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Reviews of Upendo House

3.5 out of 5
Upendo House
213/214 Hurumzi street, Stone Town, Zanzibar Town

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 37 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 11 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 51 reviews" "

9.8/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Staff & service

9.2/10

Amenities

9.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Stacey

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Kamau

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Stay!
Excellent stay! I love the staff and the rooms were comfortable and clean. Enjoyed the rooftop pool and restaurant. Centrally located in stone town. The only improvement would be to eliminate the occasional unwanted crawling critter. Otherwise a perfect stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Waleed

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

4/10 Poor

Thomas

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Martha

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
My room was very comfortable, if a bit overpriced. Unfortuately my view out the window was an alley of rusted roofs and infrastructure - this was #203 - more like a very comfortable cell. The electricity went out in the middle of the night making it very hot. However, the rest of the hotel was pleasant, the upper floors are surely preferable, but you must be able to walk up.. lll in all a good, safe location and nice staff. I wish they would have either put me in a better room or charged me less.

10/10 Excellent

Naurin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Absolute best
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Jack

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good hotel if staying in Stone Town. Reception staff, especially Benjamin, was very helpful upon arrival, booking taxis and restaurant reservations. Pool is nice and breakfast was good as well. Would say prices in the shop were more like London and Paris prices, so stayed away from that, which is unfortunate as they have some nice bits.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Response from Upendo on 28 Dec 2023
Dear Jack, Very glad to hear that you had an overall good experience during your stay. I will pass on your feedback to Benjamin. Our collection in the boutique is sourced from around the world and we only stock items of a very high quality. Generally our customers see the value in the pricing when appreciating the quality of the collection. Wishing you all the bestUpendo House

10/10 Excellent

Christian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Response from Upendo on 28 Dec 2023
Thank you for your review Christian! We are glad we met your expectation during this trip and hope you have the pleasure of your custom again soon :)

10/10 Excellent

Claudina fernandes

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Love upendo house. Would book again

10/10 Excellent

CLEO

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I stayed at Upendo House for a week while in town for a conference. The room was very chic, comfortable for my week in Stone Town, and all the staff were very helpful and accommodating. While Stone Town is small and nothing is very far, Upendo House was very close to everything and easy to navigate to. The rooftop was beautiful with some of the best views I saw while in Stone Town. On my last day I had a deep tissue massage which was excellent and relaxing, much needed after my week of work!
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2023
Response from Upendo on 23 Nov 2023
Hi Cleo,So glad you had a pleasant stay and of course some great therapy to wind down from the week! Thank you for giving the feedback, the team will be glad to hear it. See you soon we hope.

10/10 Excellent

Opubo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Recommended stonetown stay
Comfortable stay, great shower, perfect location which is a stone throw from forodhani market, great views, great food and accomodating staff (special shout out to Benjamin who sorted out my travel needs and to the security man). The only feedback would be, please install a wardrobe to hang clothes and install a small shelf right next to the shower so that guests can easily reach their shower gel and sponge when having a shower.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023
Response from Upendo on 7 Nov 2023
Dear Opubo, We are so glad you enjoyed your stay at Upendo. We take note of your valuable feedback and appreciate that also. We look forward to welcoming you again.

10/10 Excellent

Lindsay

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Upendo on 24 Jul 2023
Thank you for choosing Upendo for your stay Lindsay. Hope to see you again :)

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel in stone town
Great location close to the water, shops, and restaurants. Cute boutique hotel with AC, hot water, great service, and an excellent restaurant with a gorgeous view!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Upendo on 29 Jun 2023
So glad you enjoyed your time with us, hopefully we can welcome you back again soon!

10/10 Excellent

Karl

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location to explore Stone Town and an awesome rooftop pool and bar area. Very friendly and helpful staff. Good food from the on-site restaurant.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jeanette

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was in a great location. Beautiful boutique hotel. The staff were also very friendly.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023
Response from Upendo House Team on 5 Mar 2023
Thank you Jeanette!

10/10 Excellent

Dorte

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023
Response from Upendo House team on 26 Jan 2023
Thank you Dorte!

10/10 Excellent

jonas

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023
Response from Upendo House Team on 6 Jan 2023
Thank you!

