Zanzibar Beaches – Where to stay in Zanzibar
Zanzibar Beaches – Where to stay in Zanzibar. The best places to stay in Zanzibar are on the beach.
When you think of Zanzibar, you might picture blue waves crashing on white sand beaches, and you would be right. If you add in the stunning sunrises and sunsets and great hotels, you could say that Zanzibar is the perfect place to rest and relax after an exciting tour. Zanzibar is great because it’s easy to get to. It only takes an hour to get there from Selous, and not much longer from the Serengeti.
Aside from being easy to get to, Zanzibar is also very different. It’s a great place for everyone to visit because it has beautiful beaches and ancient buildings. There is something for everyone in Zanzibar, whether you’re on your vacation or with a group of friends. A trip to Stone Town is a great way to learn about Zanzibar’s past, and the Park Hyatt Hotel is a great place to stay for one or two nights before going to the beach to relax.
Different hotels on Zanzibar offer different levels of luxury, so there is something for every price. There are less expensive choices, like Breezes Beach Club, which we think is a great deal and great for families. The Zuri Zanzibar, on the other hand, is a favorite of ours and is very fancy and glamorous.
The hotel is about average in size, and it has a range of rooms to suit all finances. If you want a truly private and personal experience, The Palms has the best service and is located on one of the most beautiful beaches, making it one of the most romantic places you could go on your honeymoon.
There are a lot of places to stay on Zanzibar. Here are a few suggestions:
Baraza
One of the most luxury places to stay on Zanzibar is Our View Baraza Resort and Spa. It goes above and beyond what you’d expect from a beach hotel. It has great service and gives its guests all the comforts of home and more. The beach is one of the best on the island, and the facilities are out of this world. This high-end beach lodge will take very good care of you.
Bawe Island
When it first opened on June 1, 2024, Bawe Island was truly stunning. However, this level of luxury in the Indian Ocean comes at a high cost. Bawe is the best place to stay in the area, except for the private Mnemba Island, which is more naked. It is on 90 hectares of land off the coast of Zanzibar. If you like luxury, this hotel is the best there is. It won’t give you safari-style closeness, but it will give you luxury like no other.
Kilindi
The very honest Elewana runs Our View Kilindi. Elewana has done a great job of making it a top property. It was built by a private owner to be Zanzibar’s new big thing. Kilindi has been fixed up by the management to become one of the best places to stay for two people on Zanzibar. Kilindi’s pavilions are what make it special. Each one has two private plunge pools, huge bathrooms and beds, and great views. There is also an area for families, and the level of service is getting better and better, making it one of our top picks for Zanzibar hotels.
Island of Mnemba
A lot of times, our travel writers have said that Mnemba is one of the best beaches in Africa and the world. One of the few places where you can swim right off the beach and onto a beautiful reef, Mnemba is the height of barefoot luxury. It is owned and run by &Beyond, and the food and service are both excellent. However, the prices are through the roof…
Qambani
Qambani is luxury because it is so simple. It is a stylish and relaxing place to stay on the east side of Zanzibar Island in the Indian Ocean. People who stay in a beach shack instead of a marbled fancy number with silver service can spend more on a better trip before their beach vacation without giving up their perfect beach getaway. The prices start at $250 per person per night, which is a great deal for one of the most traditional places to stay on the island.
Sharazad Small Hotel
The fame of Zanzibar is growing for good reason—it’s a paradise island in the Indian Ocean that’s only a short flight from some of the best safaris in Africa. But now that bigger, less personal hotel chains are opening up all over the island, great boutique hotels that don’t cost a fortune are more valuable than ever. Sharazad Boutique Hotel is one of these hotels.
Villas on White Sand
Our View: The White Sand Villas near Page have raised the bar on Zanzuibar and become our most favorite place to stay. The beach is great, and the private houses are very nice and roomy, making them perfect for both families and honeymooners. If you can afford it, it should be the first thing you do on Zanzibar.
Xanadu
Our View Xanadu is a small hotel with nine beautiful private villas that is a nice new addition to Zanzibar. Xanadu is on Zanzibar’s south-east coast. It has a lovely private beach and views of the Indian Ocean.
The Zuri Zanzibar
Our Take: The Zuri Zanzibar Hotel and Resort is different from other hotels in Zanzibar. It’s big enough to be called a large hotel, but with only 56 suites, rooms, and villas spread out over its beautiful grounds and beach, it gives off an air of confident luxury and glitz. All of the areas are big, bold, and well-designed for stylish comfort. They also come in a range of choices and price points to meet the needs and budgets of different people.
In Ras Nungwi
Sad to say, Ras Nungwi burned down in 2017, and we still don’t know if it will be rebuilt. The following was true about the old hotel:
The Ocean Suite at Nungwi
The Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel runs the Ocean room, which is a private room that is only for guests. To the side of the main hotel, the private house has its own steps that lead down to the beach. This room has a private plunge pool, a lot of space, and is one of the best on the island.
