Rafiki Apartment
Location: Market street Masomo Bookshop, Shamshu and Sons Pharmacy, Zanzibar City, tz
Star Rating: 7.3 Stars
Property Type: Hostel/Backpacker accommodation
About this Property
City Views and Shared Lounge
Enjoy stunning city views from our terrace while relaxing in our shared lounge. Empire Lodge Znz offers a unique perspective of Zanzibar City that will leave you in awe.
Convenient Amenities
With a 24-hour front desk, airport transfers, and free WiFi, we ensure your stay is hassle-free. Our shared kitchen adds a homely touch to your travel experience.
Nearby Attractions
Immerse yourself in the culture and history of Zanzibar City with attractions like Old Dispensary, St Joseph's Roman Catholic Cathedral, and Old Fort of Zanzibar just a short walk away.
Book your stay at Empire Lodge Znz for a memorable experience in Zanzibar City!
Important Information
Please inform of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details in your confirmation.
Policies
Check-in: 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Amenities & Facilities
- Offsite parking discounted rates available
- Guest education on local ecosystems and culture
- Non-smoking rooms
- Air conditioning
- Room service
- Terrace
- Family rooms
- BBQ facilities
- Luggage storage
- Express check-in/check-out
- Safety deposit box
- Fax/photocopying
- Tour desk
- Ironing service
- Car hire
- Private check-in/check-out
- Shared lounge/TV area
- Board games/puzzles
- Shuttle service (additional charge)
- Concierge service
- Grocery deliveries
- Shared kitchen
- Public transport tickets
- Outdoor furniture
- Fruits
- Staff adhere to local safety protocols
- Guest rooms disinfected between stays
- Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
- Physical distancing rules followed
- Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
- Fire extinguishers
- First aid kit available
- Sanitized tableware & silverware
- Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
- Smoke alarms
- Guest room sealed after cleaning
- CCTV outside property
- 24-hour security
- Shopping on site
- Television in common areas
- Front desk (limited hours)
- Express check-in
- Free wired internet
- Scuba diving on site
- Snorkeling on site
- Offsite parking discounted rates available
- Game drive nearby
- Internet access
- Housekeeping on request
- Art gallery on site
- Covered parking
- Secured parking
- Guest education on local ecosystems and culture
- Accessible shuttle
- No accessible shuttle
- Accessible train station shuttle
- No accessible train station shuttle
Rooms Available
-
Deluxe Triple Room
The triple room provides air conditioning, a dressing room, as well as a private bathroom featuring a bath and a shower. This triple room offers a TV. The unit offers 2 beds.
Max Occupancy: 3 (3 Adults)
- Shower
- TV
- Air conditioning
- Fan
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Dressing room
- Slippers
- Mosquito net
- Cleaning products
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Reading light
- Privacy curtain
- Hand sanitiser
-
Budget Double Room
The double room offers air conditioning, a dressing room, as well as a private bathroom featuring a bath and a shower. The unit offers 1 bed.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- TV
- Air conditioning
- Fan
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Dressing room
- Slippers
- Mosquito net
- Cleaning products
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Reading light
- Privacy curtain
- Hand sanitiser
-
Premium Quadruple Room
The quadruple room provides air conditioning, a dressing room, as well as a private bathroom featuring a bath and a shower. This quadruple room offers a TV. The unit offers 3 beds.
Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)
- Shower
- TV
- Air conditioning
- Fan
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Dressing room
- Slippers
- Mosquito net
- Cleaning products
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Reading light
- Privacy curtain
- Hand sanitiser
Guest Reviews
- Florbela (4/5): Não está adequado aos padrões europeus mas pelo preço que pagámos, temos de aceitar. - Dentro da cidade. Não estava preparado para receber o grupo. Faltava uma cama.
- sinan degirmenci (7/5): - Konum
- Tuema (10/5): Agréable - L’emplacement Tout était parfait.
- Klára (8/5): - Very good location, next to the spice market. Not luxurious but you have everything you need. Hot shower, aircondition...Good value for money.
