Reviews of Pole Pole

"I enjoyed my stay at Pole Pole but felt that perhaps we could have been more accomodated for. The rooms were not very comfortable, especially the beds.

The food was absolutely lovely but some times I found the service a bit too pushy at certain times yet oddily lackadaisical at others." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"After Selous Safari Camp, and Ruaha Mdonya Old River Camp, we arrived at Mafia for 5 nights at Pole Pole for sun, sea snorkelling and relaxation.. We were lucky to be the last to land that day and to be the first to take off when we left, as the runway was closed for the interim duration for maintenance. This meant we had to fly from Dar to Mafia in a small tin box with wings that seated 6 people and which I was told was an aeroplane, due to the runway being half shut (ie too short) so we had this Cessna instead of the bigger Caravan plane. I was too tall to fit in the back seat and the poor lady who did get that tiny back seat was more scared than me, and that says something. However, the pilot was great and flew slightly higher above any turbulence, and not only did we survive but we actually had a good view of the great Rufiji river delta and small coral islands on the way.

Thereafter we had the lazy luxury time that we had expected. The 'bungalow on stilts' rooms at pole Pole were superb, comfortable and quiet. It was great to have pre-dinner drinks brought round to the room as the sun went down, and to look out from the veranda, over the gardens and see a single dhow with bright white sail slipping by on the surreal azure blue water and watch the fruit bats flying over the palm trees whilst we sipped beer/G&T's. It sounds corny but it happened every night.

We went for the snorkelling, but the small private (and deserted) beach is good for lazing. I get sea sick, but the sea in the lagoon area was calm enough and each snorkelling trip was fine. The Dhows under sail are quite stable and very relaxing. The snorkelling was varied but good. Some areas with better coral, some with more/bigger fish. The natural lagoon was protected from most of the El Nino bleaching that the other Indian Ocean islands have suffered, so the coral was generally better than expected. There are more fish in the Maldives, but overall Mafia is a good snorkelling area, and other divers reported excellent diving and big fish!

Pole Pole is run by a most charming Italian lady, who was a mine of information and who helped arrange our days and trips just perfectly, and her keen and attentive team, provided a friendly 5 star service. Overall, Pole Pole is highly recommended and we had a wonderful stay." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"Pole Pole was simply fabulous - a faultless, intimate, lodge that offered an experience that we just think couldn't have been bettered.

The lodges (only 7 in total) were decorated in African style, with wall hangings, and furniture that set off the timber framed lodge. Each lodge had a 'Zanzibar bed' on the private verandah for that peaceful doze in the afternoon. There were delightful little touches everywhere, straw hats to use, handmade local soap in the bathroom (also presented as a gift on leaving), parchment menu's, a regular room service to bring drinks to your verandah prior to dinner ...

The spa was very professional with a local masseur, the private beach and the rustic timber/woven sunbeds were ideal for losing a few hours in the sun.

The visit to Chole island was well worth it. Seeing the village life and boat building on this island was a delight. We felt a little like the pied piper having collected a small band of grinning kids who's favourite word was 'photo' ! They loved having their pictures taken and seeing the results. The massive Comores bats hanging in their thousands from the trees provided an awesome sight during their nightly excursion back to the mainland to return in the early hours.

A trip to Mange reef (not offered by Kinasi due to the length of the trip ?) was an excellent excusion, probably taking 2.5 hours by dhow, arriving at an elongated tear drop shaped sand bank. Gorgeous clear waters and coral around the island allowed for some great snorkelling, however the diving was even better. Although somewhat bumpy on entry, we saw a great variety of fish - white tipped shark, potato grouper (about 200+Kg and 5ft long - awesome), turtle, moray, tuna, crocodile fish, scorpion fish, and it just kept going. After nearly an hour under water and probably 2 miles along the reef we surfaced to return to the now substantially diminished sand bank.

We had freshly caught fish griiled over open fire for lunch and returned to Mafia under full sail - what a great day out.

Pole Pole was a real delight, you were made to feel special, stayed in gorgeous, and very comfortable surroundings, with staff who were always on hand, with beaming smiles. Sad to leave however what a great way to finish our holiday." See all these reviews: 15n in Tanzania