Zanzibar House

Location: Matemwe, Matemwe, Matemwe, TZ

Star Rating: 3 Stars

Property Type: Bed and breakfasts

About this Property

Important Information

Policies

Check-in: 02:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Check-out: 11:00 AM

Instructions: This property offers transfers from the cruise terminal, ferry terminal, and airport (surcharges may apply). To arrange pick-up, guests must contact the property 48 hours prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. There is no front desk at this property. This property doesn't offer after-hours check-in. The host will greet guests on arrival. For any questions, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation.

Amenities & Facilities

• Meeting rooms
• Arcade/game room
• Free WiFi
• Terrace
• Garden
• Luggage storage
• Sauna
• Concierge service
• Wheelchair accessible
• Hiking/biking trails nearby
• Arcade/game room
• Library
• Safe-deposit box at front desk
• Multilingual staff
• On private beach
• Meeting rooms
• Smoke-free property
• Billiards or pool table
• Tours/ticket assistance
• Cruise terminal shuttle (surcharge)
• Snack bar/deli
• Scuba diving on site
• Snorkeling on site
• Free self parking
• Airport transportation - pickup (surcharge)
• Beach umbrellas
• Beach sun loungers
• Pool sun loungers
• Beach towels
• Mosquito nets
• Upper floors accessible by stairs only

Rooms Available

• Double Room, Ocean View

  1 King Bed

  269-sq-foot individually furnished room, furnished balcony with ocean views

  
  

  Layout - Bedroom

  Internet - Free WiFi

  Entertainment - Satellite channels

  Food & Drink - Coffee/tea maker, minibar (fees may apply), electric kettle, and room service (limited hours)

  Bathroom - Shower, bathrobes, and slippers

  Practical - Safe, desk, and wardrobe or closet; cribs (free) available on request

  Comfort - Air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Need to Know - No rollaway/extra beds available, bed sheets not available

  Smoking And Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 3 (2 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Minibar
  • Shower
  • Safety deposit box
  • TV
  • Air conditioning
  • Hair dryer
  • Bathrobe
  • Desk
  • Slippers
  • Satellite channels
  • Electric kettle
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Room service (limited hours)
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Ceiling fan
  • Free WiFi
  • No rollaway/extra beds
  • Free cribs/infant beds
  • Smoking and Non-Smoking
  • Bed sheets not available

• Triple Room, Garden View

  1 King Bed and 1 Twin Bunk Bed

  344-sq-foot individually furnished room, furnished balcony with garden views

  
  

  Layout - Bedroom

  Relax - In-room massage available

  Internet - Free WiFi

  Entertainment - Satellite channels

  Food & Drink - Coffee/tea maker, minibar (fees may apply), electric kettle, and room service (limited hours)

  Bathroom - Bathrobes, slippers, and a shower with a rainfall showerhead

  Practical - Safe, desk, and wardrobe or closet; rollaway beds (surcharge) and cribs (free) available on request

  Comfort - Air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Need to Know - Bed sheets not available

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 4 (2 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Minibar
  • Shower
  • Safety deposit box
  • TV
  • Air conditioning
  • Hair dryer
  • Bathrobe
  • Desk
  • Private bathroom
  • Slippers
  • Satellite channels
  • Electric kettle
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Room service (limited hours)
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Ceiling fan
  • In-room massage available
  • Free WiFi
  • Rainfall showerhead
  • Free cribs/infant beds
  • Smoking and Non-Smoking
  • Bed sheets not available

• Economy Room, 1 Queen Bed, Garden View

  1 Queen Bed

  172-sq-foot individually furnished room, furnished balcony with garden views

  
  

  Layout - Bedroom

  Internet - Free WiFi

  Entertainment - Satellite channels

  Food & Drink - Coffee/tea maker, minibar (fees may apply), electric kettle, and room service (limited hours)

  Bathroom - Shower, bathrobes, and slippers

  Practical - Laptop workspace, safe, and wardrobe or closet

  Comfort - Air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Need to Know - Bed sheets not available

  Smoking And Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Minibar
  • Shower
  • Safety deposit box
  • TV
  • Air conditioning
  • Hair dryer
  • Bathrobe
  • Desk
  • Private bathroom
  • Slippers
  • Satellite channels
  • Electric kettle
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Room service (limited hours)
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Ceiling fan
  • Free WiFi
  • Smoking and Non-Smoking
  • Laptop-friendly workspace
  • Bed sheets not available

