I booked my 5 nights stay at this hotel, recommended by a local travel agency, to get my annual break. Surprising the hotel demanded full payment up, which I begrudgingly paid as I was committed to this holiday. As my luck would have it, my airline changed their entire schedule to the region forcing me to cancel the holiday as the dates no longer worked for me. So I contacted my travel agent to get a refund. Only then was I told that the hotel has a 100% retention for cancellations. Further still the owner was away and not contactable for weeks. When he did finally return, he conceded only to a 25% refund despite the fact they had never mentioned their cancellation policy when I booked the holiday. To make matters worse, the amount that they returned to the travel agent was actually 21% of the amount I paid; don’t know if this was a case of poor mathematics. Now, 6 weeks later, I’m still waiting for the money to hit my account.

Needless to say, I encourage extreme caution in making and managing bookings with this hotel.

I have stayed at Sunrise twice, the second time on my honeymoon and I have found this hotel to be perfect for newly weds to spend some quality time together. I found the relaxed atmosphere and quiet seclusion to be one of its plus points. After a day of hustle and bustle in nearby Stone Town, it was nice to wind down with good food in comfortable surroundings. The rooms were excellent, air conditioned and the bathroom & shower clean which was more than I found in some hotels nearby. The hotel owner was a lovely man who could not do enough for us and I would recommend Sunrise hotel to anyone looking for a quiet hideaway. The beach is beautiful, deserted and is only a few feet from the bar which is always a good thing. The food was first class and the staff courteous and helpful to a fault.

We stayed at the Sunrise in August 2007 with high hopes. We booked 5 nights but checked out after 3 nights. We paid 110/night including breakfast.

The hotel is comfortable and in a quiet area. The beach is not as good as the beach at nearby Paje. The food is quite good and a decent value. If you decide to go to the Sunrise definitely get a beach view room as the other rooms are dark and located behind the main lodge.

We found that the tours offered by the hotel were more expensive than comparable tours at other more expensive hotels. Staff are helpful and kind.

The biggest drawback to this hotel is that the pool and the showers in the guest rooms are saltwater. I could not believe that the guest room showers and sink were saltwater. Many cheaper hotels along the same coast have freshwater. It may not seem like a big deal at first glance, but it really is miserable to always have that sticky feeling from saltwater.

This hotel might be a good bargain at 40/night but otherwise I would not stay here again.

I have just returned from taking a group, fourteen people in all, to East Africa on safari. We ended with a few days at the Sunrise inn at Bwejuu beach in Zanzibar (Unguja) island. The hotel is unpretentious but comfortable and is owned by a charming Belgian called Georges who is obviously a great cook because the food (lots of delicious fresh fish) was good. Breakfast was somewhat basic (scrambled eggs or omelette and toast) but lunch (choice of toasted sandwiches and salad) and particularly dinner were great. The swimming pool is a godsend with the very low Zanzibar tides and the rooms have air conditioning, fans and mosquito nets and new bathrooms. All one needs truly on that stunning beach. The staff were charming and helpful; Georges baked a scrumptious birthday cake for one of my group and chilled bottles of bubbly; it was a very special meal. He also made a TV available to soccer fans outside the staff quarters so everyone was happy! All in all a very enjoyable and comfortable few days....thank you Georges!