Shooting Star Boutique Hotel

This Boutique Hotel is a true little paradise. Given the set-up (garden rooms, little houses with extra pool, private villas) you feel like you have the place „almost“ to yourself. Just the prices for food and drinks outside of the half board felt a little „pricy“… chicken sandwich $10, plain chips $6, Gin Tonic $8, Virgin Colada $10, a bottle of Coke (0,5l) $3, small scoop of ice cream $2,5. The staff is very friendly!

The hotel complex is a dream. It is located at the end of a beach, so the hotel beach is also very quiet in comparison. You feel absolutely safe in the hotel itself. If you go to the beach, you have to be prepared to be chatted up and accompanied by Masai. I found this to be rather intrusive and felt very safe. The staff are extremely friendly. Both at reception and in service - and even the owners! - are extremely helpful and do everything they can to meet the needs of their guests. The rooms are a bit outdated and rather on the smaller side in terms of size (we had a room that - according to the beds - was designed for a family including 2 children. And we hardly knew where to put our luggage etc.). The bed in our room was very old and when you move, the whole frame creaks. The rooms have a fridge, air conditioning and fan and were always clean. The meals were very good. The breakfast was delicious and fresh with lots of fresh fruit and everything else your heart desires. You can also order fresh egg dishes, pancakes, crêpes, special toasts directly from the kitchen, which is included in the price. What is a pity, especially considering the room rates are not cheap: the cappuccino is not included under coffee and is rather expensive at 5 dollars per cup! Dinner, lunch and snacks were excellent - although again not cheap! The selection may be a little small, but the individual dishes are all delicious (and of a very good European standard). The menu is updated daily. As for excursions: Hands off "swimming / snorkeling with dolphins"! Our experience was sobering... At the places where dolphins were sighted (the day before?), ours was one of about 30-40 motorboats waiting for the dolphins to appear. As soon as just one fin was visible, all the boats started to move and literally chased and corralled the dolphins - it broke my heart! And as an animal lover, I was ashamed to have spent money on this.... Zanzibar should not be surprised if the dolphins eventually disappear.... I highly recommend that the hotel stops selling that tour.

Very nice small, boutique hotel with lovely views. The service by the staff was exceptional. The owners were accessible and very engaging. The food was very good and the African buffet night combined with live music and dancing was very enjoyable.

A beautifully situated boutique hotel with the most spectacular view from the main infinity pool area. A gem amidst the more 'pack them in ' venues along the beach. Very efficient and personable owner and staff team.Special mention of Zahran who is a most impressive young gentleman who took very good care of us. Great food and most comfortable rooms and surroundings. We will definitely come back to Shooting Star on any future trip to Zanzibar. Highly recommend Maria and Bernard Ireland

What a stunning location! Our lovely room (4) over looked one of the 2 infinity pools and then out to the beach and Indian Ocean. We had loungers on our patio as well as other seating so we could relax just outside our room in the sun or shade. The room is a very good size with a walk in wardrobe and was kept very clean. The grounds are delightful and Wilson, the duty manager while we were there, was amazing. On the down side some of the young staff are very smiley but often have no idea how to pour beer or wine or how to serve food. Or what is an appropriate volume level for music (a bit of a bug bear). The breakfasts are ok but monotonous after 4 or 5 days. The prices for drinks and snacks are quite high and in dollars. I think a complimentary carafe of water on the dinner table would be a thoughtful gesture ($2.50 is quite steep). We would definitely go back if we had the chance (we don’t say that very often!)

Well, what a little gem! A real little paradise indeed. Down a long drive, is the boutique hotel Shooting Star Lodge. 2 infinity pools, one we had to ourselves for 2 or 3 days, overlooking the Indian ocean. En suite with walk in shower, coconut and lime toiletries, clean white sheets, and plenty of towels for the room, and also for the pool. Plenty of choice for meals in the restaurant, and also for lunch in the beach bar. Buffet breakfast with continental and cooked choices. Wilson at front of house, and all the staff, whose names I can't remember, other than Martha, were well presented, polite, friendly, and approachable, nothing was too much trouble. Spa on site offering massages and beauty treatments, easily booked at reception. Ideal for couples to forget the stresses of modern life, and simply recharge their batteries. A great getaway after a Safari in the Nyerere National Park. Would thoroughly recommend. * * * * *

This was the last hotel we stayed at during our honeymoon after a safari and an initial stay in Zanzibar before our safari. Compared to the other hotels we stayed in, plus the fact that this is considered a 4-star hotel with 4-star hotel prices, we were not impressed. Although the room was smaller than expected, it appeared clean and comfortable. However, we encountered ant infestations throughout our stay, which was handled by chemical sprays while we were away from the room. This left us with hundreds of dead ants by the back door right near our bed. We took a "semi-inclusive" package where we prepaid for dinner (and breakfast) for the entirety of our stay. Although the meals were average, the thing that surprised me was that all drinks (including tap water) were add-ons, meaning we had to pay much more than you'd expect for a semi-inclusive stay. This was not the case for the semi-inclusive packages at other hotels during our trip. Cocktails were also ludicrously expensive (at $12 each). The staff was very nice, but appeared quite young and inexperienced. Again, normally I wouldn't be so critical, but with a 4-star hotel come certain expectations. I also might not have been so critical if we hadn't already stayed at another comparable lodge down the beach (also a 4-star hotel) that exceeded our expectations all around. Shooting Star has a lot of potential, in a beautiful location and with very lovely shared spaces (pools & seating areas), but the customer experience is really not up to par compared to the (many) other competitor hotels nearby.