Garden Beach Bungalows Jambiani in Jambiani

We had a stay with mixed experiences. The beach, the ocean, and the surroundings are fantastic. However, when it comes to the accommodation itself—and especially the management—there is much to be desired. - The employed staff did their best under the circumstances. When we pointed out the unreasonableness of adding a 5% surcharge on all card payments, despite this not being permitted by the authorities, they called for the “owner.” After a while, a white man appeared, shirtless, stood in front of me, and only asked, “what, what?” He did not introduce himself, did not greet us, and did not ask how he could help—he simply had an extremely rude attitude. When I explained that it was unreasonable to add a 5% fee to card payments, and that it is not even allowed, he simply replied, “I don’t care.” He went on to talk about how long he had lived and worked in Zanzibar and that he certainly knows better. When we later checked out, some people in our group stayed behind. The same man suddenly rushed into one of the rooms our friends were using, still shirtless, without introducing himself, and began scolding them for having written threatening emails. They had no idea what he was talking about—no one had written anything—but he insisted. He forbade the staff to refill drinking water in the rooms and to serve food on the veranda of the room, which they had previously done during our stay so that we could avoid the loud music during dinner. On their website, this man is not listed as part of the management or as an owner. The owner is described as a local man whom we never met. We do not know who this white man was, but the staff referred to him as the owner. • There is significant visibility into the rooms we stayed in, which meant we had to keep the curtains closed at all times.