Fundu Lagoon

PARADISE — nothing else to say but ultimate paradise. We so loved our time at Fundu for our honeymoon, the staff were wonderful, the setting was incredible and when you get on the boat transfer you are transported back in time. We miss everyone at Fundu and can’t wait to return! Thank you for the best trip.

Lagoon Hotels are of a gem! And this one is perfect one. 🏖️ The water is pristine, and the lagoon is perfect for snorkeling and spotting marine life.
The hotel eco-friendly.
Rooms are spacious and decorated with mix of western and local charm. Service is attentive and personalized.
The food, the cocktails 👌👌👌👌

What an amazing experience! Stayed at Fundu Lagoon for 7 nights after a safari for our wedding anniversary and were completely blown away. Accommodation was fantastic with attention paid to every detail. The resort is completely in tune with the surrounding environment and wildlife. The food was varied and delicious. The diving was great with most of the dives with only the two of us on the boat and dives sites to ourselves. The whole thing exceeded our expectations and we highly recommend this resort.

A true hidden paradise, surrounded by lush vegetation and endless tranquility. The constant sense of peace made our stay unforgettable. The food was absolutely delicious, and the whole concept of the hotel is beautifully crafted and inspiring. We stayed two nights but wished we could have stayed longer. We left completely recharged and can’t wait to come back next year!

We had stayed in Zanzibar for a week, the journey to Pemba was an experience in itself. We had a great taxi driver from the airport who talked to us about Pemba, including stopping to show is pepper and clove trees.
A boat was waiting to take us to Fundu Lagoon, it was a little difficult to get onto the boat at the pier as there were no steps and someone had just painted the jetty!
We were met by the Hotel Manager, Claudia on arrival, and shown to our tent.
We had a beach suite, which had lots of space outside, the tent was practical. Housekeeping was very good both in the morning and evening.
We stayed for 9 nights, food was ok, a little bland at times lacking seasoning and was sometimes cold.
The staff were very nice and attentive.
The pool was large but not cleaned everyday, and I agree with other comments re the towels seemed grubby, I think they were cleaned but had just seen better days. The pool bar opens around 11, and closes at 4.30pm, there are drinks available but no snacks as had been advertised.
We were surprised when we arrived to see a large building construction further along the beach, having looked into this it is a 250 condo apartment building called Coco Lagoon, we could hear the construction work constantly at the pool area from early morning until 5pm, which was both a surprise and disappointment.
We came to Fundu Lagoon for a peaceful and tranquil experience, It was very quiet and peaceful, until unfortunately, a group of 9 arrived and that changed.

We were picked up by speed boat from the port and transferred to funding lagooon which was a great experience. Welcomed with a drink and shown our room. We had tried to book a beach room but they were all gone so went for hillside. The room was as advertised up steps however they are uneven and quite a few so not suitable for anyone who has even slight mobility problems. Also you will need the torch that’s provided in the room as lighting isn’t great but it is in keeping with the hotel. Our view was described as panoramic, I personally wouldn’t say that but you can decide with photos provided in this review. The room is a tent under a thatched canopy so this needs to be remembered when talking about luxury. For us it was great. We wanted a bit of relaxed time after safari’s. I would recommend taking a good book as there really is limited internet only available fully in reception which again was fine for us. There were a few niggles like a soggy mattress which could probably do with replacing. Towels that had seen better days but that smelt clean. Our fridge was rusty inside but I think that’s due to the climate. The sheets ect and actual room were very clean though. Turn down service was prompt and staff were polite (special credit goes to the mammas in the restaurant) we had two beach bar b q’s which were great with fab food. Very limited drink choice with all inclusive but you could buy cocktails for between $8-12. Which were delicious.

We came to Fundu Lagoon for some r&r after safari elsewhere in Tanzania. We hoped for beautiful beaches, great coral reefs, and some pampering in the spa, but what we found was SO much more. From the amazing story of how Fundu came into being, its beautiful eco credentials, fabulous food, and wonderful off-grid setting, everything about this place exceeded all our expectations.
However, the real stars of Fundu are Claudia, the general manager, and her brilliant team. There are so many wonderful people here who look after everything with genuine warmth and good nature. Special mention from me for Medi and his team in the dive centre. The dive sites are amongst the healthiest I have seen, the guiding top notch, and every dive is tailored to experience and ability. Can't recommend the diving here highly enough.
Our trip was shared with our oldest friends, but we definitely made some new ones at Fundu Lagoon, and very much hope to come back one day.

Very late in reviewing this amazing hidden paradise! We visited for an Anniversary celebration and wanted to extend our stay (which we did) from the minute we stepped off of the boat and walked along the jetty. Everything from the barefoot location, the incredible story of how Fundu came to be built, the friendly and welcoming staff made for a stay we will never forget. We truly hope to return one day!

We went to Fundu for our beach part of our Honeymoon. The whole experience was amazing. So worth the extra travel from Zanzibar. 710 dive school was very professional and great fun.