- Mark Deus (2/5): The hotel wasn't ready to receive me. Staff were not welcoming - The hotel was not ready to receive me even when I had indicated my expected checkin time
- Inayetulla (7/5): Overall good location, good facilities - Very good location, room was comfortable, shower & toilet facilities were good
Breakfast was not as expected plus kitchen staff lacked cleanliness Breakfast was not that good as items like milk were not available on some days
- Javier (7/5): -
- Jarek (4/5): - Nic Fetor z miejscowego targowiska oraz hałasy od rana do wieczora.
- Machalila (10/5): -
- Elbrus (10/5): -
- wil (4/5): Grote tegenvaller. - De eerste kamer was prima, miste alleen een koelkastje. De locatie in Stone Town was prima Onze kamer is tijdens een safari in Tanzania (terwijl wij gewoon die kamer betaald hebben) verhuurd aan een ander. Bagage van de kamer gehaald en opgeslagen. Was een "mistake". De kamer die we saana kregen was vele male kleiner. Konden onze koffers niet kwijt. Wij hadden we geen ontbijt bijgeboekt en na de safari gevraagd of we alsnog konden ontbijten tegen betaling, en dat was mogelijk. Andere dag bij andere vrouw was het niet mogelijk.
- Muhire (9/5): Perfect stay if you want to head to the airport - Located close to stone town
- Sa (9/5): - La posizione è perfetta. La colazione è più che accettabile per il prezzo. Le ragazze dell'hotel sono molto gentili e tengono anche le valigie dopo il checkout
- Mahdi (1/5): -
- Jan (7/5): -
- Joao Gomes (3/5): - Bien situé proche de tout mais c’est tout Salle de bain vétuste avec odeurs
Chambre pas très soignée
On peut largement trouver mieux
- Maria Sophia (5/5): Great location - Location and availability of the staff Not so clean but good value for money for the location and the facilities. Just a basic room steps from Stone Town market.
- Rahani (1/5): - La salle de bain était doit être refaite pour avoir une douche sans avoir des fuites un peu partout. La salle de bain était doit être refaite pour avoir une douche sans avoir des fuites un peu partout.
- Soumaya (9/5): -
- Yongsung (5/5): -
- Capucine (8/5): Bien - Arrangeant, emplacement central, wifi La personne qui s’occupe du petit déjeuné n’est pas très aimable…
- Terina (5/5): Bad experience due to double booking. - The location, very central, easy for walking. The apartment was very spacious and clean They had double booked our apartment for the first night, and after waiting for more than 2 hours they sent us to another hotel which was very dirty, old and awful and never gave us a refund for the first night.
- Pedroni (10/5): - Raphy è una ragazza fantastico, super disponibile a dare una mano e consigliarti i posti migliori ovunque tu vada
- Adam (7/5): -
- Eleni (1/5): - The staff was polite but only able to communicate at a very basic English level. I booked this hotel only because it stated it has a private parking because I wanted to park my rental car somewhere safe, but the hotel was a hole in a very small, narrow and very busy part of the town having of course no parking. I had to find another alternative for the car paying extra. The room was on the second floor, and there was no elevator. The cleanliness was extremely questionable as the quilt had no cover and it was obviously was used for all the guests and had stains on it. The bathroom was very small, the door was hobbit size and the shower was splattering water everywhere, and was flowing under the door to the room. The noises from the street where so loud, that we were unable to take some rest and the smell of fish from the market was overwhelming. Overall a horrible experience.
- Denis (8/5): -
- Elisabeth (7/5): - The staff
- Alex (6/5): -
- Cheech57 (6/5): -
- Nicola (1/5): Never stayed - Nothing checked out after 30 minutes Room full of mosquitos and no mosquito nets
No working WiFi
No drinking water
Ac wasn’t working.
We are budget travellers and not at all fussy but could not stay here. Had to leave in 30 minutes to find a new place to stay.
- Wielbicielka_rus (8/5): - Bardzo dobry stosunek jakości do ceny, dogodna lokalizacja. Dla niektórych osób może być za głośno od ulicy.
