Mosquito net with some holes, the nearby lodge with loud music

We spent an entire week at juani. Comfortable bungalow, good dinner with fishes, breakfast with fruits and eggs. Exactly on the beach!!! Moussa was super friendly and able to arrange every kind of activiites for me and my wife.

Stayed in February 2024

The bathrooms are dark and a bit dirty and could use some fresh paint. I would recommend adding some hooks and/or shelves in there as well to put your toiletries on. As there was only one power socket in the room which was used for the fan, we had to charge our phones and cameras in the bathroom which wasn't ideal. The mattress is a bit laid through in the middle and especially when sharing the bed as a couple it wasn't really comfortable. Pillows had a weird smell, maybe they need a good wash. Overall, it's ok but considering we paid 60+ USD per night on booking.com, a bit more comfort could be expected. If the bathrooms were nicer I would have given a higher score.

It's located right at the beach with beautiful sunset views. Unfortunately, this time of the year there was a lot of seaweed (and rubbish) washed up on the shore, it's still pretty though. The outdoor seating area is ideal for a sundowner, beer and soft drinks are sold at good prices. Food served was good. The staff is really friendly and helpful, you can book activities with Mussa as well. The room itself is clean, and has a nice seating area in front. Drinking water, coffee and tea are available free of charge all day long.

Stayed in February 2024

Lack of AC :)

Breakfast was awesome; food good and the staff were awesome

Stayed in January 2024

Nothing as such.

Wonderful location. And just 10 mins tuk-tuk/cab ride from the airport. The host was great at communication, so it helped informing him about the arrival (he sent a tuk-tuk) and the food in advance. These chaps took care of the whale-shark excursion the next morning, with a boat leaving from right there. Chill place. Would recommend. Good food as well.

Stayed in December 2023

Wonderful place. I was made to feel very welcome and comfortable from the get go. Bungalow was basic but comfortanle with some nice little touches. Right on the beach. The food was amazing. I saw someone having lobster my first night, said I would love that, and next night I had fresh caught lobster dinner!! And they always had my wine at the table wirhin minutes of sitting down lol. There was a campfire on the beach every night that was a nice way to meet and chat with locals and other travellers. And you can arrange day excursions through Mussa. I would definitely stay here again. Mussa (owner) and all the staff made you feel like family.

Stayed in October 2023

Nothing it’s Mafia island

Location to beach and airport

Stayed in November 2023

Cold showers. No hot water. Noisy fan.

Located on the beach with friendly staff. Close to whale shark snorkeling.

Stayed in October 2023

The internet was often not working, the bathroom could be nicer

Very nice chill out areas, well-maintained, located right next to the beach, water refilling station, delicious food, hammok, bonfire at the beach

Stayed in September 2023

Our attempt to see the whale sharks failed. In fact on 3 days when we were there they failed to see them. I suspect the success of the trip was over sold, and, unfortunately, the price is the same for a once on a lifetime experience or 3 hours ploughing up and down the waves in a small boat seeing nothing.

We weren’t the only guests to extend their stay at at these beach bungalows. The rooms are comfy and spacious(although cold water only), and the meals varied and good quality at a reasonable price (TSH20K). We took the snorkelling trip to Chole Island, Blue Lagoon, plus barbecue on the sandbank - an excellent day out.

Stayed in February 2023

There are so many mosquitoes and sandflies in the area, may be not the fault of the accommodation but I wasn’t expecting to get bitten during the day so I hadn’t applied insect repellent before I arrived and was bitten quite badly the first day. They do have insect repellent for guests to use if they don’t have any. Another person was bitten in-spite of applying repellent. you do need to be aware if you are one of those people who gets bitten a lot. As a solo woman traveller I felt very safe.

Located right on the beach from where the boats go out for the whale shark trips. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Free hot drinks and filtered drinking water 24hrs self service.

Stayed in February 2023

Great location right on the beach. Bungalows are basic but well maintained and clean. Bed comfortable with a mosquito net. Staff friendly and welcoming.

Stayed in October 2022

Moussa and his staff are super friendly, always available to support and to make you feel home far from home. The location is wonderful and a perfect spot to enjoy a sunset walk or a drink. Food is also great, so we will definitely consider coming back!

Stayed in August 2022

Nothing. Wifi slow, but it's what I expected in a paradise like this.

Amazing place on the beach. Very nice staff, amazing cooking.

Stayed in June 2022

Hmm.....nothing? Ok,the WiFi was not very good,but dont go to this beautiful island to use Internet.

Almost everything.Mussa,the owner is a happy good guy,Bakiri,the receptionist will help and organise you everything you wish,and Jabiri ,the chef cook the best dinner I have ever eaten in Afrika. If you don't expect a 5star accommodation,but a cosy,familiar one,you will enjoy your stay very very very much. The localisation is fantastic,a few steps,an you will find yourself a 5 km long deserted white sanded beach,which is perfect for long walks

Stayed in March 2022

Dinner or lunch have to be prebooked, which is in a lot of places. Wifi gets turned off all the time so you will have to ask them to turn it on/plug it in again.

