House of Spice

Location: Uwanja Wa Shaba, Zanzibar Town, Zanzibar Town, TZ

Star Rating: 3 Stars

Property Type: Guest houses

About this Property

Important Information

Policies

Check-in: 02:00 PM - 11:30 PM

Check-out: 10:00 AM

Instructions: This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply). Guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. The front desk is open daily from 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM. To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 24 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation. Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions. The front desk is staffed during limited hours.

Amenities & Facilities

• Area shuttle (surcharge)
• Free WiFi
• Terrace
• Garden
• Luggage storage
• Wheelchair accessible
• Safe-deposit box at front desk
• Front desk (limited hours)
• Smoke-free property
• Area shuttle (surcharge)
• Free self parking
• Rooftop terrace
• Airport transportation - pickup (surcharge)

Rooms Available

• Deluxe Suite

  2 Double Beds

  325-sq-foot room with city views

  
  

  Layout - 2 bedrooms

  Internet - Free WiFi

  Food & Drink - Free bottled water

  Sleep - Premium bedding and blackout drapes/curtains

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels

  Practical - Safe

  Comfort - Climate-controlled air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Need to Know - Bed sheets not available

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Private bathroom
  • Bottle of water
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Ceiling fan
  • Premium bedding
  • Blackout drapes/curtains
  • Free WiFi
  • Bed sheets not available

• Deluxe Double Room

  1 Double Bed

  240-sq-foot room with city views

  
  

  Layout - 4 bedrooms

  Internet - Free WiFi

  Food & Drink - Free bottled water

  Sleep - Premium bedding and blackout drapes/curtains

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels

  Practical - Safe

  Comfort - Climate-controlled air conditioning and daily housekeeping

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

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Private bathroom
  • Bottle of water
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Ceiling fan
  • Premium bedding
  • Blackout drapes/curtains
  • Free WiFi
  • No rollaway/extra beds
  • Bed sheets not available

