I went to Mnemba at the end of my anniversary trip to Africa thinking that Mnemba would be the highlight of my trip. In short, it was the opposite, having stayed with two other AndBeyond properties before here, we were rather disappointed.

The pros: The island is beautiful. The bandas are beautiful, spacious, functional, private, and well designed. The stay was comfortable, the beach was very white and the sand was very fine. The water is clear with vivid colors. The food was good. The diving facility and team were nice. Love having dinner on the beach under the stars! Dolphins are easy to see here and I was told they can be seen from the beach as well. The island is well-maintained and clean. The beach loungers were so comfortable I fell asleep on them many times.

The cons: The water, even though clear, were somewhat ruined by floating bits and pieces of seaweed which can't be helped (but considering the fact that Zanzibar has so much seaweed in the water, Mnemba seemed like an island an ocean away from Zanzibar and is a different class of beauty altogether). The doves are loud (which also can't be helped but if your'e a light sleeper, you won't get much sleep). The view from the room was blocked by Pemba (a nearby island) so if you want an infinite sea view you need to stay in room #5-10. Though the island is private and everyone on Zanzibar looks at it like it's some kind of Eden you can't afford to get to, everyone certainly comes to look at it from the boat. Sure, you have just 20 guests on the island, but the sheer number of boats that come to drop tourist off in front of your bandas to snorkel (although not allowed to swim up to the beach) didn't make this island one of the most private and secluded as its claims. Dining area during lunch and breakfast can feel crowded and too small (considering they have the whole island to do with as they please). Water pressure was low and if you have arachnophobia you need to reconsider. the Bandas are too far into the bushes, IMO and you can't really see the view from your bed that well (sea view from a distance) but some people might prefer this for privacy. The service is a tough issue. I ADORE my butler who, after having spent some time at &Beyond's Bateleur camp where everyone is amazingly amazing in the best possible way you can imagine, would fit right in to Bateleur. Others are a mixture of trying their best to uninformed to couldn't give a damn. The people who took us on non-diving excursions or transfers didn't seem enthusiastic about their job and housekeeping failed to refill the minibar. Overall I didn't think the manager is up to &beyond's standard in terms of friendliness or politeness and you could tell many slip ups happen from poor management not really from staff. Having stayed at two &beyond's property where everything was beyond well organized and personal, things at Mnemba was just a normal large scale 5* hotel experience you can pay $300 - $500/night to get. And the bumpy ride everyone is complaining about is such a minor issue, really, on top of this they were fixing the road while we were there.

I have to say though, that my review may be a bit unfair due to the fact that we've been spoiled rotten by the other two &Beyond properties which were worth every dollar you spent no matter how much it costs. There's nothing rude or unacceptable about Mnemba, but let's just say that if you want a secluded, quiet, romantic holiday with crystal clear water, white beach, lots of (huge)fish, scenic transfer, best sea view, no seaweed, one-island-one-resort go to the Maldives and get yourself a water villa that has no doves nor mosquitoes and the sea view from your bed is a widescreen version. If you want all this with more things to do and truly stunning water go to Bora Bora. If you haven't been to either of these places (or other &Beyond's properties) and this isn't going to be a once in a lifetime trip for you where you have to practically rob someone in order to pay $2000/night for a resort then go ahead, Mnemba is a great island to visit and a great experience to add to your list, especially for the dolphins. If you have just one shot at this, say, for honeymoon, I'd pick &Beyond's safari destinations and Maldives or Seychelles, if you don't need a safari for your honeymoon I'd say Bora Bora all the way. That said, I'd say if they switch the staffs and management with Bateleur, Mnemba would be worth a honeymoon for the service and warmth alone - seaweeds and all.

To read more about any of these destinations, I do have a travel blog with extensive reviews and pictures (fayechueng.livejournal.com)