Located right on the beach in a spaciously set up of bungalows. This is back to basic with a small business where the staff will try their best to make your stay as nice as they can. They can help you with tours etc if you want too. It is a fair walk away from town but it is also nice and quiet because of that.

Stayed in February 2022

We stayed in a basic, yet very nice bungalow. The place is right by the sea and just a comfortable little beach paradise. Musa is a fantastic host and knows and organizes pretty much everything you would need during your stay at Mafia. Also the entire team was very kind and made us feel at home from the moment we arrived. If we come back, we will defenitely stay here again.

Stayed in February 2022

very friendly vibe very relaxed and nothing too much trouble. simple bungalows but beautifully kept by Alice and the team making the bed every day and sweeping and pulling down the nets for u every night! Mussa is a bubbly and friendly host who tries to fulfill every request!

Stayed in February 2022

Some parts of the facility could use a bit of attention.

We had a very pleasant stay at Juani. It’s great to see the owner (Mussa) getting his hands dirty and doing his everything to provide you the best possible customer service. Mussa welcomed us, provided coconuts and was always in a good mood. One day he was making the bonfire / barbegue for the clients always cleaning up the place and helping out if you had any requests. His employees seemed to respect him and were ready to provide a customer service with a similar kind of quality. Being travelled around Tanzania (Dar, Arusha, Zanzibar, Bagamoyo) for 3-4 months we’ve encountered hotel owners who only command their employees and one can see the employees don’t enjoy working there. In Juani it was the other way around. Few examples of the customer service we received: we ordered two additional bottles of wine at 9-10 pm and received them in 10-15 minutes, one day we didn’t respond to having a dinner or not at the hotel and arrived later that evening. Kitchen was already closed and the chef had left, we were starving, all the restaurants were closed but one of the employees saved us and ordered someone to deliver potatos and fish and prepared us a lovely dinner, although this wasn’t part of his job. Juani is located right at the beach and they clean up most of the seaweed from it - other parts of the beach were pretty much fully covered by it. The whale shark tours begin right from the front of Juani and you can organize the tour directly with Mussa. Who pretty much is a walking reception/tour operator, for example he helped to organize us a rental motorbike (Boda Boda) and a diving trip. If you want to support other local entrepreneurs on the island and are looking to enjoy a nice lunch or dinner outside of Juani I would love to recommend a place called Hippopotamus, the owner Yasn and his employees make great dishes with one of the cheapest price I’ve enjoyed around the whole Tanzania!

Stayed in January 2022

Just a fishing trip that was not as successful as hoped for. But that is fishing for you.

Juani beach bungelows is what you think of whe you think of a beach holiday. Very relaxed, simple but good breakfast, great dinners. Rooms were great, with fans and mosquito nets. Whale shark trips depart from here.

Stayed in December 2021

Cleaness and room size

Stayed in December 2021

Would be much better if room cleaned very well. You will stay in nature,If you do not like insects will be hard to stay.

Staff was friendly. Not far from airport. You can get fresh seafood.

Stayed in November 2021

Not so many vegetarian food options

On the beach, close to the whale sharks

Stayed in November 2021

I am searching for negatives to be honest because this place is marvellous. However I missed a hot shower, sometimes it is not yet warm in the day and a cold shower isnt something that we are used to. The noises from the boats, stray animals and at times staff or guests talking early in the morning means that we are up around 6/7am but to be honest it is lovely getting up and seeing the changes in the day and the tide so it is not much of a negative. At times we had no wifi so thankfully we had our own data as a backup. We had no electricity one morning but the staff got that sorted.

Wonderful local owned place, we had a lovely see view, able to walk onto the beach in seconds. My best day ever was on a trip to the blue lagoon, best after the birth of my children of course. I really felt sad to leave Mafia and the friendly people and wonderful service that we received. I felt safe and cared for being a sole female traveller with my children. Being able to see the whale sharks and see the ships and boats, the local fisherman and the wonderful changing of the sea and sky was awesome. I really can't stress enough how wonderful this place is. I overspent on the wonderful food and being too lazy to eat off site. Next time I will search out other places to eat but the chefs and staff at juani are so good, too good! Such friendly people. Can't wait till we return!! xx

Stayed in October 2021

Could have lived without the sound from the nearby mosque

Fantastic location on the amazing Juani beach - it is hard to understand some statements about Mafia that it would not have great beaches - after six months in Tanzania and going to Pemba, Zanzibar, Dar South etc. I would put Mafia at the top together with Vumawimbi at norther Pemba. The lodge is just on the beach - fishermen and Kilindoni to the north and unspoilt beach with no tourists or lodges to the south. Great lodge for relaxation and good value for money - there is a tendency of quite high prices on Mafia

Stayed in July 2021