Guest Reviews

• Lusubilo (6/5): Avoid room number 1 at any cost!! - Generally, my stay was great with EXCEPTIONAL of the bed. What I saw in the picture when booking is not what I got. I was given room number 1 which is the decker bed where you need to climb a steep stair and I found it very risky. At least they should ask a guest in advance if someone is capable of climbing those stairs regularly. I commend the two receptionists, they are very kind and helpful.
• maria dolores (8/5): SHABA very good area.. - THE HOTEL IS HANDLED BUT ONE GIRL..PRICILLA who IS VERY NICE AND ACCOMMODATING THE OTHER GIRL IS NOT... but when I tried to book 3 more nights, tha tnight that might be booked but she could give me the other 2 fllowings nights ....she made me wait for the owner's response but never came back to me...the next day I went personally very early to the hotel...She was on leave and was the other girl..who said it was fully booked even the next 2 following nights that I was tld I could be confirmed... not very responsible --make sure to make booking through hotels.com there was a confusion doing the booking through hotels.com....I wanted to confirm using the 2 nights rewards not used at Kiponda... was rejected the booking...but nevertheless I was charged for 2nights... that Priscilla wasnt aware.... she charged me 2 USD for the 2nights instead if accepting a cash deal whcih had been cheaper.
• JAI (10/5): Shaba dabba do - Good hotel lovely decor and some interesting rooms and in a central location . Hard to access with a taxi but not far from main street. Priscilla was the star , thoughtful attentive and hard working this lady made the place worthwhile and special . Overall decent budget one night stay location
• Pav (10/5): very nice place - Great location and a very pleasant hotel - recently renovated. I enjoyed my two nights there
• Pav (10/5): - Excellent stay
• Alexander (10/5): super - Supertrevlig personal med god frukost
• Verified traveler (4/5): - The building was interesting, but the hotel had two problems. The first issue was the tourist tax. Although Expedia explicitly says on their webpage that the tourist tax is included in the final price charged to us, they insisted that I pay the tourist tax. They told me that “many people complained” about the tax and they couldn’t communicate with Expedia” through emails or phone calls. So they have been making everyone pay the taxes despite Expedia had already collected the taxes. I told the guy at the reception when I checked in that I paid all the taxes, then the next day another woman came to ask me for the taxes, and yet again. I had to talk with her for 30 minutes until I found the Expedia chat function and the Expedia staff clarified that I didn’t have to pay. It seemed like the boss was making them insist on paying the taxes. Another issue is that they have the dining space in their garden, which is a good idea in theory, but in reality, there were five or six mosquitoes buzzing around me while I was having breakfast. I got five mosquito bites in fifteen minutes. They might need to move their breakfast location elsewhere indoors or upstairs to avoid this problem. The second day, I went with a piece of cloth to cover up my legs and a jacket to cover my arms, despite the humidity. The swarm of mosquitoes still bit my hand.
• Michael (8/5): - Overall good...upon arrival I was asked to pay a dollar tax when though I booked through hotels.com... The wifi was very poor on the 1st level of the building..ie my room
• Verified traveler (10/5): Sejour en solo - 1er séjour parfait , le confort et la propreté sont là, le personnel très disponible et agréable. Je recommande cet hôtel, il est nickel
• Verified traveler (6/5): - There is no refrigerator in the room. Safety box usage is also charged.
• Isabel (10/5): Great cozy place in stone town - The room that we stayed was beautiful and very clean. The top terrace is falling apart, they should change the wood. It was a great place to stay in the middle of stone town. Easy to walk around. Only one street gets pretty dark at night when you are returning to the hotel. The service was good, they were really friendly and polite. They even made us breakfast at 5am because we needed to leave at 6am. It was a great place to stay in an affordable hotel.
• Christopher (6/5): central - Very central, basic, did the job.
• Sonia (8/5): - Jolie hôtel, avec sa terrasse pour le petit petit-déjeuner, c'est agréable de ne pas se retrouver directement dehors. Gros coup de coeur pour les meubles authentiquesen bois massif de cet hotel. Bon petit-déjeuner, personnel agréable et souriant. Je n'ai pas aimé stone town dans son intégralité. Mais l'hôtel était plutôt bien placé dans le centre ville et un peu en retrait du tumulte des commerces. Cependant il y avait des travaux autour donc ce n'était pas très agréable à contempler (la ville de manière générale est en assez mauvaise état de toute façon)
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Is was in a great location in the heart of stonetone. Just what we needed for the night.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Nice location. Interesting rooms with great woodwork. I think there are only 6 rooms which is nice. Staff could have been a bit more friendly. Good rooftop spot!
• Verified traveler (6/5): - Location was good. We got the deluxe double room and it was very small.
• Adam (10/5): - Clean boutique hotel right in the middle of Stone Town. Great daily breakfast provided.
• Verified traveler (6/5): - Nice decor in the room and a very decent size as well. I appreciated the complimentary bottle of water. Breakfast was very good. WiFi a bit patchy. My room was on the ground floor behind a lovely carved door, but the lock on the door left a big gap at the sides and I didn’t feel as safe as I’d have liked for myself or my belongings. The lock on the outside was also very stiff for opening and closing and on the inside was only a latch.
• paul (8/5): Beautifully decorated - Shaba is a nice, clean hotel. The rooms are clean and nicely decorated, but very small. No place to put your suitcase except on the floor and then you step over it to get anywhere else in the room. We had two carry on suitcases and were struggling. There is nice outdoor space for relaxing as you enter the hotel and also a sunset watching outdoor space at the very top of the hotel. Everyone was kind and helpful. They booked our taxi to the airport and also will book tours for you. air con was good and wifi was also good.
• Ilze (10/5): Stone Town Gem - Great boutique hotel in the best part of Stone Town. Clean, spacious room with great service and delicious breakfast included in the price. Value for Money!!
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Great breakfast. Good location. Rooms very nice and comfortable.
• Verified traveler (6/5): - Perfect location. Friendly staff. But not muh to do in stone town one night is enough.
• Fréderic (10/5): Bel hotel intime - Bel emplacement (accès à pied) en dehors des ordures qui s'entassent sur le terrain entourant la tombe devant l'hôtel. Chambre propre, confortable et peu bruyante. Décoration sobre mais typique. Dommage que le coffre de la chambre soit payant (5$) Service soigné, souriant et familial. Bon petit déjeuner. Une terrasse sur le toit de l’immeuble (découvert par hasard le matin du départ) Prix des excursions un peu chères. Une belle expérience pour sortir des chaines standards.
• Daniel (10/5): Beautiful Hotel in Stone Town - This hotel is located in a beautiful area of Stone Town and close to all the nearby attractions. The building is full of character and the small nature of the hotel really helps it feel like home. The rooms are very clean and comfortable and the staff are very friendly and welcoming!
