Jafferji House

Location: 170 Gizenga Street, Stone Town , Zanzibar City, tz

Star Rating: 4 Stars

Property Type: Hotels

About this Property

Important Information

Policies

Check-in: 02:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Check-out: 10:00 AM

Amenities & Facilities

• Health or beauty spa nearby
• Guest education on local ecosystems and culture
• Parking
• Non-smoking rooms
• Air conditioning
• Room service
• Terrace
• Family rooms
• Luggage storage
• Express check-in/check-out
• Safety deposit box
• Tour desk
• Ironing service
• Car hire
• Massage services
• Packed lunches
• Non-smoking throughout
• Shuttle service (additional charge)
• Outdoor furniture
• Fruits
• Spa/wellness center services
• Beauty Services
• Manicure
• Pedicure
• Staff adhere to local safety protocols
• Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
• Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
• Fire extinguishers
• First aid kit available
• Sanitized tableware & silverware
• Invoice provided
• Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
• Smoke alarms
• Guest room sealed after cleaning
• Key access
• Food delivered to guest room
• CCTV outside property
• 24-hour security
• Delivered food - securely covered
• Security alarm
• Happy hour
• Cooking class
• Television in common areas
• Front desk (limited hours)
• Express check-in
• Free wired internet
• Scuba diving on site
• Snorkeling on site
• Airport transportation - pickup (surcharge)
• Airport transportation - drop-off (surcharge)
• Internet access
• Housekeeping on request
• Art gallery on site
• Japanese garden
• Fishing nearby
• Health or beauty spa nearby
• Guest education on local ecosystems and culture
• Vegetarian menu options available
• Accessible shuttle
• No accessible shuttle
• Accessible train station shuttle
• No accessible train station shuttle

Rooms Available

• Signature Suite

  1 Double Bed

  161 sq feet

  
  

  Internet - Free WiFi

  Entertainment - Flat-screen TV with cable channels

  Food & Drink - Coffee/tea maker, electric kettle, and free bottled water

  Sleep - Bed sheets

  Bathroom - Partially open bathroom, shower/tub combination, bathrobes, and designer toiletries

  Practical - Safe, desk, and phone

  Comfort - Air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Smoking And Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Shower
  • Safety deposit box
  • Telephone
  • Air conditioning
  • Bathrobe
  • Desk
  • Private bathroom
  • Electric kettle
  • Bidet
  • Bottle of water
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Ceiling fan
  • Designer toiletries
  • Free WiFi
  • Partially open bathroom
  • Smoking and Non-Smoking
  • Bedsheets provided

• Superior Suite

  This air-conditioned suite comes with a flat-screen satellite TV and tea-and-coffee-making facilities. The private bathroom includes free toiletries.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Safety deposit box
  • TV
  • Telephone
  • Air conditioning
  • Hair dryer
  • Bathrobe
  • Desk
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Satellite channels
  • Sofa
  • Electric kettle
  • Mosquito net
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Bidet
  • Linen
  • Upper floors accessible by stairs only
  • Clothes rack
  • Toilet paper
  • Bottle of water
  • Trash cans
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Hypoallergenic pillow
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Key access
  • Hand sanitiser

• Executive Suite

  This air-conditioned suite comes with a flat-screen satellite TV and tea-and-coffee-making facilities. The private bathroom includes free toiletries.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Safety deposit box
  • TV
  • Telephone
  • Air conditioning
  • Hair dryer
  • Bathrobe
  • Desk
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Satellite channels
  • Sofa
  • Electric kettle
  • Mosquito net
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Bidet
  • Linen
  • Upper floors accessible by stairs only
  • Clothes rack
  • Toilet paper
  • Bottle of water
  • Trash cans
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Hypoallergenic pillow
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Key access
  • Hand sanitiser

