Thursday 5 November 2009

Client Feedback

Dear Nick

We just wanted to say a huge thank you for organising our wonderful holiday. Zanzibar is the most wonderful place, and we were so impressed by Zanzibar Unique. Christine and her team went out of her way to help us, the pick ups were all on time, very comfortable cars and the drivers were delightful and so interetsting to talk to.

Ralph and Else at Unguja were so helpful. Please can you thank them so much for enabling Gary to be reunited with his fountain pen at the airport - brilliant organisation on your part. I also hope that Peter at Kasha has returned the room key to them as he promised to do.

As you know Kasha was a disappointment, but we were so impressed by the way you handled the situation and were able to extract us from there into Pongwe. I think Peter was very decent to refund the two nights for us - how do we go about this - does it get credited back to my credit card? It is a shame, but we felt so uncomfortable there. Pongwe more than made up for it and we cant wait to go back.

Our trip to Stone Town went well and we enjoyed the Zanzibar Palace.

We are most impressed by Pure Zanzibar and sorry for the additional work we caused you with Kasha and the pen. You can judge a travel agent by what they book and arrange for you, but I think a better judge is how they deal with problems while you on holiday - you guys definitely get an A+!

I look forward to receiving details of our refund from Kasha,


and once again for one the best and most needed holidays we have had in ages.

Kind regards



Nikki and Gary

Guest Feedback

Hi Ed
I can’t tell you how much we have just loved our trip!!!!......it was probably one of the best holidays we have had and all down to your hard work in making it so. We did not have one hiccup and had the most wonderful driver called Martin who was just superb. Please pass on to your team in Africa and let them know how special Martin is. He was so passionate and caring and obviously very intelligent. My Parents just could not get over his care and concerns to make this so special for us all. The campsite on the first night was far too far for our next day journey and made this an incredible amount of driving for Martin but saying that is was the most magical place and he didn’t once complain. The whole journey could not have gone any better and we only wished we could have had more time. We saw practically every animal the Serengeti could throw at us and for my mother this was especially wonderful as she has been a volunteer at Whipsnade Zoo for 23 years!!!. My father was speechless at Speke Bay as there were so many birds and all of us of course were so delighted to meet Bridgitte’s boys at Mwanza. This I think was quite an experience for Martin too but he was just fabulous taking us there. I can’t even begin to tell you how the Dolphin View Hotel was and we were spoilt incredibly with the most wonderful staff. They obviously have an enormous task on their hands to bring it up to spec but I am sure one day it will be a top class retreat and one we will never forget.
So thank you once again for making it all happen and hope we can book again with you some day as Bridgitte will definitely be working at Kuleana Street Project again!!!!
Kind regards
Kim
Ps please pass this on to everyone involved.
Thanks
x

Kim

Wednesday 4 November 2009

Monday 19th October : Ras Nungwi – Neptune Pwani

After a successful internet session in the lounge of Ras Nungwi, we moved on to our next stop for the night on the North East coast and were delighted to find newly tarred roads and the occasion sign to help us on our way.

Neptune Pwani was a straight up winner with me, we arrived through large iron gates to bright pink flowers climbing the walls that boarder the resort and an impressive drive way leading to an open reception area with a central fountain and smiling Italian faces!

This was our first taste of the All Inclusive larger hotels on the Island and it was just as promised – beautifully maintained and managed with excellence, nothing was out of place and nothing a problem. All the Villas which contain 4 rooms each have individual solar panels & their two free form pools are the biggest on the Island. I finally got to swim and we had an afternoon to ourselves for reading and sunbathing in the shade. This was the first buffet style self service hotel and the food was 5* with a fresh fish grill, pasta station where dishes were made to order and you created your own sauces ( chilli, cheese & bacon for me and boy oh boy is Zanzibari chilli HOT ) and much much more.

I enjoyed our day at Neptune Pwani and would happily have stayed a few more though it would certainly result in serious weight gain.

Sunday 18th October : The Z Hotel – Ras Nungwi

We left The Z shortly after mid day and headed north to call in at the new Hilton Doubletree - a large development on the site of Nungwi Beach Village, the final resort on the northern tip of the Island.

They have built four blocks of rooms each with beautifully crafted local furniture and views out to the Ocean. We were suitably impressed and where you often find the international branded hotels can leave you feeling you could be anywhere in the world, this property had a distinct Zanzibari feel.

Though the hotel is in its final stages of completion, the staff were lovely and we had a beach front table for lunch and a really tasty beef & aubergine pizza – a new one on me and one I’ll be repeating when I get home along with upside down banana caramel cake from Olakira & spiced corgette soup from Echo Beach!

