The Sands Beach Resort

Our experience at The Sands was absolutely amazing. The layout is both practical and private. Privacy is well controlled on the beach which turned out to be an essential.

Facilities are sufficient for holiday requirements and you have everything you need here in one place. The rooms are very spacious and well maintained with a lovely ambience.

The staff was the highlight of the experience. They truly make you feel a part of their family. This part of the experience cannot be overstated.

The food was fantastic and very authentic and the kitchen staff interacted well with the patrons for a lovely personal touch. I would list individual members, but the list would be too long. A facility and experience like this, cannot exist without great management and of that Ally was a grand example.

We hope to return again and would recommend this as a holiday location for anyone looking to visit Zanzibar.

My family and I have stayed 2 weeks at this incredible and beautiful hotel. Never have we been treated so wonderfully before - if I could give more than five stars I would!

The Sands Beach Resort is located beautifully and privat, with a big pool and directly down to the beach. The food is unbelievable! Fresh fruit, salads, soups and freshly caught fish every evening! So amazing!!!!

A huge thanks to the wonderful, sweet and caring staff. You gave us the most beautiful and fantastic holiday! We have travelled with my 83 year old grandfather and been here twice AND we will definitely be back!

Nothing beats The Sands Beach Resort!!!!!

For the second time my family and I are spending Christmas at The Sands Beach Resort. We have never before experienced such a caring and wonderful staff at a hotel before. The location is so beautiful overlooking the Indian Ocean, clean and nice rooms and the food is outstanding prepared by chef Edgar. Mr Ally, Shadya and the hole staff makes sure that all your needs are fulfilled. No doubt that we will spend another holiday here again hopefully very soon.

Had a good time at The Sands. Service was basically perfect. Rooms were very good. And the food at the restaurant was unbelievable. Everyday, they have a fresh fish caught and it was always amazing. Last night was Tuna and it was the best fish I’ve ever had.

We stayed at The Sands for a week in a huge family bungalow with a spacious terrace and ocean view. The resort-owned beach had many palm trees and more than enough comfy lounging options.
The staff was sweet and helpful, and the food was delicious.
The resort is located on the east side of the island, where tides are strong and you won't be able to swim at low tide, but you can use the big pool. Or do nice beach walks. Don't forget to bring bathing shoes because of sea urchin.
The beach is not crowded, just some Masaai trying to sell something. If you ask them nicely, they will leave you alone.
If you are looking for a quiet, relaxing holiday, it's the perfect place.

I stayed for 3 days and 3 nights with my dad & brother in the sands beach resort. Our experience was unforgettable; starting with ALL the staff which was incredibly professional and kind, they knew exactly when to attend us and how to make us feel comfortable, we had many laughs with them! Food was amazing and varied. Rooms exceptionally clean and spacious. The beach was beautiful and the chilling beach hotel private area was incredibly relaxing, there was a very nice hotel bar with very tasty drinks next to the beach which you can enjoy until 22pm, Casiano is the boss there, if you meet him do have a chat with him! There is a clean and BIG swimming pool also which at first we thought we weren't going to use, but sometimes the beach tide is very low and that swimming pool was easier to have a nice relaxing swim! Overall, the hotel is beautiful and I'm going to highly recommend it to all my friends and family!!! Thanks to all the staff who took great care of us during our stay there!!!

Asante Sana!!!

Our family has Stayed at this lovely Beach paradise over Christmas- we are travelling with our 83 year old grandfather. It has been a lovely holiday and the staff has been truely amazing headed by Shayda, treating us like family. The the reception with Simeni and Ally always taking care of our needs, the food prepared by chef Edgar In the kitchen and the boys in the beach bar, Hassan, Isaya, Cassiano has been amazing. The snorkelling in the blue lagoon was breathtaking, and the sandy white beach really gives this little paradise justice.
This is a place to recommend for family and friends.
Christian Ferguson

The Sands is a discreet and secluded hotel which allowed us to disconnect and enjoyed the real Zanzibar. Our villa was spacious and clean and the service friendly and welcoming; kudos to Isaya for wonderful smoothies and Ally for caring. Even when something was missing the kindness adjusted everything, the entire team gifted us an amazing experience overall. Thank you Chef for a daily fresh fish grill! The hotel has an easy access to the beach and several activities, close by the Blue Lagoon and a suggestive sand bank. We had massages by the beach with the ocean sound and local oil. It was a pity not having a dedicated space to see the stars.

For me 10/10 points.

- beach: amazing... This is why they calling it the sands ;-)
- Dinner: delicious fish a la card and also a very good buffet, a good chef
- Beach bar: fresh drinks and fresh music, greetings to Hassa Boy
- Pool: big, clean and quiet
- Diving Center: buccaneer diving center is next to Ressort, they drove us to amazing places with turtles
- rooms: clean and good bed
- wifi: stable and fast
And most important:
- the stuff: wonderful, friendly and happy people

The villa was clean, comfortable, location is perfect, and the staffs were amazing especially Mr Ali, he was so friendly and helpful, he made our stay enjoyable.
They were extremely accommodating and allowed us to check in early and to check out late. The service was exceptional as well, they celebrated Eid AlAdha with beach view dinner, amazing food and songs, Would definitely be again there.

Summary: The Sands is a terrific resort, located on a beautiful beach, with incredible facilities, terrific food, and an amazing staff. Highly recommended.

Go Deeper: The Sands Zanzibar Beach Resort is amazing. We stayed here with our two daughters in July 2023 and had an incredible time. This followed a safari on the mainland and then two nights in Stone Town at which point we were ready to relax and enjoy the beach. The Sands was exactly what we needed

Where to begin?

The property is immaculate. As you enter from the main road you’re overwhelmed by a sea of bougainvillea and other tropical flora. And the beach is a blinding shade of white, which descends into the Indian Ocean’s many shades of blue. Depending on the tide, you’ll wander on the bottom of the ocean and see crabs and other wildlife or spend hours swiming in the ocean’s warm waters.

The facilities are terrific. We stayed in a two-bedroom villa with our own private pool. The rooms were comfortable, well-decorated, and well equipped (hot water, AC, fans, etc.). While we visited during the busy season, there were no crowds and at times we felt we had the property to ourselves, whether we were at the beach or at the main pool, which was also very nice.

The food is excellent. Breakfast is a buffet-style setup with an omelet/egg station, some of the best crepes we’ve ever had, fresh fruit, great coffee, and a number of other options. For lunch we ate at the beach bar, which was also very good. French fries at the beach are one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Dinner is also buffet style, which changes every night. Depending on the catch of the day, there is a whole fish that is grilled onsite. They are also really nice salads and main courses that reflect Zanzibar’s diverse culinary heritage (Swahili, Bantu, Arab, Portuguese, Indian, British and even Chinese cuisine). You will not be hungry here.

But what truly sets The Sands apart is its staff, which is led by the general manager Mr. Amos and his assistant Mr. Ally. Both gentlemen took the time to introduce themselves to us and — on many occasions – followed up and asked us how we were doing. From the minute we checked in we were met with smiles and kindness. This continued throughout our stay, whether it was at the front desk (including Ms. Yesenti and Mr. Yasintia), the beach bar and restaurant (including Ms. Hameda), with the gardeners and housekeepers, or the Massai security staff. This also includes the amazing masseuse Debora, who provided my wife and I two excellent treatments (Tip: go for the deep tissue first and then follow up with the Swedish) before you check out). And because we had a very late departing flight, we were given a late checkout – which may not always be the case given the busy season, but which we really appreciated.

Bottom line: this was the perfect end to an amazing trip and I would not hesitate to stay here again. I’d like to thank the entire team at The Sands for a truly wonderful stay. Asante sana!

After a long week on safari and two hot days in Stone Town we were ready to relax. The Sands Beach Resort is a perfect place for that. We stayed in Family bungalow. The place was big, modern and clean. Excellent customer service. The staff truly valued and appreciated their guests. We felt very SPECIAL. Favorite thing: oversized pool, lunch on the beach and drinks at the beach bar. In others reviews people were concerned that beach didn’t “look pretty when low tide “. We took a Masai guide and went to explore “the bottom of the sea” - unique opportunity never seen before.

Definitely Recommend this resort!
It was simply beautiful, the staff was very friendly and helpful, it has a nice beach, a bar where they make great cocktails, even ones in coconuts, the restaurant offers a variety of nice dishes, fruits, fish, everything. Every night they had a different huge fresh fish. Everything was great and we had a good time there. Also it is on a good location, easy to access other beaches. Pool is also nice. Almost no mosquitos. Really, I cannot say anything bad about the place, would visit again!

Really nothing to say !! EXCELLENT…
Staff very very friendly and there for every need.
The Beach 🤩 ….
The bar .. and the cocktails alcoholic and NON alcoholic … 👍👍👍🤤
The food … AMAZING 🤩 and 🤤🤤!!, breakfast and dinner .. fresh, tasty… you can eat with your eyes shut without any worry..
The villas are clean, and a very good size! Security 24/7..

Without any doubt I will come back, (and this time do a Safari before hand !!).
An super hôtel to just relax and get away from reality for a week.

Thank you for everything… Alex (villa 120)

The best hotel i stayed in Zanzibar, everything was perfect, the hospitality, the service, the staff was so friendly and professional. I hope to visit it again I really do . We stayed on the villa with the private pool and we asked them to make it more private so they covers The fence surrounding the pool and that was amazing from them we appreciate how they care about the visitors and their requirements. Moreover the beach was so beautiful and really clean with a nice swing, bar and an amazing place to relax on the beach. Every Friday they have a singing band which make visitors feel special and happy. Overall the hotel is amazing. Thank you

After leaving the Konokono Beach Resort because it was a big disappointment we found and booked this resort on short notice. We are so happy we found this pearl. Very well maintained buildings and gardens, excellent food, comfortable furniture at the pool and the beach, very well managed and top class service. What else does one need during his holiday. This hotel is a very good destination for people that are looking for something else then the holiday machinery from big global groups. It is rather small but brings standards unreachable for these giants because they are simply too big. Here you fet a lot more holiday satisfaction then anywhere else on this island. Carry on Sands, you are doing great !

One of the best experiences we ever had. This hotel offers a lot of unique memories, but the most important to us was the warmth that pampered each one of us. Mr. Ally has gone way beyond the extra mile any guest expects. He gave us a new meaning of customers excellence through providing extra care to each individual in the hotel. He has arranged a dinner at the beach for all of our group and brought an African singing band just for us. An experience that is 2nd to none. He also arranged for us a private tour that made all the difference. He kept doing small things that made our experience better. Also, the chef responsible for dinners displayed a highly professional individual. All in all, we will come back!

Me and my wife spent 7 days for our honeymoon here at The Sand Beach Resort and has been an amazing experience. We came here to chill out and the staff really helped us to achieve this goal.

The resort is on the east coast of Zanzibar which is quieter comparing with other areas of the island, the structure has all the comforts you need to relax.
In front of the resort there is an amazing sea where you can experience the high and low tide during the day but, if you don’t like the sea, you can benefit of a huge swimming pool.

The restaurant is very good, you can have huge plates of fresh fruits, excellent grilled fishes and tasty soups. Every time you’ll have a different menu also if the recipes are more or less the same.
The breakfast is also really good, you can order any kind of food, from pancakes to eggs with bacon, to fresh fruit plate, etc.

The staff is very nice and always available just with a WhatsApp message, they help you to be more relaxed bringing you whatever you want at any time and always being very kind.

Two times per day (morning and evening) the cleaning ladies will provide you new blanket, towels, and water in the fridge in the morning, instead in the evening they pass by to turn on the lights, to prepare the bed, close the windows and spray solutions against mosquitos.

What else…there is the beach bar next to the beach beds which is open morning to evening (10pm) where you can get everyday new beach towels, amazing juices and launch.

The resort also offers different trips like the spicy tour, the Safari blue, diving and snorkelling excursions, sunset watching by boat, etc.

For us was a great experience, we highly recommend it and remember HAKUNA MATATA and POLE POLE.

Great resort, best one i stayed at during my trip to Zanzibar. The resort is situated directly at the beach, with clean white sands perfect for swimming (unfortunately not possible during low tide).
The villas offer a much needed privacy, away from other guests.
All the staff are very friendly and were great to interact with.
The thing i loved most has to be their food menu.

We were supposed to stay at another resort but at the last minute, our travel agent got us accommodations at the Sands. We were greeted with juice and friendly staff. The grounds of the resort are gorgeous and the rooms were large, clean and cool. I would suggest a few hooks be added in the bathroom and an add'l chair be added in the room. Internet availability was great even though we didn't have access in our room.

The food was very good and plentiful. I prefer the nights when there is buffet at dinner. I would highly recommend the Sands. On my last day, I made an appt for a massage and pedicure. Both were in a small building overlooking the ocean. I had a sunburn so I got the yogurt and aloe massage - what a treat.