8/10 Good

Mary

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We were greeted with a smile each day and the staff went out of their way to make us feel at home and comfortable. We arrived very early and they were kind enough to get us into teh room prior to check in. Only complaint was the water cut out briefly while showering on occasion as we were on the 3rd floor and teh plumbing is a bit dated. Wonderful rooftop restaurant with great food and drinks. We also enjoyed the rooftop pool although it was a little chilly. Hotel is close to everything and we felt very safe.
Response from Upendo House Team on 9 Nov 2022
Dear Mary, thanks for sharing your comments!it was a pleasure to welcome you at Upendo House and we are very happy to read that you have enjoyed your stay with us. We apologize for the inconvenience with the shower and we thank you for your understanding.We hope to see you again at Upendo House!

8/10 Good

Shabana

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

David

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My friends stayed at Park Hyatt for $525 a night. They wished they had my experience.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2022
Response from Upendo House Team on 4 Oct 2022
Dear David, thank you for your great feedback!We hope to welcome you all at Upendo House next time :)

10/10 Excellent

Charlotte

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Parfait
Superbe hôtel, très central. Nous avions une chambre supérieure avec balcon : très spacieuse, propre, lit confortable, équipée d’une climatisation. Piscine et bar sur le rooftop, parfait pour admirer le coucher de soleil en fin de journée. Petit déjeuner très bon (choix à la carte selon 4/5 compositions). Nous avons également dîner au restaurant, c’est excellent ! Seul bémol peut être, le service est long. Personnel très agréable, aux petits soins. Au global c’est un sans faute, hôtel que je recommande les yeux fermés !
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022
Response from Upendo House Team on 22 Aug 2022
Merci Charlotte, a bientot!

8/10 Good

Claude

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022
Response from Upendo House Team on 21 Jul 2022
Thank you Claude!

10/10 Excellent

Camilla

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Mycket trevligt hotell!
Ett väldigt trevligt litet hotell med toppenpersonal! Vi trivdes mycket bra och åt och drack väldigt gott också. Takpoolen bjöd på väldigt fin utsikt! Det enda extra som jag skulle önska är lite mer skugga vid poolen, några parasoll hade suttit fint. I övrigt är vi supernöjda!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2022
Response from Upendo House Team on 27 Apr 2022
Thank you Camilla, we look forward to welcoming you again!

10/10 Excellent

sami

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2022
Response from Upendo House Team on 24 Jan 2022
Thank you Sami! We look forward to seeing you soon!

8/10 Good

Yasin

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Charming boutique hotel with attention to detail. Great design details and an overall welcoming experience!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2022
Response from Upendo House Team on 10 Jan 2022
Dear Yasin, thanks a lot for sharing your experience at Upendo House!

10/10 Excellent

Meredith

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2021

10/10 Excellent

Chad

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
What stood out for me was the staff at Upendo. From management to the cleaning staff everyone was
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 26 Oct 2021
Dear Chad, many thanks for your review, we will share it with our team! We look forward to seeing you again!

10/10 Excellent

Jozelyn

Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 17 Sept 2021
Thanks Jozelyn, it was a pleasure to have you as our guest! We look forward to welcoming you again!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
excellent restaurant!! really amazing food! plus hotel is very cute, all modern with so many pretty design details
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 23 Aug 2021
Dear Guest, thanks for the lovely review!

8/10 Good

Harris

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 17 Sept 2021
Thank you for your great review!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Rooftop lounge with pool was great. Good cocktails. Room and bathroom were slightly larger than expected.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 23 Aug 2021
Dear Guest, thanks so much for taking the time to write a review. We are very pleased to read that our rooms have exceeded your expectations. We look forward to welcoming you again!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
From start to finish, we enjoyed our stay at Upendo House! The staff was very welcoming, personable, and kind. The hotel was quaint, stylish, beautiful and in a great location. You can literally walk to so many little shops, restaurants, tour spots, and the waterfront. The hotel also has a rooftop bar and swimming pool with beautiful evening sunset views and they had live music there on Thursday (I think they have that every Thursday evening).
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 29 Jul 2021
Dear guest, we are very happy to know that we have reached our goal of making your stay memorable. Thank you for this great review, we have shared it with the whole team and we look forward to welcoming you again!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This place is awesome!!! The manager & staff are great and the drinks are superb. Wish we had stayed longer!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 29 Jul 2021
Thank you so much for this beautiful review! We hope that you will visit us again soon and stay longer with us!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
A nice little corner of the city of Zanzibar when you want to feel at home. (far from the hotels and others). The setting is friendly and warm with a charm in all simplicity. The cleaning staff should just respect the rest of the time because when we come here it's for the rest after a long month of work and so it's not pleasant to be woken up at 9am for the cleaning. The cleaning should be done when the client is up. With pleasure Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 29 Jul 2021
Dear Guest, thanks for your nice review we are very pleased to know that you have enjoyed your stay with us! We apologize if you have been woken up by the housekeeping staff, we are now working on new DO NOT DISTURB signs that will prevent that this happens again. Thank you for your feedback!