Guest Reviews

• Jiřina (1/5): -
• EIKO (10/5): - 古い家具が飾られた伝統的な不雰囲気のお部屋、綺麗に手入れされた中庭、屋上で海を見ながらの朝食。素敵な体験をさせていただきました。 バスタブはあったのですが、お湯はたまりませんでした（水になってしまいました）
• Janine (6/5): Matig - Locatie was goed als je in het centrum van stone town iets zoekt Het was niet schoon. Oud betekent niet dat het vies moet zijn. De ventilator aan het plafond knalde bij het aanzetten ook steeds tegen het hemelbed . Die konden we niet aanzetten.
• Antonique (8/5): Wonderful authentic place to stay in middle of Stonetown with lovely staff - In the middle of stonetown and authentic Noise from the street at night
• Johan (9/5): Ideaal hotel om enkele nachten in Stone Town te verblijven. - De ligging van het hotel (nabij het centrum en Forodhani), een goed werkende airconditioning in de kamer, het rooftop restaurant en de vriendelijke bediening. Er waren werken bezig naast het hotel en ik kreeg dadelijk na mijn opmerking hierover een beter gelegen kamer waar er geen geluidsoverlast was.
• Luigi (8/5): Ein Haus mit dem Charm der alten Zeit im Herzen von Stone Town - Absolut zentral. Wenn man das Hotel verlässt ist man mit 1 Schritt mitten im Markt Das Hotel erzählt eine wunderbare Geschichte über Sansibar. Es hat ein Rooftop, von dem aus man weit über Stone Town sieht. Die Krähen belagern täglich das Frühstücksbuffet und stehlen Essen direkt vom Tisch. Das könnte man mit einfachen Mitteln verhindern (Netz rundherum an der Dachrinne des Rooftops)
• Alexandre (8/5): -
• Sheehy (10/5): - Location. Staff. Character.
• hervé (10/5): Cet hôtel m’a fait adorer mon séjour! - Petit hôtel de charme dans le cœur de la ville historique. Emplacement idéal pour visiter la ville. Et à un prix vraiment attractif compte tenu de la qualité. La vue depuis le restaurant sur le toit est très belle. Le personnel est incroyablement gentil, avenant souriant et à l’écoute, toujours prêt à rendre service. Je mets la note de 10 en rapport qualité prix! Bravo à toute équipe de hotel. Rien à signaler
• Rachel (10/5): Old style boutique - Good sized room Very clean Boutique style Breakfast was lovely Desk staff were very helpful Nothing
• Thomas (8/5): -
• Michal (3/5): Dissapointing. - I already contacted customer care. Waiting for response.
• Johan (10/5): Hier wil ik graag terugkomen, een aanrader. - Ideale ligging om Stone Town te verkennen. Grote kamer met uitstekende airco en fans. 4-posterbed met muskietennet. Warm welkom en vriendelijk personeel. Rooftop met mooi uitzicht over oceaan en Stone Town, uitgebreid ontbijt en goede keuken!
• Andreas (9/5): -
• Wolfgang (5/5): -
• Bjørn (8/5): -
• Yuri (10/5): Relaxing stay - Convenient and safety location in stone town, friendly staffs and my room with AC and bathtub. Can't complain. The Salon that affiliated with this hotel was also relaxing.
• Ayele (8/5): Exotic lication - Exotic location, at the heart of the historical stone town of Zanzibar, surrounded by local shops. Way in is could be rather disorientating at the beginning. One has to walk though a narrow lane, off taxi at some distance.
• Patrik (8/5): -
• Damla (10/5): - Sehr gute Lage, tolles Zimmer und freundliche Mitarbeiter. Es gab im Zimmer für die Toilette und die Dusche keine Tür.
• HUGO (10/5): -
• alexanderkN2519VJ (10/5): Back to the amazing past of Zanzibar - I had a wonderful stay at Jafferji House. The property is exceptionally clean, beautifully restored, and very well maintained. It’s an old Zanzibari house where the island’s rich traditions are brought back to life — staying here truly feels like stepping into the past of this amazing town and the timeless charm of Stone Town itself. The combination of price and value is perfect. Breakfast was very good, with generous portions and fresh local flavors. I also recommend choosing one of the higher-floor rooms for the best views over the rooftops of Stone Town. The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, making the stay even more pleasant. Overall, I highly recommend this place — a memorable and authentic Stone Town experience.
• 236tariqn (10/5): Value for Money - Located close to carpark, shops, restaurants and the sea. Beautiful rustic atmosphere with comfortable beds and rooms. The manager Mr. Kusarali was absolutely fabulous and went out of his way to help us. His staff, Manal, Peter, Muhammad and Maasai were pleasant and always ready to help.
• AYAT (10/5): -
• Alvaro (8/5): - The breakfast the the food in the hotel was not good.
• Neil_825 (6/5): Good Value for Money - My spouse and I stayed one night at Jafferji House in Stone Town, Zanzibar. The hotel is in an excellent location right in the centre of the old town, full of charm and character. The staff were friendly and responsive to our requests, which made our short stay enjoyable. Although the hotel is quite dated, it was clean and suited our needs well. Overall, it offered good value for money.