- ÖMER ÖNDER (8/5): Zanzibar merkezinde ve halkla iç içe. - Otel, Darajani Market’in yanında. Orijinal bir mekan. Elbette mekan değerlendirmesi kendi içinde değerlendirilir. Burası afrika, Zanzibar. Yanında balık market var. Dışarıdan hafif koku gelmesi çok normal. Yataklarda tül ( cibinlik) var. 5 yıldızlı otel ile kıyaslamak yanlış olur. Kahvaltı yumurta, yağ, muz, çay, kahve,ekmek. Yeterli. Konumu çok iyi. Deniz kenarına 5-6 dk ulaşılabiliyor. Gerçek Zanzibar yaşantısı görmek, o havayı koklamak ve ekonomik konaklama yapmak isteyenler için ideal bir mekan. Huzurlu, güvenli. Çalışan kadınlar yardımsever. Sıcak su ve klima çok iyi. Kendi içinde sorun yok.
- Maria (8/5): -
- Maria (8/5): -
- Inès (10/5): Superbe emplacement en face du marché aux épices et proche de tout - La localisation du logement L’aération dans la salle de bain
- Stefa.usax27 (6/5): - Posizione e staff molto simpatico. Molto rumoroso, anche se è normale sopra il mercato...
- Ebru (6/5): - Freundliche Rezeption, sehr gute Lage, direkt am Darajani Markt und fußläufig alles in Kürze erreichbar. Der Gestank von Fisch sobald man aus dem Apartment rauskommt. Kann sehr laut sein. Kein Housekeeping, für kurze Aufenthalte gut, aber nicht länger als 3 Tage auszuhalten. Frühstück sehr schwach. Ein Omelette, Toastbrot und eine Banane. Für den Preis aber okay.
- Ane (8/5): -
- mohamed (10/5): Magnifique rapport qualité prix - L'endroit à proximité de tout. L'odeur du souk, un très joli café restaurant très chic de l'autre côté de l'avenue où nous avons pu prendre un bon petit déjeuner. La dame à l'accueil, très charmante et souriante. Elle nous a informé sur les lieux à visiter avec une carte de la ville. Je suis désolé ma sœur j'ai oublié ton prénom 😥. Merci Tout est ok
- Moloi (6/5): - Best location, it's actually in the city centre . It's a perfect place for a reasonable price You get what you pay for. It's a basic budget accommodation
- mouhand (10/5): Très bon rapport qualité prix - Établissement basique mais bien placé, chambre très propre avec ventilateur au plafond et climatisation fonctionnelles. La réceptionniste très serviable et gentille. Très bon rapport qualité prix. Je recommande.
- wiljon (7/5): - overboeking, 1 kamer ipv 2
- luisa (9/5): - L’emplacement, avec vue sur le marché.
La chambre était confortable.
La climatisation dans la chambre .
- Natalie (7/5): -
- Petr (8/5): Very good accommodation for budget travellers - Location in the city center, very good for budget travellers. The shower and toilet were so close that after using the shower everything in the bathroom was completely wet. The "kitchen" was not quite the "European/US" standard, but could be used nevertheless...
- Corinne (7/5): - L'emplacement est parfait pour découvrir à pied tout Stone Town.
Et la nuit est très peu chère. Il y a eu un couac à l'arrivée, nous avions qu'une chambre au lieu de deux pour la 1ère nuit. Mais le personnel a été réactif et nous avons été remboursés dès le lendemain.
- Sencer (7/5): -
- Saleh (10/5): -
- Katalina (6/5): Nada - Nada , solo era muy barato Olía mal, la recepcionista no hablaba inglés y muy precario todo
- Peng (9/5): -
- AVRAHAM (7/5): -
- Carlos SV (8/5): -
- AVRAHAM (8/5): -
- Mohaned (8/5): -
- Hendrikus (8/5): -
- Momoko (5/5): 1泊なら大丈夫 - エアコンがついてる 洗面所が下水臭い
全体的に古くて汚い
市場が近いので夜がうるさい
- Nathan (10/5): -
- Sarah (5/5): Wasn’t the best place to stay, and felt unclean. Busy area. But an OK budget option. - Ummm…. Not a lot to be honest and wouldn’t stay there again. It is a budget friendly option in stone town. As it’s in the local market area, you get the vibe for local life. It’s close to all the things you want to see and do in Stone Town. The property is inside of darajani market. It’s busy and loud (although the noise does die down late evening). It doesn’t feel as nice or safe as the alley section or close to the water areas of Stone Town (I’ve been to Stone Town many times). Night time around the area does not give good feels.
