Superior Garden View
Thirty five square metres with a fifteen metre balcony looking over the gardens or a pool. Two adults and one child aged up to eleven, or three adults. Air conditioning, safe, tea and coffee, and a bathroom with a shower.
Lodges & partnersZanzibar East Coast
TOA Hotel & Spa
A hundred rooms and four pools on the reef held lagoon at Pongwe, where the tide walks out at dawn and comes back by mid morning.
From $200 per person per night
01 / 06
- Tier
- Premium
- large beach resort, two board bases
- Location
- Zanzibar East Coast
About
About TOA Hotel & Spa.
TOA Hotel & Spa sits on the beach at Pongwe, a village on the east coast of Unguja about forty eight kilometres and an hour and a quarter by road from Zanzibar airport. The shore here curves into a shallow bay held by a fringing reef a few hundred metres out, which is what gives the water its pale green colour and keeps the sea flat almost all the time. It also gives Pongwe the biggest character of the east coast, its tide. Twice a day the water withdraws a long way across the sand flats and then comes back in, and the swimming window runs from about mid tide to high tide. That rhythm is worth knowing before you book, and it is the reason the hotel built four pools, one of them on the roof with the sea in front of it.
The property opened in May 2022 and it is big for this coast, around a hundred rooms and suites in low white buildings set back among the palms, with the beach in front and gardens behind. Rooms start at thirty five square metres with a fifteen metre balcony and run up to sixty square metre suites, some with a private pool facing the ocean and one category with an outdoor tub on the terrace. There are two restaurants, the main one called Coconut, three lounges, the Raha Spa with a steam room and sauna, and a gym that opens at six in the morning. The hotel belongs to the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Lifestyle Collection.
The east coast is not the wildlife half of a Tanzania trip and nobody should book it expecting that. What Pongwe offers is quiet: there is very little built up behind the beach, no strip of shops, and the village is small. Guests walk the sand flats at low tide looking at starfish and urchins in the pools, snorkel or paddle when the water is in, and take the day trips inland, the spice farms, the red colobus monkeys at Jozani, Prison Island and its tortoises, and Stone Town about an hour away.
It suits families, who get the space and the pools and a kitchen used to feeding children at odd hours, and it suits couples who want a resort rather than a small guesthouse. Two full board bases are published, half board and all inclusive, and the all inclusive adds lunch and soft drinks through the day. Guests who are particular about swimming straight off the beach at any hour should look at the west coast or the far north instead; guests who want a large comfortable resort with a quiet shore and four pools will be happy here.
Getting there is straightforward. Zanzibar is the only airport on the island with scheduled service and everyone lands there, whether from Kilimanjaro at about an hour and twenty minutes, from Dar es Salaam in twenty, or direct from Europe and the Gulf. From the airport it is one road across the middle of the island, tarmac the whole way, about an hour and a quarter.
Signature experiences
Why guests choose it.
The sand flats at low tide
When the water goes out it exposes hundreds of metres of firm sand and shallow pools. Guests walk out with the staff at first light and find starfish, urchins and small octopus in the tidal pools. It is the closest thing the east coast has to a guided nature walk and it costs nothing.
The rooftop pool
A pool on the roof with the reef and the open ocean in front of it, which is where most guests end up in the couple of hours before dinner. It is also the best place on the property to watch the tide come back in.
Private beach dinner
A table set on the sand for two, away from the restaurant and lit by lanterns, arranged by reservation with the front desk. The kitchen leans on what came off the boats that morning.
Swahili night and the beach barbecue
Tuesday is a Swahili menu with local musicians, and Saturday is a barbecue laid out on the beach with live entertainment. Both are part of the board basis rather than extras, and they are the two evenings guests tend to remember.
Raha Spa
Treatment rooms including a couples room, a steam room and a sauna, open from nine in the morning until seven in the evening. Massages, facials and longer body rituals, booked at the property.
Gallery
A closer look.
Room types
Where you will sleep.
Superior Sea View
The same thirty five square metres and fifteen metre balcony as the garden rooms, turned to face the ocean and the breeze that comes with it. Two adults and one child aged up to eleven, or three adults.