• Ulrich (9/5): Interesting and enjoyable. Would return. - It was very rustic with lovely wooden furniture. Some art work in lobby was very interesting. Staff were friendly and competent. Situated in the labyrinth of Stone Town. There wasn‘t much hot water when I took my shower. Only there for one night.
• Wolfgang (9/5): -
• Kurt (9/5): -
• Wajo (6/5): May be not entirely what we expected - We stayed one night in the Mercury Room, themed after Freddy Mercury. An interesting theme by itself, but this room was outside the old main building of the hotel, you have to cross a little open space to get there. It had windows , behind a closet and behind the bed, not intended to be opened. The door to the bathroom didn’t close and made a intense squeaking noise. There weren’t any towel racks, or hooks, you couldn’t hang your clothes anywhere. It just didn’t seem to have the same quality of the other rooms in the main building of this beautiful old mansion. It seem to lack care. The bathroom seemed to be not entirely cleaned , some sand was left in the shower. Breakfast was OK but not inspiring. Saying all is this after after a safari trip on the mainland, sometimes in basic tented camps, but in these places they did take care of us. We did not complain about it , and it is not that they didn’t care for us at all, it’s quite subtle, may be personal, but I would say: if this room is offered and it does not appeal to you, one could consider having a look at other rooms available. And we do love Freddy Mercury and his music, and we do respect the work of Javed Jafferji, the Zanzibar photographer who founded this hotel (his work is on display in other parts of the building).
• Luke (10/5): -
• Jacopo (10/5): - Jafferji house è in un edificio storico bellissimo del centro di Stone Town. Ha un cortile pieno di piante, una terrazza con una vista meravigliosa, e varie decorazioni antiche tipiche degli edifici del centro storico. Le camere sono molto belle e curate. Le camere e l'intero edificii sono così belli che è un piacere tornare in albergo e passare del tempo a rilassarsi nella propria stanza. Lo staff poi è gentilissimo e molto disponibile. La colazione è molto ricca e si fa in terrazza con una vista meravigliosa. Non potremmo essere più felici del nostro soggiorno! Speriamo di tornare.
• Paige (6/5): Disappointing Stay Despite a Great Location - We recently stayed at a 4-star hotel in Stone Town and, unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations. The staff were friendly, but not particularly proactive or helpful when issues arose. While we appreciated the warm demeanor, the service didn’t quite meet the standard you’d expect from a hotel rated at this level. Breakfast was served on the rooftop, which did offer a lovely view of the city and ocean—a definite highlight. However, the breakfast options were quite limited, and the overall quality was underwhelming. Our biggest disappointment was with the room itself. We stayed in the “Living Stone” room, which looked charming and character-filled in the online photos. In reality, the room was fairly basic and lacked any of the charm or ambiance we had anticipated. It felt rather plain and unremarkable. Cleanliness was a significant issue. Upon arrival, we discovered the bed linens were dirty and had to request that the bed be remade—a surprising oversight. Even after that, the overall cleanliness left much to be desired. To make matters worse, the bathroom had a persistent sewage odor that was impossible to ignore. While the hotel has potential—particularly with its rooftop and central location—it fell short in areas that really matter: cleanliness, comfort, and value for money. Sadly, we left feeling disappointed and wouldn’t return or recommend it to others without significant improvements.
• MERCIER (8/5): Très bien. Très cosy - Très bon emplacement. Bel hôtel
• Bernhard (10/5): Die perfekte Unterkunft mitten in der Altstadt - Die perfekte Unterkunft mitten in der Altstadt. Historisches, wunderschönes Haus mit alten Möbeln, schönen Bildern und passende Atmosphäre.
• LeKeitha (10/5): - Absolutely beautiful and historic hotel near shopping, dining and city sights.