The Palms
It’s true that Our View The Palms is the most private and fancy lodge on Zanzibar. It’s a honeymooner’s dream! It has one of the most beautiful beaches on Zanzibar, and the rooms are very fancy. The service is also top-notch. The people who work at Palms go out of their way to make sure that all of their guests’ needs are met. It is a very lovely place to go to the beach…
Home in Zanzibar
Our Opinion: The Residence Zanzibar is one of the most expensive resorts on the island of Zanzibar. It has sister resorts in Mauritius, the Maldives, and Tunisia. In the southwest of the island, this big resort is located. The island isn’t known for its beaches, but since each room has its own private swimming pool, it doesn’t really matter! This is a very good resort on Zanzibar. It has a variety of great meals, great service, and lots of fun things to do. A close second to Baraza.
Zawadi
Zawadi looks like a very fancy and cozy camp. It’s the newest product from the well-known luxury brand “The Zanzibar Collection.” On Zanzibar’s East Coast, nine private Villas with nice amenities sit on top of a rock with a view of the huge Indian Ocean.
Breezes Beach Club
Our View Breezes is a great deal for the money. There are a lot of rooms in this hotel, but the service is reliable and great. It’s our pick for the best “large hotel,” and it’s great for both families and couples. They’ve been in business longer than most other places on the island, so you can expect their years of knowledge to show. The facilities are great, and the long, beautiful, clean beach makes up for its small size. But we love Breezes even more. If you want a smaller place with a good beach and services, check out Ras Nungwi in the north of the island.
Gold Zanzibar
Zanzibar is known for having beautiful beaches, but the beach in front of Gold Zanzibar is the best of all of them. The rooms are big, well-designed, and have nice views of the beach and sea. However, the furniture is a bit bland. The pool is huge and has a great view.
LUX Marijani
Marijani isn’t the most private choice because it has about 90 rooms. But for the price, it’s a great way to experience Zanzibar that you wouldn’t be able to get at some of our favorite boutique hotels. The beach is on the northeast side of Zanzibar Island. It is wide, sandy, and beautiful, which helps you forget about all the other rooms nearby.
Hotel on Pongwe Beach
Our Opinion: Pongwe is one of the best places on Zanzibar to get a good deal. One of the best beaches on the island is there, and it’s very cheap! The food is great, and the rooms are very cozy. One bad thing about the lodge is that you have to book it well in advance because it’s so famous, and it’s not in a great spot for diving or snorkeling.
The Sunshine Hotel
Our View: The Sunshine Hotel is very cute and a great deal. It has simple rooms on one of the island’s best beaches. We think this is one of the best values in all of Zanzibar. What it lacks in comfort it more than makes up for in value. The hotel is in Matemwe, which makes it easy for people to get to Mnemba Island, which has some of the best diving and snorkeling in Zanzibar. Overall, it’s a lovely little property that helps keep the cost of a trip down.
The Tulia Hotel in Zanzibar
Tulia, which means “relax” in Swahili, is a great place to do just that. Another great thing about this place is that it is open and private, and compared to other high-end choices in Zanzibar, it is also a good deal for the privacy and comfort you get.
Mary of Zanzibar
The Anna of Zanzibar is a small, cozy, and homey beach house with a great beach. It’s a lively and well-run choice for people who want to enjoy the beaches in the southeast without going to one of the bigger resorts. As far as cheap choices on Zanzibar go, this is one of the few that is actually a good deal.
Matemwe Lodge
This is a great little camp called Our View Matemwe. The rooms are nice and airy, and the view of Mnemba Island is beautiful. We really enjoy Matemwe because it is a great place to get away from the busyness of Zanzibar.
Echo Beach
Echo Beach is a cute, laid-back lodge on one of the best beaches in Zanzibar. Zanzibar is becoming more and more popular with daring tourists looking for a tropical paradise. However, Echo Beach still has a peacefulness that is hard to find elsewhere. The lodge has a very laid-back vibe that makes it feel like a home away from home for its guests. When you’re there, you want to enjoy the great food, beach, and pool without feeling like you’re in a more fancy location.
Where Zalu Is
The most recent addition to Zanzibar’s list of high-end hotels is Essque Zalu. The makuti roof is the biggest on Zanzibar, and it looks powerful and grand. This hotel is stylish and up-to-date, and it’s a great choice for people who want a hotel that caters to all the luxuries of city life. It might not be for everyone, but Essque is the place to go if you like modern design that uses old techniques and high-end, personalized service.
Where Nungwi hides
This big resort is one or two steps above its many Italian rivals. It opened to a lot of excitement in 2013. It has big rooms with nice furniture that all face the sea at the bottom of the hill. Hideaway has a lot of different places to eat, from the usual lunch by the pool to African game meat. A five-star property should have a big pool and an even bigger spa. As a big resort, it’s not for everyone, but it does a good job of filling the gap between Baraza/The Residence and the many huge (and often bad) big resorts.
The Matlai Hotel
The Hotel Matlai is an interesting place to stay. Matlai is a cool small beach hotel that is a great deal if you don’t care about how good the beach is. The four rooms are all right on the beach and have a view of the water. The management team wants to break the mold a bit, so there is a small outdoor movie theater, a boules court, a beach volleyball court, and butlers who can be reached by cell phones. The beach is only half rock and half sand, which is a shame.