Guest Reviews

• aileen (10/5): - I am a solo female traveller. Zanzibar House is an excellent property in so many ways. The staff are friendly and helpful. The grounds are a delight to be in, with lots of comfortable places to sit and read or contemplate the beauty of the area. I did not use the pool and I am sure it would be lovely. At night time I had an evening meal which was tasty and they accommodated my dietary requirements very well. I am gluten intolerant. I recommend this hotel if you like quiet and beauty filled places
• Verified traveler (6/5): - Unfortunately our experience was not as nice as we had hoped. As two women in their 20s and 30s we felt that we were at times treated as children. We were informed by a male staff member that we were “not allowed” to eat breakfast at the table overlooking the ocean, even though the owner specifically informed us of this option the day prior (likely because he did not want to walk the extra distance.) Our ‘Garden View’ room was a view of the parked vehicles in front of the hotel. The room also lacked any storage space or shelves for suitcases and belongings, leaving our 4 bags blocking the door due to lack of any space. Breakfast had no fresh coffee, only instant, and ended abruptly—when I returned on the hour to refill my tea, I was told breakfast ended and the female staff would not bring back the tea kettle for hot water. I informed the owner I was gluten free on arrival, but no arrangements were made. This meant my breakfast options were limited to a fruit cup and eggs. Sauna/hammam must be requested in advance, as we were told it was “off”. The staff did not offer to turn on when we asked about it. In conclusion, beautiful hotel but not a beautiful experience.
• Verified traveler (8/5): Smukt sted - mindre behagelig stemning - Lille hotel, der ligger utrolig smukt ned til vidunderlig strand. Dejlig udsigt fra balkon med udsigt over havet. Hotelophold indbefatter halvpension med fire retter mad, som er dejlig, men det bliver hurtigt alt for voldsomt. Man savner selv at kunne vælge a la carte. Personalet er venligt. Men værtsparret har desværre en ret utiltalende måde at behandle ansatte på, og der bliver ind imellem talt grimt og råbt højt af personalet, hvilket trækker gevaldigt ned på stemningen.
• MA (2/5): - This is the worst hotel experience we have had after travelling for many years across many continents. The management is poor. The owner could often be overheard berating and yelling at his staff in front of hotel guests. When issues such as a broken pool filter, slow wifi, or power outages came up, his response was to shrug and say, “This is Africa, what can you expect?” The menu at the hotel restaurant is a set menu consisting of seafood and meat dishes. As vegetarians, we found it difficult to eat here and ended up going to a hotel down the beach (Mandhari Villa - highly recommend) for dinners. We booked a “garden view” room and it was up a set up steep stairs on top of the guard house at the entrance to the hotel, completely separated from the main hotel building. Our privacy was not maintained and we had a knock on our door from housekeeping at 9pm despite not calling them for anything. There are multiple cats on the property that seem to be pets of the owners, and they wander through the lobby/restaurant/pool area at all times. The towels were not changed daily despite us having to pay an extra surcharge for a second person. This led us to wonder what the extra charge was going towards. The restaurant and pool staff however are very nice and attentive. They are working under poor management conditions and still keep a smile on their faces. All in all we would absolutely never recommend this hotel to any family or friends.
• Ahmed (10/5): Hidden gem on lovely Matemwe beach - A piece of paradise!! Everything was great, from the food to the service to the facilities to the beach. We loved it and will definitely go back!
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Beautiful place; nice and helpful owners, tasty food. The beach is peaceful...but fyi, has serious tides and seaweed. But there are a few lovely spots to float around at. It is an easy day trip to other more swim-happy beaches and about an hour to Stonetown. This is a place to go an relax. But options through hotel or beach dudes are plentiful if you want activities.
• Verified traveler (10/5): Paradise - Beautiful hotel with 7 rooms right at the beach. Very calm area and not many tourists at the beach (gets cleaned everyday). Food is delicious, for $15 you get a 4 course dinner menu. At the bar you get good shisha too. The staff is nice and very helpful. Massage was great. Wifi was availabe everywhere (room, restaurant, beach). You can pay in Eur, Usd, Tsh, credit card.