After lunch we headed to Ras Nungwi where we managed to get the last five minutes of sunshine on the beach and both promptly fell asleep. We awoke for dinner and saw a patter emerging of Sleep, Eat, Hotel Inspection, Eat, Drive, Hotel Inspection, sleep, Eat , Sleep and back to the beginning again. When visiting hotels which we didn’t have time to stay at it was only polite to at least stay for lunch. October 2009 is going down in Tarquin & Susie history as the best fed month of our lives!

Ras Nungwi was lovely and catered for an older crowd than the The Z Hotel with a much more subdued vibe and a place where most seemed to be fed and in bed by 9.30 – ourselves included.

Friday 16th – Sunday 18th October : Kilindi – The Z Hotel

Our car was delivered to Kilindi and we set off for The Z Hotel after one last exquisite meal at Kilindi – open Steak Focasia with the most deliciously pleasing sharp dressing which brought through 5 or 6 different flavours, the sign of a wonder chef for sure ! A slight Brandy haze was washed away and we set for the open road.

10 minutes later we were driving along the main road into Nungwi looking for a sign for The Z but failing this we headed down towards Le Gemma and around the back of the hotels from Kwendra towards Nungwi. We later found out that Hafis ( The Z Hotel General Manager) is in talks with the village council to confirm a position for The Z Hotel sign. Self drive guests are very rare indeed in Zanzibar so we were pleased as punch when we arrived using our own local knowledge and the knowledge of a local when we hit a dead end which happened to be the wrong side of the reception wall of the Z, so near.....

We parked up in the courtyard and were met by smiling faces, cold towels and juices before signing in and putting names to faces of the Z team who we work so closely with.

After the lovely James, Haf’s right hand man, showed us around the hotel we settled into The Z Suite which takes the whole of the top floor of one of the two accommodation blocks – wowzer. One balcony was home to our roof top Jacuzzi & the other a seating area with a beautiful brass telescope to keep a look out for pirates. Tarquin had great fun with the Internet connection (TIA as our Leonardo does say in his lovely Rhodesian accent) but he managed to refrain from throwing the laptop over the balcony into the infinity pool below.

Sunset cocktails followed by some giant tempura prawns, crab cakes and two perfectly cooked fillet steaks with mash & vegetables = sleepy travellers and an early night.

The following morning, a full English breakfast was delivered to our room at 9.30am and we guiltily ate not on the balcony overlooking the ocean but in the Air Conditioned room watching Top Gear on BBC world satellite – our first viewing in 10 days and as I caught the end of the news i was deeply sadden that Stephen Gately of Boy Zone had passed away. My little sister Tara was a huge fan and Stephen was her favourite. God rest his soul.

The charming Hafis then took us for a hotel inspection and we were very impressed with what we saw. The 2 cottages set on stilts over the ocean are something else, the upstairs bedrooms have balconies with double doors opening out to you own private Oceanscape, impossible not to wake totally chilled.

Naturally I owed it to the future guests of Pure Zanzibar & The Z Hotel to sample the Spa and enjoyed an hour long deep tissue massage from Agnes at the Lemon Spa.

That evening we dined in Saruche on Surf & Turf for the boy and a lovely chicken dish for myself, delicious wine & after dinner we headed out to Matemwe for a little party and then on to Kwendra for an altogether larger ‘half moon’ party. Tarquin wants to bring chilled and intelligent beats to Zanzibar, I second the notion as after the run of Bob Marley and gangster rap Swahili style came what we guess is the DJ’s offering for the foreigners – YMCA, Boom Boom Boom, various Euro Cheese and a collection of what can only be described as a Yamaha Keyboard demo heaven with an overlay of Baby Baby Baby. The Spanish Costas circa 1992.

Thur 15th Oct 09

After a well earned lie in – the first since our departure some 10 days earlier, we were driven north to the exquisitely charming and other worldly serenity of Kilindi. As we stepped out of the vehicle and were handed vanilla scented ice cold towels to refresh our weary souls we looked at each other with a ‘this is what it is all about’ glint to our eyes.

From the reception area which overlooks the domed roofs that characterise Kilindi, we ascended to the walkways linking the individually designed Pavilions and were shown to a table on the shaded decking of the chic restaurant.

Russell, the Food and Beverages Manager, was behind his elegant bar with water cascading down a huge granite like slab forming the back wall which at this point I just wanted to hug (the wet wall, not Russell). Much to Tarquin’s delight the hotel was half full of Models on a Fashion shoot from Belgium. As I contemplated the scene of a mere mortal like myself in swimwear next to a model half my age & width, I ordered a burger, sunk a few full fat fizzy drinks and retired to the privacy of our own pavilion where i was revered as the true goddess I am !

After a siesta in our palacial size bed (the equivalent of 2 queen size beds) we joined the rest of the guests in the dining area for a dinner of slow roasted goat with orange & beetroot, pea & mint ravioli for Susie & Red Snapper for Tarquin, followed by a locally inspired pudding with a fresh ginger ice cream.

Kilindi, we love you.