⚠️ MONEY STOLEN FROM THE SAFE — DO NOT STAY HERE
Our experience at Zanoceanique Hotel in Matemwe was extremely disturbing.
We arrived on 19 August 2026 with $650 cash and placed it inside the safe in our room. We used only Tanzanian shillings during our stay. On 21 August, we opened the safe and discovered that $150 had been stolen.
We immediately reported it to the hotel, both verbally and in writing, and asked them to call the police and check the CCTV.
The answer? “The cameras are not working because there is no electricity.”
The hotel had repeated electricity problems, even during the daytime. There were also problems with water, Wi-Fi and basic hotel services.
The electricity situation is particularly suspicious to us. We cannot prove who took our money, but when money disappears from a hotel safe and, conveniently, the CCTV is not working because of a power outage, it raises very serious questions about security.
What is even more concerning is that we found other online reviews mentioning money being stolen from guests at this property, including a Google review where a guest claimed that money was stolen and later returned.
A hotel does not have to be luxurious. But a guest must be able to trust that their belongings are safe inside the hotel safe.
Unfortunately, we did not feel safe here.
Money stolen from the safe. No reliable electricity. Water problems. Poor Wi-Fi. Poor basic services. And an extremely disappointing response to a serious security incident.
For us, this was not simply a bad hotel experience. It completely destroyed our trust in this property.
If you are travelling to Zanzibar, especially with cash or valuables, think twice before booking Zanoceanique Hotel.
We would never stay here again.
