Moonshine Uroa Boutique Hotel

Our arrival at Moonshine Uroa Boutique Hotel was immediately unsettling. The Reception Lady (who I later learned was the manager's wife) greeted us with a judgmental and unwelcoming demeanor. She rudely demanded our passports without explanation, and when we inquired about the procedure, she rolled her eyes, raised her voice, and treated us with harsh disrespect.
We had arranged for a shuttle, and were told it was waiting for 2 hours (the manager said 3 hours) but we called and texted the hotel while we waited at the port for over an hour. We received no response. We were then told that our request was short notice even though we booked since October 2022 and notified them of any changes in advance. The number provided on Booking.com was invalid, adding to our frustration.

The situation escalated when the manager began yelling at us, behaving in a manner that felt threatening. When I asked him why his wife had been rude to me and my daughters, implying that it was due to our race, he continued to yell, shocking other staff members. To diffuse the situation, we tried to explain that there was a miscommunication, but the manager continued to insist that they were correct and that we were lucky they weren't charging us.
As I walked away, the manager continued to insult me, and I felt increasingly targeted. He became visibly angry, turning red and stepping close to my face, prompting me to walk away in fear for our safety.

The property itself was not as advertised. It was located in a remote and isolated area, giving us a sense of unease and vulnerability. The taxi driver even commented that he would not recommend staying there, describing it as "dodgy" and unlike a hotel. The entrance was overrun with cats, and the overall atmosphere was far from family-friendly.
Upon arrival, we saw a sign saying Masai security property, so we asked if we were at the right property or not with our taxi driver, the driver said that he would not recommend us to stay there it's dulgy! It didn't look like a hotel... It looked like somewhere where people hide themselves to cheat on their partners!

The manager's wife handed the room keys to my daughters instead of me, and when I protested, the porter was instructed to show us the room anyway. The room we were given was not the one we had booked, and it appeared to be hastily prepared with unfinished painting and broken doors. The toilet and sink were also broken, and the room did not resemble the photos or facilities advertised. We felt unsafe and even feared that the drinks offered by the waitress might be poisoned.
We noticed rose petals which verified my suspicions that the property is for " hookers" and men who sell their services to women on holiday, everywhere we turned were couple who are not married to, cause we heard few conversations talking about " I have to let my family know that my meeting will take longer" one of them confirmed what he was doing there when he asked me how come we were outside?
He was very disappointed with the management ( he was a local working to please foreigners).
The room was infested with ants, the towels were stained brown, and the door could not be closed without locking it.

As a disabled person who walks with a cane, I received no assistance whatsoever. We felt so unsafe and uncomfortable that we immediately contacted a friend to arrange for new accommodation and transportation. We stood outside, refusing to even sit down, until our new taxi arrived.

After cancelling our booking and filing a complaint against the property management, Booking.com has failed to refund our money. This constitutes fraud, and I intend to pursue further complaints against Booking.com if a full refund and compensation are not provided immediately. They NEVER refunded our money! would not take your family there....

A lot of pluses and one huge minus. First of all, the beach is divine - clean, very vast at low tide, practically empty. I stayed in a bungalow on the beach and I just loved waking up to the view. The bungalow itself is fine, bed comfortable, just the bathroom could be cleaner and refurbished a bit (very low water pressure, very dim light, fungus in the shower). Food at the restaurant was excellent (although the portions somewhat small), staff very nice. Now to the bitter part: out of my 5-day stay that I really enjoyed, Saturday was a nightmare. A big group of tourists was occupying the restaurant and nearby area all day, playing loud music. When asked to turn it down, they did for 5 minutes, and then it was going on again. When that finally ended about 6pm, the music at the pool bar started, with bass so loud, that the floor of the bungalow was vibrating. The staff was totally unbothered when asked to turn the music down. There was literally nowhere to hide from the noise. I would be more understanding if it was Ibiza, but for a village that advertises itself as a quiet fisherman village - for me it was the main reason I chose it - it’s unacceptable. Fortunately there was literally no one at the bar, so the ‘party’ didn’t last very long, but way too long for my patience (I was particularly disappointed with Danilo’s the manager indifference).
Daily visits from a local cat were a very nice touch.