• akira (10/5): ザンジバル島を満喫できるホテル - ザンジバル島にのんびり滞在し、休日をゆったり過ごしたいなら絶対に満足すること間違いなし。ディナーのメインは、その日にとれた魚。シンプルな焼き魚がとても美味しかった!オーナーの優しさが伝わってくるホテルでした。
• Caitlin (10/5): - Our host Maximo was great! Food was spectacular. Service was decent.
• Becca (8/5): - Beautiful, well-decorated property. Relaxing atmosphere with plenty of lounge chairs, daybeds and tables on a beautiful beach. The four-course dinners were leisurely and tasty. The staff was very welcoming.
• Kira (8/5): Lovely - My stay was pleasant from arrival till departure. Everyone was nice and accommodating. Thank you and Happy Holidays. To anyone out there looking for “a feel at home” this is the place to stay.
• Loren (10/5): The best hotel we stayed in in Zanzibar - We stayed in 5 hotels while making our way around Zanzibar and really enjoyed 4 of them. Of the 4, this one really was the best, a cut above in every respect -- fantastic atmosphere, gorgeous property, great management and staff. As you drive down the horrible dirt road that leads from the highway to the property, you'll think you must have made a wrong turn. But you haven't -- keep going.
• Kelly (10/5): My "Zanzibar House" in Matemwe - The whole place is amazing. Unlike the 50+room hotels this is a smaller establishment which adds to the peaceful beach front atmosphere. It's in a great location to go south for a day trip to the spice farms, caves, or fishing communities. Or go North to Membe Island for diving/ snorkling or Nungwi for a big party. Extremely warm artistic decor and the food was fantastic.
• The Travel Guru (10/5): A Hidden Gem - Zanzibar House is an exceptional place and a beautiful experience. Georgia treated me like family from the moment I arrived. The location is inspirational, meditative and a place to disconnect from the stresses of the world. Thank you.
• agata (10/5): Stay in Zanzibar house - We had lovely time in Zanzibar House. The place is clean and nicely decorated. Owners are amazing. Everyday we were spoilt by great Italian food. Staff are friendly and helpful.We had very memorable experience. Highly recommended!
• david (10/5): Hotel familiale exceptionnel - Hotel familiale avec une vue magnifique. Propriétaire italien très sympa. Une enorme plus value apporté par le restaurant avec un menu du soir raffiné.
• AN (8/5): 目の前にビーチのあるホテル - ホテルの部屋から海が見え、朝日を見ることができます。 夕食はとても美味しくて満足しました。 空港送迎を頼んでいたのですが飛行機が遅れたにも関わらず長い間待っていただいたようです。 周りに何もなく、人も少ないのでのんびり過ごすことができました。
• Frances (8/5): Beautiful location - Zanzibar House was super charming and quiet, great secluded place to relax. The rooms have fantastic balconies with hanging chairs and a view of the sea. Beautiful beach right outside and really nice pool/garden area. $15usd gets u a 4 course dinner- mine was baked prawns, crab linguini, grilled lobster and mille feuille- can't beat that! Great breakfast too- try the homemade papaya cinnamon passion fruit jam and banana yogurt. Would definitely stay here again!
• Ann Bryde (10/5): Our new family in Zanzibar. - This little gem is the perfect place to relax and just let this lovely Italian family spoil you. We stayed for a whole weekend, and enjoyed every single minute of it. From the lovely breakfast in the morning to the fantastic 4 course diner in the evening, everything was just perfect, and prepared with great love and thoughtfullness. From our arrivel till we left, we felt like a part of this lovely family, being invited in to their home. We WILL be back!!!!!!
• Eartha Guerra (10/5): ZANZIBAR HOUSE WONDERMENT! - I have been to many countries, and the stay here was my son's favorite vacation! We had a room with ocean veiw, worth every penny! the beauty of the island greeted us every morning. The owners were exceptionally accommodating. They made sure the kids were happyily fed each night and made alternate meals to their liking Every morning we had a wonderful breakfast which is a set menu that included pancakes, crepes, and homemade doughnuts!!! Each evening was a culinary exploration of 4 course Italian meals of local fish and seafood, fresh beef, homemade breads, homemade pastas and local vegetables. You could also order something more to your liking and they will acoomodate you to their best. ( The Half board option is more than worth the deal especially since the hotel is not close to any restaurants. Guests from other hotels along the beach would regular Zanzibar House for lunch and Massages!) The staff are very friendly. The massages are AWESOME with the beach right in front of you! The ocean there is beautiful and is worth a swim. There is a turn down service everynight which includes fresh towels if you need them, bottled water, and spraying and arranging of your mosquito net for your health and safety. (The spray is very mild and did not trigger my allergies). We had a VERY early flight on our departure and they made sure we had some homemade doughnuts for the boys! My son and I were very reluctant to leave. THANK YOU ZANZIBAR HOUSE. WE WILL BE BACK!