10/10 Excellent

Kunaal

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A top boutique hotel in Stonetown
Upendo House is a great pick in Stone Town! The rooms are compact but nicely decorated and have enough space for a couple of suitcases. Our bathroom had a large overhead shower, the bed was comfortable and we were happy with our amenities. The service was friendly - but the best part was the great rooftop bar and outstanding food at the restaurant which has an exceptional view of Stonetown and the harbour. Would definitely go back!
Stayed 1 night in May 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 6 Jun 2021
Dear Kunaal, thanks for taking the time to write a review! We are very happy to know that you have enjoyed your stay with us and we will share your feedback with the rest of the team. We are looking forward to welcoming you back for a drink on the rooftop!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 14 Apr 2021
Thank you for your positive feedback!

10/10 Excellent

Mads

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Absolutely stunning stay, no finger to put
All new boutique hotel (early 2020), which you can tell by the excellent decorated rooms with nice big beds!, cleaniness, as well as new amenities. The pool area on top floor as well as bar/restaurant with its stunning views. Great breakfast. I don't have any negative to say about the hotel. Lovely stay, would definitely recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 14 Feb 2021
Dear Mads, thanks for your lovely feedback. We are very happy to know that you have enjoyed your stay with us and we are looking forward to your next visit!

10/10 Excellent

Rebecca

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Everything was fantastic! The staff before and during our stay could not have done more. We had huge issues with Covid flights etc so we had to change dates and all very last minute but it was no issue for them. The staff from the moment we walked in to the moment we left were wonderful! Th
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2021
Response from Upendo House Team on 14 Feb 2021
Dear Rebecca, thanks for your feedback. It was our pleasure to be able to meet your requests and we are very happy that you have finally been able to come to Zanzibar and stay with us!

10/10 Excellent

susan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This is our second stay at the property and we love the roof top bar and rooms. They did however charge us twice for the stay despite our telling them on check out that we had already been charged they insisted to charge our card again! Would hoever stay their again as friendly staff and good service, can get a little noisy when people desending the stairs from the rooftop but enjoyable none the less
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2020
Response from The Upendo Team on 5 Jan 2021
Dear Susan, thanks for your feedback and great to know that you like our property! We apologize for the inconvenience of the double charge, it was indeed a mistake on our side and and we have now processed a refund. Thank you for bringing up the issue again. We hope that you will come to visit us again soon!

10/10 Excellent

Scott-Ryan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great spot in Stone Town
A really nice boutique hotel close to the ferry terminal in the centre of Stone Town. The service was warm, friendly and attentive. Food was delicious and cocktails creative. Although our room was on the small side and had no view, we were very comfortable and the bathroom was well appointed. The highlight is the rooftop pool and bar area. Good value for money, we'd stay there again.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2020
Response from Upendo House Team on 4 Jan 2021
Dear Scott Ryan, thank you for your great review! We are very happy that you have enjoyed your stay and you have liked our hotel. We will pass your good comments on to the rest of the staff. We really hope to welcome you again soon!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place, less great service.
The hotel is beautiful and in the perfect location for sight seeing in stone town. Only flaw was the service; the staff at the restaurant and bar seemed untrained and lacked attentiveness. Room service was similarly lacking, as our bed was never made while it was obvious that staff had entered our room.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2020
Response from Upendo House Team on 4 Jan 2021
Dear Guest, thanks for taking the time to write a review. We are very sad that your stay with us did not meet your expaction and we will keep your comments in mind to improve our service. We hope to be able to welcome you again in the future.

10/10 Excellent

Marc

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gorgeous boutique hotel in Stonetown
We spent one night at Upendo House and we couldn't have been happier! The hotel opened in February and is basically brand new. The design is colorful, warm, modern and classy. Our room was gorgeous, with a unique wallpaper which gave the room a special atmosphere. Nice balcony overlooking the street and the sea in the distance. Big bathroom with industrial feel and amazing toiletries! (wish they were for sale!). The restaurant serves a delicious breakfast in a very nice open air setting. The upper floor is occupied by the bar and infinity pool. One word: breathtaking! The photos speak for themselves. Make sure you try one of their cocktails which are tasty and generous in size ;-) The staff were all absolutely lovely, helpful and friendly. Special thank you to Mehul, the GM, who checked on us personally and was very approachable. Also Lilian who welcomed us at the reception and made us feel at home from the first interaction. Genuine people like her make the difference and make you wanna come back! Highly recommended for any traveler looking for a small upscale boutique hotel.
Fresh fruits for breakfast
Breakfast
View from restaurant
Rooftop pool
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2020
Response from Mehul Lodaya General Manager on 27 Nov 2020
Dear Marco, Thank you for your lovely review and describing all aspects of your stay, as this definitely helps motivate us as a team and will surely share this review with all at Upendo House. We hope you will return soon to Zanzibar and stay with us again. Stay Safe and Best Regards