Didn’t know what to expect after reading some of the reviews, but we had an amazing stay here! Would love to come back. It’s not a five star resort, but you’re not paying for that either. Charming villa right on the Indian Ocean, very good value for money. Our favorite place in Zanzibar, and yes we visited the more famous (and far more busy and expensive) Nungwi and Kendwa. Nice, clean bungalow with good AC, spectacular view of the ocean 😁 Good food and drinks at a reasonable price, and very friendly and helpful staff.
A relaxing and hidden gem on the east coast. Also the beach is stunning.

We’ve travelled to several different accommodations across Zanzibar and we have found the absolute best one by far.
The bungalow we stayed had a fan, air-conditioning, pool, bar, restaurant and was a stones throw away from the ocean and separated from us by a clean, sparkling white beach.

The staff were all super friendly and the management very accommodating to our every need and request.
The pizzas were fantastic value for money, the drinks very reasonable and the overall experience was much better than even a couple of the five star resorts we visited.

We would definitely love to come back here.

This could be such a great hotel but it isn’t. We have left a day early as just couldn’t sleep with no air conditioning despite complaining three times. No room safe, no fridge and bathrooms pretty disgusting. The whole place needs investment and could be fantastic as great location and nice laid back atmosphere. Restaurant terrible too go next door to Avo. Seem to be plenty of staff but not being managed and the owner doesn’t seem too interested. We have been beside the pool for three days looking at an empty beer crate and dirty ashtray for the same length of time. Such a shame but we won’t be back. It really is a case of you get what you pay for and hence it is so cheap.

Nice beach and vibe at the hotel, but absolutely nothing works here as others has also reviewed. We booked three nights but left after one. We had no electricity, no water/ just a bucket, no service and just stress trying to get them to do anything at all. We did not pay for this terrible experience, only food, just refused.

Had 2 nights here. Nice small and clean place. Food ok. Our friends and I treated badly by management. No breakfast on early checkout despite request. Also shoddy last minute unreciepted charges slapped on us on morning of departure despite clearing everything night before. Blaming guests for thier own shortcomings. Overall it felt like we were never welcome in the first place. Not recommended if yo black

Very nice.
Very gentle staff
Beachfront, nice pool.
Nice breakfast and good restaurant
Beautiful style and architectural design.
Walking distance from other restaurants nightlife and entertainment.
The sea and the beach are amazing, a lot of space .

Moonshine is a gem, an amazing value with everything we wanted. Our friends' cabana was RIGHT on the Indian Ocean and ours was steps away. The staff was lovely and really seemed to care about our enjoyment and comfort. Due to renovation, the restaurant was closed. But the staff set up a table poolside where we enjoyed several delicious meals, an awesome sunset and later the famous moonshine on the water. since we don't speak Swahili, the manager helped us negotiate over the phone for a snorkeling excursion, which allowed us to save money and get the service we wanted. We were two older couples, but we recommend this location for families or anyone on a budget who wants to relax.

I dont agree with the previous reviews. The hotel furniture and overall yes, its a bit old but this is not europe, and its the best place during our stay in tanzania. We were welcomed with a welcome drink. The italian manager and his other half/manager were super nice and informative about the place and activities if asked. The pool was cleaned every day. We didnt lock our doors after few days there as the room service even left our tip on the cupboard what was left to them on the bed-we had to hand it to them and say it was for them 😀 we had a late flight so even it was fully booked they let us stay in another bungalow so we wouldnt be "homeless". The premises were guarded by 2 super nice maasai, who played with their guard dog and cats and we felt like people were happy there. I think you will get what you give out -i would go back definetly. On the check out day we left our luggage to the hall for the whole day and we didnt even think something could be missing or whatever. I would prefer this small boutique to any large hotel full of complaining people. Also i am a restaurant/bar manager myself and would say the food was good-the breakfast choice could have been wider but ive seen less choice in other european counries. Hakuna matata 🙂 hopefully see you soon!

