Reviews of Mchanga Beach Lodge
(90%) From 35 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Relaxing time in Mchanga Beach Lodge
Mchanga Beach Lodge is a perfect place for lazy and relaxing time, especially if one looks for a bit more privacy. Food was excellent, and so was restaurant and bar service.
Our bungalow was very cosy, but the room service leaves some space for improvement (room cleaning, fresh towels, etc.).
Mchanga Beach Lodge review
This was easily the best beach holiday we have had.
The lodge is beautiful: very low impact, extremely well cared-for and maintained, in a simply gorgeous position. There is a lovely swimming pool, immediate access to the beach, excellent food, efficient and friendly staff. Gloria and Thomas are perfect hosts.
It is quiet, peaceful and just the perfect place for a tropical stay. I hope we can go again.
Mchanga beach paradise
Just wonderful - spectacular setting, secluded, and relaxing. Great acommodation. we were very well looked after by all the staff and management. The service was amazing and so were the smiles. Fantastic location and great cuisine.
It would be difficult to imagine a better way to chill out after a great safari experience. thanks to everyone.
Mchanga Beach Lodge review
Gloria and Thomas run a great beach lodge - they were really welcoming and helpful. Each night they'd come round for a chat before dinner which is a great way to raise any minor issues or to make recommendations and get tips. It was a nice touch.
The accommodation is comfortable and simple without being luxurious. Simple things such as bags for towels and sarongs to use on the beach were a really nice touch. The food was excellent - the flavours and spicing combined western and Zanzibari cuisine really well. The drive through a poor fishing village to the lodge was an eye-opener to start with but as we saw more of Zanzibar we realised that the living standard was quite common. The area of the island where the lodge is located is quiet so there aren't any other places to go to eat but it is quiet and relaxing and away from any crowds.
The sea goes out a long way from the beach for much of the day so you can't swim there most of the time. We found a lot of seaweed in the water and tried to snorkel but couldn't find anything at all! It was a bit disappointing but we understand that the snorkel trip to the nearby island is good [we never got round to doing it!]. The pool at the lodge is lovely and we swam in it quite a bit.
We got a bit of hassle from locals when we walked on the beach but mostly a 'no thank you' was sufficient and they never came close to the lodge.
The staff were friendly but their English seemed quite limited so conversation was minimal. "You're welcome" was used a lot as a catch all for pretty much anything we said or asked - we gave up trying to chat to the staff after a couple of days [although one of the bar men tried really hard, bless him]. We found the service to be a bit inconsistent, one day we were offered afternoon tea which was brought to us on the beach - but never offered it again. We weren't sure why! It wasn't a problem to ask for it [there's no charge we discovered at the end] but it was a bit random.
There was a bit of a fight for the sunbeds under the shades which ultimately seemed to result in people getting up quite early to 'bags' a bed. We weren't too fussed and found a lovely spot under the trees but as the beds closer to the beach and under permanent shades were so popular, it would make sense to have some more [there are only 6 in total].
Overall a really nice little 'oasis of calm' where the days slip by easily and comfortably!
Mchanga Beach Lodge review
Excellent location.Simple but comfortable rooms Attentive service.Very good beach.
Local staff very well trained
Very good pool
Wonderfully relaxing
Lovely room, lovely staff, food good but overall a bit weird. Could just be us!
Read more about the whole beach holidyLiad back Mchanga
You'd be hard pushed to find softer, whiter sand than at Mchanga Beach Lodge – the beach is simply stunning. You can kick off your shoes here and quite happily leave them off until it's time to leave. Though driving through the village to reach the lodge is rather sobering, the lodge itself is very charming in a chilled out, low-key way. The service was very friendly with all the staff introducing themselves by name, and the food was good and plentiful.
After the luxury of our Selous safari camp the simplicity of the room here was a stark contrast. Given the setting and the service the room was actually a little disappointing – ours was dark (although this did help to keep it cool), the drains were a bit smelly and there was no hot water in the shower.
In fact our toilet broke and started to leak, although it was fixed very promptly. Having said this, we really only used the room to sleep and shower – the beach is the star here. Overall this is a good, basic place for some post-safari relaxation.
Mchanga Beach Lodge review
Food good,service good.
Far from all activities in the island.
Simple, quiet and relaxing
A really small place run by a lovely Dutch couple and right on a huge, wide white sandy beach. You really can kick of your shoes on arrival and leave them to one side until departure!
Rooms are simple but have everything needed - electricty, flushing toilet, hot water shower, dual sinks, fan and air con. Beds are very comfortable and completely covered by a mosquito net. Rattan storage unit providing hanging and storage space. Small sandy terrace outside with chairs and table. Fresh coffee and tea delivered every morning. Safety deposit facilities provided in the main office.
Small shop onsite selling locally produced products, internet access and organiation of trips/transfers. Fairly large range of books and some magazines available to exchange.
Breakfast and dinner served in small dining room. Lunch can be taken anywhere. Good choice of swahili influenced food with lots of fresh produce. Well stocked bar with games available and entertaining staff. They taught us how to play the local game bao which we enjoyed with a local beer each evening. Complementary tea, coffee and cake served every afternoon.
13 metre pool for cooling off or excercise. Locally made beach beds available in the sun, under the palms or even right on the beach under three locally built cabanas.
Beach towels, locally produced beach baskets and wraps provided.
The location is very quiet with little else around although a short walk on the beach and there are quite a few large Italian hotels and beach 'shacks' selling locally made products. Henna painting and hair beading available too.
The beach and sea does have quite a lot of seaweed on it though this we didn't see this as a problem. The beach area around the local village is rather dirty with rubbish especiially plastic bags - a curse in Tanzania, you see them lying around everywhere! The locals are very indifferent to the tourists but who can blame them.
More development along the beach in evidence. Wonder how it will be in 200 years time, hopefully not spoilt by tourist facilities and the tourists themselves more to the point!
Four nights was a good amount of time to spend here having had three night in another small beach hotel.
Mchanga Beach Lodge review
Wonderful experience - a great place to relax and explore.
Read more about the whole beach holidy
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
