Name: Big Blu Mafia Island Diving Resort
Address: Utende Beach, Utende, Mafia Island, Tanzania, Utende, Tanzania, Mafia Island, Mafia Island, Mafia Island, 61701, Tanzania
Rating: 9

Smoke-free property

Garden

Terrace

Outdoor furniture

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Locker

Linens

Rooms

Safe-deposit box

Dry-cleaning

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Diet menu (on request)

Restaurant

Packed Lunches

Bottled water (at extra charge)

Meals

Internet

Airport transportation

Transfer

Spanish

English

Languages Spoken

Free parking

Parking

Beach facilities

Beach/pool towels

Next to the beach

Pool and beach

Diving

Snorkelling

Sports

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the resort

Mafia Airport

Big Blu Mafia Island Diving Resort

Mafia Island

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

I would definitly reccomand this place!
Comfortable rooms at few steps from the beach, a quiet and special place where to relax and connect with nature. Amazing diving and comfortable boats, equipment quiet new and well maintained, all the staff that makes you really feel home!
Thank you very much to all of you, especially Simon, Hassan, Aisha, Moudy, Valentino & Osman. A special thanks also to Maura, that even if I didn't personally meet her, was a good support for the holiday organization.

Feel at home and connect with nature

I did two days of diving and one day of snorkeling with Big Blu. The diving was some of the best I’ve ever done - huge shout out to Hassan our dive master, who spotted two green sea turtles (which are normally super shy). My first day we stayed inside the bay because I was looking for something easy and shallow after not diving for awhile, and the dives were perfect to get back into it. The coral was so beautiful, especially with the light shining on it - super healthy reefs. The second day we did out/in, and our “in” was right on the boundary of the bay. We saw a lot more big stuff and overall I enjoyed the “out-in” dives more, but I’m glad I did both and the second day was much drift-y-er.

I really appreciated how mindful the staff was about the environment. You could tell they care about the marine park - both days our dive masters picked up fishing line and other trash we found on the reefs, and they explained a lot about the local conservation efforts. Yes you have to pay the marine park fee to dive here but it’s making a big difference to protect the reefs.

The whole operation at Big Blu is flawless. Equipment is great, they get you set up the morning of your first dive and tag your stuff so you can keep it each day. The boats leave in time with the tides but you’ll go out on a motorized dhow which has a cool vibe. We had early-early mornings because of the tides so they gave us breakfast - egg sandwiches, fruit, muffins, tea, coffee - during our surface interval. Groups were small; one day we were four and the other we were six including dive masters, and we were always the only group at the sites.

I stayed at their sister property Bustani but they provided transport for diving every day, which worked brilliantly. I also ate at the restaurant a few times and hung out at the beach. The manager and bartender/restaurant team are all super nice and helpful and the food is good. They’ll also give you a locker for the day if you aren’t staying there, so you have a safe place to store stuff you don’t want to get wet on the boat or sandy at the beach.

And one of my favorite little thoughtful features that I’ve never seen anywhere else - they have a little built-in pool to rinse your feet after you come off the beach.

Two great days of diving with Big Blu

BigBlu Marine park is an amazing place in the paradise that is Mafia Island. We were completely satisfied with our stay. The rooms are simple yet very comfy and spotless clean. Right smack in front of the sea. 

Not a lot of room which give the resort a family feeling. Everyone dives and do activies together and you meet some great travellers. 

The dive team is well organized and professional. Dives were great especially the night dive !! Also whale shark ! 

All in all, just a great experience. Highly highly recommend!

Special thanks to Abu, big Boss, Em and all the others!

Cheers.

Nico & Gwen

Amazing stay, little paradise in Mafia.

