Zanzibar Travel Guide
Best Hotels in Zanzibar, Compared by Coast and Type
Quick answer
The best hotel is the one that matches your coast.
The best hotel in Zanzibar is the one that matches your coast first and your size second. Zanzibar has five stay areas that feel like different islands: the north, the north-east, the east, the south-east and Stone Town. Within them, hotels run from 6 rooms (ours) to 56 units, and the board from half board to the package deals of bigger resorts. Below we compare the coasts, then the types, then say where Boutique Hotel Matlai fits and where it does not.
| The first choice | The coast, not the hotel |
| Second choice | Size: a boutique hotel or a resort |
| Coasts compared | North, north-east, east, south-east, Stone Town |
| Board to ask about | Half board, bed and breakfast, full board, all-inclusive |
| Matlai | Six rooms in two villas · half board · from US$535 a night |
| Not for | Nightlife, an all-inclusive board, a kite school at the door |
| Last verified | 26 October 2026 |
How we compare
Five things that decide a Zanzibar hotel stay
Star ratings and rankings tell you little here, so we compare on five things you can check. The coast, because a north-coast holiday and a south-east holiday share an airport and little else. The tide, because on the east coast it decides when you can swim. The size, because a hotel of 6 to 25 rooms and a resort run on different logic. The board, because half board, bed and breakfast and all-inclusive change what a night costs. The evenings, because some coasts have bars and some have stars.
I have lived on the island since 2011, and the most common regret I hear at breakfast is not a hotel complaint. It is a coast complaint: a guest who wanted silence in Paje, or one who wanted a party in Michamvi. So we start with the coast. Our longer guide, where to stay in Zanzibar, goes village by village; this page puts the coasts and the hotel types in one view.
By coast
Which coast of Zanzibar suits which kind of stay?
The north has the one hard advantage of almost no tide, so the ocean swims all day, and it pays for it in bigger hotels, high-season crowds and constant vendor attention. The east splits in two: Paje runs on kite energy and a young crowd, Jambiani is the calmer village next door. The north-east splits too: Matemwe faces the Mnemba snorkel grounds in near-silence, Kiwengwa is the organised strip of bigger resorts. The south-east, around Michamvi Pingwe, has fewer crowds, a sandbank that surfaces at low tide and boutique-scale hotels. Stone Town is not a beach stay and works best as a night or two at either end of the trip.
| Coast | Swimming and tide | Evenings | Typical hotels | Suits | Less suited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North: Nungwi, Kendwa | Minimal tide: the ocean swims all day | The liveliest on the island | Bigger hotels and resorts | Easy swimming, a social holiday | Privacy and a village feel |
| North-east: Matemwe, Kiwengwa | Matemwe faces the Mnemba snorkel grounds | Matemwe is near-silent; Kiwengwa is organised | Matemwe: small properties. Kiwengwa: bigger resorts | Snorkelling and diving; package comfort | Variety around the hotel (Matemwe) |
| East: Paje, Jambiani | Tidal; Paje is the kite lagoon | Paje has bars and music; Jambiani is calm | Small hotels and guesthouses | Kitesurfing, space, village life | Silence (Paje) |
| South-east: Michamvi Pingwe | Tidal; a channel to the sandbank keeps its water at low tide | Quiet: the village has no nightlife | Boutique-scale hotels | Honeymoons, retreats, after a safari | Nightlife, a kite school at the door |
| Stone Town | Not a beach stay | Restaurants and rooftops | Townhouse hotels | One or two nights of history | A beach holiday |
From our published guide to where to stay in Zanzibar, written by the hotel at Michamvi Pingwe, so the south-east row is the one we know best. We have not stayed on the south-west coast and do not describe it.
By type
Boutique hotel or resort: what changes?
A resort puts more on site: several restaurants, bars, often an all-inclusive board and an activity desk. A small hotel puts you closer to the people who run it: fewer guests, a kitchen that cooks to your day and a butler who learns your name. The downside is the same in both directions. In a small hotel on the east coast your hotel largely is the holiday, so its kitchen, service and beach carry everything. In a resort you share them with many more guests. Choose harder where the area around you offers less.
To show how wide the range is, the table lists three hotels beside us. We picked them for their different sizes and coasts, and we describe each only by what its own website says, read on 26 October 2026. This is not a ranking, not an award and not an advertisement, and no hotel paid to be here. Check each website for current rooms, rates and rules.
| Hotel | Where | Size, from its own website | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson Spice | Stone Town, in the historic centre | Twelve rooms | emersonspice.com |
| Pongwe Beach Hotel | Pongwe, on the east coast | 23 rooms | pongwe.com |
| Zuri Zanzibar | The northern west shore, near Kendwa | 56 bungalows, suites and villas | zurizanzibar.com |
| Boutique Hotel Matlai (us) | Michamvi Pingwe, south-east coast | Six rooms in two villas | Our boutique hotel page |
Pongwe, spelled almost like Pingwe, is a different place on the east coast and not part of the Michamvi peninsula. We say nothing here about any other hotel's rates, board or reviews.
