The Swahili House

Staff at the entrance were very unfriendly. USD2 demanded ‘visitors permit’ at entrance only payable in cash. But refunded against drinks/food. Explained we had no cash to lots of muttering. Rooftop sitting area dirty and service poor. Not recommended. There are many more good rooftop establishments in Zanzibar to enjoy.

Beautiful house and lovely decor! The ambience and the view from the rooftop is amazing. Breakfast was okay, there is room for improvement. Facilities were decent for an independent hotel.

The bathroom door was a big problem, ironically, this was the third location in Zanzibar where we had issues with the bathroom door! In this case, it got stuck and i could not come out. Finally, it needed some brute force to open the door! Rest were all fine. We could not open the windows since there was construction work going on next door, but cannot fault the hotel for this discomfort

l’emplacement par rapport au centre ville l’architecture locale

manque de rangements pratiques dans la chambre et le service peu agréable sur la terrasse et petit déjeuner peu varié : quand on arrive après 8h il n’y a plus grand chose !

Centrale ligging in het oude centrum van Stone town. Prachtig oud gebouw met helaas daardoor ook wel behoorlijk verouderd sanitair. Fantastisch dakterras en behoorlijk goed eten met zeer vriendelijke bediening.

Sterk verouderd en hier en daar echt sleets sanitair, alles doet het maar daarmee is het wel gezegd. Airco leek nog maar één standje te kennen.

Personnel au top. Chambre très propre. Produits de toilettes fourni. Chambre nettoyée tous les jours. Notre chambre a même été à nouveau préparé en début de soirée: Moustiquaire au lit et climatisation.

Manque d'intimité pour les WC.

The staff at the restaurant and receptionist were absolutely lovely and helpful. The rooftop is as per the pictures and the views are wonderful with the breeze. Great spot to relax in busy Stone Town. The wifi works really well at the reception desk and rooftop areas (as mentioned on description there is no wifi in the rooms). No mosquitos either, big plus!

We stayed 2 nights and the first night we were given a room that did not meet our expectations at all and did not match any of the pictures online. I even wondered if we should have been charged at all for the room we were given, it felt we had the room that no one gets or when the hotel is at extra max capacity... there was a strong smell of damp and low ceilings with 2 single mattresses put together across the width (and not the length) to make it a double bed. The second day they came forward and changed us room, I have to say it was a NEW DAY, the new room was as per the hotel's standards, spacious, high ceilings and beautifully decorated with Swahili furniture. We appreciated the change especially as we did not complain to reception in the first place.