Pongwe Beach Hotel

Definitely one of the best beaches on the island

Five stars from 65 votes

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Review

Located right at the southern end of the white sand that runs from Matemwe to Chwake, Pongwe Beach Hotel has, we would argue, managed to claim itself the best chunk of beach on the island! Featuring a permanent sand beach, complete with lapping waves and azure waters, there is very little to fault the location. It is true that it firmly aims at the lower end of the market and, as such, you can’t expect lavish rooms or air-conditioning…but if all you want to do is lie by the ocean, then this is a great choice…book early!

Beach

Even after our latest recce on the island, we are still convinced this is the best beach on the island. Even at low tide, although not possible to swim, you can see just white sand exposed and so, as soon as there is some water, it is possible to swim. Similarly, at high tide, the sea only comes to around 10 feet from the top of the beach and so there is always somewhere to lie on a recliner…it is what a beach should be!

Rooms

Very simple…taking into account that Pongwe doesn't ask a fortune and that most will spend all their time outside, there is nothing wrong with them, but, for the money, you are paying for the beach and the seclusion of what is effectively a private beach. The rooms are not offering the bells and whistles of other properties on the island but then the price tag is also not as high.

Layout

A logical layout with the beach taking centre stage. In the central area is the covered dining area with the bandas off to the right and the very good pool area to the left. With a good number of sea view rooms, it is, again, what it should be for the money.

Features

The beach…what can we say!

Feedback

Pongwe Beach Hotel is just wonderful. Everything about this hotel is perfect. Our accommodation was amazing. They have though just added right on the beach front three stunning bungalows all with their own infinity pools (was the two original beach front bungalows but they have now converted into three very spacious bungalows) The manager Wesley showed us around before the first guests arrived, he was really helpful and we are definitely going back and staying in one of these. Pongwe Beach was the perfect beach ending to our trip. The staff here again were the icing on the perfect cake.

- Nick and Kym, July 2024
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Pongwe Beach

- Absolutely loved it.
- Val's room was a great recommendation.
- Blown away by the outside space and privacy, plus own stairway to the beach.
- Great staff. Had a laugh with them all (similar experience to Belvedere). Bent over backwards to make our stay as enjoyable as possible.
- Good food.
- Val's room could do with a bit of a refurb, but it didn't spoil anything.
- Great beach.

- David and Lorraine, September 2019
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The Pongwe Beach Hotel was a more average experience but it was still enjoyable. The location was beautiful, the white sandy beaches were well maintained and cleared of seaweed daily. The views of the ocean from the common/dining area and the pool were spectacular during high tide. The hotel had a tide chart which was very helpful for planning water activities. We enjoyed low tide almost as much as high tide as we walked out far from the beach searching for sea creatures and shells. During high tide, there was more seaweed in the water than we expected and the water rose quickly so it was an exercise in timing and logistics to be in the right place at the right time to be able to enjoy a seaweed-free swim (and we were never quite successful in that endeavor). The staff at the front desk were very helpful and friendly. We misplaced our sunscreen and they gave us some partially used bottles free of charge. The rest of the staff were nice and polite but not overly friendly, and the service was average as was the food. One recommendation is that they need to be more prompt with their food and drink tickets for signature; we most usually received them the following day and it was not always easy to remember what all we'd had the previous day.

Although we knew ahead of time that there was no air conditioning in the rooms, the temperature in the villa during the night and day was almost unbearable despite having 3 fans in the room. But outside on the villa patio, on the beach loungers/hammocks, or in the open common/dining area - these were all comfortable spots to relax during the day so really it was just sleeping at night that was difficult due to the lack of air conditioning (lesson learned for us that aircon is a must have!). On the upside, it only slightly rained one day while we were there so we were able to enjoy the beautiful blue sky for our entire stay. (A friend of mine that went 1-2 weeks later was rained out every day.) Also, they have installed a new water system so the showers were not at all brackish like I expected them to be. Overall, I would rate Pongwe Beach as 3-star but better service and air conditioning would significantly improve the stay/experience at this beautiful property.

- Angie and Kevin, March 2018
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