Deluxe Room
Forty five square metres with a twenty metre balcony, garden or sea facing, and room for two adults with two children aged up to eleven, or three adults. The most practical choice for a family in one room.
Suite with Direct Pool
A suite on the ground floor opening straight onto one of the shared pool terraces, so you can step off the verandah into the water. Two adults with two children aged up to eleven, or three adults.
Suite with Sea View & Bathtub
A sea facing suite with a tub on the terrace as well as the bathroom, positioned for the sunrise, which on this coast comes up out of the sea. Two adults with two children aged up to eleven, or three adults.
Suite with Infinity Pool
Sixty square metres with a forty five metre terrace and a private pool facing the ocean. The supplier also lists this one as the Honeymoon Suite. Two adults with two children aged up to eleven, or three adults.
Royal Suite with Jacuzzi
Sixty square metres with a sixty metre terrace and an outdoor tub set to face the ocean. The largest and highest priced category on the property. Two adults with two children aged up to eleven, or three adults.
At a glance
The essentials, in brief.
Amenities
- Four swimming pools including a rooftop pool with a sea view
- Raha Spa with treatment rooms, steam room and sauna
- Gym open from six in the morning until ten at night
- Two restaurants including the Coconut Restaurant
- Three Lounges
- Private white sand beach with sunbeds and shade
- High speed internet throughout the property
- Room Service
- Laundry Service
- Babysitting On Request
- Entertainment team, Swahili night on Tuesday and a beach barbecue on Saturday
- Conference room for up to forty guests
- Gift Shop
- Car Rental Desk
- Free Parking
- Air Conditioning In Every Room
- Safe In Every Room
- Concierge
- Front desk staffed around the clock
- Business Centre
- Cots On Request
- Non Smoking Rooms
Best for
- Families
- Couples
- Honeymoon
- Beach
- Long Stays
- Post Safari Rest
- Weddings
Wildlife and nature
- Reef fish and starfish in the tidal pools right in front of the hotel at low water
- Snorkelling over the fringing reef when the tide is in
- Red colobus monkeys at Jozani Chwaka Bay, the only place in the world they live
- Dolphins in Menai Bay on the boat trips run from the south west of the island
- Giant tortoises on Prison Island, a thirty minute boat ride from Stone Town
Best time to visit
When to go.
- January: best
- February: best
- March: not a best month
- April: not a best month
- May: not a best month
- June: best
- July: best
- August: best
- September: best
- October: best
- November: not a best month
- December: best
Best months
Best months: June to October and December to February.
Location & access
Getting there.
Location
Zanzibar East Coast
Arriving by air
Fly Kilimanjaro International to Zanzibar in about an hour and twenty minutes, then transfer by road to Pongwe in about an hour and a quarter. Zanzibar is the only airport on the island with scheduled service and there is no usable airstrip closer to the hotel.
By road
Zanzibar is reached by air. From Kilimanjaro International it is about an hour and twenty minutes in the air to Zanzibar, with several departures a day, then one road east and north across the island to Pongwe, about forty eight kilometres and an hour and a quarter, tarmac the whole way.
On the map
Where it sits.
6.044° S, 39.406° E
What's included
What the rate covers.
Included
- Accommodation in the room category booked
- Breakfast and dinner daily on the half board rates
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner and soft drinks through the day on the all inclusive rates
- Use of the four swimming pools and the private beach
- Sunbeds And Beach Towels
- Use Of The Gym
- High speed internet throughout the property
- Resident entertainment programme including Swahili night on Tuesday and the beach barbecue on Saturday
- All Applicable Government Taxes
Not included
- Bed levy of 5 USD per person per night, paid at the hotel or added to your invoice before you travel
- Full board supplement of 30 USD per person per night if you want lunch added to a half board stay
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner of 70 USD per person per night on 24 and 25 December, half that for children aged 4 to 11 and free for children under 4
- New Year Eve dinner of 100 USD per person per night on 31 December, half that for children aged 4 to 11 and free for children under 4
- Spa Treatments
- Excursions, Boat Trips And Diving
- Airport transfers, arranged by the hotel and charged separately
- Travel Insurance
- Tips And Gratuities
- Items Of A Personal Nature
- Zanzibar inbound travel insurance, 44 USD per person for the whole stay, compulsory and bought online at visitzanzibar.go.tz before arrival
Frequently asked
Questions, answered.