• Ann (10/5): Underbart ställe för lugn och ro - Underbart ställe med trevlig personal och god mat
• thurstan (10/5): Nice boutique hotel on the beach. - Excellent service. Nice boutique feel. Not perfect but a real home from home. Staff and management are on hand and helpful. Recommended.
• Verified traveler (8/5): Small family run hotel on beautiful private beach. - Only 7 rooms, when these are occupied by single people or couples it's a tranquil paradise. When the rooms are occupied by 4 people / families the hotel can seem overcrowded, noisy & too busy. The pool area is quite small and it's difficult to find a quiet outside area to relax if many children are playing in the pool. The boutique style hotel offers lovely little touches, beach baskets with fans & slippers, extra large super soft bath towels and treats like pastries and pizza at certain times of the day. It must be difficult to keep on top of the maintenance due to the close proximity to the sea and the climate but some areas would benefit from a little bit of work. Family run hotel and I found a warm welcome from all the staff. The upgrade to a sea view room was very much appreciated. Wonderful tour guide on the beach called Mustafa will help you make the best of any trips by tailor making yours to your particular requirements - he is very knowledgeable, speaks good English & has a good sense of humour.
• Nicolaas (10/5): Gode dager på stranden - Zanzibar House er en liten oase på stranden. 7 koselige rom alle med terrasse 2 mot palmelunden og 5 med havutsikt. Her jobber alle de ansatte for at du skal ha det bra - skal du bo her bør du ta halvpensjon som inbefatter frokost, kaffe med italienske småkaker klokken 16.30. Snack ( pizza) klokken 19 og 4 retters middag klokken 20. Hver dag får du spørsmål om menyen passer deg og hvis ikke bytter de gjerne en eller flere av rettene slik at det passer deg. Hotellet ligger rett på en vidunderlig strand beskyttet av flere koralrev- ta med dykkermaske og svømmeføtter hvis du vil se tropiske fisk ! På stranden finner du også Mustafa og hans folk - det er lokale gutter fra fiskerlandsbyen like ved som prøver å bringe inn penger til landsbyen.Vi brukte dem når vi skulle på tur til Atollen for å snorkle - en tur som du MÅ ta hvis du er her som å dykke i ett akvarie med nydelige fisker overalt.Hotellet har bar og en liten suvenirbutikk - men ta med deg det du mener du trenger på rommet av snacks og sjokolade etc da det ikke er noen butikk i nærheten. Synes du det hele blir litt stillesittende kan du låne sykler og sykle på stranden ( men husk og både dra ut og komme tilbake imens det er lavvann. De italienske eierene er der alltid og gjør sitt ytterste for at du skal ha det bra. Skal du slappe av en uke på en nydelig azurblå eksotisk strand, er dette stedet
• Cssalee (8/5): Beautiful, secluded Bed and Breakfast on the Beach - My stay here was really lovely! The home is directly on the beach in a very quiet area. The setting is beautiful and I was able to watch the sunrise from the beach and the sunset from my room. The food was very good, lots of fish, which I loved. Do the half board! The staff was glorious! Nina was with me most days and has such a sweet smile and demeanor. Yokobo, the Massai guard, was awesome and the drivers and other staff were great! Only two negatives: the internet did not work in my room for my entire stay. I asked several times for a solution but the owners just shrugged it off. I was able to use the internet in the common areas and there it was reliable, but was disappointed to not be able to use it in my room. While I know that some people like to disconnect while on vacation, I don't :) I travel solo so I like to be able to read the news in the morning from bed, or plan my day as I'm getting ready especially since I also didn't have cell service. The other small issue is the very high price from travel outside of the hotel. It's nearly impossible to get around without a car. They called a driver for me who normally would have charged no more than $40 to take me to The Rock Restaurant. I was told that the cost was $40 for a 4 hour trip and I would pay an additional $10/hour...but the trip to The Rock, one way was an hour and 45 minutes! So without even eating, I had basically used my allotted time. I suggest finding your own driver and using them to go offsite.
• Anneli (8/5): If you prefer far from everything - Beautiful beach, hotel out in no where. Good italian style of food. Minus for the noise from AC, fan and mechanic noise from the roof all night.
• Joshua (10/5): Paradise! Take me back! - Zanzibar House is a paradise. The hotel is beautiful and immaculately clean. From arrival to departure the owners and their staff are available at all times. The pool and beach area feel like your own little slice of heaven. The evening meals are a real treat as well. They are served Italian style (4 courses) and are homemade from scratch. Its like dining in Rome with a beautiful beach backdrop. The only thing you should be aware of is that this place is very remote from other hotels and restaurants. It was perfect for us because we wanted rest and relaxation. If you want a party, look somewhere else.
• GR (6/5): A classical rustic european style multi-room house - Great location but be prepared for an off road experience getting there. Once you do it is well worth the drive. It's about an hour from the airport. Breakfast and dinner are included. No menu for dinner. The owner serves you a four course meal including dessert that smacks of european style cusine. It has many amenties such as a swimming pool, bicycles, pool table, ping pong table, snorkeling gear and more. Owner arranges tours, and provides shuttle service from/to airport. Cost is $40 USD. Downside for me... the Italian owner wasn't cordial with me, nor very accommodating as he was with the European guests staying at the same time. Maybe being there on my own might have been a factor. All and all, I rate my experience a 3 out of 4 because of the owner. The staff was great, the house very clean and inviting with balconies and views of the ocean. You walk off the steps of the resort home and you are on the beach. The food was unique and delightful. It felt more like a home not a hotel. GR
• Pascal (8/5): Très bien......... mais mauvaise surprise au paiem - Je voudrais savoir correspond la taxe journalière de 9$ par jour et par personne que nous avons du payer à cet hôtel alors que nous avions pré-payer un montant incluant la taxe. Cela revient à augmenter le prix de la chambre de 16€ par nuit ! J'ajoute que je n'ai pas eu cette mauvaise surprise dans les deux autres hôtels de Zanzibar dans lesquels j'ai séjourné...
• Silvia&Alberto (10/5): oasi paradisiaca - Abbiamo scoperto casualmente questa piccola guest house, immersa nel verde dei palmeti e con vista fronte mare. Siamo stati accolti con molta cortesia e ospitalità dai proprietari, Massi e Miria e fin da subito abbiamo respirato un'aria famliare, che ci ha accompagnato per tutto il soggiorno. Siamo stati coccolati e ogni sera deliziati con eccellenti piatti di pesce, tra cui delle fettuccine (fatte in casa) al granchio, gnocchi di pesce e tanti altri piatti preparati con la massima cura. Lo staff è sempre stato pieno di attenzioni e premure, ineccepibile. E' poi assolutamente piacevole la posizione di grande tranquillità ed è stato bello anche osservare l'alternarsi della bassa e dell'alta marea. Ci siamo rigenerati nel corpo e nello spirito.
• MAHA (10/5): yummy relaxed stay :) - amazing house managed by a lovely italian family. perfect stay with ocean view to all kind of travellers. can't describe how great was the food .. they kept surprising me each day.don't forget to taste their crepe ... yummyyy to the max !
• Robert (10/5): allowing your customers to have some of the easy l - My remarks and observations in the overall, hotel service and condition categories as well room comfort and cleanliness are based on a hard working couple's way of training and creating jobs for young people in hotel work and service(bed prep and floor cleaning as well as towel service and for a 5 star cooking presentation and quality in the evening dinner experience).The room comfort included mosquito nets in each room and bed prepared and pulled back everyday...cleanliness and comfort and neiborhood(included sweeping all the floor spaces everyday whether it was sweeping up the white small grains of sand or redoing clean artistic bed covering beauty.
• Reiziger (8/5): Klein paradijs - Als je van een groot all inclusive hotel met veel drukte houdt, ga hier NIET naar toe. Als je daarentegen van rust, kleinschaligheid, vriendelijk personeel en huiselijke sfeer houdt: DOEN! Het hotel ligt direct aan het strand ca. 45 minuten lopen van de grote resorts. De kamers hebben een balkon die uitkijkt over de zee, er is een terras met zwembad en een privé strand. Je wordt (tegen betaling) opgehaald van het vliegveld (ca. 1 uur rijden). In de auto krijg je een koel en nat handdoekje om je op te frissen en een flesje water. De eigenaar en het overige personeel doet er alles aan om het een huiselijke sfeer te geven. Ik heb een top weekend gehad!
