Reviews of Beyt al Chai
(82%) From 44 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Disappointing accomodation at Beyt al Chai
While very atmospheric, Beyt al Chai is in urgent need of a makeover. The electrics were unreliable; beds were three feet above the ground and the furnishings were poor. Very steep climb to bedroom which was not suitable for anyone with handicap like my wife.
We were in this hotel beciuase the Serena was full. Current manageress, the third in two years, is very good and is trying very hard to get the owners to invest. However if they do not we believe this hotel should be taken off your list.
We were on a bed and breakfastr rate but ate in the restaurant one night. It was very good.
Beyt al Chai review
This hotel is ideally situated in a safe area of the Town. It has a friendly, informal atmosphere with an unusual layout for a hotel, and a comfortable sitting room for reading.(not air-conditioned) The restaurant is well-recommended.
We were faced with a minor, but unresolved, plumbing problem, for which we were compensated by a free meal!
The manager, a Swedish lady, who had only arrived a month before, after 3 years in Zanzibar in some other capacity, is inexperienced, but trying hard. I am not sure she expected that some of her job would be answering naive questions from tourists, which elicited rather vague replies!. She provided us with an excellent town and tour guide (Salum).As a matter of interest, when I asked about Agnes Veillard,the manager thought I was talking about someone from the last century, so I presume that there has been another manager after Agnes
In the Bradt Guide the hotel is rated alongside the Serena. We would not agree.
Beyt al Chai review
I was very glad that Expert Africa persuaded us to stay here rather than some of the 'big' name places or hotels. The old style interiors are very warm and authentic - we felt we'd stepped back in time.
Althought close to all the interest in Stone Town we liked the fact that it was in its own sleepy square..
The only thing that went wrong
The only thing that we regret during our honeymoon was to stay here. Since we arrive until we left it wasn't what we were expecting and not really a unique experience. We still don't know if it was the local travel operator (fisherman's tour) or if it was the Beyt al Chai staff but making the mistake of overbooking our first night there was something that we could never imagine since we planned our honeymoon one year before.
Beside this incident we can not understand also why someone knocked at our door at 6:00am asking if we were going to check out, since we were suppose to leave at 13h00pm as we agreed with the Beyt al Chai manager . Also the Sultan's room is nothing special; I would say pretty bad for what they advertise on the internet/guides. This is a place that we wouldn't recommend to anyone. The good thing about this hotel is it's location.
Although the hotel experience was horrible, we did like very much Stone Town. The Arabian and African style mixed together was interesting. The people very friendly and food at the local restaurants was very good.
Expert Africa comments
There was a problem here when these travellers arrived: the specific (Sultan) room that they had booked at Beyt al Chai was overbooked. Only a smaller (Prince) room was available for their first night in Stone Town. We resolved this by moving these travellers for that night to the best hotel in town (the Serena - which is about 100m directly across the road from Beyt al Chai – at no cost to these travellers.
Thus we’re very sorry that these travellers disliked this hotel so much – but feel that their view may have been strongly influenced by the upset of the over-booking.
Beyt al Chai review
The Beyt al Chai is described in the book as being exclusive, but to be honest the hotel was adequate compared to some of the safari accomodation. Can not judge it based on other Stone Town Hotels. Was going to use restaurant there but after walking around the town we found somewhere we thought looked better and definetly had a better view (Sunset over ocean).
the location is only a couple of minutes from the main street in the town, very convienient for this.
The room itself looked better in the photos than reality. The shower was really a bath with a shower head that you had to hold up yourself and not exactly an en suite either, it was just in the corner of the room. The room itslef was large, but maybe a bit too big for the contents in it, a huge walk in dressing room was actually a free standing wardrobe. Also there was a sea view but dont think it could be described as supurbed.
The service was good from the guys there, but only had 1 night here.
The food for breakfast was good not sure on choices if you where here for more than 1 night.
The perfect place to stay in Zanzibar for us
This small hotel made you feel more like you were staying in someones house. It was beautifully decorated but unpretentious. We enjoyed the big relaxing sitting room.
The staff were friendly and efficient and the location was superb for being out and about Stonetown.
Beyt al Chai review
A wonderful hotel which provides a feel of Stone Town's rich history.
The rooms would benefit from some updating (namely the air conditioning and the shower) but had a lot of charm and character. The view from the windows was lovely, and the location was perfect for walking around Stone Town.
A lovely end to a fantastic holiday.
Beyt al Chai review
Stone Town wasn't for us but this hotel couldn't be faulted.
The building had great character; the rooms were immaculate; the staff were very friendly and helpful; the food in the restaurant was excellent and reasonably priced.
Beyt al Chai Hotel
Small hotel but great location, friendly staff and good food. Rooms were large and clean. Would definitely go again.
Read more about the whole tripBeyt al Chai review
We only stayed one night at Beyt al Chai and had to leave early to get a flight so missed breafast, so can't comment on the food.
The management gave us a room in spite of it not being "booking in" time, which we obviously appreciated but wondered why we had been booked into this B&B if it was going to be a problem arriving early. We were picked up and driven directly to the B&B from our previous accomodation at Chumbe so didn't have a lot of choice of arrival time.
Although this B&B is rated "Exclusive" in the guide book I would rate it further down the scale, obviously this rating may be relative. It is close to the main attractions of Stone Town (if you can call them attractions). Due to the continual harrassment from street vendors we decided to eat in the restaurant attached to the hotel, which turned out to be a good choice.
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.
