Reviews of Manta Resort

"Beautiful resort with staff that go above and beyond to make your trip special. Haji B helped us every day from making sure we had our meals and activities scheduled to packing coolers of drinks for our outings. We loved the eco-friendly air conditioning that just cooled down the bed. The food was also very good!

We did 7 dives while there and while we aren’t very experienced we thought they were pretty good. We saw tons of fish, octopus and a turtle. The dive shop was very flexible to accommodate whatever we wanted.

In terms of activities, I would recommend Manta give a menu of options with more details on each. They just call them things like “forest walk” and “sunset cruise” that don’t give you an idea of the length, what to wear/bring, what to expect, etc. For example, we did the forest walk one day and the guide told us it would have been better to do in the morning (but we didn’t know)." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar

"We had the most amazing time at Manta Resort. Firstly, we were upgraded to a beachfront villa, which was stunning. When we booked, there was a big difference in cost from the superior garden to a beachfront and we had plumped for the former. Having spent our holiday in the beachfront, I would say it is worth upgrading to: the room is enormous with huge floor to ceiling windows that opened up entirely enabling us to go to sleep and wake up to the sound of the sea; our very own plunge pool, the perfect place to cool off and watch the sun go down; the villas are entirely private, so no one can see in; and the sea breeze keeps the room cool at night - we had the windows open and the curtains drawn - and didn’t feel the need to use the air conditioning although there is very effective air conditioning over the bed if you want it.

On arrival at the resort, we were assigned Iddi to look after us. I would describe him as a sort of butler: he answered our many questions; liaised with the chef to ensure my food was lactose free; took us out on excursions; and told us all about the village and life on Pemba. He was fantastic and made our stay even more special. He has the enviable ability to be there when needed, but not to be intrusive.

Each day, we had a treatment in the spa and most days we went snorkelling before breakfast. We also visited the lighthouse; went to the forest and spice farm, on both of these activities we were escorted by Iddi; and went on a sunset dhow cruise.

The eco credentials of this resort are also excellent. They have protected an area of reef, which has been so successful the scheme is extending to other areas around the island. They have also been instrumental in supplying electricity and water to the village in the last few months improving the lives of the local people.

This place is a little piece of paradise tucked away from the rest of the world that you can visit knowing that you are giving back to the local community rather than taking away." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania

"Exceptional resort, relaxed informal small and quiet, far from the madding crowd and absolutely beautiful.

Its commitment to nature, caring for the reef the sea life and the general environment were humbling and thought provoking.

High quality local food, accommodation wonderful and customer service beyond brilliant.

We would recommend very highly." See all these reviews: 16n in Tanzania

"Wow Pemba is nice. Manta is gorgeous.

Breakfast was monotonous but overall quality of food was good.

Loved the spa treatments after diving. Great dive shop and team. Took excellent care of my gear too.

Coral Garden was a breathtaking site. Encourage guests to dive there, they must request it." See all these reviews: 21n in Tanzania; 7n in Zanzibar

"Manta was fantastic in terms of personal attention, food, and the underwater room.

The land based room may need a bit more of a seel, as we had a few eco based resort visitors in our room." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"The room mix up and the airport transport were not tolerable for a resort that is this expensive. We understand that this has never happened before. We seriously looked into cutting short the trip. Once our complaint(s) had been considered properly then the holiday improved but it will always dampen our overall view of the stay. We were compensated - not our intention - and because this was more than generous we made a contribution to the local school.

Manta is a lovely resort. Accommodation (we tried all three levels) goes from the basic to much more in keeping with our experience of this kind of resort. The seaview rooms are spacious, well equipped and light with generally good facilities. Bizarrely, only these rooms have in room safes. Superior garden rooms are dark but comfortable. Standard rooms (no air con) do not belong in a resort like this. It may be well to inform other clients that the rooms are open at the eaves and the lower level rooms have shutters and not glass. Bugs, mosquitoes and, apparently, even bush babies are not unusual visitors.

