Mafia Dream Hotel

It is a spacious and clean hotel. I can recommend. Small downside was a billing mistake.

We stayed at Mafia Dream for 11 nights of our 2 week holiday on Mafia. After weighing up the available options, we had decided that the adjustment from UK January to high humidity ~30C nights would be a challenge and liked the prospect of a spacious room with aircon. The pool was also a big attraction. After we arrived, we were very happy with our choice. Aircon at night gave us a good night's sleep and during our stay, we gradually adjusted the temperature setting up to 27C and switched it off for the last few nights, moving over to the ceiling fan. The aircon also gave us somewhere cool to retreat to in the heat of the day. The pool was great to cool off and get some exercise with shade available under the coconut leaf umbrellas. It was a more appealing prospect on this side of the island than swimming in the sea. Provision of a safe, fridge, kettle and electric water heating round off the accommodation. There were a couple of quirks like a wonky tap and toilet seat, but neither detracted from use. Overall, the room was finished to a good standard and very comfortably proportioned. The restaurant provided a good breakfast and reasonable meals. We both homed in on Spanish omlette for breakfast to follow the delicous plate of fruit. If you like seafood, the seafood pizza is a great choice. Not all menu options were always available, but that's prorbably dependent on what fish has been available to buy. We did hesitate about not being located on the beach, but the central location of Mafia Dream actually worked out very well. You have access to many different local shops just outside the door, the market (mainly produce) just up the road and some alternative eating places within walking distance. However, be aware that the local shops cater to locals rather than tourists. Being on this side of the island also saved on the additional ~£40 per day (for two) park fees. We were in room #*** and found that the WiFi was pretty reliable, though it did go down during the occasional power cuts. As other reviews have noted, *** was very helpful. Our baggage got delayed at Nairobi. He firstly helped us with following this up and also pointing us towards places to get a pair of shorts as a stop gap. We then discussed various excursions and planned the best time to do them. We ended up doing most of the excursion options and enjoyed all of them. *** also smoothed out any little issues that we had during our stay. Tips: Take some milk powder/creamer if you like milk in tea or coffee. Milk and creamer isn't really available in the local shops. We did eventually find a source of boiled milk from someone we asked when at the local market. Some trips are tide dependent, so familiarise yourself with the tides when planning (or ask ***). Breakfast nominally starts at 7am. If you have an early start and want to get moving promptly, ask for a takeaway breakfast the night before. You can store it in your room's fridge. BBQ Point (walk towards the airport) was a nice alternative to the Mafia Dream restaurant. It did have a long wait from order to being on the table, so get some photos of the menu and pre-order via Whatsapp. Remember to pack sunscreen as it's very expensive/in limited supply on Mafia. Take a scenic walk along the beach towards Kitu Kiblu.

Cleanest hotel we’ve stayed in while visiting Tanzania. Great amenities. The staff are all very friendly and helpful. Highly recommend staying here while visiting Mafia.