Pemba Paradise

The staff was really attentive and the GM went out of her way to arrange excursions not affiliated with the hotel. It was my first time to Pemba and the diving and fishing were exceptional. The room was comfortable and the food was great. I will return.

The hotel is located in a beautiful, quiet part of the island with access to a lovely beach. Very simple but tasteful design. The food was very tasty. For dinner we always ordered fresh fish, which was delivered by fishermen to the hotel restaurant just before dinner. The chef personally came out to the guests and checked how we liked the food. The entire staff was lovely, very polite and committed to their work, including the Manager, who personally welcomed and said goodbye to guests. It is worth adding that the hotel provided efficient and punctual transport to various places, be it to the airport or diving. It was a wonderful, relaxing stay for us. Thank you very much / Asante sana

Beautifull place directly on the white sandy beach. We just came for a drink with the family. Very welcoming place and tasty milkshakes! Big and clean pool for the kids. Thanks Emmy, the new GM, for this warm welcome. We will be back in Pemba and we will stay here for sure!

We were a group of 11 on a diving trip with Afrodives. We arrived on the same day as the new manager Emy. All of the staff and Emy were at great pains to welcome us and to make our stay the best possible. The peace and quiet, the sunsets on the beach, the pool, the great food and the marvellous dives all contributed to a magical stay. Local excursions added another dimension, learning about life and work on Pemba with Sija from Pemba tours. He is passionate about his island and the importance of maintaining a balance between tourism and preserving the environment. For us it was well worth the bumpy roads to get to our destination so far from the hoards of tourists.

We have just spent a wonderful 4 days at Pemba Paradise. The hotel is wonderful, rooms are gorgeous but best of all are the staff who are very very friendly, always with a beaming smile and nothing is ever too much. The gold star award goes to Hussein who served us most days and was so friendly! The new manager Emmie is making some great changes and I can see it will only improve as she makes her mark. Thanks for having us!

I had stayed at this hotel 5 nights in January 2023 and found it an acceptable place although I thought already it was rather expensive for the quality of service it was offering, even in a remote place like Pemba North (very few accommodation options, in summary 3 hotels). Rooms, garden and swimming pool are pretty and comfy and the property, should it be properly managed, could be a good rustic three star hotel with a great sea view. I decided to book it again (14 nights) in November, making thereby the biggest mistake of my second two and a half month tour of Tanzania. Over less than a year, all prices (rooms, food and drinks) had increased in an unreasonable proportion, while the service had virtually collapsed, resulting in an almost empty resort, except a few clients, sent by their dive centre like me. The most problematic issue was food (availability, quantity and above all quality - the old chef, from his noisy kitchen, delivered daily what he wanted, cooked his own way, whatever the menu or the order was, and this in spite of repeated remarks). This became soon such a nuisance that, after three days, I skipped all lunches and had to find alternatives in the vicinity, to get at least an acceptable dinner. The roaming around of a recently appointed « guest relations officer », completely useless, added to the surrealism of the scene. Electricity cuts (the whole day in one case), poor telephone and wifi connections, loud radio and noisy staff in the kitchen, inappropriate music at sunset time on the (virtually empty) « cocktail terrasse », etc… finished spoiling my stay. Even if good staff who are an asset (receptionists, bar/restaurant attendants, cleaning personnel and gardeners) were encouraged and at the same time the useless ones were fired (e.g. the cook and the guest relations officer) this hotel, running like a chicken without head, should still undergo a complete reform, adjust its tariffs and rethink its services. By failing to do so, logically, it should head towards bankrupcy, in particular if its situation of monopoly would change. The neighbouring Aiyana, a good 4 star resort with correct food and service, is more expensive indeed (twice the price but including a good three-course dinner). But it is much smarter for a discerning traveller to spend 7 relaxing nights there than 14 unpleasant ones in this very weird « Paradise ».

Pemba Paradise was a lovely place to stay for a quiet, peaceful break. Room was clean and great sea views. Very friendly and helpful staff in Jeff, Hussein, George and Mary. It is quite isolated with the last section of road requiring 4 wheel drive so once you are there you would probably stay around the hotel. Diving and snorkelling would be main activities.