Boutique Hotel Matlai

Policies & Conditions

Everything that governs a booking at Matlai, on one page and in plain language. If anything here is unclear, ask us before you book rather than after — we would rather answer than have you guess.

Prices by season, for every room and villa: rooms and rates.

Arrival & departure

Check-in	14:00
Check-out	10:30

Rooms are ready from 14:00, and we ask for them back by 10:30. A late check-out is possible on request, at the prices below, when the room is not booked again that night. The drive from the airport takes an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half; we help you arrange the transfer, and it is paid to the driver’s company.

Late check-out

Late check-out is charged per villa and must be requested in advance, subject to the following night’s bookings.

Until 6pm in 2026 — US$100 at Asili House, US$150 at Villa Kidosho (in 2027: US$120 and US$180)
Until midnight — 50% of the room rate, dinner included
After midnight — 100% of the room rate

Minimum stay

2 nights minimum, 5 nights in the festive season.

Christmas and New Year 2026/27 (21 December 2026 to 3 January 2027) is the exception: the normal 2-night minimum applies. The 5-night festive minimum returns for 2027/28 (23 December 2027 to 2 January 2028).

Deposit & payment

A 25% deposit secures the booking. It is non-refundable. The balance is due 30 days before arrival.

We take Visa and Mastercard, not American Express, which our terminal cannot process, and cash in US dollars or Tanzanian shillings. A booking can also be paid in advance with a Pesapal payment link. Deposit and balance are paid to the hotel; the spa and the airport transfer are paid to their own businesses.

Room rates are quoted and charged in US dollars. The restaurant and extras are priced in Tanzanian shillings (TZS) and may be settled in US dollars.

Cancellation

Cancellation follows our rate sheets and nothing else: the 25% deposit is non-refundable; if you cancel with less than two months’ notice, 50% of the total is charged; with less than one month’s notice, 100%. If your plans change, write to us as early as you can, so the date of your notice is clear. Questions about these terms are best asked before you book.

If you cancel, the following applies:

Less than 2 months’ notice — 50% of the total is charged
Less than 1 month’s notice — 100% of the total is charged

Occupancy & children

Single occupancy is 80% of the room rate.
An extra bed is 25% of the room rate.

Children under 14 are welcome only on a whole-villa booking. Bookings with children go by enquiry.

Children under 14 stay with us on a whole-villa booking, where the family has the house to itself. Bookings with children go by enquiry: tell us the ages and we answer with the beds. Every room takes one extra bed of 90 × 200 cm with its own mattress and mosquito net. Villa Kidosho sleeps four; Asili House sleeps eight.

A whole-villa booking welcomes children of every age, babies included.
For families we suggest Villa Kidosho: two suites, with extra beds in both.
A children’s menu is available on request, and cots can be arranged for villa bookings.

Board basis

Rates are half board — breakfast and a daily three-course dinner, both at Zatiny — with bed and breakfast available on request.

Full board: add US$30 per person per night.
Bed & breakfast: deduct US$35 per person per night.

Both on request.

Rates are half board, with bed and breakfast available on request: breakfast and a three-course dinner at Zatiny, the hotel’s one restaurant with two kitchens, Indian Ocean fusion and Duyên’s Vietnamese home cooking, both menus at every table. Lunch and drinks are charged; water is free, and every room has a kettle with instant coffee and tea.

Not included in the rate

These are the charges that are not in the room rate. Two of them are not the hotel’s: the infrastructure tax is set by the Zanzibar government, and the airport transfer is paid to the driver’s company. Lunch and drinks are charged as you go, as are extras such as a private dinner on the beach, and spa treatments are paid to the spa directly.

There is no service charge and no resort fee: room rates include 15% VAT, and the only amount added is the Zanzibar infrastructure tax of US$4 per person per night. It applies to all guests, children included, is paid at check-out and goes to the government; the hotel only collects it.

Airport transfer — US$60 per car and direction for up to six people. We help you arrange it. You pay the driver’s company, not the hotel: the driver directly, or by card on the company’s machine at the hotel.
Zanzibar infrastructure tax — US$4 per person per night, set by the government.
Premium dishes such as lobster, which are priced separately from the half-board menu.
Laundry, charged at cost.

Special offers

Early Bird — book 6 months or more ahead for 10% off the seasonal rate.
Last Minute — book 2 weeks or less before arrival for 10% off, subject to availability.

Both offers are valid only for bookings made between 16 January and 15 December, and cannot be combined with each other or with any other offer or package.

Both offers reduce the seasonal room rate and follow the dates and limits above. If you are not sure which one applies to your dates, ask us before you book.

Getting here

Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ) is 65 km from the hotel; the drive takes 1h15–1h30. For the way back, leave roughly 3.5 hours before an international flight.

The hotel does not run the drive itself: we help you arrange the transfer with local travel agencies and taxi companies. Ask us by email before you arrive; once here, ask the butler. The price is above, under “Not included in the rate”.

Sustainability

No plastic water bottles are sold: free drinking water from dispensers in both villas and the restaurant, and guests can refill their own bottles.
The hotel recycles its waste.
Staff collect plastic from the beach every day; guests can join with a basket at the beach entrance.
2 solar water heaters, both at Villa Kidosho (backed by electric heaters). That is the only solar at the property.

Solar electricity (PV) is not installed; it is planned, nothing committed. Electricity comes from the Zanzibar grid.
The hotel holds no formal eco-certification and makes no carbon claims.