Worst Hotel around Uroa! Rooms and standards like 1990. Faucet wasn't fixed, toilet seat broken, living room without proper furniture. No coffee machine, refrigerator small and not working. Breakfast not good and hygienically gross. Lunch and dinner overpriced and not tasty, sodas and beer not cold and more expensive than everywhere else. Management treats staff not friendly, they seem to be afraid. Unbelievable noisy generator next to our bedrooms which was running most nights due to power blackouts. Sleeping was not possible (70-80 dB with windows closed!). Asked the Italian manager twice for a solution but he couldn't care less, offered no other accommodation or quiet rooms and even got rude. Finished our 11 day stay after five days, but didn't get a refund. Don't believe the pictures you see on Booking.com!!!

Property was well maintained.We came in June during slow season it was very quiet and relaxing.We had the 3b 2b villa.Management is awesome and helped with any issues we had for example hot water.There was a switch that we had to flip in order to turn the hot water on.Besides that we definitely would recommend staying at Mooshine. Torti the security guard is phenomenal.Regardless the time of day he will assist you.

We checked in with a room not ready. No towels, no water, no socket to plug the kettle or charger.
Our room is next to generator so we have noise all night long! AC or Fan is not working.
Poor service, poor training for the staffs and poor management. Everything in this hotel is a mess!

A disgusting, dirty, smelly place. Nothing works as it should. I spent some horrific hours there. The service is rude and aggressive. The reality is very different from the pictures in the hotel's advertisement. I advise against staying in this horrible place.

Dirty rooms, terrible dirty bathrooms. Sewage spilled out of the toilet. Showers didnt works. Terrible stench in rooms and fetor in toilets. On the beds were dirty sheets. Finally after start air condition the smell was worse. The staff even didn't try repare this situation. I won't tell you how the monstrous brawl began after we informed you that we could not stay in this hotel a minute longer. This was for my familly terrible experiens never more.

Rolig, avslappende og idyllisk hotel. Alle ansatte var veldig hyggelig, smilende og imøtekommende. Det er en helt egen atmosfære på dette hotellet. Lite og rolig sted, godt utgangspunkt for opplevelser i resten av Zanzibar.

Nothing like the pictures; it is run down. Food is basic and overpriced. The place had a weird vibe and it’s not safe - a couple of people were robbed while we were there. The actual beach is pretty. It’s a very quiet area so it’s not good for kids. Internet was good in room though!

Moonshine is not a hotel, in best case it is a B&B. Do not let yourself decide by the pictures you see at booking.com , they are at least 20 years old. Nothing there is like on the pictures.
- no warm water
- no breakfast refills
- very, very simple food
- generator with 75db two meters from sleeping room, running at night
- everything broken and damaged
- Open electric cable near the pool
- fouled pool terrace, dangerous openings
- big free running dog that poos in the sand in front of the place
- loose toilet seat
- very, very simple restaurant and cooking abilities

Delicious food
I went for a swim and I had an amazing lunch,great service and friendly staff as well.

This lunch was really amazing also they have great taste of coffee recommend to try cappuccino.

Clean as well,with an amazing beach view and perfect for swimming as well.

Très décevant nous l’avons choisi pour sa piscine proche de l’océan qui était sale interdite à la beignade toute la semaine coupure d’eau on c’est coucher avec les enfants sans prendre de douche très peu de choses pour le petit déjeuner pour pas dire rien hotel vêtus isolée rien au tour il faut faire des kilomètres en taxi pour trouver une une pharmacie je vous déconseille cette hôtel