MCHANGA BEACH LODGE

Mchanga Beach Lodge: Our View

 Mchanga Beach Lodge is a real find and still very much an undiscovered lodge on a great little beach.  Set away from the large hotel resorts both up and down the coast, the feeling here is of being in an unspoilt enclave.  With so few rooms (and no further plans for expansion) the lodge will remain small and intimate…in our view essential for a beach stay!  Each of the rooms is very well appointed and, with the added bonus of having air conditioning throughout, they offer very good value for money.

Mchanga gets 3 palms as it is great value for money, offering a good beach, unpretentious atmosphere and is very small. Everything a beach holiday needs.

Mchanga Beach Lodge: The Detail

The concept for the lodge came from owners Thomas and Gloria's many visits to Zanzibar over the years and the apparent lack of a small and quiet resort that has great rooms and a laid back feel.

Each en-suite sea view room is spacious and airy with a combination of multi-functional, shuttered, hand crafted, wooden louver doors, electric ceiling fans, air conditioning and traditionally high beamed ceilings.  A beautiful, finely, hand-crafted Zanzibari four poster bed is the focal point in the room, together with high quality fine cotton bed linen; ensuring maximum comfort.  A classic baraza seating area with kanga covered cushions enhances the spaciousness of the room.

All furniture and accessories, including art work, are locally crafted.  Relief arch detail, accents of coloured glass and soft neru finishes add a high standard of finishing.  Each room has its own sea facing, makuti covered sand terrace; including two chairs and a table where early morning coffee and tea are served.

The main dining area and relaxed beach bar have been designed very much with comfort in mind.  Keeping with the beach feel of the lodge, the bar is spacious and yet intimate with groupings of comfortable arm chairs providing the perfect place for a mid afternoon refresher.  With consistently good reports for the food, an eclectic fusion of African and European styles, fresh seafood is a speciality.

Mchanga Beach Lodge: Client Reviews

Zanzibar was just amazing - Mchanga is paradise. It was very hard to leave!
Anna and Dan Mayall 2010

Mchanga was also wonderful; Gloria & Thomas (and Jackmary the dog) were great hosts, who also sent their regards to you. I understand you stayed there not long ago too! The food there was excellent. Although we probably should have gone full board as there is literally nowhere else to go for lunch or dinner, & even the snorkeling & spice tours were only half a day. I do miss their fresh fruit juices desperately!
Annabel Holmes 2010

A gem of a place that is literally a piece of heaven in what can only be described as something resembling a war zone on approach.  I say this only because I was seriously worried I was being abducted on the way to the hotel because the terraine got worse and worse, more remote and I thought there was no way a hotel can be at the end of this road, but, I was wrong and it is just a very undeveloped part of Zanzibar!  I chose this hotel because it looked like it combined simplicity with the standards of cleanliness you would expect in a hotel and I was not disappointed.  It is a great option for someone who wants a wow factor on a budget.  With only 8 rooms the place can never be crowded and the beach was always deserted.  I loved the fact that the floor of the restaurant and bar is all sand so I did not wear shoes for the 4 days I was there.  The food is good local seafood with a choice in the evening and a good lunch time menu as well.  Ideal for those that want to completely relax with only the worry of whether to play scrabble or sleep to think about.  The downsides are that there is nothing to do outside the hotel so wandering off down the beach is not something I would feel happy about doing and you are confined to the hotel which is small whilst you are there.  This is however exactly what I wanted.
Deborah Fenn

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