Zanzibar – North
La Gemma dell Est is a large all inclusive property that has all the trimmings. Modern deluxe accommodation.
Overview
La Gemma dell’ Est Resort is a large boutique hotel set on the North Eastern coast of Zanzibar, not too far from Nungwi. It has over 150 rooms and an impressive list of facilities to keep even the most demanding holiday maker occupied.
The Resort include also the most modern and elegant Conference and Meetings facilities on the island. A convention center, the Baobab Congress Center can accommodate up to 200 people for sit-down functions and more than 250 people for cocktail receptions, and can be divided in 3 separate rooms equipped with the latest audio-video systems and amenities.
Although large, the resort was designed with environmental issues in mind and moulds reasonably well with the tropical gardens that surround it.
Accommodation
Accommodation here is modern and luxurious with some of the higher room categories coming complete with butler service.
Rooms include: 14 economy, 93 deluxe, 16 suites, 28 villa club rooms, 1 family suite and 1 Presidential Villa
All rooms are finished to a high European standard with all features including;
* King Size or European Twin Beds
* Mosquito Nets and Ceiling Fan
* Air Conditioning
* Satellite TV and in-room safe box
* Handicap Facilities
* Mini Bar and Coffee and Tea making facilities
* Luxury Marble Bathroom
Facilities
Facilities here are excellent with a strong focus on water sports including an international padi dive center and a fully kitted out water sports centre with Hobby cat, Laser dinghy, canoes and windsurfing facilities available.
Water-ski, wakeboarding and tube riding. Big Game Fishing and boat excursions.
The property also boasts a large swimming pool with separate children’s area and Jacuzzi. A Spa, a Boutique with a drugstore selling European fashion.
There are a number of dining options available, with a Main Restaurant with indoor air conditioning facilities, an “a la carte” restaurant on the main jetty and a beach pizzeria.
A Café Moresco is also available including indoor air-conditioned facilities, as well a numerous open air bars and lounges serving a good variety of international cuisine and one of the widest selections of wines and beers on the island.
Other activities
As with many properties of this type there is a strong focus on beach life and you are encouraged to spend the majority of your time relaxing and soaking in the sun. Should you choose to leave the resort transportation can easily be arranged although journey times to Stone Town are long. Other likely excursions are Spice Tours and trips to swim with Dolphins and Turtles. All of these can be arranged via the hotel on demand or pre booked in advance.
Hiring a 4×4 jeep is a popular option, not least as the roads in this area are quiet and the hotel offers free parking facilities.
Zanziplanet reviews
This is a comfortable large boutique property which does lose the personal touches common in the smaller guest houses but over all represents some of the best accommodation on the island.
La Gemma dell Est is well suited to those who prefer to arrive and relax. Everything is on site and the All Inclusive price plan means you don’t have to worry about running up a bar bill!
Zanzibar – North
At Essque Zalu Zanzibar you create your own personal paradise, your own kind of luxury, an experience of a lifetime. Choose from 40 suites, all with picturesque views over the lush tropical garden or the turquoise blue ocean.
Overview
Ensconce yourself in luxurious-styled spaces crafted from local materials, adorned with native artwork and housed under a traditional pitched Makuti roof. If you need extra space to spread out, select one of the nine expansive villas. Stretch out in the spacious living room, unwind in the privacy of your own massage area, rustle up a snack in your own kitchen, laze on the terrace overlooking the garden or just chill in the privacy of your very own swimming pool.
Once you are comfortable, make the most of your amenities, pick your favorite drink from your personalized mini bar, freshen up under a solar heated shower, or lie back on the king sized poster colonial style beds.
Accommodation
Zalu Suites
All 40 suites have a spacious master bedroom, as well as a lounge and outside terrace or balcony. One can select an Ocean Front, Sea view or Garden view suite, which have a maximum occupancy of 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.
Zalu Villas
All 9 villas have their private pool, in room dining and massage, kitchen facilities and terrace or balcony. The maximum occupancy is as follows:
Facilities
At the Zalu Zanzibar you can satisfy your taste buds with a choice of three distinctive restaurants, a scrumptious café, two well-stocked bars or dial a mixologist to come right to your suite and shake your very own tailor-made cocktail.