• gevaert2016 (2/5): Unprofessional - We had booked 2 rooms through our travel agent for our family with 3 teenage children. On arrival, it turned out that they had overbooked our reservation and the rooms were occupied by other people in the meantime. The gruff lady at reception made no effort to address or rectify this problem. We received, after a phone call, confirmation from our travel agent that both rooms had been reserved and paid for a month before and that the hotel had mailed a confirmation of this reservation. When we calmly mentioned this to the receptionist, she still refused to talk to us and was so arrogant that she would not even look at us. Being experienced travellers, we did not let it affect us too much and, through the intervention of our travel agent, were able to travel on to the beach hotel where we would stay for the last 5 days of our holiday. So it turned out to be 7 days. Jafferji house looked quite a nice hotel, but loses all its value for us because of an unprofessional staff member at the front desk. Pity.
• Ines (10/5): Rund um sehr zufrieden und wir buchen wieder. - Lage, Ambiente und Personal waren toll!
• Nathalie (8/5): Bel hôtel de charme. Emplacement top - L'emplacement, l'amabilité du personnel Le petit déjeuner
• Asad (6/5): - The property needs an upgrade. The breakfast quality needs improvement. The dining staff service needs improvement.
• Asma (8/5): Very good -
• Aj (7/5): Good - Good breakfast and willing to help with everything.
• Johannes (6/5): Pleasant -
• Agnese (9/5): Meeting at airport, following flight earlier arrival. - Perfect location
• chantelle (10/5): - The
• Bauer (3/5): Poor - they dont tell that they have a renovation, then we was in a other house
• Zelie (10/5): Rustic place close to everything - Centrally located, easy to find, man on the door at all times. Beautiful rustic interior, stayed in karma sutra room and princess suite. Breakfast was tasty and plenty on the rooftop. The bathrooms are very opened planned which is not ideal.
• Joyce (8/5): The stay was good and comfortable - Location Lack of dining services
• CCC (8/5): Very cool old hotel - Very cool old hotel, it feels like you’ve stepped back in time there. My room was comfortable and large, but very dark. There is no comfortable seating other room or elsewhere- just hard wooden furniture. The uniqueness of the property, its very central location and the bargain price make it a good choice for Stonetown.
• Mark (10/5): - This hotel is a beautiful old original Arab style house in stone town full of original features and decor. Staff were friendly, welcoming and helpful. I rea example of a comfortable hotel with the genuine Swahili coast experience
• Isaiah (8/5): Very good -
• Mobile00585950384 (8/5): Good location, rooms could be improved - Excelent location. The personal was very attentive. My daughters got a nice suite. Open bathroom and shower. It was ok with us. Our room on the other hand had a closed bathroom but it was a little bit smelly. For one night it is ok. The breakfast buffet includes omelettes, sausages, baked beans ...if you ask for!
• Pioneer20903467754 (4/5): previously less good experience - There is indeed the sharm of the story and the history of this building but once you stay here you don't have much use for it in principle. It remains a strongly outdated building and for a bit more expensive you have very hip and real boutique hotels in the area. Both in the city and against the coast.
• fnsk1234 (2/5): worst staff ever - Hotel itself was not bad, but has the worst staff ever. When we arrived they had completely ignored the "twin beds" request on the booking, and had no other choice than giving us an upgraded room. Problems came later. We arrived by car and needed somewhere to park. The hotel has no parking, but the lady on the reception desk told us we could park around the old fort, so we did. The next morning, someone deliberately has deflated the 2 front wheels to avoid us driving it. So we came back to the hotel and asked to call the police. Incredibly, nobody knew the number of the police, nobody wanted to help, and all seemed quite funny with the situation and continuously were laughing at us.
• Azhar (10/5): Exceptional - Very clean and organized. I would prefer breakfast with many options.
• Helena (8/5): I would gladly stay there again! - In the middle of Stone Town. Very big room with nice deco. Really charming and interesting deco in the whole building, with nice old photographs and sculptures. Good breakfast on the roof top. The shower was a bit outdated with leaking shower head and not enough warm water. But that was a minor thing compared to everything else that was good.
• Paolo (8/5): A dive into the past in the heart of Stone Town. Lovely. - It’s a fabulous and fascinating old building with the charms of India. Very friendly and helpful staff. It could use a renovation at the level of basic facilities such as showers, handles etc.