10/10 Excellent

Kent

Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023
Response from Dan on 18 Dec 2023
Thank you Kent, come back soon

10/10 Excellent

Amélie

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Très bel hôtel boutique bien situé au centre de Stone Town, près des attractions, boutiques et restaurants. La piscine sur le toit est un plus pour relaxer après une journée d’excursions ou pour voir le coucher de soleil. Le personnel est très attentionné et serviable. Une belle expérience.
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2022
Response from Upendo House Team on 19 Oct 2022
Thank you Amelie, it was our pleasure to welcome you at Upendo House and we wish you all the best for your travels!

10/10 Excellent

Marianne Rytter

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2022
Response from Upendo House Team on 19 Aug 2022
Thank you Marianne!

10/10 Excellent

Laïla

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Cet hôtel à Stone Town est juste magnifique! J’y suis allée sur recommandation et je n’ai pas été déçue. Le personnel est adorable surtout Benjamin (un grand merci à toi pour ta gentillesse, ton sourire et ta bonne humeur). Le petit déjeuner est gigantesque et les jus de fruits : j’en ai jamais bu d’aussi bons. Les chambres sont spacieuses, propres et confortables! Une fois les fenêtres fermées, on entend plus rien! Je me suis sentie comme à la maison. Vraiment vous pouvez y aller les yeux fermés. Le top : un rooftoop dans lequel vous pouvez admirer le coucher de soleil : juste incroyable. Je reviendrais ici sans aucune hésitation! ASANE SANTI merciiiiiiiii.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022
Response from Upendo House Team on 13 Jun 2022
Dear Laila, thanks a million for this amazing review!! Benjamin and the rest of the team are here to welcome you back at Upendo House and we look forward to seeing you again!

6/10 Okay

Laura

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice place with a bad experience
The local employees were good, food was great and the rooftop is super nice! We stayed for two nights and the experience was ruined when there was a rain and the doors weren’t in best shape. The water came through the door and the hotel room was full of water. All my clothes and bags were wet. The way the manager handled things weren’t good at all. I tried to dry my things and had to go through every single thing I had with me. Some shoes were destroyed and the whole thing took me half a day. The manager ended up giving a wine bottle for all this. A hotel like this should have handled things differently. Just for this I will never book the place again.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2022
Response from Paola - Reservations manager on 22 Jan 2022
Dear Laura, thanks for taking the time to write a review and share your experience at Upendo House. We are very pleased that you have enjoyed our roof top and food and we truly apologize for the inconvenience that happened on your first night. I just wanted to clarify that I have offered to get all your wet belongings for drying and/or send them to laundry but you preferred to have them dry in the room with AC. I therefore assumed that the damage was not that serious and offered a bottle of wine for the inconvenience. i’m finding out only now about your shoes and disappointment. I apologise again for the inconvenience and I am very sorry that your experience was not as you expected. I hope that you will enjoy the rest of your stay in Zanzibar.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
les plus, la déco, l emplacement au coeur de stone town,l amabilité du personne, le bar sur le toit. le- , proche d une mosquée, l appel à la prière vers 05h00 du matin, est fort et long. plus qu à marrakech par exemple. pour 2 nuits, pas grave, pour plus longremps, cela peut être genant
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Upendo House team on 21 Jun 2021
Thanks for your review and comments, we are happy that you have enjoyed your stay with us!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Dans l’ensemble, je dirai que l’établissement est vraiment propre. Les chambres sont confortable et bien agencé. Salle de bain très lumineuse. Le personnel au petits soins. Le restaurant est vraiment bon, très convivial et chaleureux. Le coin lounge permet d’apprécier une vue sur Stone Town et de profiter d’une piscine en hauteur ( non négligeable)
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2020
Response from Upendo Zanzibar on 9 Nov 2020
Merci beaucoup pour vos commentaires!