• Juho (10/5): Nice hotel in central location in Stonetown - We staid 1 night with my wife and were extremely happy with this small, clean and pretty hotel with a nice rooftop view. Very friendly and helpful staff, and good breakfast. Central location in Stonetown, although as everything in Stonetown, a bit tricky to find.
• gmbound (10/5): Great location to shops, water and sites - We stayed in Stone Town for 3 days at Shaba. They were very welcoming and arranged for hotel transport even when we arrived at 1:30am. The rooms are comfortable and breakfast was good. They were also able to help arrange activities. The staff was wonderful!
• Orlando (8/5): Very good location - The hotel is nice, and the location is amazing. The room was lovely and the bathroom was great. The hotel staff were very helpful.
• Evelyn (6/5): Very bijou! - Room much smaller than expected. Didnt like the hard sell from the taxi driver who then checked us in and seemed to be connected to the hotel. A map of Stonetown would have been helpful. Breakfast was fine and they let us leave our luggage for a few hours.
• Erhan (10/5): - Very nice hotel located in the centre of stone town close to everywhere in the town. Hotel staff is extremely nice. Our flight got cancelled and had to check in at midnight out of working hours but there was someone to let us in and check in. Highly recomended if you will stay in stone town couple of days!
• JMB (6/5): Great locaton but poor facilities - The hotel does not go evening meals, so as a woman on my own it was not ideal to have to go out at night along the wonderful, but slightly intimidating, alleys to find a restaurant. No car access, so walking essential. The internet stopped working altogether in the top part of the hotel and was not fixed in my time there. The breakfast was just about OK but nothing special. Would not stay there again even though it has character and a great location for exploring.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Very nice hotel in a great location. Only weaknesses are somewhat average breakfasts, and showers that could be improved.
• Nono (10/5): Excellent hotel with traditional african design - The staff was very friendly and flexible as we arrived by night. The rooms are extremely comfortable with a very nice design, and good breakfast. Will return to this hotel for sure. I highly recommend.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Room is beautifully decorated with hand-carved furniture and moldings. There are two cozy common areas for reading a book. One is on the rooftop, which has a great view. Staff was friendly and professional. Simple and delicious breakfast in the mornings. Location couldn't be better. Google Maps location is off by a few buildings. Shower head was pointed at the wall, so we used hand-held feature. Hot water did not last a full shower. Overall, I would definitely recommend as a boutique hotel in Stone Town.
• Verified traveler (8/5): Nicely Located In Middle of Stone Town! - A nicely quaint themed hotel. It's tucked away a bite, but once you get a sense of the location and directions you'll love the location. The rooms are modrrn, clean and comfortable. The staff was superb and friendly and always available to assist. It is an old building and no elevator, so there are a couple of flights of steps you might have to climb, but, not bad. I made it a few times a day! LOL! At this hotel you'll be near a lot of things to do , experience and see. If you're in luck, you'll run into my man Mody near the Doubletree Hotel...excellent person and wonderful guide around Zanzibar. He'll guide you to all you need to see...both day touring and night scene! Overall, excellent hotel and wonderful time in Zanzibar!!
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Centrally located. Excellent staff. Clean and comfortable.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Location bit inside, but safe with clean room, helpful staffs.
• Verified traveler (6/5): Abstellkammer - Hotel ist klein, sauber und eher nicht "Boutique". Unser Zimmer war sehr klein, ohne Fenster und gleich neben der Reception und somit sehr laut. Auf unseren Wunsch, das Zimmer zu wechseln, wurde nicht eingegangen.
• Verified traveler (4/5): Dearth of services - The hotel has limited services and one person at any shift is responsible for cleaning and all other hotel services.
• Krissi (10/5): Kleines gemütliches Hotel - Das kleine gemütliche Hotel hat einen schönen Flair, sehr sehr nette und hilfsbereite Mitarbeiter(!) und befindet sich mitten in Stone Town - gerne jederzeit wieder!
• Rachel (10/5): Would stay here again - Lovely place, great location, super helpful staff, good hot water. Wish the wifi would have been just a tad stronger.
• Brenda (10/5): Great location - Shaba is a beautiful small hotel in Shangani, a very safe and walkable area in Stone Town. The staff is incredibly nice and helpful and even kept my big bag for some days while I went up north. I would definitely stay there again.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Wonderful location, beautifully refurbished inn. Highly recommended. Friendly staff.
• Sara (10/5): Stay here - you'll love it! - Shaba was a great place to stay in Stone Town! Tucked in behind the Double Tree, not many locals knew where it was. Service was great, room has a lovely green tea frangiapani fragrance that I would have loved to bottle up and bring home. Only slight complaint was that the staff had little knowledge of local activities, so we sought that out at another hotel. Despite that, two thumbs up and 5 stars!
• paul (10/5): lovely small personal hotel - stayed 3 nights. The hotel has great character, quiet, wonderful warm personable staff.Great spacious room with plenty of old charm.Nice courtyard to have breakfast, read a book.
• stu (8/5): Great hotel close to heart of Stone Town - Great roof top terrace! Highly recommend. Newly renovated snd clean.
• Verified traveler (8/5): Nice Hotel - A nice small hotel with great service. Had small hiccups but they were resolved efficiently.
• Barbara (10/5): - Beautiful hotel and great service.
• Mariusz (10/5): cute hotel in prime location - I had a great stay at this hotel. The staff was very friendly and helpful. My room was nicely decorated and kept clean and in a very good condition. There is a nice roof top terrace where I relaxed in the evening. Breakfast was delicious. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to stay in the historical part of Stone Town.
• Verified traveler (10/5): Nicely renovated calssic Swahili-Arab town-house - Small but great team, very helpful and friendly.
• JANICE (8/5): Comfortable, clean, well situated hotel - The hotel is new and has a very rustic decor. We were the only guests at the time so we had a very private and quiet time when we were in. Breakfast (which was the same every day for the duration of our 6 days stay) is served in a little courtyard that fronts the hotel. We wondered what happens when it rains. The staff was very courteous and helpful throughout. It was a little odd and unsettling for us first time guests that all the staff, including management and housekeeping,left the premises every evening and came back in the morning. Two night watchmen stayed on. The hotel connected us with a local tour guide Ali, who was very knowledgeable and trustworthy. The tours(which we felt could have been better planned and the transportation a little more comfortable) were still largely value for money.

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