• Ahowler (7/5): Stone Town central area traditional hotel - It's near to everything worth seeing or doing in Stone Town. Close to the sea, ferry, restaurants, shopping and markets. It's very centrally located. The building has all of the original features, as is common in Zanzibar Stone Town. It did not have a pool or gym. It didn't have a wardrobe. Stone Town seems to have a rating system entirely different from the rest of the world. A four star hotel can get away with having no pool, no gym, sometimes no TV and rated 4 or 5 stars! The pricing will also be in the $100 range. Otherwise, breakfast was adequate with fruits and juices as well as the other usual breakfast favourites, like tea and toast. The view from upstairs is also nice, where you can have breakfast. The staff were friendly and helpful.
• Mufaddal (6/5): Pleasant -
• Marion (8/5): - Jafferji is unique in style and the room were very spacious
• line marie (8/5): - Rommet er er delt inn i mange høyder, med terskler og trapper. Det er ingen standard for hvor høyt ett trinn er. Jeg falt på vei til toalettet på natten, da jeg feilvurderte trinnet. Grunnen var at jeg så treverket, men ikke høyden på de hvite flisene som var lik gulvet. Jeg slo meg kraftig.
• Clement (10/5): - Beautiful heritage hotel in the center of Stone Town, close to many attractions. Room was super large and carefully decorated with local artifacts and furniture. I loved the breakfast on the rooftop with a 365 degree view of the city! Special call to the staff who was very friendly, attentive and who helped us organize a car transfer to our next destination.
• Salvatore (9/5): Superb - Amazing location, good vibes and the place interior design was a wonder to observe and take in. The gardens were well kept and each space is filled with history to tell. If you're in Stone Town I really recommend a stay. From my view the room was amazing and well designed but it lacked a bit of privacy in the restroom and shower area.
• Dirk (10/5): - Unique property. Kind staff. Good breakfast. Great aircon!
• Vikram (10/5): Most amazing place in the heart of Stonetown - 1) amazing location - honestly, doesn't get better than this. Heart of Stonetown, easy to access all the sights and very safe at night. I'd come back late at night and felt totally safe 2) Great reception and staff - helped me with booking tours, taxi, buying spices, the works. Friendliest in the world, thanks Mohammad and Mallanna. 3) Spacious room, great decor. I took so many photos this will deserve its own album on facebook! Feels like a proper exotic James Bond'ish hotel 4) Great bed, no issues with hot water, etc. Quiet stay, no noise 1) Breakfast; staff were disinterested, disconnected and the breakfast was very haphazard. Some days you a certain item, some days you don't. I'd have to tell the same lady who attended to me every day that I am veggie when ordering my scrambled eggs, and she'd yet always bring it to me with a sausage. Don't expect a whole lot for breakfast and if you do find one item available, grab it whilst stocks last! 2) Wifi is awful and flaky. I know this may not be a big criterion to a lot of people but I had to take a few office calls and wifi was non-existent in both my room and the corridor outside (despite being told it would), the only "stable" place was right by the reception and even there, it would just disconnect automatically and you had to sign back on. In this day and age, it was a bit annoying.
• Jan (1/5): Bad -
• Stephen (10/5): - Jafferji House exceeded expectations as a historic location owned and decorated by a noted artistic figure, originally a family home, right in the centre of a World Heritage site. Individual rooms are in themselves notably special. The professionalism and dedication of the desk staff was the icing on a very rich experience.
• Joanne (7/5): Good - Location amd stafg Breakfast was basic.
• Deanne (7/5): We loved Stone Town, the people, the history and the food. - The location was excellent. It was an interesting building with lots of history. It was a great Zanzibar experience. The staff were very helpful. With regards to the room -we could open the windows for fresh air and there was a fan and aircon. We were in the Karma Sutra room and the toilet didn’t have a door and the walls didn’t reach the ceiling. The towels need upgrading although they were clean and changed every day.
• margiesanfran (2/5): Worst hotel experience in Zanzibar…or anywhere! - The Jafferji Hotel in Stone Town, Zanzibar, is touted as “atmospheric”; but this is only accurate if you view old, dilapidated and uncomfortable as the atmosphere you’re searching. The bathroom in our 4th floor walk up was so moldy that we were afraid to step into the shower, even if the tiles were not broken. The rugs look like they haven’t been cleaned in decades. The only positive was decent air conditioning which allowed us to sleep, but only until 7AM when we were awakened by a barking dog.
• Louisa (8/5): - Beautiful hotel right in the middle of all of the shops. Very convenient, quiet and comfortable. Beautiful rooftop terrace!!
• Dionna (6/5): - This place was average. Very quaint and charming. Breakfast was lacking and the room linens didn't seem very clean. There were stains on the pillow cases and sitting areas. There's also a fee that that require in cash in addition to the regular payment and they hound you if you don't have cash to pay it right away. Overall, cute place but not really my kind of comfort.
• Kristin (10/5): - Jafferji House is located in the heart of Stone Town, conveniently located in the labyrinth of streets full of cool doors and shops catering to tourists. Jafferji House has a colonial era Africa vibe, filled with interesting antiques and curiosities. The rooftop breakfast dining room is a lovely peaceful spot to start the day, with 360 degree views of the town and the ocean. Rooms ate large and each one has unique charm. is unreliable. Staff was helpful and knowledgeable. Accessibility note: this is an old mansion, so lots of stairs/uneven walkways.
• Sonia (10/5): Styled well boutique - It was eclectic however the air condition didn’t work so great. Other than that, it was quite lovely… assuming you’d like ethnic stylings… Which I do. It’s history.😀
• Kader (1/5): Disappointing hotel - Nothing , too old, equipment are falling apart. Nothing, avoid
• Basma (2/5): Doesn’t live up to the standard! - The hotel is very centrally located with lots of shops and a very good coffee shop next to it (Karafuu). Unfortunately, the hotel was not what we expected. It felt like the rooms had not been fixed in forever, the showers heads, the towels, the bedsheets were all stained, the painting/wall paper was falling off, the rooms were dusty and even the hotel itself was not well kept. We had a bad experience with bed bugs, woke up with lots of bites and when we informed the reception they did not take it very seriously a part from re-cleaning the room nothing else was even suggested to us. The rooftop terrace had a nice view but the breakfast was very mediocre.
• Larissa (8/5): Very good -
• jeffdM7019ET (10/5): Ideal location for exploring Stonetown - You can't judge a place from the front, or from where it's located. This was a little gem of a B & B (for us). We ate out for lunch & dinner, but really enjoyed their breakfasts. More on the service & rooms first. The front desk manager, which varied, was always very kind & attentive to our needs. The rooms were very nice, beds super comfortable, and having a TV was not a necessity until I got a little sick (possibly from eating out at lunch?), and then I could watch sports. Having a safe for valuables was a bonus. I saw some reviews on Google maps that did not put the hotel in a good light, but our group was there for 4 nights and we never had anything stolen, or any bad experience. Just be wise & careful. The rooms were cleaned daily and the working fan & AC were really nice! The architecture is really cool with lots of old wood, nice decorations, and interesting design. The rooftop was nice, with a great view of the harbor to the west. It is next to a mosque, but that didn't bother us. We had breakfast up there every morning and they had a couple of juice choices, plus really good masala tea, and bottled water - would be nice if they could not use SO MANY plastic bottles, and maybe get those larger ones & dispense into glass pitchers, but I can only suggest. The freshly made maandazi were amazing and there were several fruit choices, yoghurt, and bread - I've lived in Portugal and really appreciate nice, freshly baked bread and this was just the cheap store-packaged white bread, but bread is not a huge part of this culture. We could order eggs and my omelet was always very good. Coffee is pretty basic, so I did masala tea instead and they also make a nice lemon grass tea. As is true with all of Africa where I've lived & traveled, all the staff are super friendly & patient. The location is perfect - right next to the Old Fort and Mama Mia (gelato), as well as Forodhani Food Market, but easy walking distance to everything in Stonetown proper. We had a guide take us around & give us a tour of Darajani (the bazaar or market area), the Anglican church and slave market site (very sobering), the Fort, and other places.
• Liselotte (10/5): Great location in the heart of Stone town - Cool place! Nice room, exellent service and great location!