We believe that the chef was not around for breakfast which, in our opinion, was very limited again for such a resort. The lunch and dinner meals were generally good with particular emphasis on fish, though the beef and chicken were also fine. The starter was always differently infused bread. Desserts are not the hotel's speciality......swiss roll on our first night! Fine dining it was not but one has to appreciate that it is at the top of a very poor Island and we were very aware of the contrast between our meals and that of the locals.

The service was very good (after the first night) and we built up a good relationship with our friend, Khalfan; the manager Juma, and the other staff. The visit to the local school where Sele and Khalfan volunteer to teach the children was a highlight. Our experience of the daily spa (used every day by my wife) was very positive.

There is obviously room for improvement and we suspect that further development will occur with the quality of the beaches in the area. Manta is obviously trying to benefit the local people and minimise the effect on the environment and the conservation on the reef is to be applauded. There is room for the resort to develop and maybe upgrade the standard rooms at least.

We'd recommend Manta but temper that with our thoughts above." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"The transfer to manta from the airport is an hour and a half and the last bit is rough track type roads with pot holes everywhere so be prepared for this, however it was nice to see the small towns on the way and how the Pembans live. The resort itself is great and the underwater room was amazing.

Staff were fantastic although I think we got unlucky with our assigned butler/waiter for our stay, Afaan wasn't a great english speaker and probably the worst waiter I've seen in my life, but he really tried hard to please despite his lack of talent!

Great facilities, with as much snorkelling, diving fishing etc as you want.

Good destination would recommend to others without doubt." See all these reviews: 18n in Tanzania

"Lovely spacious, clean rooms with beautiful views (we had a sea view room), close to the beach.

Food was good, lots of fresh fish and delicious vegetables and good sized portions so you didn't feel too full!

Beach was lovely as was the pool and communal area.

Service was very attentive, at times we felt a few too many staff would come and ask how are day had been/what we wanted to do tomorrow etc,. some evenings we had the same conversation with about 8 different staff members, perhaps they could ensure only 1 or 2 people do this?

Massage each day was AMAZING!

Really lovely activities, particularly sunset cruise and sand bar. We didn't dive as this was rather expensive and I had lost my PADI certificate so would have had to spend lots on doing a refresher dive, but we heard from others that the diving was fantastic." See all these reviews: 16n in Tanzania

"The hosting here from our personal Butler Haji B was fantastic. This really made our stay all the more memorable. The diving was very nice - although don't expect to see too many large fish as the local fisherman seem to be managing the stock of these very effectively. However, the coral is outstanding.

We felt that, for the price we paid, the rooms lacked charm. The internal design and general ambiance of the resort left a bit to be desired. The owners could easily make this an outstanding place with a bit of focus on their interior design.

We stayed one night in an Underwater Hotel room. As with the rest of the hotel, this also seemed to lack the finishing touches. However, it is a truly unique place.

In general, despite being very well hosted as well as the surrounding beach and coral being fantastic, there are better beach options in this part of the world." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"Where do I start? This place is wonderful, peaceful and we (mother & daughter for a change) loved it:
It is a special place in an (as yet) totally unspoilt location - azure blue seas, coral reefs, white sands and complete tranquility.
We tuned in to the daily rythmns of the tide and the quiet beach, watching the local fishermen taking their boats out and the women picking seaweed at low tide. Pre breakfast snorkeling was magic; lots of amazing marine life to be seen. Diving is a must if you like the water; we had good tuition at the PADI dive centre which is part of the resort (thank you Mike and Wilbert!).
There is the danger of being offered a drink at any time of day.. What a luxury to be just offered a drink and brought a cold beer on the beach; to have a predinner sundowner cocktail (or 2) on the terrace (watching the flying foxes come out) and of course, that is after the included massage or daily treatment of choice at the spa centre!
Food is good, if fresh fish orientated (surprise), and the service is excellent, with one's own 'fundi' for the duration.
This place is NOT for those who like night life and/or action! So keep away if you do - I'd hate it to be spoiled!
Can't wait to go back.." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar