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Sultan Sands

4.5 star property
your current months are January, 2025 and February, 2025.
January 2025
February 2025

Photo gallery for Sultan Sands

Exterior
Dining
3 outdoor pools, pool umbrellas
Billiards
Birthday party area

Reviews

8.6 out of 10

Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Bar
  • All-inclusive
  • Pool
  • Breakfast included
  • Spa
  • 24/7 front desk

Explore the area

Map
PO BOX 3276,KIWENGWA, NORTH EAST COAST, Kiwengwa, Unguja North Region
  • Kiwengwa Pongwe Forest
    7 min walk
  • Mapenzi Beach
    12 min drive
  • pool bar @ blue bay
    6 min walk
  • Zanzibar (ZNZ-Zanzibar Intl.)
    46 min drive

Room options

View all photos for Bungalow (Baobab)

Premium bedding, memory-foam beds, minibar, in-room safe

Bungalow (Baobab)

  • 14.45 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Superior Room, With No Sea View (Bahari)

Superior Room, With No Sea View (Bahari)

Superior Room, With No Sea View (Bahari)

  • 60 sq m
  • Sea view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Standard Room, Garden View (Pwani)

Standard Room, Garden View (Pwani)

Standard Room, Garden View (Pwani)

  • 29 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Double Sofa Bed

View all photos for Superior Room, Sea Facing (Bahari)

Superior Room, Sea Facing (Bahari)

Superior Room, Sea Facing (Bahari)

  • 27 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

About the area

Kiwengwa

With a stay at Sultan Sands in Kiwengwa, you'll be on the beach, within a 15-minute drive of Kiwengwa Beach and Kiwengwa Pongwe Forest. .This beach hotel is 20.6 mi (33.2 km) from Nungwi Beach and 20.3 mi (32.6 km) from Kendwa Beach.

What's nearby

  • Pwani Mchangani Beach - 10 min drive
  • Mapenzi Beach - 12 min drive
  • Kiwengwa Beach - 12 min drive
  • Muyuni Beach - 14 min drive
  • Pongwe Beach - 17 min drive

Getting around

  • Zanzibar Intl. Airport (ZNZ) - 46 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Spice Restaurant - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪Restaurant - ‬9 min drive
  • ‪Andiamo - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Snack Restaurant Ngalawa - ‬9 min drive
  • ‪The Green & Grill - ‬8 min drive

About this property

Sultan Sands

Luxury hotel on the beach, with 3 outdoor pools
Sultan Sands offers 76 accommodations, which are accessible via exterior corridors and feature minibars and safes. Accommodations offer separate sitting areas. Memory foam beds feature premium bedding. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Bathrooms include showers with rainfall showerheads, and hair dryers. Additionally, rooms include complimentary bottled water and ceiling fans. A nightly turndown service is provided and housekeeping is offered daily.
3 outdoor swimming pools are on site along with a children's pool. Other recreational amenities include an outdoor tennis court.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

Guests can pamper themselves by indulging in the onsite spa services. There are massage/treatment rooms available. Services include facials and body treatments.
Make yourself at home in one of the 76 guestrooms featuring minibars. Your memory foam bed comes with premium bedding. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Private bathrooms with showers feature rainfall showerheads and hair dryers.
Treat yourself with massages, body treatments, and facials. You're sure to appreciate the recreational amenities, which include 3 outdoor swimming pools, an outdoor tennis court, and bicycles to rent. This hotel also features complimentary wireless internet access, concierge services, and an arcade/game room.
All-inclusive rates are available at this hotel. Meals and beverages at onsite dining establishments are included in all-inclusive rates. Charges may be applied for dining at some restaurants, special dinners and dishes, some beverages, and other amenities.

You can enjoy a meal at Mwambao serving the guests of Sultan Sands, or stop in at the snack bar/deli. Relax with a refreshing drink from the bar/lounge or one of the 2 beach bars. A complimentary buffet breakfast is served daily from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM.

Featured amenities include complimentary wired internet access, a business center, and dry cleaning/laundry services. A shuttle from the airport to the hotel is provided for a surcharge (available 24 hours), and free self parking is available onsite.
A complimentary buffet breakfast is served each morning between 7:00 AM and 10:00 AM.
Mwambao - Onsite restaurant.
Kivuli Bar N Restaurant - Overlooking the ocean, this restaurant serves lunch and dinner. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar. Open daily.
Mawimbi bar / Lounge - This pub overlooks the pool. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar. Open daily.

All-inclusive details

All-inclusive room rates at Sultan Sands are available. These rates are higher because they include onsite food and beverages in the room rate (some restrictions may apply).

Languages

English

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi and wired Internet

Parking and public transport

  • Free self-parking on site
  • 24-hour pick-up airport shuttle (surcharge)
  • Airport shuttle on request

Food and drink

  • Free buffet breakfast available daily 7:00 AM–10:00 AM
  • 1 restaurant
  • 2 beach bars and 1 bar

Restaurants on site

  • Mwambao
  • Kivuli Bar N Restaurant
  • Mawimbi bar / Lounge

Things to do

  • 3 outdoor pools
  • Arcade/games room
  • Bike rentals
  • Billiards/pool table
  • Children's pool
  • Kayaking
  • Outdoor tennis court
  • Playground
  • Shopping
  • Snorkelling
  • Spa services
  • Tennis

Family friendly

  • 3 outdoor pools
  • Arcade/games room
  • Children's club
  • Children's pool
  • Laundry facilities
  • Playground
  • Snack bar/deli

Conveniences

  • Banquet hall
  • Front-desk safe

Guest services

  • 24-hour front desk
  • Concierge services
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Dry-cleaning service
  • Hair salon
  • Laundry facilities
  • Luggage storage
  • Tour/ticket assistance
  • Turndown service
  • Wedding services

Business services

  • Business centre
  • Conference centre

Outdoors

  • Beachfront location
  • Garden
  • Pool umbrellas
  • Terrace

Spa

  • Body treatments
  • Facials
  • Massages
  • Massage/treatment rooms

Accessibility

  • This property does not have any lifts

More

  • Designated smoking areas
  • Mosquito nets
  • TV in lobby

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Air conditioning (climate-controlled)
  • Bed sheets
  • Ceiling fan
  • Memory-foam mattress
  • Premium bedding

Bathroom

  • Hairdryer
  • Private bathroom
  • Rainfall showerhead
  • Shower
  • Towels

Entertainment

  • 32-inch TV

Food and drink

  • Electric kettle
  • Free bottled water
  • Minibar

More

  • Access via exterior corridors
  • Phone
  • Safe
  • Separate sitting area
  • Turndown service
  • Window screens

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: midnight
Contactless check-in available
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 16

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival
For more details, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

No pets or service animals allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Payment types

Important information

Fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:

  • New Year's Eve (31 December) Gala Dinner per adult: USD 90
  • New Year's Eve (31 December) Gala Dinner per child: USD 45 (from 2 to 12 years old)
  • A tax is imposed by the city: USD 5.00 per person, per night

We have included all charges provided to us by the property.

Optional extras

  • Airport shuttle fee: USD 70 per vehicle (maximum occupancy 5)

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Cashless transactions are available
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a security system, and a first aid kit

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property

Property is also known as

Sultan Sands
Sultan Sands Island Kiwengwa
Sultan Sands Island Resort
Sultan Sands Island Resort Kiwengwa
Sultan Sands Island Hotel Kiwengwa
Sultan Sands Island Resort Zanzibar/Kiwengwa
Sultan Sands Island
Sultan Sands Island Resort Zanzibar Island/Kiwengwa
Sultan Sands Resort Kiwengwa
Sultan Sands Resort
Sultan Sands Kiwengwa
Sultan Sands Hotel
Sultan Sands Kiwengwa
Sultan Sands Hotel Kiwengwa

Sultan Sands Reviews

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 21 out of 43 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 16 out of 43 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 2 out of 43 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 3 out of 43 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 43 reviews" "

9.0/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Nancy

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We enjoyed!
A last minute booking that really delivered. There was an actual beautiful beach to walk on. Exceptional entertainment, variety and flavorful food, great staff.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

nena

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
It is amazing hotel, cosy and sweet…

10/10 Excellent

David

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing, lovely place to stay.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Jakub

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everything was really nice.
Stayed 8 nights in Jan 2022

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friends
We had a fun stay at Sultan Sands. It was very beautiful and the service was good. The location does feel a bit way from things and locals on the beach prevent any swimming or relaxation because of the constant selling.
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Michelle

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Stay, looking forward to return one day
Fantastic Stay!, comfortable, polite staff, Spa was amazing , Food was excellent and accommodating for Food Intolerances. Some of the Sunbeds could do with being improved, Cider, Rose and Procecco on the AI menu would be be a great Addition :)
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2021

8/10 Good

Samir Samsuddin

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2021

6/10 Okay

Emmanouil

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Not a 5* hotel, but nice location and beach
Hotel is NOT a 5* as shown on hotels.com Hotel is 4* so check again before book I paid for 5* but I realized soon that its not the case. Dinner mediocre boring food buffet, some fish and some beef cooked for guests but nothing special. I ended up eating pasta 3 days in a row. No wine list, only one available lager beer. Breakfast had limited options, Juices not fresh, some deserts were ok. Pool service not available. When asked for some food at the pool around 15-15:30 bcz our kids were starving they sent us to go to next hotel. When we asked for advertised kids room they sent us to next hotel. Even spa massage etc are done in next hotel (Blue bay). Only option at pool was to stand in line with all the ALL inclusive guests to order something. Asked for baby crib twice, reception said they had no cribs available (too many families) but later a cleaning lady saw my wife with babyand offered to bring a crib Expect some locals to try sell trips/coconuts/souvenirs on the beach, but for me its part of the experience, so nothing to worry, just smile and avoid them. Security always around so not worries. Wifi was not good in room, but worst was that our room was connected with next room by a locked door, so we could hear almost all noise from next door guests. Live music everynight and good atmosphere in general ! Personal was happy to help and with smile. When asked at receptiona at checkout about not being a 5* as advertised, they ignored me unfortunately...
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Zaytuny

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Property and location are both great. Really enjoyed our stay. All staff and bar tenders was amazing. Dass really went out of his way to ensure our stay was extra amazing.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Pradeep

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great hotel, in a very beautiful location and lovely staff. We stayed there for six days and didn't want to leave! From the check in to check out, everyone was there to make sure we had a fantastic holiday and they always had a smile for us. Fantastic beach and really good evenings shows. Would definitely go back to Sultan Sands in Zanzibar. Thank you very much everyone and Special thanks to Dass!
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice rooms, food and nice staffs Nice beach we enjoyed,a lot
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Sameera

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sultan Sands Stay
Our stay at Sultan Sands was nothing short of amazing. The service was exceptional. Dass, went over and above to ensure we had a good stay. We travelled with elderly people and the rooms provided were perfect for them to walk to and from the beach and/pool area. On an all inclusive package, the food was good and a huge variety of food everyday. The beach area is beautiful and sitting on the pool loungers on the beach was ideal to unwind. The location is also very good. Not too many tourists but at the same time it's not in the middle of no where. The snorkeling Centre on the resort makes it so convenient to travel out. We were particularly impressed with the service and value for money. Only suggestion would be is to have a kettle in the room for those who would like to have tea in the confort of there room. On the whole, a really nice place to stay at where you will get exceptional service and value for your money.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Jilna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We chose Sultan Sands for a 6 day family trip to Zanzibar. It did not disappoint! The hotel itself was amazing, beach was pristine but most of all the service was exceptional. All the staff were amazing but Dass Bangar (Resort Manager) truly went above and beyond. He was kind enough to provide a room closer to the beach for my elderly parents and happily catered for a vegetarian and a vegan in the group. That was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to exceptional service. Our family holiday would not have been the same without his constant care and attention. From all the Surani/Shah family... Thank you for a holiday experience we will never forget.
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2019

8/10 Good

Fahad

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good property with Amazing staff. The breakfast and dinner buffet was good and for the three nights I stayed in Sultan Sands, the food never felt repeated. The beach is neat and clean. Recommended.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Heather, Derbyshire

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect for a week relaxing in Zanzibar
We stayed all-inclusive (good choice given the drinks prices) All the staff were really laid back – sometimes maybe a little too much but just go with it and chill – after all it’s what you are there for. We had a lovely garden room. They are semi’s. Ours was quiet but I guess it depends on who’s next door. The TV had lots of channels including 3 film channels in English. The shower leaked & the bathroom floor got quite wet. There was a fridge in the room & we were left a large bottle of water each day in the room. The room had both two pin and English plug sockets. Generally the food was pretty good – plenty of choice even for me as a vegetarian. Except Saturday night pool side buffet night was bad. It was all outside and cold. The entertainment was pretty low key which was great for us. Mostly just a band playing by the pool and some background music. The second week they did aqua aerobics in the pool which was loud & slightly annoying – we’d gone there to relax. The resort is pretty small & if full would be a bit cramped. Sunbeds are close together and the bars can get busy. The beach boys can get a bit tiresome. But if you just say hi & sorry you are not interested they are not too bad. Do take beach shoes – The beach is lovely – soft white sands but there are spikey urchins etc that could cause injury! When we arrived we were the only Brits – it was mostly German. Everyone was friendly but the Manager was English & all the staff spoke English so I don't know why?
Stayed 12 nights in Sep 2018

4/10 Poor

Katarina

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
Unpleasant experience
After the whole day of travelling we have finely arrived to the hotel, we had to wait for a long time to get the room and when we did they came knocking after half an hour telling us we have to change the room and they took us to the smaller room which is next to the bar with a loud music. Even though we booked and payed a larger room they insisted we stay in the smaller one, after a lot of argument they gave us another room saying we cant stay in the first one due to booking of another guest which made no sense since we booked that room. We also booked all inclusive, when we arrived they didnt inform us about what is included in the price so until last day we didnt know what we actually payed for. Some of the staff were really amazing but some of them very rude we felt uncomfortable asking for anything. We transfered to another resort which is truly a paradise and continued our trip. Overall experience i wouldnt recommend this resort .
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Maude

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relaxing holiday
Perfect resort to enjoy Zanzibar. I had my own little hut with an ocean view. The food was buffet style but varied from day to day. It was very clean. I had a good massage in the spa facility. Depending on the tide, the access to the ocean might require a long walk but there are two nice pools to compensate. Good for couples, families and solo travelers who are looking for tranquility.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Staff and Beach but not so great hotel facil
This is weird because the hotel should get a 7* for its Staff and Beach however the hotel facility such as bedroom should get a 3*. We weren't impressed with the facility so we asked for our room to be upgraded which they did to the sister hotel BlueBay, next door. Wonderful staff and great food, perfect performance too.

2/10 Terrible

Lisa, Denver Colorado

Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
" Worst Hotel Stay in Our Vacation History"
Two days into our stay, the phone woke us at 6:30 am. To ask us if we were checking out. We said no, we had two more days and tried to go back to sleep. They called our room every hour on the hour until I went to the front desk at 10:00 am. I was told they had no record of our reservation, and that we would have to check out. After producing the confirmation in writting, we were told it was a mistake on our part, and that we would have to change rooms. There was a family checking in that wanted our room. After telling them that our family was just as important as the one checking in,we were told the manager would find us later and that this would HAVE to be settled!!!!!! They were very disrespectful, and it was so stressful our son had a panic attack- not exactly the family vacation memories you want to cherish!!!! To make a very long story short we were harassed, they would not clean our room for 24 hours, the manager never sought us out and we only saw the manager because we demanded to see him upon check out and told them we would just wait. Never an apology for ruining the remainder of our stay. If you choose this hotel, choose cautiously bring everything in writting and duplicates- then you will still be told you're wrong! We have traveled a good bit and this is the worst we have ever been treated!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Clare, Brussels, Belgium

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Tim

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2024