There was a water pump outside of our room, which was of a moderate volume. It went off each time someone used water.
For the worst parts: the room was not that clean, felt a bit gross. Sheets smelt weird, had small rips and stains. Mouse poo was on top of one of the mosquito nets, in general the room could REALLY have done with a deep clean. Weird smells from the bathroom etc. in fact, when we turned up, the room wasn’t prepared and we helped make up the room, which is fine, but weird.
Breakfast was OK, space upstairs to each is basic, and tables could have done with a wipe.
- Laroche (8/5): Super emplacement! - L'emplacement est parfait!! A 10 minutes de marche maximum de tout. 5 minutes de marche du slave market qui est très intéréssant et du Zanzi café où la nourriture est délicieuse.
L'air climatisé et les ventilateurs étaient parfait!!
Le personnel très accueillant et gentil, le jour de notre départ elle nous a fait un déjeuner à 7h qui était très apprécié vue que nous devions partir à 7h30.
Eau chaude présente. La salle de bain était petite.
- Estefania (8/5): -
- Anna (8/5): - Super lokalizacja do zwiedzania najważniejszych miejsc w mieście. Czysto ciepła woda, można zostawić bagaże gdy mamy póżny wyjazd. Śniadanie kontynentalne z owocami. Cena adekwatna do warunków w hotelu. Hotel usytuowany przy ruchliwej ulicy w centrum miasta.
- Wolfgang (6/5): Einfachb und günstig - Nahe an stonetown und am Fischmarkt. Ideal um Fussläufig alles zu erreichen Sehr einfach, nachts ist es angeschlossennunf man muss klingeln. Das Frühstück bestand aus Kaffee und einem Omelett mit toast
- Sergey Cool (7/5): -
- Massimiliano (8/5): -
- Lei (8/5): - Location - literally at the Darajani markets; the hustle and bustle of daily life, mingled with the calls to prayers and the scent of wood smoke, against an expansive urban view from the window (my room was on the top floor)
Staff - friendly, helpful, considerate; the lovely hostesses keep the place safe and clean
Comfortable bed
No mosquito
Great value for money There's a power outage for a few hours on Tuesdays (midday to mid-afternoon as I experienced). It's an issue of the area, not particular to Rafiki.
- CATHERINE (6/5): Bof - L’emplacement , la terrasse Le pommeau de douche cassé
Pas de petit déjeuner le 1er jour, un café /the le 2eme ce qui ne constitue pas un petit déjeuner
- Charmika (10/5): I'd stay again! - The staff kindness, I've never in all my stays had staff bring me coffee anywhere I have traveled without even asking. It's this culture and kindness that makes me so fond of Tanzania. Would definitely return. Plus it's short walk from anything you'd want to buy, transportation available w taxis around.... Na
- sergii (5/5): - - Удобная кровать
- Если на 1 ночь за такую цену то норм - Тяжело найти
- Плохая локация
- старое полотенце , старое постельное белье
- Возле отеля ( грязно , шумно, воняло рыбой)
- в описании указано что парковка бесплатная , но когда вы хотите оставить машину к вам подходят местные и просят деньги 💸 , с условием что они якобы присмотрят за ней , а если не заплатить был намек что вашу машину вскроют или разобьют что-то.
- Bruno Sarcoli (8/5): -
- Luis (10/5): -
- Valentina Gligorova (7/5): - We were in the heart of the city. The location is great. I'm a fruitarian and fruit was around me.
The sea is 7 min.walk.
The woman who welcomed us tried to be everything good with guests I always book nice hotels, but this time I chose this one. It's not my style, but because it's located in the bazaar itself, where there are countless people. I wanted to be closer to the people , to get to know them better. The hotel doesn't have all the amenities.
