The decent thing about Paje By Night is that it has good internet presence + website (Paje by Kite too) - good search results listings/good web design etc + is run by business ppl - quick replies to emails + good communication.

That's where the good experience stops.

Service/staff: the staff are straight up rude - don't care/unmotivated - more interested in getting their shift over with. The service is absolutely terrible. No smiles, nothing genuine about their manner. Not how you want to feel when on holiday.

Food: to be fair the pizza is good. Everything else is poor. Coffee is rank. The menu is extensive and looks grt on paper. But the finished product doesn't match. Shame. The worst part about the food is the breakfast - nearly inedible - esp the fruit.

Rooms: we had a small room and it was mid/low end so i cant comment on anything else. Only that the room was ok - v basic with a fan that was about to fall off the roof and the bathroom smelt damp and horrible. It was $75 per night for info.

Hotel: in fact the whole place when you look a bit deeper is starting to erode. Very rough and tatty around the edges. Not that clean and the smell of previous years of ware and tear lingers.

Value - in every department its poor value for money. End of. If you were paying low prices i could understand. But you aren't. You are paying $ for not a lot

The Pool: the pool is ok - can't complain about it. The other general surroundings aren't.

The supposed party on Friday is kind of embarrassing. Don't be worried about noise from this.

It's not fair to list other options on here but all i'd say is look closely around Paje By Night and you'll find some much better stuff.

When we left we were infinitely happier with new the place + vibe - for the same price.

Don't bee fooled by all the write ups on here - im honestly amazed at some of them. And why anybody would bring a family here i do not know! They would be bored out their head and fed up of horrible service/vibe. We were kiting and Paje is grt for that - super in fact.

Cheers

I have partied at the bar here several times - great bar! the food is probably the best you will find on this strip of beach. However, to stay at the hotel is a different story. It is a very basic hotel. Room did not have AC. This was more or a backpackers kind of place. I would not stay here again.

I enjoyed staying at this hotel. It was quaint and you can buy ganja from a guy called Captain Haji, who lives next door to the hotel, so that is pretty rad. That been said, we stayed when there was no electricity. The food was horrible. We got sick twice. Proper vomiting. The fish platter is a not a good idea without refrigeration. At one point we had to get water from the pool to fill our toilet. They had a generator that only ran for 6 hours so the rest of the time you pretty much dealt with the heat. And it does get hot in Zanzibar. :)

I like the fact that there is a wind surfing school right next door. And the beach is perfect for it. I didn't get to go but I am keen to go back just for that. The beach at Paje is awsome. Pity every local wants to sell you a trip to Blue Dolphin, or take a ride in his dow. So my girlfriend was pretty irritated. You CANNOT just lie on the beach in peace.

We stayed at Amaan bungalows after staying at Paje and it was much worse than Paje. We had roaches in our room at Amaan. *Shivers* Thank god for the Zed Hotel - we ate there. I wish a million times I had booked at Zed Hotel.

The owner of Paje was quite rude and didn't give us any attention. He was busy playing a game on his PC.



I suggest this place for young couples and backpackers.

I went to Paje by Night on a recommendation by a fellow volunteer from here in Arusha, Tanzania. I was NOT disappointed. To be honest, I went with another volunteer friend and we were only looking for someplace to see beautiful sand, sit by a great pool, have a few drinks, and enjoy some local cuisine. THIS WAS THE PLACE! Let me highlight some of my favorites about the property:

1) Pool - intimate, gets great sun, and has nice chairs and tables all around. The bar is only a few meters away and a quick refill is only minutes away!

2) Open air bar and restaurant - music playing at all times of hip hop, cheesy 80's, everything. The menu was small but the food never disappointed. Take advantage of the complementary breakfast. Again, limited, but filling! And order chapati for lunch or dinner. I've had chapati (local flaky flat bread) all over TZ and never as good as at Paje.

3) Hammocks, hammocks, everywhere! When the light afternoon rolled in, I ducked into an enclosed verandah and read for hours while swinging in their hammock and listend to the soft rain hit the ground. The peace I was looking for. Take a pillow from your room and make the hammock yours for an hour.

Paje beach was not one to lounge on, per se, as it is restricted by the tide. However, the sand is sugar soft and when the tide is low, you can walk out on the ocean floor to where the local women are harvesting sponges. A truly great experience. You can arrange for snorkeling through the hotel with a local dhow operator. Be prepared. While the operator can provide gear, its old, used, and not always water proof which is a problem for snorkeling. But if you bring your own gear, its a real treat to ride the dhow as two operators paddle you out to some really spectacular views. Don't bring a towel as it will be soaked. But a waterproof camera is the way to go!

Overall, I would advise this hotel/lodge to others as it was recommended to me. Negotiate your price if you are a volunteer on a budget. The owners will work with you if not peak season. Families, couples, and lots of single volunteers occupied the place when I was there October 2010. I assume, now a year later, its hasn't changed and still a great place on a budget.