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Serena Inn
Serena Inn

Reviews of Serena Inn

Wildlife sightings and reviews

63 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Serena Inn and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Showing 1-10 of 63
Duration
Arrival date
Mr G
California

"Serena Inn review"

1 night Arrived 16 Sep 2020
"Very nice and friendly staff but the bed was a tad too firm....lol" See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs P
Barcelona

"We loved the Serena. "

1 night Arrived 27 Feb 2020
"We loved the Serena. A local hotel and the staff were extremely nice and helpful." See all these reviews: 9n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs S
E Sussex

"Nice but well worn"

2 nights Arrived 27 Dec 2019
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Average
J and C
Clayton

"Perfect Hotel in Stonetown"

4 nights Arrived 26 Sep 2019
"We loved our stay at the Serena Inn in Stowntown.

Beautiful, historic hotel. Wonderful staff, with a special thanks to Suleiman for all his help during our stay.

We had a deluxe ocean front room with an amazing veranda where we could watch the sunset and the activity on the beach below. The breakfasts were excellent.

We think this is the best place to stay in Stonetown." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Traveller
Teddington

"Serena Inn"

2 nights Arrived 25 Aug 2018
"We were upgraded to the Presidential Suite which was a lovely surprise and meant that we had plenty of space to spread ourselves out over the interconnecting rooms as well as a lovely view over the sea.

The hotel is beautiful and the staff very friendly and professional. It's in a great location – a short walk from Fordhani Gardens, Palace of Wonders and all the shops of the old quarter.

Breakfast was plentiful – lots of choice – and our 9 year-old was delighted to have the option of minute steak and chips to start the day!" See all these reviews: 12n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Ms Donna H
USA

"Wonderful stay in Stone Town"

3 nights Arrived 16 Feb 2018
"This hotel is in beautifully restored buildings. I loved staying here. The pool was great for swimming. The staff very friendly and helpful. It was the perfect location, with Stone Town outside the front door, and the sunsets over the beach on the other side.

Two minor suggestions that would have a major impact on comfort:

- There were only two umbrellas in the sunny areas of the pool. Unfortunately, some guests would claim them for the day, whether or not they were at the pool. A few more umbrellas would make a huge difference, since the pool area receives full sun in the afternoon.

- Second, much care has been taken in furnishing the bedroom and bath area with quality products. Yet, they hung a short, narrow plastic shower curtain that does not function adequately. I had to use towels to sop up the water on the floor after showering." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
The HBs
London

"Serena Inn"

3 nights Arrived 23 Sep 2016
"We were expecting 5 star luxury at Serena but we did feel it fell slightly short of our expectations. For example, the bath had chipped enamel and the shower head leaked until we fixed it temporarily. The wine list was limited and much was unavailable whilst we were there.

There were very few guests staying whilst we were there which did mean that the bar and restaurant areas were almost deserted and lacked atmosphere. Music was laid on in the early evenings but we found the wandering minstrels in the restaurant rather intrusive and more suited to a beachside tourist venue than a luxury hotel.

The staff were attentive but we felt a little overwhelmed at times by the sheer number of them. Very few were engaging which may be the culture of the hotel but as a result we did venture to outside venues for some drinks and snacks rather than stay on site.

The location is excellent and the swimming pool area is delightful." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mr & Mrs A
Surrey

"Luxury in the Serena at Stone Town"

1 night Arrived 9 Dec 2015
"The Serena Inn brought us back to luxury at the end of our holiday. We were upgraded to a lovely room with a huge balcony over looking the sea - great to watch the dhows passing by. The Serena had the service and facilities that you would expect from an upmarket hotel anywhere in the world, with pool, coffee shop, bar, and two restaurants. Complimentary Afternoon tea was served by the pool.

We took a walking tour booked at the hotel desk. This was quite expensive, but made sure that we did not get lost and we were fed with the history of Stone Town and Zanzibar as we walked around. Stone Town was rather dirty and dilapidated and was not quite up to our expectations.

The bar lunches a the hotel were good, although service was slow. Breakfast was excellent, although it was extremely hot in the restaurant. We had sundowners on the roof terrace of the Africa House Hotel, 2 minutes down the road and had a lovely evening meal at the Six Degrees South restaurant next door.

As we had a evening flight out from Zanzibar, we paid $100 to keep our room for the day, which in our view was money well spent, although there is a shower available by the pool." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Ms S
Canada

"Serena Inn review"

1 night Arrived 4 Mar 2015
"Good location to walk around stone town" See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs P
Cambridge

"Luxury in Stonetown"

3 nights Arrived 30 Jan 2015
"The Serena Inn in Stonetown is a very comfortable hotel with excellent facilities and staff. We paid for a room upgrade and had a fabulous room with a huge balcony looking out to sea - fabulous sunsets!

The roof top restaurant was a good place to dine once - although we were disappointed that the lobster was not available the night we were there." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 6n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Showing 1-10 of 63
91%
63 reviews of Serena Inn by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
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