There was no internet, almost the whole day. I'm a doctor, and I also work as an online nutritionist. Without the internet, it was difficult, I would lose a lot of patients. There was in the room some litlle neusticurus, and I did not sleep all nights.Very early morning is very noizy
- Kevin (2/5): HUGE Disappointment! - The central location was one of three reasons I booked staying here. The lady at check-in didn't speak much English but collected the US$2/TNZ5,000 a night city tax, in addition to the room rate I planned to pay later after finding an atm - since she didn't seem eager (or maybe even capable) of paying with a credit card and said she would check with the owner to see if the non-refundable 3-night stay had already been billed to my card. I left after one night, paying only for one night and getting a 10,000 Schilling refund off the extra two nights of hotel tax. In rush and confusion of leaving, I left one of my chargers at the desk...which she had waiting in a drawer when returning later in the day. She understood my leaving was the only nice thing about staying there! Other than location, reviews said this place had strong air conditioning and Wifi. I was put in only room on the top floor which had no WiFi, overhead fan stirring very weak AC, and a trickle of water pressure in the shower. I woke up about 1am drenched in sweat and realized the electricity had gone off - despite lights on all around us. Now there was no water, despite finding (or hearing) water running the following morning on a lower floor. A worker said neighboring places had solar energy, despite very small places next door having the lights on. I went out for coffee, found WiFi, and booked another place. Booking.com helped mediate that I would not pay for the two extra nights on a nonrefundable reservation, though it would have been worth the loss not to stay in a facility that still did not have power hours later!
- Ines (7/5): - Localização. Preço. Ac. Tamanho do quarto Wc, muito pequena, mau cheiro.
- Gaia (8/5): -
- Alia Taissina (8/5): Ich könnte nochmal kommen - Die Lage und das Personal Jeden Tag dasselbe Ftühstück
- lene (9/5): -
- Klas (7/5): - Good location
Good value for money Not so clean or comfortable
- Madame linda (1/5): was boaring - The reception is bad, the service is also bad, I arrived at the bus stop and tried to call them, they didn't give me good cooperation, I stayed at the bus stop for one hour, they didn't show up and didn't give me cooperation, even I looked for transportation and started looking for the hotel, customer care is very poor😮💨 i dodnt like anything there everything was very poor
- Madame linda (1/5): was boaring - i dont like anything, i arrived and i try to call the hotel to direct me, they didnt show up, and they didnt care about, i stay to the bus stop for one hour to wait but they didnt come, i find the transport my self and starting to find the place, customer care is poor poor, i will never come back agin there everything was very poor poor🤔
- Anna (6/5): Modest but pleasant. The location next to the market has its advantages and disadvantages. - Skromnie, ale wygodnie. Łóżka były bardzo wygodne, klimatyzacja działa bez zarzutu. Obiekt bardzo czysty. Kuchnia dobrze wyposażona, choć o biwakowym charakterze. Obsługa miła i pomocna. Obiekt położony przy targowisku, dzięki czemu można codziennie rano iść po kawę i kachori oraz chapati sprzedawane dosłownie za grosze.
Modest but comfortable. Beds were very comfortable, air conditioning works perfectly. Facility very clean. Kitchen well equipped, although with a camping feel. Staff friendly and helpful. Facility located next to the market, so you can go every morning to get coffee and kachori and chapati sold literally for pennies. Po każdym użyciu wody w obiekcie włączała się pompa wody, która wyła akurat przy naszym pokoju. Lokalizacja przy targu ma też swoje wady ze względu na hałas i brzydki zapach (na targu sprzedawane jest też surowe mięso i ryby).
After every use of water in the facility, the water pump turned on and howled right next to our room. The location next to the market also has its disadvantages due to the noise and bad smell (raw meat and fish are also sold at the market).
- Igor (8/5): V centre diania - Lokalita uprostred ruchu v hlavnom meste. Ak chte byť v centre diania, toto je správna lokalita. Jednoduchá izba, parkovanie pomerne neisté.
