Boutique Hotel · AFCON 2027
AFCON 2027: Stay on the Quiet Coast of Zanzibar
Quick answer
An hour from the football. A world from the crowd.
If you are in Zanzibar for a match, the real question is what happens around it. Matlai puts a match visitor in a private villa on the quiet southeast coast, about 1h15 from the stadiums, with a butler who books the car both ways so a stadium day still starts slow and ends on a quiet beach. The choice underneath that is simple: a room, a villa, or the whole six-room property for a group.
| Tournament | 19 June to mid-July 2027 |
| Zanzibar venues | Amaan Stadium and a second stadium being built (per press; CAF list pending) |
| From the stadiums | 1h15–1h30 by car · butler helps book it |
| Rooms | 6 in two villas · 12 guests, 18 with extra beds |
| Rates 2027 | from US$670 per double · half board |
| Whole property | US$4,050 per night · 2-night minimum |
| Season | Kusi: dry, warm, clear water |
| Tickets | CAF only — we do not sell them |
| Last verified | 21 October 2026 |
Before you book
What this page covers
This page is the commercial side of AFCON 2027 for us: what a match day actually looks like from Michamvi Pingwe, who books which configuration, and what a room, a villa or the whole property costs. For the tournament itself, the confirmed dates, the venues reported so far and what CAF has not yet published, read our full AFCON 2027 guide. This page assumes you already know the football and are now deciding on the stay.
Three kinds of visitor tend to land here: a family or group of friends going as fans, a sponsor's guests or a federation delegation who need the property to double as somewhere to work, and a media crew who mostly need a quiet place to sleep between long days. The sections below are written for all three, and "who books which configuration" further down is the fastest way to find your own case.
Two kinds of match day
An afternoon kick-off and an evening one
Both days below build around the drive rather than a kick-off clock, since CAF has not published match times yet; the drive itself is about 1h15 by car, up to 1h30 in traffic, through Jozani Forest.
Afternoon kick-off
- Morning. Breakfast at your own pace, a swim if the tide is in.
- Three to four hours before kick-off. The car the butler team booked the evening before leaves for town.
- Kick-off to full time. The match.
- After the final whistle. The same road back east, home in time for dinner from Zatiny's two kitchens.
Evening kick-off
- Morning and afternoon. Breakfast, the beach or Bustani Spa, no rush.
- Three to four hours before kick-off. The same drive, timed for the later start.
- Kick-off to full time. The match, under lights.
- Late return. Tell the butler team in the morning if you will be back after the kitchen's normal last orders at 21:30, so something is kept for you.
Rooms, a villa, or the whole property
Who books which configuration
A family or a group of friends usually wants a villa outright. Asili House takes up to eight guests at US$2,550 a night; Villa Kidosho takes up to four at US$1,500. Children of every age are welcome when a villa is booked whole, and an extra bed is 25% of the room rate.
A sponsor's guests or a federation delegation is what the whole property is built for: both villas, both pools, one butler team, US$4,050 a night for twelve guests (eight in Asili House, four in Villa Kidosho), two nights minimum. It lets a delegation work and rest in the same place without sharing a corridor with strangers, and it is the same booking our exclusive-use page explains in full.
A media crew or a smaller group that does not need a whole villa can book individual rooms instead: US$670 a night in Asili House, US$790 in Villa Kidosho, both half board, for guests over 14.
All figures are our public 2027 high-season rates, the same as on the booking page.
Town or the coast
Zanzibar Town vs the east coast for the tournament
| Zanzibar Town | Matlai, east coast | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance to the stadiums | Minutes | About 1h15 by car, up to 1h30 in traffic |
| Evenings after a match | The match crowd is still around you | A quiet beach, the crowd stayed in town |
| Beach or pool time, non-match days | Limited, a working town | The whole point of the stay |
| Noise | Traffic and match-day crowds | Mostly the sea |
| Who it suits | Fans doing back-to-back matches on foot | Anyone who wants the football without living inside it |
Neither is wrong. If the whole trip is built around being five minutes from every kick-off, stay in town. If a match is one part of a longer stay in Zanzibar, the coast is the better base, and the drive is the price of the quiet.
What is included
Booking terms for a tournament stay
The rates above are half board (bed and breakfast on request), with a butler on duty 07:00 to 22:00 to book the match-day car, hold a plate for you at Zatiny after a late return, and handle whatever else the day needs. Minimum stay is two nights. Over Christmas and New Year the minimum is 5 nights in 2027/28 (23 December 2027 to 2 January 2028); in 2026/27 (21 December 2026 to 3 January 2027) it is 3 nights. A 25% deposit secures the dates, with the balance due 30 days before arrival.
