Hotels in Zanzibar
Zanzibar has excellent hotels, both in Stone Town and on the beaches. We always recommend that visitors combine a short stay in Stone Town to explore the history and architecture of the isles' cultural heart, with a stay on one of the beautiful Indian Ocean beaches. The east coast of Zanzibar Island (Unguja) features many establishments on the beach, ranging from small and intimate properties to larger resort outfits.

Feel free to contact us for enquiries, hotel rates, quotations and bookings.

Stone Town
Stone Town is the old part of Zanzibar Town and has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. All buildings, therefore, have to retain their original exterior features. This means that hotels are converted from former 19th Century mansions like 236 Hurumzi, (formerly Emerson Green) and the Dhow Palace Hotel or from former commercial buildings like the Serena Inn and Tembo House Hotel. There are a wide range of hotels in Stone Town* from the luxury Serena Inn to the basic guesthouse. We have detailed some hotels, which are highly recommended and have been popular with our clients.

The North Coast
Nungwi village, where fishing and the building of dhows are the main industries, is at the very north of the island about 1.5 hours drive from Stone Town. Over the years it has become a popular destination for travellers on a tight budget, hence the mushrooming of many guest houses catering essentially for backpackers. The hotels we describe are of a better standard, providing clean en-suite rooms.

There are a couple of dive centres near the village providing a wide range of water-sports. Most people book accommodation on a bed & breakfast basis as there is a wide choice of places to eat and drink in close proximity to each other. The Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel, the only 1st grade hotel on the north coast is set well apart from Nungwi village so accommodation is on a half board basis. The vegetation at the north of the island is generally sparser than other areas of Zanzibar, therefore there are fewer palm trees along beachfronts.

North East Coast
With a reasonable sealed road, most of the north east coast can be reached in less than an hour from Stone Town. Along this stretch of coast there are different types of hotels, from the very "resorty" type catering for people on package, all-inclusive holidays, to the small "boutique" style hotels such as Matemwe Bungalows, Matemwe Beach Village and the Shooting Star Inn. Of the resort hotels, we favour those which cater for visitors from a variety of countries, such as the Bluebay Beach Resort. Accommodation tends to be on a half board basis as most hotels are some distance from other places to eat. Most beaches on this coast are of tropical island dreams, lined with palm trees with stunning views of the calm azure blue ocean protected by the reef.

South Coast
Though only about 30 miles from Stone Town, the going is slow as the second half of the trip is on an extremely rough road; the journey takes about 1.5 hours. The beach stretches for 15 miles, or more, and is flanked by palm trees and a number of interesting fishing villages. The hotels cater for all grades of visitors, from the very exclusive Sultan Palace, Breezes Beach Club with its wide range of facilities and comfortable rooms, to the smaller Sunrise Hotel, Sau Inn and very acceptable budget accommodation at the Palm Beach Inn.