Reviews of Fumba Beach Lodge
(85%) From 31 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Fumba Beach Lodge
Fumba Beach Lodge was great. Our suite was very comfortable with direct access to the beach. The bed was huge.
My husband did 4 dives and was very impressed with the dive school. The staff were great and instruction was good. The equipment was of a good standard. He was even able to dive when he was the only one diving that day.
We went on a snorkelling trip and picnic which was fantastic. Just the two of us and a guide and boat driver. We snorkelled for an hour and were then taken to a beautiful small island where lunch was prepared for us. We then returned under sail which was magical - so peaceful. We were able to visit the local village. The people were all very friendly and we felt quite safe.
Fumba Beach Lodge review
Fumba Beach was chosen for its location close to Stone Town, rather than its quality and comfort.
That said the hotel is clearly in need of some investment. We had two luxury rooms. Both rooms had holes in their roofs (luckily it didn't rain). The sheets were stained, the towels had holes in and the toilets reeked of moth balls. We were there 3 nights and two of them we had to prepare our rooms at night ourselves - the third night we asked. At breakfast pastries and breads were uncovered and were covered in flies. We stuck to cooked food but still worried about the hygiene in the kitchen.
At sunset we went to the bar to order two (expensive) cocktails. We asked if there were any nuts only to be told we would have to pay for them as it was before 6:30pm (it was 6pm). The hotel is managed by a young couple in their twenties who tried really hard but clearly lack experience. It felt like the owners were running it as cheaply as possible.
On a positive note the setting is lovely and the food at night was very good.
Fumba Beach Lodge review
This was a much larger resort than any of the others I stayed at and was not as luxurious, but the food was delicious and the dive shop was brilliant. I am stubbornly independent when I snorkel and, as there were no other snorkellers on the boat, the guide just let me wander and followed to keep me safe during the length of the two tank dive undertaken by the other passenger with the dive master.
The only real frustration was the lack of a good reading light in the room.
Perfect spot for chilling
Whilst just a short journey from the airport/Stone Town, Fumba is a small somewhat isolated hotel which provides the perfect opportunity to relax, recharge batteries and enjoy the sun, beach and sea. Day trips can be aranged by the staff to the usual locations (Spice Tour, Forest trip to see the colobus monkeys, dolphin experiences, diving, snorkelling trips etc.).
We stayed in a deluxe suite which was excellent. Huge bedroom with massive bed completely surrounded with a mosquito net, chairs, table, desk, wardrobe, safe and bookcase with books left by previous guests. Enormous bathroom with huge bath tub and shower overhead, twin sinks, flushing toilet, plenty of hot water. Also outside private double shower which we used every night rather than the indoor one. On the roof a lovely terrace with views over the beach and sea. Huge wooden double doors open onto a large decking area with hammock, day bed and table overlooking the beach. It felt very private and the staff were really uninobtrusive. All set in lovely well tended gardens. The resident bush babies were a liitle noisy though especially when playing on our roof at night!
Beach towels provided. Private locally made sun beds available on the beach immediately infront of he room and also around the small pool. Tides and coral reef mean swimming in the sea is somewhat limited.
Meals served alfresco overlooking the beach. Good choice of fresh local produce. We stayed three nights, one evening there was an African themed night with swalhili food and music, another we were surprised to be lead to a small terrace for an intimiate dinner right on the water front. Extensive range of drinks available. Complemetary tea, coffee and cakes served every afternoon.
Whilst we were there in late August, the southern monsoon winds were pretty strong and hence the sea and palms were somewhat nosiy. I found it actually rather theraputic. We did experience an extremely heavy downpour but it didn't last long & cleared the air.
Highly recommended for a quiet relaxing break. Three nights was good although we would have been happy to stay longer especially if we had wanted to take a trip or too beyond the local area. There is a dive centre in the hotel grounds.
No local shops so be sure to have more than enough sun screen and insect repellant although few mossies around in August.
Great diving off Fumba
A good lodge, rooms with direct access to the beach, lovely infinity pool, terrific sunsets, outdoor bathroom and seating rotated at dinner to include tables nearer to the sea. The staff were very friendly.
The food was generally very good, however when seated on the beach service tended to be slower. One steak meal was disappointing, difficult to eat partly due to the steak but also the blunt knife, as we were seated on the beach the waiter had disappeared.
We enjoyed 3 days of superb diving, in the marine reserve, with our own personall guide, Lauren. The diving was very well organised and the boat crew extremely helpful, the equipment new and of good quality.
Fumba Beach Lodge review
Fumba Beach Lodge was a very good choice and we loved our time spent here. We were very fortunate in being upgraded to a luxury room - perfect view straight onto the beach and the most divine open showers!!