Gourmet Deli
The Gourmet Deli styled restaurant serving cosmopolitan fare, a gastronomic spread of crisp salads, cured meats, fresh seafood, bread straight from the oven, mouthwatering cheeses and desserts. Create your own culinary journey featuring organic produce and fresh, hand-picked ingredients from local growers.
A La Carte
A ‘must do’ when visiting Zanzibar, the perfect place for an exceptional fine dining experience. Savour our innovative ‘Signature Plate’ or tuck into char-grilled prime South African beef steak.
The Jetty
Set al fresco on the shoreline of the Indian Ocean, where you can casually kick back with a refreshing cocktail, share succulent morsels of modern Arabic cuisine, freshly prepared mezze, draw on some shisha and gaze at the sunset. Experience a different setting every day, created exclusively by the elements and mirroring the flow of the ocean, a place to be seen or to relax to the sounds of live music with friends.
The Wine Lounge and Terrace
An up-market and intimate space for you to enjoy the finer things in life. Browse our premium labels and vintages, select a specialty cigar, taste our tapas or just pop by for a post-dinner nightcap.
In Market
Your very own in-room dining offers a sleepless menu where you can order any dish from any of our dining outlets at any time of the day. Customize your mini-bar and fill up on that favorite lychee martini. If you’re a bit of a chef yourself, ‘In Market’ lets you order and delivers your grocery list to your villa. Or if you prefer the pros to fire up the flames, then ‘Dial a Chef’ will create the masterpiece of your fancy in the privacy of your own villa kitchen. Bon Appétit!
Essque Zalu Spa
Open around the clock, the Zalu Spa offers a total of six exclusive treatment rooms – four single and two double, an intimate setting to restore your physical, mental and spiritual equilibrium. With a range of traditional treatments to modern therapies, we’ll have you relaxed and rejuvenated in no time.
Step inside the signature Kneipp Walk and feel the alternating flux of warm and cold water awaken your circulation and stimulate your energy flows. Walk slowly through the calf deep stream and soak up its revitalizing effect.
Inhale the heady blend of essential oils, feel the tingling sensation of a cool, invigorating peppermint wrap then detox at the Water Bar. Before you leave, be sure to pick up a homeopathic jet-lag remedy for that journey home.
Vist the Zalu Zanzibar Spa and attain your ultimate Zen.
Zalu Kids Club
Zalu will keep them busy from 7am to 9pm and the rest of the day is yours! The Kids’ Club welcomes little ones from 3-12 years old – accompanied by a parent or guardian for the under 4s. They feed them with special menus while you enjoy your own.
Zalu staff will get them rolling up their sleeves for t-shirt painting, hunting for treasure, designing their own jewellery or simply splashing in the pool – all under the complementary guidance of our Hoteliers trained in first-aid and childcare.
Happy kids = happy parents!
Zanziplanet reviews
Essque Zalu, although only open since June 2011, is fast becoming one of the hottest new hotels in Zanzibar. We first stayed there in October 2011 and were very impressed with the quality of all aspects of the resort. The architecture is breathtaking with the highest Makuti thatched roof in the whole of Zanzibar, and unique touches like the extensive open plan art gallery on the second floor of the main building add to the fresh concept of this destination. The resort is stylish and immaculate throughout, and the lush mature tropical gardens around the suites provide a wonderful environment to relax. We stayed in an Ocean Front suite and the view was absolutely lovely, with the beach and sea just metres away. The villas are huge and perfect for families and large groups wanting plenty of space to relax and looking for a real ‘home away from home’. The food is very good indeed, and the staffs have been carefully selected for their excellent personable qualities. Zalu aims to create the ultimate holiday experience and will fine tune every aspect of your stay to fit your personal preferences. This is also one of the very best locations to be in if you like to be able to walk out of the hotel and explore the local area, with the turtle conservation project, the lighthouse, and the village of Nungwi with markets, bars and restaurants just a few minutes walk away.