We stayed at the Matemwe Retreat as the final part of our honeymoon in September 2011. After over a week on safari and the madness of the build up to our wedding it really was the perfect place to laze about, relax and be pampered within an inch of our existence.

We stayed in the villa called Zam Zam - the villas themselves are incredible - the bedroom area is dominated by an enormous four poster bed and has a lovely reading area and desk, the bathroom is huge with a bath built for two with windows that you can open out and look out at the sea (just remember that people can also look back in...), there is also a fabulous shower, outside there is a lovely sun bed, lounge area and bar and the dining area with a further lounge area and pool upstairs. The villas are amazing! Yes as some people have noted there are bugs and ants etc but it is part of Zanzibar - the retreat does not try and be anything more than a complete escape from reality and that's just what it was for us.

The best thing beyond any doubt was our butler - Menlad - there really was nothing he would not do - from morning, noon to night he did everything in his power to make our trip the most enjoyable and memorable ever. Menlad really did work tirelessly, ensuring the bar was always stocked with our favourite drinks. Every meal time he would take our orders and then tidy the villa whilst we went for an early morning stroll/ swim etc. He was ever present when we needed him but also gave us the freedom and privacy that you would also expect. He also prepared us a lovely "beach" BBQ - which whilst not really on the beach (and it was a bit windy on the night we went out) was a lovely experience and the candles were very dramatic. I was not entirely convinced that my husband was not going to try and convince Menlad that he wanted to come home with us to continue the level of service - he had got used to being pandered to!

In terms of the food, we never had a bad meal - it was all tailored to our requests and when there was not something on the menu that took our fancy an entirely acceptable alternative was always provided. It was fresh, tasty and we had no complaints at all. Because of the distance between the villas and the main resort there are quite long waits between courses but that was no bad thing and meant that we paced ourselves better and go to enjoy the view across to the island and enjoy each others' company. The food was always warm when it arrived however and the ice-cream had never started melting. The bar in our villa was supplied with a plentiful selection of soft drinks, juices, milk and a wider range of spirits, beers, wines and fizz. We liked to make lots of tea and coffee so asked for more milk and supplies which were instantly arranged (much to Menlad's consternation as he felt he should be making this for us).

Activities: lots of activities are included within the Retreat package including snorkelling, reef walking, and village walks. We went reef walking once but decided not to it again given the number of sea urchins (see below). We went snorkelling twice and each time had the most amazing sessions - you can see all kinds of wonderful creatures including beautiful and strange star fish to eels, manta rays and thousands of different fish. A really lovely way to spend a morning.

There was the option to go diving but this was not included in the package and we did not try it but people seemed to be going to the dive centre from a number of places so it was clearly popular and the guides certainly seemed knowledgeable and attentive when we went snorkelling.

Wider resort and location: the resort is quite spread out - this gives the villas added privacy which is fabulous but does mean that if you want to go down to the bar or to the larger pools then you have a 5 minute work or so. It was quite nice to stretch our legs a little bit and have a wander but if you want everything in one place this is probably not for you.

The bar was well equipped, made fabulous cocktails (which were included in the price) and lots of board games (including scrabble which quickly became a firm favourite). They did say there were asking for suggestions for new games - perhaps a games compendium? There was always coffee and tea available and also lovely little afternoon treats.

There were two pools which were always kept clean but they are really only pools to paddle in and they were a bit nippy when we were there so we didn't tend to spend long there. There are loads of deck chairs around the pools and lovely little nooks and crannies where you can go and laze in or out of the sun and read/ chat/ relax.

We went to the BBQ at the restaurant one evening and that was a very enjoyable experience too - thankfully we got to keep Menlad then too (although all of the other servers seemed very attentive as well!).

The spa offers a wide range of treatments and given the location etc we thought the treatments were quite reasonably priced. We had massages and I had a pedicure as well from a lady called Bertha - it was heavenly. The treatments were all arranged by Menlad who again could not have done anything more for us.

The Beach: one negative - and for some it could be a big negative was the beach. Whilst the sand itself is beautiful fine white sand when we were there they were seemingly cultivating seaweed just off the beach and therefore the beach and the shallow water was absolutely covered in seaweed. There were also hundreds of thousands of sea urchins - the reason we only went reef walking once was because it was actually quite stressful having to try and carve out a path through the sea urchins. They were everywhere and you really struggled to find a place to safely put your foot down over a lot of the walk. It really did put a dampener on the beach and as a result we chose to either stay in the villa or at the pool or to go out snorkelling. If you like spending time in the shallow water paddling around this may not be the place for you.

If you are looking for a perfect place to chill out and unwind and be completely pampered this is a great option. It is in a very rural part of Zanzibar and therefore is not true luzury in terms of marble and glass everywhere but it is perfectly maintained and they work tirelessly at keeping the place in perfect nick - we did not see one day when they were not gardening and landscaping.

The trip from the airport is quite bumpy and at least an hour (although you do get to see the fascinating and sometimes quite challenging Zanzibar scenery and you are in an airconditioned van).

I didn't know what to expect from our Zanzibar holiday. For every positive review, there were a few negative ones. Our time on the island started on a very rainy day at a very busy airport. First, a humid wall of warm weather hits your face as you disembark and then you have to negotiate the chaos in the arrival hall. But as soon as we've met our transfer contact at the door; everything changed like somebody switched a button somewhere. We were picked up in an air-conditioned minibus by our knowledgeable English speaking driver. There was a cool-box with bottled water and refreshments in it. He explained the travel route, expected duration. After an interesting 1,5 hours on the road, we arrived. Upon arrival we were greeted by our butler Salim and Joleen; and escorted to our Villa - ZamZam - with fresh coconuts cocktails in our hands.