• Sara (10/5): Beautiful and relaxing - I stayed at this hotel for 3 nights for a solo getaway. It's a beautiful place! Run by a lovely Italian couple. Service and room were great. Airport shuttle super convenient (as this place is about an hr away from the airport). Included breakfast and dinner were delicious! The ocean can have seaweed, I'm guessing depends on the time of the year, as most beaches, but it was still very nice. Would recommend this hotel to anyone, and stay here again.
• marie-ange (10/5): Hôtel très accueillant, en bord de plage - Nous avons passé un très agréable séjour. Les propriétaires de l'hôtel et leur personnel sont aux petits soins pour nous tout au long du séjour. Le petit déjeuner est très copieux et le repas du soir excellent. En 10 jours nous n'avons jamais mangé 2 fois le même plat. Mélange de cuisine italienne et zanzibarite, avec du poisson grillé tous les soirs. Le jardin également est très agréable. Nous recommandons fortement ce petit hôtel plein de charme.
• James (10/5): A Little Slice of Paradise - After a mediocre stay in Stone Town, we were ecstatic to find this hidden slice of paradise on the east side of the island. As you drive up, the place looks a bit suspect but don't be fooled. Beyond the gate there is a magnificent oasis waiting for you. With only 7 guest rooms, the place is cozy and quiet. There is a nice pool, fantastic area enjoy the sun, and easy access to a relatively private beach with the softest powder white sand. The staff was attentive and quick to provide service. They even provided an ice bucket to keep my beer cold. The meals were exceptional, especially the four-course dinners. I would most certainly recommend this to anyone looking for a place to just relax and enjoy paradise. Not to mention the 6:30AM sunrises are phenomenal and not too early.
• magali (10/5): le paradis !! - nous avons passé un séjour de reve dans cet hotel.l'emplacement , le calme , les services ,la beauté des chambres vue sur l'océan , la gentillesse du personnel :c'est réellement le paradis sur terre . le seul bémol :la taxe de séjour par nuit et par personne est de 8 $ et non de 0,04€ comme indiqué sur le site d'hotel.com
• Guillermo (10/5): Perfect Zanzibar getaway - If you're looking for a small, intimate oceanside hotel in Zanzibar, this is the place to go! The owner Maxi has done an excellent job in creating a quaint, relaxing atmosphere on the beach. He is also very helpful in helping you set up day excursions, like a great day snorkeling. He was extremely helpful in setting up our flight back to Dar at the last minute! The hotel staff is friendly, helpful and the hotel has multiple amenities at the guests' disposal. The food is a great: breakfast, multiple snacks during the day, and four-course dinner at night are all delicious. We were very impressed with the service and meals provided for the price. We were extremely happy with this hotel and would recommend it to anyone.
• Giuliana (10/5): Amazing place!!! - We had a great stay at Zanzibar House! It is a wonderful boutique hotel, beautiful, clean, comfortable, and is situated in a very quiet beach. The food is delicious and the staff is very nice and polite. I'm very picky to eat and every night they come to me to say the dinner menu with options if I didn't like something. The owners are very friendly. We strongly recommend.
• Verified traveler (8/5): relaxing stay at zanzibar house - Relaxing!
• Ole Andersen (10/5): Excellent food, not expensuve - Very nice place, the host where as good as its gets. There was a 4 course meal every evening. It was fantastic. Before dinner we were ask if the menu looked ok otherwise the host changed it for us. We can only recomend this place, maybe not for young peoble who wants to party.
• Louise and Nicolas (10/5): great place to enjoy Zanzibar - we loved our stay at Zanzibar House. the food is great (as well as quanties!) we felt at home and there are a broad range of excursions to make the most of your stay. the beach is amazing. the hotel is a little isolated from the village but all excursions pick you up so it is not an issue.
• Karlskrona (8/5): Family hotel with superb food - A small boutique hotel on the beach, close to Mnemba Island. A calm and quiet place for romantic getaways. The service of the owner and the staff were great and they served wonderful lunches and 4-course dinners in the evening, with apperitifs.