Kasha
We like Kasha, and there are some things about it that make it worth the money. But, just know that there is no beach. Because the tide is so high, you have to stay in the house when the water is high. Still, the rooms are great, and you can enjoy the comforts of air conditioning, private plunge pools, and TVs. However, the service has been spotty at times. A three-night stay here at the start of your trip might be worth it if you take advantage of their regular deals and use all three rooms.
Kono Kono
This house looks great in every way. The rooms look nice and are big. The beach and pool are also great. They aren’t running any other places on Zanzibar that we can think of, though. It may be worth staying here for three nights at the start of a trip, just to enjoy the rooms, private plunge pools, and quiet for a few days. This is also true for its sister lodge, Kasha Boutique Hotel. You shouldn’t expect the best service or all the drinks to be in stock, though. If you want to stay longer, you should give up the nice room and pay the same amount for a lodge that will meet your needs.
Retreat to Matemwe
Along with the Matemwe Bungalows beach lodge, Our View Matemwe Retreat is made up of three private homes. They are very fancy and make you feel like you’re being waited on hand and foot in a private tropical hideaway. If what you want is to be totally alone on Zanzibar, this is the perfect place for you. Matemwe Retreat is the best place for a honeymoon!
Seeing Stars
Shooting Star used to be one of the few goods that people in Zanzibar could trust. Though it still holds its own against its rivals, people think it’s not a good place to stay because it looks pretty old. You can’t beat the price, and your trip will be much cheaper than if you stayed at a more modern beach hostel. The rooms are cool, the food is good, the views are great, and the pool and main area are great. There are two beautiful rooms that look like castles if you want to spend a little more money. If not, you could check out Mchanga, which is about the same price, or Ras Nungwi and Echo Beach, which are a clear step up in quality.
Lodge on the Sunshine Marine
Sunshine Marine Lodge is right across from Mnemba Atoll and is the best place to dive in Zanzibar, unless you stay on Mnemba itself. There isn’t a beach here, but there is a beautiful, untouched beach 600 m to the north, which makes up for it. Like its sister hotel, Sunshine Hotel, it’s a great deal. This is mostly for divers, but the three diving pools and peaceful atmosphere make it a good choice for everyone.
The Unguja Lodge
Our View Unguja camp is in a beautiful, remote area, and the rooms are nice and big. The main bad thing is that it doesn’t have any beaches. Even though this beach is rocky, you can walk right in and swim, which isn’t possible very often. The beach is a real shame, but if you don’t care about sand and want a cheap Zanzibar vacation, this is a good choice.
Blue Bay
When you’re looking for a cheaper big hotel, Blue Bay Resort is a great choice. This hotel is big, but it has everything you need, and the rooms are pretty nice for how cheap they are. Most big, cheap hotels are known to be bad, but the Blue Bay Resort is great if you’re not expecting the world. Even though it’s a little more expensive and not as big, we like Breezes Beach Club better and think it’s worth the extra money.
Lodge at Fumba Beach
Stone Town is not far from Fumba Beach Lodge, which is on the west side of Zanzibar. The beach lodge has a nice main area and a pool. The grounds are especially beautiful and full of color. Fumba Beach isn’t as nice as other beaches on Zanzibar, which is a shame. We definitely think that people should choose a suite because they have easy access to the sea.
Blue and green
The brand-new Green and Blue hotel is located at one end of Matemwe Beach. It is a small, modern hotel surrounded by lush, green grounds. There are three types of rooms, but they are all the same size and style. The only difference is that the cottages on the beach and pool front both have their own private plunge pools outside. The restaurant is in a great spot with a view of the sea and serves tasty Zanzibari food with a modern twist. The resort has three freshwater pools, one of which is a spa pool. These are great places to relax if you don’t want to go to the beach, which can get crowded and have sea urchins.
Mchanga
The Mchanga Beach Lodge is a real gem, and the great little beach is still very much a secret. The lodge feels like it’s in a private area because it’s not near any of the big hotel sites that are on the coast, either up or down.
The Z Hotel
For younger people who want to go out at night, this is a good hotel. It also has a great beach, but “beach boys” might bother you. It’s right in the middle of Nungwi’s busy town, and young Europeans looking for cheap fun and a party go there. The hotel has nice rooms and a pretty good restaurant, but the site is awful. There are a lot of people, and it’s hard to find your own space.
Ocean Paradise in Zanzibar
Our Opinion: This is a pretty good hotel for a big island. It’s big and business, but it’s a great deal, it’s in a great spot, and it has everything that all of its competitors do. This type of hotel is only really done well by Blue Bay and Ocean Paradise. But Breezes Beach Club is a good choice if you want something a little smaller but still pretty big. It costs a little more, but it’s well worth it.
Diamonds Miss La Gemma
The hotel here is one of the biggest in Zanzibar. Even though all of its room types are very cheap, the atmosphere and party-like feel of the place mean that you should look elsewhere if you want some peace and quiet. To be fair to the planners, the rooms are pretty hidden from the rest of the building, but it’s clear that you’re in one of many big blocks when you get there. We recommend Breezes if you want to stay in a big hotel because they have better rooms for about the same price.