The Villas are breathtaking, the pictures speak for itself; I don't need to add anything more.
The view is amazing, the colours and the scenery changes frequently depending on the sun and light. The lagoon itself is a working lagoon and therefore it is filled with fishing activity; children; women collecting seaweed. You can spend hours just watching the scenery.

Our butler, Salim was so attentive, friendly but discreet and an absolutely lovely person. He looked after us so well, we really felt like this was the best relaxing holiday we've had in a long time.

The food was great, we've liked it a lot. However, keep in mind that if you are eating at the villa; the food travels from kitchen or cocktails from bar and of course an ice-cream or the ice in the cocktail will not survive 10 mins under the lunch-time sun. We've tried both dining/lunching in the villa and at the restaurant.

The hotel bar is a great place to meet up with other guests and hotel management and have a chat while sipping the cocktail of the day.

The hotel is trying to keep its impact to a minimum, so it's not over the top luxurious or designer sylish.It rather blends in. But you can see the attention to detail in the cosy, intimate surroundings. I loved its subdued charm. It may not have the sophistication of the far-east or Seyshells; but then if that's what you are after; you are probably not in the right place. The basic ameninities like reliable electricity and water are at a premium on the island; therefore I was really amazed at the foods the chefs were capable to produce.

Swimming: Although the beaches are lovely, this is not your brochure-typical swimming environment. The beaches are working beaches meaning there are actual fishing villages and fishing boats at the beaches. The beaches are public. The low tide the water is only about knee deep. The seaweed will not be cleaned (BTW: The seaweed should not be cleaned as some reviewer suggested; cleaning seaweeds destroy the sand, kill the lagoon. It is also secondary income for people here). You can only swim at the high tide. Low tide, watch the many sea urchins and definitely wear a shoe from watersports; if you decide to walk to the reef. I recommend to take a snorkelling or "sand bank" tour to satisfy swimming needs.

We had an absolutely wonderful time here. I would not hesitate to recommend it. We were also wery happy with the company we booked with.

Tips:
- Binoculars to watch the activities on the lagoon,
- Proper zoom lens for cameras
- the WiFi is free for villas, not perfect but it works
- Tide table for Zanzibar (30 min difference with Stone town), to know when you can swim
- if you have an iPad, download a night sky app; night sky is amazing (if you are into that sort of thing);
- For ladies: linen long sleeved shirts/tops and trousers recommended to avoid mosquito bites in the evening and keep cool.
- a little torch is handy to go around at night as electricity is not reliable
- Plunge pool area upstrairs: Slippery when wet, be careful. you can ask the butler to leave the "rubber" to clean it to avoid slipping.
- You are practically living in a garden. Expect to see the odd insect, mosquito, spider around. Don't leave food or drinks around. Although we've encountered minimum considering the surrounding.
- Elephant shrew and bush-baby can be seen at night. Keep a little torch with you at night to seem them around the site.
- Mosquite repellent it a must

Recommended Excursions: Snorkelling, spice Tour and history of Stone Town tour (3 hours and only if you into that sort of thing).

My husband and I stayed at Matemwe Retreat (Nuru villa) for 4 nights on our honeymoon, after having spent the first 4 nights at Pongwe beach hotel (budget but fantastic!). We had very high expectations of Matemwe, given the steep price tag. The villa itself was truly heaven - the plunge pool, the double hammock, the fully stocked bar, the bathroom. Bliss. It was something you do once in a life time.

Unfortunately, the villa only goes so far, at this price tag. The service we received was not even close to what we were expecting, or had read about, from previous reviewers.

- The food was never on time and it was mostly cold. In fact, on the last night, after the dinner arrived 20 minutes late, we had to send back our starters as they were completely cold (no apology or replacement from the hotel).
- We were very keen to try local flavours and cuisines. So when we mentioned this to the chef, it felt that this was a big burden and he would be doing us a huge favour by cooking a simple fish curry, which I thought would have been the easiest thing to make for him! In fact, we ate at the main restaurant of Matemwe Bungalows a few times - just to give you an idea that we'd prefer to eat there rather than our private villa because of issues like the above. And anyways, the restaurant always seemed to have much more choice, including local cuisine.
- We asked to be booked for massages and the butler offered that it would be possible to do the massages in the privacy of our own villa. However, he failed to mention that there would be an extra charge for this. We paid the extra charge but it's the principle. Had we known, we would have easily walked to the 5 minutes to the main spa!
- And while we had mentioned many times that we were on our honeymoon, no special efforts were made.
- There was no management with whom we could speak about these issues. The person who met us during the check in completely disappeared for the next 4 days until we had to check out and deal with some other issues.

All in all, while we really enjoyed the villa, we were very disappointed with the service and the experience. We had read such fantastic reviews about the place and it's really too bad we didn't get what we expected. In hindsight, we should have stayed longer at Pongwe Hotel and probably only 2 nights at Matemwe.

We stayed at Matemwe Retreat for our recent honeymoon & it truely was a wonderful place, which we would highly recomend to anyone considering visiting.
The villa's are absolutely fantastic, with the most amazing view of a near by desert island. The villas are very well equipt with highlights including a double hammock, private pool, roof terrace & fully stocked bar! Evening visits by a local bush baby added to the delight.
The service from our butler Martin was of the highest quality & the food provided by Chef Rama (aka Chef Yummy Yummy) was mouth wateringly good! This was the best end to our honeymoon we could have hoped for