HotelRed Monkey Beach Lodge

Just a warning to other travellers to exercise caution when dealing with the Red Monkey... I spent a week there in July with four other travellers, and I suppose typically of any establishment that is trying to maximise the amount of cash its guests hand over, we had one or two issues.

They attempted to charge us $5 a day for breakfast, after telling us it was included in the cost of the room. This would have added an extra $140 to our bill - a significant amount. We eventually had to show them their own website, which advertises that breakfast is included, in order to get them to remove the breakfasts from our bill. We'd have had to have eaten sixty chapatis each, every day, to justify that sort of cost, anyway!

Also, some websites for this hotel advertise a "Free Stone Town tour and transfer" - be aware that this is inaccurate, no free tour is on offer. We had not budgeted for this tour assuming that it was included at the Red Monkey, and ended up having to pay ourselves. Some feeble excuse was given why they couldn't give us the tour - that the information was on someone else's website, so it was wrong, and that their rooms are so reasonable that they wouldn't make a profit if a tour was offered.

I'd advise you to confirm in writing with the owners of the hotel that all the extras that you've seen advertised are in fact included in your room cost, and take a printout of the email with you when you go - unfortunately it seems that some false advertising is in circulation here.

Other than the false pretenses on which we were attracted to the place, it's very well situated if you don't mind being away from the touristy side of things (which I don't - it's very peaceful).