On site

Breakfast is served from 07:00 to 12:00; a packed breakfast is possible for early tours and early departures. Lunch is served from 12:00 and dinner from 18:30; last orders are at 21:30 and the kitchen closes at 22:00.
The kitchen is halal-friendly, with many halal options, and most of our chefs are Muslim and know how to prepare it; pork is also offered on the menu. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are on the menu, and the kitchen is flexible and can always offer a vegetarian or vegan menu. The daily-changing main course always includes a fish or seafood dish, a meat or chicken dish and a vegetarian option.
Wi-Fi is complimentary throughout the hotel, in every room and common area. The routers run on batteries and stay on during local power cuts; if the internet link to the mainland fails, it affects every hotel on the island.
Smoking is not allowed in the rooms; it is allowed on the balcony and the terrace.
Guests cannot bring their own animals. The hotel has its own residents: 2 dogs, 2 cats and nearly 40 tortoises, which live in their own enclosure behind the restaurant.
Power sockets: the villas have German-style two-pin sockets (Type C/F), and every room has a travel adapter plus a cube with USB charging. The restaurant and other hotel areas use the UK three-pin plug (Type G) that is common in Zanzibar.
Matlai is not a fully wheelchair-accessible hotel, and we will not claim otherwise. Wheelchair users have stayed here and it has worked well, but that depends on knowing in advance. Book Villa Kidosho. From the entrance into the villa, a wheelchair can be used without difficulty. The way to the restaurant is partly sandy, and the restaurant is not wheelchair-friendly. The way from the balcony down to the sun terrace and pool has steps. Please tell us what you need before you book, so we can talk it through honestly rather than guess.

Travel agents and tour operators: trade rates are not published. Write to the trade contact with your agency, your markets and your timing; one person answers personally. The details are under Travel trade information.

Excursions

Public prices in US dollars. The boat-trip prices come from a quote given to a guest in September 2026. The butler coordinates the trips, and nothing is paid to the hotel for them.

Sunset ngalawa cruise to Michamvi Kae (return taxi to the hotel included) — US$80 for 2 people; paid locally, in cash (USD or TZS) directly to the local captain on the day
Blue Lagoon and Starfish excursion (one combined trip) — US$70 for 2 people; paid locally, in cash (USD or TZS) directly to the local captain on the day
Private Ocean Retreat, Menai Marine Reserve (south-west of the island) — US$300 for a couple
Prison Island (Changuu) from Stone Town — boat about US$30–40 per boat (up to 10 people), plus US$4 entry per person. Not a direct trip from the hotel; the hotel does not proactively recommend it.

Common questions

Is the deposit refundable if I cancel?

No — the 25% deposit is non-refundable, and it is what secures your dates. Beyond the deposit, what you are charged depends on notice: with less than two months’ notice, 50% of the total; with less than one month, 100%.

Is the airport transfer included in the rate?

No. It is US$60 per car each way for up to six people, and we help you arrange it. You pay the driver’s company, not the hotel: the driver directly, or by card on the company’s machine at the hotel. The drive from Zanzibar airport takes an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half.

What is added on top of the room rate?

Added to the room rate: the Zanzibar government’s infrastructure tax of US$4 per person per night. Paid extras — premium dishes such as lobster, laundry, the airport transfer — is listed on this page.

Can we bring our children?

Children under 14 are welcome when you book a whole villa, and bookings with children go by enquiry: tell us the ages and we answer with the beds. Villa Kidosho takes four people; Asili House takes eight.

What does half board actually include?

Breakfast and dinner every day, both at Zatiny, included in the rate. Both kitchens — Indian Ocean fusion and Duyên Vietnamese — are available at every table. Full board adds lunch for US$30 per person per night; bed and breakfast reduces the rate by US$35 per person per night. Premium dishes such as lobster are priced separately.

Can I have a late check-out?

Yes, subject to the next night’s bookings — and the charge depends on which villa you are in, so there is no single flat fee. Until 6pm it is US$100 at Asili House and US$150 at Villa Kidosho in 2026 (in 2027: US$120 and US$180). Until midnight it is half the room rate with dinner included; after midnight, the full rate.

Which cards and currencies do you accept?

Visa and Mastercard, not American Express, and cash in US dollars or Tanzanian shillings. Room rates are quoted and charged in US dollars; the restaurant and extras are priced in Tanzanian shillings and may be settled in US dollars.

How early should I leave for the airport on the way home?

The drive to Zanzibar airport takes 1h15–1h30. For an international flight, leave roughly 3.5 hours before departure. We help you arrange the transfer; it is US$60 per car each way, paid to the driver’s company.

What does Matlai do for the environment?

We do not sell plastic water bottles (free drinking water is available in both villas and the restaurant), we recycle our waste, and staff collect plastic from the beach every day. We have two solar water heaters, both at Villa Kidosho; solar electricity is not installed yet. The hotel holds no formal eco-certification.

What do excursions cost?

A sunset ngalawa cruise to Michamvi Kae is US$80 for two people, return taxi included, and the Blue Lagoon and Starfish excursion is US$70 for two people; both are paid in cash to the local captain on the day. The Private Ocean Retreat in the Menai Marine Reserve is US$300 for a couple. The butler coordinates the trips; nothing is paid to the hotel.

Are taxes included in the room rate?

The Villas · Dining · FAQ · Accessibility

Rates by season and villa are on rooms and rates.
See rates and check availability

Prices by season for every room and whole villa: the season rate grid. For journalists: Press and media kit; for travel agents: Travel trade information.

Tim Hennig, General Manager, Boutique Hotel Matlai, Michamvi Pingwe, Zanzibar.

Facts on this page last verified: October 2026