• Peter (8/5): Stone town - Not a four star, but a nice place with a mot of atmosphere. Internet could be better. Great and helpful staff.
• dehair0 (10/5): Great place to stay - Great staff friendly huge room and courtyard. After some reviews I got worried but this is in the centre of everything you need for trips museum of f mercury island trips markets resteraunts bars. Remember we r in Africa so cannot be compared with Europe. Only fault internet crashes a lot so confirming onward flights is a worry.
• Yonina (10/5): Excellent Stay - We had a wonderful stay at the Jafferji House. Rooms were large and clean, excellent AC and good wifi (although limited availability in the room, moreso in the lobby). Nice included rooftop breakfast and kind and helpful staff. Would definitely return!
• Emmanuel (9/5): Superb -
• Agnieszka (7/5): A stylish property in need of repairs. Two extra charges at check in, not clear if legitimate. - A good location and stylish deco. Dump in the room, very evident in the bathroom. The property also charged two sets of extra payments - for the city, and for the infrastructure- I wasn’t really sure if this was legit or just a way to make extra monies
• Jean-luc (10/5): Exceptional - What à lovely place ! Keep it that way.
• Mariaan (6/5): Great location for exploring. - Great location. The rooms could be improved. The breakfast was basic.
• janecN9286NK (10/5): Small and Wonderful Hotel in Heart of Stonetown - Utterly enchanting- from our 5am arrival until our departure 3 days later we were looked after so incredibly well. The hotel organised our airport pickup and opened up with a gentle tap (you may need help to find it as it’s in the narrow streets of old Stonetown). The front of house was superb and Peter took care of us. The hotel has so much atmosphere, full of antiques and lush vegetation. Breakfast is in the roof balcony. Excursions can be organised. I had read a few unpleasant reviews but I can’t think why, cleanliness was first class and the hospitality was outstanding. I hope you are lucky enough to find a room - we stayed 3 nights it was so well located.
• Natia (10/5): Exceptional - Im here 2 times, becouse everything was good, hotel beautifull and location iis perfect!!
• Iane (9/5): A night in the museum - It was like living in a museum. The hotel is decorated so wonderful with antik things, you feel like in the old times. Very nice! The location also was great, right in the middle of Stone Town, close the the sea and walking - distance to the port. Breakfast was on the roof terrace, with nice view to the sea. It was a bit noisy
• Scott (9/5): Superb -
• Patrick (4/5): - Overall a great experience but Air conditioner was not working my entire stay. I originally purchased a superior room but was offered a single without compensation or adjustment for what I paid. Was ultimately given the room I paid for yet without functioning air conditioning. This made my stay very comfortable especially considering the high heat and humidity in the area.
• Mohamed (7/5): Good -
• Åsa (10/5): Exceptional - Beautiful building. Atmosphere.
• Laura (10/5): - Staff were very nice and helpful. The hotel was very clean. Rooms were good size.
• Omar (9/5): Superb -
• Thomas (9/5): Superb -
• Thomas (8/5): - We wanted to stay in Stonetown in an authentic hotel. Dating from the 1880s we found our place. It was just down a very narrow street from the Freddy Mercury House. It helped to have their staff pick us up from the airport. The rooftop restaurant had a great view of the ocean and town. We ate the special dinner. It was expensive but with so many authentic courses and flavors it was well worth. This is not a glamorous place, but very real. The AC worked well and the room was comfortable.
• richj65 (6/5): Does not live up to expectations - If you are looking to stay in Stone Town, this location is ideal. My room was large with plenty of hot water. The staff were friendly, and the continental breakfast was filling. Also close to the port. I had a problem with the morning call to prayer at 4:40 AM. The WiFi is horrible. In the six days I was there, it worked for less than an hour. To be consisted, I had to remove one star. I did not like the hidden charge on my arrival. Also the roof leaked in heavy storms. I hope this review helps.
• Łukasz (9/5): Superb - Absolutly everything was perfect Nothing
• Maryanne (8/5): This accommodation whilst a little different had lots of character. - Breakfast location overlooking the town was lovely and the staff were keen to please and accommodate our needs. The rooms were quite ornate but we liked the cultural difference it offered. Lighting in the rooms was a little dim.

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