Our 2027 rates are set by season, not by the tournament, so nothing above changes because AFCON is on. Booking six months or more ahead of your dates qualifies for our standard 10% early-bird discount off the seasonal rate (valid for bookings made 16 January to 15 December; it cannot be combined with other offers), the same offer that applies to any stay in that window. For dates around the opening match on 19 June 2027, that means booking well before the tournament is front of mind for everyone else planning the same trip.
Before and after
Combine it with a safari
The Northern Circuit — Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire — is around 1 hour from Zanzibar, depending on the airline and the aircraft. A week on safari before the group stage, or after your team goes out, is the trip most visitors to Tanzania end up wishing they had planned. We do not sell or price safaris ourselves; our safari guide explains how the combination works and the specialist operators we point guests to.
Good to know
Questions travellers ask
The questions here are the practical ones: which configuration to book, how a match day actually runs from this coast, and what it costs. For the tournament facts themselves, including tickets, see our AFCON 2027 guide.
Can a group of 12 take the whole property?
Yes. Both villas, both pools and the whole garden together, with one butler team for the group. Twelve guests is the standard number, eighteen with extra beds. The minimum stay is two nights, as for any booking outside the festive season.
Can we book rooms across both villas?
Yes, if you are not renting either villa outright. Individually booked rooms in Asili House and Villa Kidosho can be combined for one group, though each room keeps to its own villa's pool unless the group takes that villa whole; the butler team serves both villas. Children under 14 can only stay when a villa is booked whole, so individually booked rooms are for older guests.
Do you hold rooms for delegations?
Not without the deposit that secures any booking: 25% to hold the dates, the balance due 30 days before arrival. What we can do is talk through a federation or sponsor group's needs early and tell you plainly how much of the property is still open, because June and July 2027 will fill earlier than a normal season.
Is a two-night minimum enforced during the tournament?
Yes. Two nights is our minimum stay, and it applies during the tournament to rooms, villas and the whole property alike. Over Christmas and New Year the minimum is 5 nights in 2027/28 (23 December 2027 to 2 January 2028); in 2026/27 (21 December 2026 to 3 January 2027) it is 3 nights.
Can the butler arrange a car for every match day?
Yes. The car itself is driven by one of the two transfer companies we work with, since a hotel cannot run its own taxis under Tanzanian law, and the butler team books it on your behalf. Tell the butler team the evening before each match, because the whole island will be trying to book the same cars.
Can non-fans in the group stay behind at the villa?
Of course. A room, a villa or the whole property is yours for the stay, so anyone who would rather swim, spa or read than sit through a match simply stays. Half board still covers their meals, and the butler treats their day exactly like anyone else's.
What does a room cost during AFCON 2027?
The tournament falls in our 2027 high season: US$670 a night for a double room in Asili House, US$790 in Villa Kidosho, both half board. Asili House outright is US$2,550, Villa Kidosho outright US$1,500, and the whole property US$4,050. These are our public 2027 rates, set by season rather than by the tournament, the same ones as on the booking page.
Is the beach usable on non-match days?
Yes, around the tide. The east coast has a tidal range from about one metre at neaps to three to four metres at springs, so swimming is best around high water and the reef flat is walkable at low water. The butler team shares the day's swimming window each morning.
Your stay at Matlai
Choose your dates and the booking page opens with them, showing live availability.
Individually booked rooms take guests aged 14 and over; with a whole villa, guests of any age are welcome. Online booking here covers rooms for guests aged {age} and over, so for children or a whole villa send us your dates on WhatsApp and we reply with the options. WhatsApp →
These dates are by enquiry only — please email info[at]hotelmatlai.com or WhatsApp +255772628833 and we will confirm availability and rates.
Indicative public rates — the engine shows live availability for your dates.
Welcome drink, kayaks, bicycles and snorkelling gear, free of charge.
Booking with the hotel itself? Ask us what we can offer for your dates.
Why guests book Matlai
- A team of butlers on call, 07:00 to 22:00. One message and it is arranged.
- Half board with a chef’s menu that changes daily: three courses, plus two à la carte kitchens at every table, Zatiny (Indian Ocean fusion) and Duyên (Vietnamese).
- Dine where you like: in the restaurant, in the garden or on your own balcony. A private table by the beach or a candlelight dinner can be arranged at an extra charge.
- Six rooms in two villas, a pool for each villa, shared by its rooms, and every room facing the sunrise over the ocean.
- Bustani, the garden spa; the sandbank in front of the hotel at low tide; a quiet beach lined with small, family-owned hotels.
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