The Palms is a sister-resort to Breezes Beach Club, and situated right next door. However with only 6 villas Palms is much more exclusive – this is reflected in the price which is significantly more than that of Breezes.
Each of the large, luxurious villas at The Palms has a huge bedroom, a lounge with mod-cons (including a TV and DVD player), en-suite bathroom, plus a private outdoor plunge pool. Each villa also has the exclusive use of a private banda. Situated on the beachfront overlooking the sea and furnished with a pair of comfortable loungers – this is a great place to relax.
In the centre of the complex, in front of the villas, is a blue-tiled swimming pool for the use of all the residents. Adjacent to the pool is the Pool Bar & Restaurant which serves a choice of daily specials for lunch. Opposite is the Plantation House where you will find the main bar/lounge and dining area. This is a beautiful colonnaded thatched building with French-windows all around, lovely wooden floors and dark, carved furniture.
There is also a tiny spa at The Palms with a sea view, though most guests usually head over to the enormous and impressive Frangipani spa at Breezes Beach Club. Breezes guests are not permitted into Palms, however Palms guests are allowed to pop over to Breezes to use all of their facilities and organize any water-sport activities.
The gardens at Palms are beautiful, with, as you might guess, no shortage of palm trees, plus bougainvillea and manicured lawns setting off the makuti-thatch villas.
Palms is beautifully designed, and little personal touches like daily sundowners with the other guests makes for a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. However it has to be said that the public areas are small considering the price – there's no sense of space here at all – and is right next to the big, busy Breezes Beach Resort. If you are looking for a tranquil and smart resort, then Palms should suit you.
See our satellite map, and note that The Palms is the relatively small complex to the north of the beachfront. You can clearly see the six villas in a curve (top-left to bottom) around the central area.
Ideal length of stay: Stay 3 to 4 days or more to totally relax and take advantage of all the great facilities here
Central facilities: The central areas at Palms have tried to capture a feeling of 'understated elegance' and when we were last there they had undoubtedly achieved this. The main area where you find the bar/lounge, dining room and library has been furnished using dark wood, antique furniture and natural fabrics all under thatch. The result is an elegant colonial feel that is made complete by little touches such as the use of old-fashioned ceiling fans, polished wooden floors and tea served on the deck outside.
The blue-tiled swimming pool sits back from the beach slightly and though the pool is a little on the small side, there is still a reasonable amount of space and plenty of loungers for snoozing and relaxing. Just adjacent is the informal pool bar which sits on decking under some shady thatch. It is open on all sides which welcomes the sea breeze and serves lunch from the daily specials board.
Palms has a small spa where you can get a variety of relaxation treatments. Oil treatments take place inside the spa and Thai massages are given on a comfortable bed on the outside terrace.
Palms also has a small gift shop, with local curios and souvenirs.
Directions: It takes around 35 minutes to fly to Zanzibar from Dar es Salaam, and then it's a further one hour by car to The Palms.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
Usual board basis: Full Board
Food quality:Breakfast is usually served from 7.30 – 10.00 and consists of plenty of fresh fruit, a variety of cereals as well as a full English breakfast. Lunch is an informal affair served in the pool bar where you can choose from the daily specials served between 12.30 – 2.pm.
Dinner at Palms is then a 5-course set menu and is a much more formal affair. When we last visited and spoke with the team at The Palms, they did say that they could be a little more flexible with the dining times between 7.30 to 10pm, if requested in advance. Dinner can also be served in your beach hut or on the beach (tide dependant).
Though we did not sample the food at The Palms on our last visit in November 2011, we would expect it to be of a similar standard to Breezes which in the past has always been very good.
Dining style: Inidividual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Room service: Yes
Cost of meal e.g. lunch: Included
Drinks included: Most drinks are included, except for champagne and specially imported wines and spirits. Cigarettes are excluded.
Special interests
Honeymoons: The Palms is a luxurious place with a weighty price tag to match. However for those who want an exclusive honeymoon with easy access to the facilities of a big resort – then this is a good choice.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for honeymoons in Zanzibar
Beach holidays: The Palms sits on an idyllic stretch of white beach on Zanzibar's Michamvi Peninsula. It only has 6 rooms, each with its own private deck and loungers right on the beach and is a really exclusive getaway.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for beach holidays in Zanzibar
Wellbeing: The rooms at The Palms each have their own private outdoor plunge pool as well as the Sanctuary Spa which offers a variety of massages and beauty treatments. For a broader range of treatments and activities such as yoga and meditation then head over to the enormous spa at Breezes
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for wellbeing in Zanzibar
Children
Attitude towards children: Palms will welcome older teenage children.
Age restrictions: Children have to be 16 years or older to stay at Palms.
Activities: There are no special activities here for children
Equipment: There is no special equipment here for children, although an extra bed or two can be put in the rooms
Generally recommended for children: No
Notes: Younger children are not permitted to stay at Palms and children older than 16 years might find that they head over to Breezes fairly often, where there is a more buzzing and social atmosphere.
Central communications
Power supply: Mains Electricity
Communications: All of the rooms have phones with an outside line; there is a charge for calling outside the hotel. There is internet access available for guests in reception. You will also find intermittent mobile reception around Palms.
TV & radio: There is a TV and DVD player in all of the villas and a selection of over 700 DVDs available to borrow in Reception.
Health & safety
Malarial area: Yes
Medical care: There is an on-site nurse who can treat minor illnesses and injuries - for more serious cases there is a nearby doctor who can be called as well as a hospital in Stone Town (about an hour away).
Dangerous animals: Low Risk
Security measures: The front gate is always closed and manned by security – getting in there feels like quite a mission even when you're a legitimate visitor! There are also discrete guards dotted around the property.
Fire safety: There are extinguishers in all of the rooms and main areas.
Extras
Disabled access: On Request
Laundry facilities: Laundry is an extra charge – when we were last there it was about $3 – 7 depending on the item.
Money: The Palms will exchange Dollars, Pounds, Euros and travellers' cheques.
Accepted payment: The Palms accept payment for any extras in Euros, Sterling or Dollars cash, travellers' cheques and Visa & Mastercard & Amex (with no extra charge).
We want you to understand more about The Palms. We're also confident that a trip there with us cost you the same or less than booking it any other way, even directly. So follow the links below.
The Palms homepage Flash introduction can be skipped to reveal some useful information, and lots of enticing pictures.