The most magical stay of our lives. We chose Fundu Lagoon for our honeymoon after a safari and it was the best decision. It's a beautifully designed mix of high luxury and rustic off-grid between the jungle and the beach. It feels totally removed from the rest of the world, a real contrast to busy Zanzibar. The staff were all incredible, so friendly and welcoming. The food was excellent which was very important to us (especially as one of us is a chef) staying at an all-inclusive.
We spoke to some of the staff who would love to travel – perhaps you could work with them on stage schemes? The staff are a total credit to you and it would be great to help them with their wish to travel, especially as it could even further improve the service (if possible! )

Opinions about novels, plays and many other things will differ according to taste and expectations, so it’s inevitable that different people will have different views of a place like Fundu Lagoon. Unfortunately, our opinion is less positive than that of others who have left reviews here and elsewhere. We could simply have refrained from expressing our opinion, but that would mean not passing on the reasons for our disappointment and allowing others to be better informed.
To start with the positive. The setting is lovely. A pretty beach, backed by a forest. An attractive design. “Robinson Crusoe” style. Large rooms, our beach suite having the benefit of a good-sized plunge pool and large shaded decking. It also had a good number of electric fans (much needed! ) The staff was good, always welcoming and helpful. The Jetty Bar is lovely and we enjoyed cooling drinks and beautiful sunsets.
Less favourable aspects: The whole place looks tired and we felt it was resting on its laurels. This applies to the general ambience and upkeep. It was all rather lacklustre. Breakfast was very ordinary: watery fruit juice, no choice of jams and marmalades (even the remote bush safari camp from which we came had a much better choice and good juices). On several mornings the fresh fruit was well past its best, to the point of being unpleasant to eat, and obviously so. Disappointing. But we had a nice beach barbecue one night and other meals were generally good or very good.

Fundu Lagoon is a very special place to stay An oasis of beauty and calm, with stunning rooms leading out onto the white sand and seashells then warm crystal clear sea.
Everything thing here is beautifully done, from excellent food and wine, to cocktails at sunset.
But the staff and Claudia are what makes this place so very special, they are amazing from adding blocks in the pool so we could get out easily, to fetching medicine and laying on a lobster feast on the beach, nothing was too much trouble, total kindness is a rarity, and Fundu Lagoon is that rarity.
Hope to visit again soon.

This is not just an hotel, it is an experience! It is absolutely amazing, the hotel and the people working there. It is a full connection with nature, no turists, a paradise. We really loved it! The Misali island, just 20 min by boat, is the best spot we went to in Tanzania for diving and snorkeling! We really reccomend it, there are trips organized by the diving center of the Fundu Lagoon. The diving center is excellent, I did with them my first divings, I felt really safe and they teached me a lot.

This place was amazing. It was peaceful and the people were very friendly. Definitely worth the trip. We stayed in a superior suite which was really nice and spacious. I got a look at one of the normal rooms though and they were also very pleasant.

This is a very special place, arrival only by boat, literally hidden in the shoreline jungle. There’s little to do here (unless you are a diver) and that’s its beauty. Accommodation is in tented villas which are very comfortable. Ours (No 6) had a great wooden balcony literally surrounded by jungle. Days consist of walking along the beach and maybe visiting the village (would recommend this) and a little tour of the spice farm. Other than that’s it’s a little swimming, reading a book or having a cheeky mid afternoon siesta. Sundowners at the Jetty Bar bring perfect days to an end. The food is exceptional and the complimentary wine was great quality. We stuck with that but if you want to choose something else prices were very reasonable. Ellis Flyte whose idea it was to build Fundhu Lagoon was staying when we visited … what an inspirational and visionary lady. If you go … and you should if complete isolation is your thing … do read the book that’s in each room about the story of how FL was built. Enjoy … we did … and we know we will again when we return.
Our only feedback … and this is not a criticism but ways to enhance.
1. Have the little wooden foot baths at each of the villas to make it easier to wash off the sand and.
2. Sell the beautiful masks that are dotted around the hotel in the hotel shop. They were exquisite.

Fundu lagoon is kind of an 'anti-resort'. It has the look and feel of a very high end resort, while at the same time rejecting the commercial aspects of resorts.
I have stayed in a lot of resorts, mostly Anantara, and on the surface Fundu Lagoon appears similar, but there is a lot more depth.
The entire resort was substantially constructed by local artisans and builders using primarily materials harvested from the island. Fundu does not import staff from the Philippines, but employs local people which gives a real flavour of being in the place, target than just being pampered.
They operate an outreach project that provides support for the villages in the island and they don't have any of the commercial faff associated with corporate resorts. The gift shop is devoid of pringles and snickers and has only hand crafted art.
So the real difference is ethos.
The only negative for me is the presence of single use plastics for drinking water. I get it that you have to be careful about drinking water in East Africa, but even the dive center takes plastic water bottles on the boat. The staff were careful to avoid pollution, but IMO it would still be better to have a water purification system on the island that uses refillable glass bottles.
The resort is an amazing place to get away. There is a deep sense of relaxation here that is rare in the world today.
The dive centre is excellent and diving around the island is beautiful.

Outstanding end to a very long and stressful trip. Would be a perfect small destination wedding/honeymoon venue. Long drive from the airport but once you’re there why would you want to leave?!? Not really a beach lover but to see all the hermit crab trails, the incredible sunsets, the thatched-roof buildings, the people walking the beaches in the morning to catch their food, so many pretty shells everywhere even though you can’t take them home… it was sooooooo peaceful and remote, and while it was sometimes a dark and long hike to and from dinner, it was never onerous. The pool bar is gorgeous, but the pier bar is the spot.