How many rooms does TOA Hotel & Spa have?
A hundred and one rooms and suites across seven categories, from thirty five square metre Superior rooms up to sixty square metre suites with a private pool or an outdoor tub. It opened in May 2022 with eighty six rooms and has grown since.
Where exactly is the hotel?
On the beach at Pongwe village, on the east coast of Unguja in the Kati district, about forty eight kilometres from Zanzibar airport. Stone Town is roughly an hour away by road.
How do guests get there?
Everyone flies into Zanzibar, which is the only airport on the island with scheduled service. From Kilimanjaro it is about an hour and twenty minutes in the air; from the airport it is about an hour and a quarter by road on tarmac. The hotel arranges transfers for a separate charge.
Can you swim off the beach?
From about mid tide to high tide, yes, and the lagoon is calm because a reef sits a few hundred metres out. At low tide the water withdraws a long way and the sand flats are for walking rather than swimming. The hotel gives out the week tide table and has four pools, including one on the roof.
What is included in the rate?
Two board bases are published. Half board covers breakfast and dinner. All inclusive covers breakfast, lunch, dinner and soft drinks through the day. Both include the pools, the beach, sunbeds, the gym, internet and the resident entertainment. A bed levy of five dollars per person per night is collected by the hotel at check in.
Are families with children welcome?
Yes. There is no minimum age, cots and babysitting are available, and the Deluxe Room and all four suites take two adults with two children aged up to eleven. Children under four stay free of charge in the room, and children from four to eleven pay half the per person rate. There is no kids club, but there are children pools and an entertainment team.
When is the best time to visit?
June to October and December to February are the driest and brightest months and are when the hotel prices peak. The long rains fall in April and May, which is the quietest and least expensive window and often better weather than its reputation suggests.
Is there a minimum stay?
Only over the festive window. From 21 December to 6 January the hotel requires five consecutive nights. The rest of the year has no minimum.
What is there to do nearby?
Spice farms and Jozani forest with its red colobus monkeys are inland, Stone Town is about an hour away, and Prison Island with its giant tortoises is a short boat ride from there. Snorkelling and diving trips run from the coast, and the Kiwengwa Pongwe forest reserve and its caves are immediately behind the beach.
Is there internet and power?
High speed internet runs throughout the property and is included. Power is mains with hotel backup, which matters on an island where the grid occasionally drops. Sockets are the British three pin type.
What happens over Christmas and New Year?
The festive season runs 21 December to 6 January with its own rates and a five night minimum. Dinner on 24 and 25 December carries a supplement of seventy dollars per person per night, and New Year Eve dinner is a hundred dollars per person per night. Children aged four to eleven pay half and children under four are free.
Is the hotel part of a larger group?
It is run by Paradise Group Zanzibar Limited and belongs to the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Lifestyle Collection, which also makes it part of the I Prefer rewards programme.
Do I need travel insurance to visit?
Yes. Visitors to Zanzibar must hold the Zanzibar inbound travel insurance, 44 USD per person for the whole stay, bought online at visitzanzibar.go.tz before arrival. Tanzania residents are exempt. If you enter mainland Tanzania first for a safari, the mainland policy covers you instead. It is paid by you directly and is not part of our quote.
What's nearby
Worth the short trip.
Kiwengwa Pongwe Forest Reserve
Coral rag forest and limestone caves immediately behind the beach, a short drive north, walkable with a local guide.
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park
About an hour inland. Red colobus monkeys, a mangrove boardwalk and a short forest trail.
Stone Town
About an hour by road. The old quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage site: the Anglican cathedral on the site of the slave market, the Sultan palace, the carved doors and the fish market on the seafront.
Prison Island
A thirty minute boat ride from Stone Town to a small island with a colony of giant tortoises, some of them well over a century old, and decent snorkelling off the beach.
Spice farms
A short detour on the road towards Stone Town. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla growing in small plots, with a tasting at the end.
Mnemba atoll
The best snorkelling and diving on the island, reached by boat from the north east coast. Day trips are arranged by the hotel.
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