Fumba had a new chef during our stay and we found the food excellent. Each evening was a unique dining experience in a different location - on our last evening the Lodge provided us with a surprise private meal on our verandah - with our own chef - lobster, candlelight and the sound of the surf! It really was a great way to spend our last night.
Only point we would make is to recommend booking the luxury room as opposed to deluxe. I think we would have been unhappy with the deluxe room as it did not match our expectations. However, as we were given a free upgrade we really are not complaining and would recommend Fumba Beach Lodge.
Fumba Beach Lodge review
Efficiently transferred from the airport by Eco Tours. A friendly welcome and tour of the property from Jos then taken to our suite (no1). Very comfortable bed , excellent double shower and, joy of joys, a separate loo! Lovely fluffy towels; however despite there being a notice explaining that towels are only changed on request due to water shortages these were changed every day which we thought unnecessary.
We were unable to make use of the upstairs terrace due to heavy rain each morning which meant the beds got wet. The rain in the mornings was disappointing but it cleared by lunchtime both days and we enjoyed the lovely pool.
Spa facilities were expensive (3 times the price of my massage at Pole Pole) as were the trips on offer. However we should perhaps have been more proactive in discussing possibilities as we realised on the last day that the diving centre in particular were willing to tailor trips to requirements. They are also happy to hire snorkelling gear for a quiet pootle off the beach.
Our first night was the weekly Swahili evening which we thought was excellent – very good food and service and good entertainment. One of the chefs was delighted when we said how much we enjoyed his banana soup and I even have the recipe to try at home. It would be shame to miss this evening so perhaps, as most people only stay 3 or 4 nights it could be done twice a week?
Food was generally very good though choice was lacking a bit if you were late-ish to breakfast. We had lunch one day which was delicious. Service was always efficient and friendly though a little formal – with so many people going through the staff have little opportunity to get to know individuals. We had to leave very early on our last morning and arrived at reception to find not just the promised flask of coffee but plates of breads and pastries too – thank you!
Fumba Beach Lodge review
A good place to relax. The kids enjoyed the "resort" feel. To me Fumba felt more commercially oriented than other places we stayed at in Tanzania. Sometimes unsure whether I was in Spain or not.
I regretted not taking the Safari Blue trip in full day we had here.
fumba - great hotel great staff
Fumba is very well organised, the staff make sure you know where you are, what you can do,
We were given the twin room we asked for, we had the electricity problem explained to us on arrival. We did not know Zanzibr had no electricity until this moment. They explained when the generators would be on and when not.
The staff circulated unobtrusively during dinner and were friendly and open to any questions you had
the spa was fabulous, i had a pedicure and it was brilliajt
we also wanted to go snorkelling, but cecilia had not done this before, she is asthmatic and afraid of deep water.
the couple at fumba who organsed the diving, snorkelling etc had only arrived themsleves that week but they got together 3 other OAPS and gave us a special trip for only one hour to snorkel which was exactly what we and the elderly lot wanted. the trips werotherwise half or full day
there was no shop on site, so if you hadno sun cream or mozzie repellent you would have been stuck. there were some postcards behind the reception desk if you asked for them and stamps as well.
the food was very good breakfast and lunch. dinner was a curious menu with long fangled titles from the 1980s and spoilt with lack of local fresh ingredients. they had tried to make a sophisticated 3 course menu in european style but a lot of it was tinned corn etc and not good. however i asked for a salad instead one night adn the chef make me one,
the fish, tuna, kingfish prawns was consistentl excellent as was the fruit platters
just the non local food, that was pretty mediocre.
the african staff were also very good here, well trained, discreet, went out of their way to make your trip perfect
fabulous start to a holiday.
will recommend fumba to as many people as i can think of who will be going to zanzibar
Fumba Beach Lodge review
We very much enjoyed our stay at Fumba. An all-round good lodge is blessed with having a wonderful setting along the beach front with very well tended grounds. We were greeted with a very warm welcome that continued throughout: highlights were the very pleasant musical entertainment at Thursday evening's dinner and a superb snorkelling trip conducted by the attached Dive Centre, whose staff were very friendly, flexible and knowledgeable. Food was always good and occasionally even better, and we enjoyed eating our dinner in different areas, bringing variety to the views and setting. At around US$ 40 the wine was a tad pricey.
Our 'room' was very good - furnished with taste, comfort and style rather than out and out luxury - with the secluded beach-view hammock, private terrace and spacious inside and outside bathroom facilities being much appreciated. Our only minor criticism is that some additional maintenance would be welcome in some areas - such as the outside shower plumbing - and a water bucket would be useful outside to wash sand off feet before entering: we pointed this out around the middle of our stay but sadly one didn't turn up, despite one of the senior staff making some arrangements. Oh and the crashing of the sea close by had a tendency to disrupt our sleep, but such things are forgiven in near paradise!
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.
