travelling alone and they were well taken care of.
One of the best things was absolutely the staff. Resort manager Angela and her whole staff are doing everything they can to make your stay as pleasant and care free as possible. They always greet you with a genuine smile and have a kind word for everyone. We are actually going to miss all the Jambo, Hakuna Matata and Pole Pole from our many new friends at this resort, most of all the staff in the main restaurant.
If you are into snorkelling, we can recommend going out with one of the small, wooden boats that hang by the beach. They take you out to a coral reef nearby and even dive in as a guide and show you various interesting things. It cost us 10 only dollars each.
The only down side was that it became a bit too much at times when locals on the beach wanted to sell things, however they were always kind, though. We could perhaps have been more firm when approached.
Both of us have travelled quite a bit, and we must say that we are incredibly happy with our stay here, and we can recommend it to anyone who wants to experience a paradise beach, good food and meet a lot of kind, friendly and happy go lucky people. So very worth the long trip to get there from Sweden.
Ps. Thank you so much for the Ugali, fried chicken recipy, and most of all the birthday cake and celebration song that you swung together with an hour's notice! We hope to see you all again some day!
Love, Karin and Michael
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Date of stay: June 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Arrange your Visa beforehand, the queue to the Visa applications is very long!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Travel HumanEye, Agency / Consultant at Kiwengwa Beach Resort
Responded Jul 6, 2024
Dear Karin and Michael, Thank you for sharing your stay feedback through TripAdvisor and we are very glad to know that you and your family enjoyed your stay with us and choose to celebrate birthday with us. We will be honored to have you again for another stay Kiwengwa Beach Team
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All inclusive formula and then we were charged: 1) ice cream on the pool $2 a ball, 2) the horrible cappuccinos that trim $3 for breakfast, (never seen anything like this) 3) the most common liquors at the bar, from $8 an amaretto of Saronno to climb x to Cognac and various (xché in the list of all inclusive there are only cocktails made of vodka and sugary colored water. When we ordered drinks the waiters wanted to point out that the list of those for a fee was better, in fact those of the all inclusive were only a dozen... FOR GOD'S SAKE! I really do not recommend it, especially to Italians... it is absolutely not a 5 star as it is sold: at first glance beautiful and characteristic, then discover clean but old rooms (definitely to be restored, especially bathroom area) The entrance doors are like the internal ones so if they are not locked they are practically open to everyone! There are also no wardrobes: 4 of us had to keep our suitcases open on the ground and take clothes every day from there. There's only one drawer in the room. In the shower they never replaced the tubes of body cream and conditioner. The water was missing 3 times in 4 days and strangely after calling x report it, it returned (I deduce that they close it and reopen it if necessary) Even the power was lost 3/4 times. Abundant but not quality food x a 5 star. Fruit always hot and soft, drinks the same and cook in blackened pans with burnt and crusted bottoms which is unacceptable x a 5 star. Fruit juices made of colored water and sugar (with all this nice fruit that have mah!) The beach towels they delivered were often with brown spots.. Fundamental thing the beach is certainly not what you see in the beautiful videos, the sea here is dark green, I recommend area of the Emerald Resort is located in Matemwe, on the northeast coast. The only excellent thing is the SPA, managed by super qualified staff: professionals and specialists in wellness and aesthetics (especially the male one x aesthetics) Even the staff is welcoming and always smiling ready to meet every request and continuously clean any area. Discreet animation. In short, more than 1100 euros per day in 4 (but I specify that 2 are girls) for all these inconveniences I do not recommend it at all!! Especially x who like us lives more the island with excursions from morning until evening than the village!!
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We arrived at 9.15am after a 11hr flight to be told our room won’t be ready till 12 asked at reception no maybe at 2pm no finally after a 9 hr wait we got to our swim up room it was ok but needed seriously painting bathroom very small & dark no windows just a noisy vent. The cleaners gardeners pool attendance & serving staff are fantastic. Be wary when heading to the beach once you step over the line in the sand put there by security the so called Masai tribe make a bee line crowding you to buy things which are rubbish so you can’t have a nice walk. The food is very repetitive every day & just warm got bored quickly eating the same things. Be aware that you have to pay extra for ice cream capachino & Pizza & named spirits but the hot tubs are free.Remember to ask for a cold beer or you’ll get a warm one. Our favourite barmaid was a lovely lady called Comfort she is very special please give a small tip to the staff & they’ll look after you. If your near reception the internet is fine but there’s a catch when you move away ie beach or your room it goes off reception charge $20 for 2 wks. The entertainment was quiet good on some nights, if your not french the animation team don’t want to know you which isn’t right where all there from around the world to have fun. The shop is quite expensive when you find it open sunscreen $35 spirits $85. Go along the pier the food is lovely worth paying for. On our day of leaving we had a call at12.15 from reception telling us we had to be out our room at 12 the cleaners & luggage trolly was outside already waiting I was so angry nobody informed us reception told us it was $50 to keep the room till 5pm when we handed our key back the guy was so rude made me feel like I was nothing Be very careful when booking that you know all the extras they add on. There are 3 pools which many people have said 1 could be for adults only I totally agree
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The resort is in a word: Great! A beautiful location on the beach with 3 swimming pools, 1 with salt water. The food is very good and there is a lot of variety. The staff is always ready to serve you with a smile. There are activities like water polo in the pool every day for example. The housekeeping was also really top, every day one your room is thoroughly cleaned and you get new towels. Angela is the manager of the resort and welcomes everyone with a wide smile and a nice chat.
Excellent!
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The hotel itself is stunning. It’s like paradise - so serene and calm.
My room was lovely, I had a garden view, featuring two cute cats who chased you down the path each morning. The room was cleaned every day with fresh towels given.
