Flame Tree Cottages is very nice and peaceful place. It has beautiful dense gardens, which give you best time to relax. As regards the location it was at the end of the Nungwi public area with bars, so Flame Tree was very quiet place with not long walk to any Nunwgi bars.

The owners are very nice and reply to your emails with all the answers you write for. I chose the cottage – Hibiscus via email, confirmed it couple of times to be sure I will not get something else. We came and we were given another cottage, but not the same or worse level, but the honeymoon suit! So we were surprised and afraid what the mistake is this. We “complained” immediately to the guy, who showed us the suit, but he did not know anything about, just that this will be our suit, but he advised us to wait for the owner to clarify the situation. We thought something had to happen to our booked cottage and we were given something better, but we thought it will be for one night or something like this and then we will have to move, what was not comfortable with us to move every day to another cottage, or we will be asked to pay higher price. But the owner came almost immediately after and explained they had to paint some other cottages, so they had to do new guests cottage distribution or something like this, so they decided to give us better option – the honeymoon suit Desert Rose on the upper floor of the cottage with the sea and also garden view for the same price as we agreed on previously booked cottage. It was great!!! We were absolutely satisfied with such the guest treatment, because we travel quite a lot and not every time something like this happened to us. We were used to get the same or worse level.

Our apt. Desert Rose was spacious and very comfortable. It was furnished by very nice like antiques furniture what we like the most, with big and fine bed with mosquito net. Our room had repellent spray. We especially like the veranda with hammock, the bed (we asked our staff to move one bed, which was in our hall to move it to veranda and they did not have any problems with this even this bed was for normal sleeping) and eating table. The washbasin was not in the bathroom, bud in the room where you sleep (there is also small kitchenette) – but we did not have any problem with this. However, the bathroom needs to be renewed. The room had IC (not noisy) and verada fan. This apt. is on the first floor, but we had all world insects and reptiles there – so big ants I have never seen and once, we found the small lizard there (no problem for us at all).

Food: breakfast was very tasty; really, I have never eaten such the good pancakes! However as regards lunch or dinner food, it was big portion, it looked delicious and great, but when you tried it had no taste. It seems to us like the cook did not use any of spicy, pepper or even salt.

The staff: from morning breakfast through cleaning till asking for food or drinks – very very lazy (or just it was so big heat that I would not work also). Just do not ask them for anything or wait really long time not only to get drink etc. but even to find somebody to ask :-). But this is probably everywhere on Zanzibar. But this is probably everywhere on Zanzibar. The owners tried their bests, but even they would replace these staffs it looked that they would get another but the same or even worse.

But the gardens, pool with sun beds and sunbathing area was very great. Everything was hidden behind the trees, so you feel bit privacy in Flame Tree.

Just be careful the Flame Tree was very comfortable hotel, but located on Nungwi beach, which is very tiny when the hide is up. Actually not tiny, there in no beach at all when tide is up. And when the tide is up you can not be directly on the beach. We did not like the Nugwni beach because of this and in such the case you can stay in the best hotel of the world, still the whole experience will be affected by this. If I came one more time to Zabzibar, I would definitely choose another beach.