Nest Style Beach Hotel Zanzibar

On Zanzibar's south-east coast, Nest Style Zanzibar is built around the parts of a diving holiday that still matter once the kit is put away: a private beach, two outdoor pools, a restaurant by the water and rooms with somewhere to sit outside. It is a beach resort rather than a small guesthouse, with a spa, gym and a tour desk alongside the sea-facing essentials.

The mood is easy-going and practical. You can swim, eat, book an excursion or simply claim a lounger and let the Indian Ocean do the talking. The hotel's website is available in English, which makes the online booking process straightforward for English-speaking travellers.

Makunduchi sits on the south-east coast of Zanzibar, in Tanzania. The resort is directly on the seafront, with access to a private white-sand beach rather than a drive-and-drop arrangement. Two pools sit within the property, so sea swimming is not your only option when the tide or the breeze has other ideas.

Jambiani Beach is about 3 miles away, with the road journey taking around 5 minutes. Nearby dining choices include an Italian restaurant around 5 miles away, a local restaurant around 6 miles away and Zanzistar Restaurant & Beach Bar at roughly 6 miles. In practical terms, the on-site restaurant matters: this is not a location designed around wandering out for several different dinners on foot.

The surrounding sights make a useful change from the shoreline. Jozani Forest and Kizimkazi are each around a 30-minute drive, while Stone Town is about an hour away. Abeid Amani Karume International Airport is roughly 26 miles from the resort, with the drive taking about 1 hour and 8 minutes.

For two, the choice is mainly about the view and the outdoor space rather than squeezing in extra furniture. Garden rooms keep things simple, while terrace rooms give you a more obvious place to sit with a coffee or a drink. The premium double rooms add either an ocean view from the garden or terrace, which is the pick if opening the curtains onto the sea matters more than having the largest room.

The larger junior suite and suite options make more sense for families or two couples travelling together, with separate sleeping space and two bathrooms. The family room also uses a double bed and two single beds, making it the straightforward family arrangement rather than a couple sharing a sofa bed and pretending this is perfectly acceptable.

Rooms come with air conditioning and a fan, plus a mosquito net for the night. You also get a refrigerator, electric kettle, tea and coffee-making facilities, a seating area, wardrobe space and outdoor furniture. Balconies or terraces give you somewhere to dry off, sit down and stop discussing the next dive for at least ten minutes. Daily housekeeping, a private bathroom with shower, free toiletries and a hairdryer cover the less glamorous but useful parts of the routine.

Restaurant Nest Style Zanzibar handles breakfast, lunch and dinner beside the sea, with service extending to the poolside. The kitchen works across fresh seafood, international dishes and local island classics, with Swahili, African, Arab, Indian and Portuguese influences in the wider menu. Breakfast is a buffet and is included in the booking formula.

There is one main restaurant, so the evening is uncomplicated: eat on site, rather than organising a second transfer because everyone has suddenly become hungry at once. Special-diet menus are available on request, and room service runs around the clock for the nights when changing out of the day's clothes feels like an unnecessarily ambitious project.

The Sport Bar covers cocktails and other drinks, while the Ice Cream Zone deals with the colder side of the menu. A snack bar, coffee house, minibar and tea and coffee facilities in the rooms add useful options between meals. Wine and champagne are also available.

Two outdoor pools and a private beach give you the basic choice between fresh water, salt water and a sun lounger. Sun umbrellas and beach chairs are available, while the garden and sun terrace provide quieter places to sit when the beach is doing its full tropical performance. The spa includes a relaxation area, open-air bath and a range of treatments, including body treatments, scrubs, wraps and massages for couples or individuals.

The gym is there for anyone who still believes in exercise on holiday. For something less earnest, the resort offers cycling, bicycle rental, live music, film nights, live sports broadcasts and board games. A happy hour and local culture activities are also available, with several activities arranged at an additional charge.

On the water, you can arrange snorkelling, kitesurfing, jet skiing and wakeboarding, as well as canoeing and windsurfing through the available activities. The tour desk can organise outings to see dolphins, visit Jozani Forest, explore Old Town, follow a spice tour or travel to Prison Island. A game drive, fishing, horse riding and quad excursions add further ways to spend a non-diving day.

Airport transfers are available through the resort, and a shuttle service can be arranged for getting around. The nearest listed airport is Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, about 26 miles away by road; Julius Nyerere International Airport is roughly 39 miles away. Car hire is also available, and free private parking is provided on site without a reservation.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 23:00, while check-out is from 07:00 to 10:00. A 24-hour front desk, private and express check-in or check-out, luggage storage, currency exchange, concierge service and a tour desk make the arrival and departure routine easier to manage, particularly when flights and tides refuse to cooperate.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, including the rooms. Laundry and ironing services are available, along with room service, a safety deposit box and a laptop safe. Children of all ages are welcome; cots can be requested for younger children, and the property accepts cash payments. Wheelchair-accessible facilities are available.