• JFD (8/5): A Visit To Your Italian Uncle On The Zanzibar East - Matemwe is 50 (40$USW) minutes away by taxi from Zanzibar town on the East Coast. The last bit is on a rough road through a very poor village. It is unpretentious, reasonably priced where you are greeted by the Owner Max. He is charming and runs the customer service with undivided attention to his guests in the 7 room hotel. This hotel was originally built for his family. He caters to the every whim of his guests and does his best to keep local staff on its toes which proves to be a challenge on a fairly regular basis. He fills every guest request in no time. He makes sure his meals are made from great ingredients, tasty and clean. The hotel is not even a year old and maintenance is performed continuously. This is a reasonable alternative to the outrageously expensive hotels up the coast. The beach is beautiful with its wide sand expanse. The sea itself is ordinary because there is a coral reef about a kilometer out and the walk to it is guarded by an army of spiny sea urchins which can deter anyone from getting to the coral reef. There are a few places where you can wade up to your waist in this very warm water. This is a place to relax for a few days at a reasonable cost if you do not insist on the height of luxury and perfect service. There are occasional outages of the hot water which is taken straight from the sea. If you can tolerate 90% adherence to Western standards, go get spoiled by Max. He will bend over backwards like an Italian uncle to make you happy.
• L. O'Grady (8/5): Great STaff! - Hotel was close to the airport. Staff were exceptionally friendly. The managers moved us to the back of the hotel because the front room was very noisy due to a new route that was being taken to get shipping containers out of the city. The little restaurant out front offered good, reasonable priced food. The hotel supports local artists by selling their products. Overall would highly recommend a stay!
• Gillian (10/5): lovely hotel on the beach - this is a lovely hotel where they really do try to think of everything. but it is very quiet. don't come if you want to stay up late!
• C (8/5): Nice place for couples - I stayed here thanks to a deal from expedia, but even the regular price is a pretty good deal as it includes half-board. I came here as a solo traveller, but as it's quite a small property (7 rooms), I feel it would be much better for a couple. The owner was in Italy, but his daughter was there to run the property, and she was very pleasant. As they weren't busy, she upgraded me without even asking. The property is very nice, just like in the various websites. It is located on a relatively remote spot, beautiful beach, few beach boys, and nothing else in the area - a small fishing village, but no sights to see. But they can arrange tours, diving, etc. Food was plentiful and quality varied from fine to good - at worst, the vegetables and pasta were overcooked, but taste was always good. Wifi was weak in the room, but good downstairs. Sat TV was nice. Replenishment of in-room water/coffee supplies was sporadic, but if you asked, there was never a problem getting whatever was needed. Outdoor spa room/table, which the women looked like they enjoyed. I would definitely recommend this as a romantic getaway location for couples. Overall, a solid 4/5.
• Dr. Teddy (10/5): My experience - The house is great, little too salty shower, but the food is really excellent, comparable to best US restaurants. Swimming pool very clean and water even cleaner than shower. The owner, is an expert in managing the hotel and service. nice view to the beach, convenient travel to Zanzibar anytime. Service very responsive. I loved the staying and enjoyed so much the time.
• Verified traveler (10/5): Excellent boutique hotel. - We really enjoyed our stay in September 2013. I wish we could have stayed longer.
• Verified traveler (10/5): Great place for couples looking for relaxation - A good value for the money. A quite place where you can enjoy the beauty of a tropical island and relax without being disturbed by crowds of tourists. The relative small number of rooms makes possible that the staff can pay more attention to your needs than in a big hotel resort, so you just need to enjoy their hospitality. Most of the rooms are of sea-view (5 out of 7). The food is not the best, but considering the Tanzanian average is still good and there are some dishes that the kitchen staff can prepare in an appealing way.

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