- Nurdin (10/5): I enjoyed my staying - I really enjoyed the staying , WIFI function very well, staff are friendly & room, toilet 🚽 are very clean & AC 🥰 , the apartment is near of a lot of restaurants in stone town
- MONDHER (6/5): -
- Mohammed (8/5): -
- Huzeifa Abbas (10/5): -
- Joyce (6/5): Uncomfortable check-in - The location of the room is good. Everything is in walking distance. The rooms are simple, but they are as described and clean. So if that is what you're looking for, this place is good. We arrived late at night and had requested late check-in, which was approved by the hotel. It was really hard to find the place as everything was closed, and there were no signs of the entrance anywhere. Luckily, there were some people on the street who knew where we had to go. When we wanted to check in, we were sent to another building without a reason given. At first, there were no blankets, no toilet paper, no wifi, no hot water, and the door of the room didn't have a doorhandle nor a lock. We managed to get toilet paper and blankets. The next morning, we went to the other building again to ask what happened, and we were told to pick up our stuff and come back to the main building. We never got an explanation for what happened. The room at the main building was good and really nice.
- Julie (9/5): - Bon emplacement, terrasse sympathique. Wifi un peu aléatoire.
- Cynthia (8/5): It was good and close to Old town .For a night that was good - The staffs were really nice one of the stuff offered to take me round to look food when i got in late.
- Sissiari (5/5): - La posizione ottima e la proprietaria molto disponibile (solo lei però). C'è anche l'acqua calda. Il bagno non scaricava bene l'acqua della doccia quindi ci si allagava.
- Tim (7/5): -
- Aron (10/5): -
- Giozek (4/5): -
- chan (7/5): - The location was suitable for us who do not plan to go to beaches. But if you are looking for a beach then this place will be very far. There are lots of restaurants nearby. Walking distances to Stone Town attractions. Staff tries to be helpful even though we have language problems. The place is value for money as it has AC which was a great help in the sweltering hot sun outside. Rooms are clean, toilet is small. There is a window in toilet and mosquitoes comes in from there. There is no breakfast at first. Only when we asked they started providing. Its not palatable - some sort of milk, with 2 or 3 slices of bread, no jam, no butter, no coffee or tea. Might as well tell yourself there is no breakfast.
Place is near the market and mosque. It is noisy if one sleeps lightly.
- Anastasija Nicole (6/5): -
- Sheikh (8/5): I had wonderful experience staying at apartment - It offered all the basic necessities. Which made my stay comfortable. I can cook my meal. could do with my own laundry, which was edited convenience. Excellent Wi-Fi. Near historical sites Addition to the food market. I enjoyed local culture And the hustle and bustle of daily life in Zanzibar my favorite, was terrace In the morning, sunshine and sunset It become noisy
- Aron (10/5): - Personal sehr freundlich
Preis / Leistung sehr gut
Sehr gute Lage Kein credit card Service
Kein Wechselgeld
Rezeption sehr freundlich aber offenbar noch unerfahren
- issa (7/5): Good - Hospitality Location
- inn (10/5): - My stay at Rafiki Apartment was absolutely fantastic. From the moment I arrived, I was impressed by the cleanliness, comfort, and attention to detail in every aspect of the apartment.
Firstly, the location was perfect for me. Situated in a quiet neighborhood yet still close to the bustling city center, Rafiki Apartment offered the best of both worlds. Whether I wanted to explore the local attractions or simply unwind in peace, I found everything conveniently within reach.
The apartment itself exceeded my expectations. It was spacious, well-furnished, and beautifully decorated, creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere. The bed was exceptionally comfortable, ensuring a restful night's sleep every night. I also appreciated the fully equipped kitchen, which allowed me to prepare meals at my convenience.
What truly sets Rafiki Apartment apart, however, is the exceptional level of service provided by the staff. From the moment I made my reservation to the day of departure, the staff went above and beyond to ensure that my stay was enjoyable and hassle-free. They were always available to address any questions or concerns I had, and their warm hospitality made me feel right at home.
Overall, I cannot recommend Rafiki Apartment highly enough. Whether you're traveling for business or leisure, this is the perfect accommodation choice. I will definitely be returning on my next visit to the area.
- Victoria vlc (7/5): -
- Victoria vlc (8/5): -
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