DO NOT book any snorkeling or dolphin-watching activities at the hotel's reception!!!!!!During our four-day visit to Zanzibar, we chose Sandies Baobab for our stay. Initially, the resort seemed good, offering decent amenities and meals, and we trusted them, but they severely betrayed our trust! Never book any snorkeling or dolphin-watching activities through the hotel's reception!!!We though that a resort of this star level would collaborate with professional dive centers or guides for aquatic activities. So, we booked a dolphin-watching and snorkeling excursion with hotel pickup at the reception.We set off early in the morning to a beach near Mnemba. The two young men who were operating the boat barely spoke English and their boat lacked any equipment. There were no lifebuoys, life jackets, or flippers - nothing at all!!! Moreover, the weather was bad that morning, with rain, strong wind, and big waves!!!We emphasized the poor weather conditions and the need for safety equipment for many times, but they didn’t understand and just took us to the snorkeling spot, hoping we would quickly get into the water. At that moment, we realized that the hotel had arranged for us completely unreliable "beach boys" (a term we learned later from a professional diving center for these untrustworthy operators), with boats that had none of the necessary equipment. We strongly refused to get into the water and demanded to be taken back to shore to find our driver and return to the hotel.After finding the driver, we faced another round of hassle: it felt like the hotel's activity was outsourced multiple times, and the last link was this driver finding these beach boys. He was reluctant to take us back directly, wanting us to get back on the boat and complete the process so he could get paid. For safety reasons, we didn't argue with him but told him we were willing to pay but needed to return to the hotel to change clothes first. He agreed, but insisted on trying to get us to pay him from $250 to $200 to $150, all the while slowing down the car. Throughout, we tried not to anger him to avoid him stopping the car and forcing us to pay. I kept distracting him by chatting about various things and dragging out the conversation, making the 40-minute ride feel incredibly long. Finally, when we reached the resort entrance, he was unwilling to drive further or let us out.We managed to get into the resort and quickly approached the reception. The reception manager came out, trying to smooth things over by asking us to pay first. We were furious and questioned her: How could they hand us over to a beach boy with no safety equipment or qualifications, and how dare you expect us to pay? We came for a vacation, not to be put in danger.The front desk lady backed down, saying we should return to our rooms to rest and not worry about payment or anything else for now; she would look into it. Of course, there was no follow-up. No apology!!!!no feedback!!!