The staff were so friendly and could not do enough for you. I don’t think I touched my suitcase for more than 30 seconds whilst I was there.
And the pool areas were so lovely and well maintained, with the main pool situated right next to the beach. There was a very entertaining Aqua fitness instructor who got everyone involved and made the classes really fun and inclusive.
I did struggle with the lack of organisation before I arrived. I had very little information about my airport transfers given which was a bit stressful, considering I was a female travelling alone. I also booked a late checkout with them which they confirmed weeks before my arrival only to be told they’d made a mistake and sold my room that day. Meaning my only option was to pack up and move to a lower tier room on my day of check out (and still be charged for it).
The food was hit and miss. I ate in the buffet and also the African restaurant for one night. Breakfast was okay, lunch wasn’t great, I ate a lot of pasta! And dinner was hit and miss too. However, I found this throughout Tanzania not just at this hotel. I originally booked half board, thinking there would be some beach bars to eat from but there weren’t so I had to pay $18 dollars each day that I wanted lunch - considering I just picked at a roll or maybe some pasta it seemed quite expensive.
Was a shame they didn’t really get behind the snacks and ice cream at the beach bar too - they announce each morning it was opening but there didn’t seem to be much attendance to it so you weren’t too sure if food was available or not.
The spa was really nice and the team there were very lovely too.
I also booked a couple of tours through their agency, flash tours, one of which being the Mnemba dolphin spotting and snorkelling tour. It was just awful. 50 fishing ships chasing after and surrounding a mother and calf and then telling people to dive in and almost jumping on them. I was really disgusted. Not directly the hotels fault, but they are allowing the tour to be sold so definitely somewhat accountable.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Travel HumanEye, Agency / Consultant at Kiwengwa Beach Resort
Responded Aug 21, 2024
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your stay at our hotel. Our team works hard to provide exceptional service, and it’s heartwarming to know that we succeeded in making your visit memorable. We hope to welcome you back soon for another delightful stay. Safe travels! 🌟 Kiwengwa Beach Team
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Zanzibar is a magical location and well worth a visit as part of your bucket list! The Kiwengwa Beach Resort is certainly on reputation one of the best around so this review aims to give a balanced report on the hotel and resort at large. Staff: The staff made the holiday for us with their cheery 'Jambo' every morning and a sincere desire to help whenever and wherever they could. Each area is marked by a different uniform so you can't mistake restaurant staff from lobby, beach and room services. Rooms: We stayed in a room for 3 which was basic. Clean and tidy with air con and a fan. The bathroom was clean but tatty with the plastering appearing to have come to a halt half way through. We had a shower flood after one day which was attended to promptly. The maid service was excellent and we were supplied with clean towels and sheets every day. They were wonderful too. Management: we had no issues and were reliably informed by other guests that the management were on hand to listen to all guests and help in everyway. Grounds: Beautifully tended with an array of tropical shrubs and trees. A bonus was a colony of yellow Weaver birds nesting in a palm tree by the bar. The fountain at the entrance was cleaned regularly with the shells painstakingly removed, cleaned and replaced. The brass animals greet visitors as they approach the open reception area. You can't fault the design. Bars: Very open plan. The main one next to reception was spacious and airy while there was a beachside one with a seating area next to Jacuzzis. Hot drinks, refreshments etc were available from 10am. Pool: One active one with music all day and two quieter ones. Both were cleaned and well attended by staff. Gym and spa: Offered by an outside organisation and offered usual spa services including: hair and beauty, massage, nails etc. The gym was adequate and some guests used it. The area was tidy and cleaned regularly. Animation: events put on each day; aqua gym, volleyball, water polo, morning stretch. The 'darty' game(darts) was fun and well organised by the two Tanzanian lads who were constantly enthusiastic throughout. the same couldn't be said about the French team who seemed to be there for the sole purpose of entertaining the French guests. One did tell me that they were there for all but we saw precious little evidence of it and at times they were very stand offish and could have been more welcoming to all guests. Entertainment: hit and miss. The highlight for us was a party club night in the restaurant on the pier. More could have been done to advertise this even though it wasn't organised by the hotel but a lot of the guests seemed to know about it. Overall: we had a great relaxing stay and would recommend the Kiwengwa Beach Resort to all. We would stay there again
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:The bar gets busy after dinner so get a spot early if you want to see the entertainment.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Travel HumanEye, Agency / Consultant at Kiwengwa Beach Resort
Responded Sep 23, 2024
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your stay at our hotel. Our team works hard to provide exceptional service, and it’s heartwarming to know that we succeeded in making your visit memorable. We hope to welcome you back soon for another delightful stay. Safe travels! 🌟 Kiwengwa Beach Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We had a great week at Kiwengwa Beach resort. The hotel staff is very smiling and welcoming, good food, grilled fish daily, barbecue, 3 beautiful pools, very nice lookéa animation. For the restaurant we would have liked to enjoy mangoes and pineapple, was often only served in the morning. We got to know the Massai on the beach. For excursions we did not go through the hotel but by a very serious private guide Rocky de Ouragan Tour available on insta, facebook tel +255 718 552 777 which offers private tours of the island of MNEMBA (dolphins, multicolored fish) and the Blue safari at prices much cheaper than at the hotel with a VIP service.
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Date of stay: March 2025
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:N'oubliez pas la crème solaire
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Super holiday in a very very nice place. Impressive is the welcome and kindness of all the staff who also understands and speaks Italian. The rooms are nice and quiet, although the bathrooms could use a refresh. In restaurants you eat very well and there are so many different dishes that it is impossible not to find what you like. There are various bars where you can drink what you want. I recommend to everyone the formula "all inclusive" to have no problems. The beach is fine white sand and the sea is clean, the beach attendants always find you an umbrella and two comfortable sunbeds. A place hard to forget
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Fare la all inclusive
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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