What great service here at Big Blu, every one of the staff is lovely. Baker and Suleiman at the bar are so kind and one night set up a table with flowers and candles right on the beach for me and some other guests I met which was quite special, hearing the waves and the wind under the stars. M and Ashraf literally held my hand throughout the dives. I'm a certified diver but I go so infrequently I feel rusty every time so they really helped me feel comfortable and showed us some really great ocean life in the beautiful reefs. I had some concerns after reading a review here that a girl paid more than she was told,I can tell you they have the prices clearly written out. The only surprises I'd say regarding price were probably my fault for not reading fine print, but there's a daily fee (about $30 USD a day) you have to pay before you even get there to enter the marine park. Also diving equipment is not included in the package. The one complaint I would have (and two separate guests had the same complaint) is that the linens while clean should probably be retired as they had discolouration on a lot of it and very stained mosquito nets. I found that disturbing but on the while rooms were beautiful and clean and thank goodness had air conditioning. I loved my stay and wanted to steal the one dog. Highly recommended as a place to put your feet up and relax

Go for the welcome coconut

The best place to be on Mafia Island and l loved every second of my stay! Ally, the manager of the place is the friendliest host ever and you feel welcome from the first second you get there. So is the rest of the staff! Soo lovely people you never wanna leave again:) 

I loved the garden and the very peacefull enviorment. You are enjoying the nature but still get the luxoury of great food and comfort.

The dive shop is on a very high level and quality is important to all off them. Also there, just the best staff and allways a great boat crew. Everybody there is very professional and the equiment is in great state. Also they are very organised so on my first day l picked a number and they marked regulator, bcd, bag everything with it so it was allways great order.  I have no words to describe how much l loved this place so you just have to try out yourself... Book directly with Maura as she is also the most helpfull with everything.. (Due to Covid l didn't know if everyting works out and Maura was the most pacient and helped me to organise everything.

Paradise in paradise

Maura is the perfect hostess. She answered very fast in every question that I had. Really flexible with the booking and always thinking a step ahead. Unfortunately I didn’t meet her in person but that’s a reason to come back. Hopefully!!!
About Big blue,is the definition of relaxation. The place has everything you need. The rooms very clean and spacious. All the setting is fantastic. A piece of land on the sea and around full with tropical trees. The guys from the diving centre everyday helped us plan our day with activities suggestions.we did snorkelling and the whale safari( unforgettable experience) and a tour at Chole island but unfortunately I didn’t have the time to do diving but that is another reason to be back. .
Maura Ali Hassan Ash Aisha Papa Fish and Abou Thank you so much for an unforgettable stay.
Ahsante Sana

The definition of hospitality

Big Blu is just great, honestly nothing bad to say about the place at all. 

It is a diving resort so of course the whole point of the resort is people wishing to dive / snorkel which means that you are surrounded by like minded people. 

It was very quiet when i stayed (thanks Covid) but the staff went above and beyond at all times.  The chef and restaurant staff were so nice, they found out what i didnt eat and made sure that there was always something for me.  

The rooms are very comfortable and cleaned religiously. 

Thank you to everyone at Big Blu, particularly my best friends (the 2 gorgeous dive dogs Rocky and his brother!) 

I will 100% be back for more diving at some point!

I Love Big Blu!

Big Blu is my favorite dive center and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a wonderful place to relax and enjoy beautiful dive sites! The underwater wild life is stunning. The staff is professional, fun to be around and create a great atmosphere. I also enjoyed the accommodation and the delicious food which contribute to the great overall experience. Many thanks to the whole team at Big Blu <3
It was already my third visit and might not have been my last ;) Badaaye

Best Place Ever!

Thank you so much for the great time the beautiful dives and the helpful instructions and advices during the advanced open water course! It was the most beautiful dive place i have ever been too! Also the surroundings, accommodations and food was great.
Super friendly staff and a special thanks to Abou!

Advanced Open Water Course

We loved every minute of our stay at Big Blu. Samuel, the manager and all of the staff were friendly, helpful and pleasant.  The dive staff was professional, fun and knowledgeable. The accommodations were comfortable and the food was delicious. I would love to come back and spend more time there. The dive sites were beautiful as well. Very relaxing and beautiful location.

Big Blu Mafia Island Diving Resort

Main amenities of the hotel

Location

Available rooms

Location

Description of the hotel

What other amenities are there?

General

Rooms

Services and amenities

Meals

Internet

Transfer

Languages Spoken

Parking

Pool and beach

Sports

Pets

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Payment