Board
Half board, bed and breakfast or all-inclusive: how the board changes the comparison
Compare hotels on the board as well as the room rate, because the same night can cost very different amounts. Half board means breakfast and dinner are in the price. Bed and breakfast means breakfast only. Full board adds lunch. All-inclusive adds drinks and snacks, usually inside a resort. On the east coast restaurants are sparse outside the villages, so half board is the honest default; in Nungwi or Paje, with more places to eat, bed and breakfast often suits better.
At Matlai the room rate includes half board: breakfast from 07:00 to 12:00 and a three-course dinner, with drinking water, WiFi and the butler. Lunch and drinks other than water are extra. Full board is US$30 more per person per night, and bed and breakfast is US$35 less, both on request. We do not offer all-inclusive. The details, including what is extra, are on half board or all-inclusive in Zanzibar. When you compare us with any other hotel, ask the same four questions: which meals, which drinks, which extras and what happens when you eat elsewhere.
Where we fit
Where Matlai fits, and where it does not
Where we fit. Matlai is six rooms in Asili House and Villa Kidosho, each villa with its own pool, directly on the beach at Michamvi Pingwe; every room is about 20 metres from the sand. Rates start from US$535 a night with half board. We are rated 4.9 out of 5 on TripAdvisor from 381 reviews, which is a number you can check there. We suit a couple who want quiet, a honeymoon, a stay after a safari, and a family or group who take a whole villa.
Where we do not. There is no nightlife in the village, and no kite school: Paje, a short drive south, has both. Single rooms are for guests aged 14 and over; younger children come when a villa is booked whole. We have no all-inclusive board. At low tide the sea goes out, so the full swim off the beach is the two to four hours around high tide, with the channel to the sandbank keeping its water in between. If you want big-resort entertainment, constant swimming at any tide or a package price with drinks, another coast or another type of hotel will serve you better, and I would rather tell you that before you book.
The full picture of the peninsula, with distances and the tide, is in our Michamvi Pingwe guide. If you have narrowed the choice to the south-east, the page on how to choose a hotel in Michamvi Pingwe lists the questions to ask any hotel there, including us.
By trip
Which kind of hotel for which trip?
Honeymoon. Calm is the point, so the quiet south-east or a small property on the north-east coast. See our honeymoon hotel page. Family. Choose where swimming does not depend on the tide, or a villa with its own pool; whole villas here take every age, and the family page explains a day with children. Kitesurfing. Paje, with no second answer. Diving and snorkelling. Matemwe, for Mnemba. After a safari. The south-east, for the same reason as the honeymoon. A first visit that includes Stone Town. Split the trip: a night or two in town, then one coast.
For seven nights or more, a second area is worth the transfer. Under seven, pick one base and take day trips, because the island is small on a map and slow on its roads. Whatever you choose, expect 1h15 to 1h30 from the airport to the east coast. The rest of the Zanzibar travel guide helps with the other choices: the best time to visit, the east coast village by village and a day in Stone Town. If Matlai is on your list, the booking page shows live availability, and all seasons are on rooms and rates.
Where these facts come from
Official sources
- Emerson Spice, Stone Town: the hotel's own website: Its place in the historic centre of Stone Town and its room count as the hotel states it (twelve), read on 26 October 2026.
- Pongwe Beach Hotel: the hotel's own website: Its place at Pongwe on Zanzibar's east coast and its room count as the hotel states it (23), read on 26 October 2026.
- Zuri Zanzibar: the hotel's own website: Its place on the northern west shore of Unguja and its unit count as the hotel states it (56 bungalows, suites and villas), read on 26 October 2026.
Checked on 26 October 2026. We link to the bodies that set the rules, not to summaries of them. Rules change: check the page itself before you travel.
Good to know
Questions travellers ask
The questions we are asked most when someone is choosing a hotel in Zanzibar. Each answer is on this page too, so you can check it against the table.
Which is the best hotel in Zanzibar?
There is no single best hotel; the best one is the one whose coast, size and board match your trip. Choose the coast first (the swimming, the tide and the evenings differ more than the hotels do), then the size: a hotel of 6 to 25 rooms feels very different from a resort. This page compares both and says where we fit.
Which coast of Zanzibar is best for a hotel?
For all-day swimming and a lively evening, the north (Nungwi and Kendwa). For kitesurfing and a social scene, Paje. For a quiet retreat with a sandbank at low tide, the south-east around Michamvi Pingwe. For one or two nights of history at the start or end of a trip, Stone Town. The table above sets the coasts side by side.
Is a boutique hotel or a resort better in Zanzibar?
A resort gives you more on site: several restaurants, bars and often an all-inclusive board. A boutique hotel gives you fewer guests, a kitchen you can talk to and a butler who knows your name, but little to do beyond the hotel itself. If you want the island to entertain you, take a resort or the north coast; if you want to be left alone, take a small hotel on the east coast.
What does half board mean at a Zanzibar hotel?
Half board means breakfast and dinner are in the room rate. At Matlai that is breakfast from 07:00 to 12:00 and a three-course dinner, with drinking water, WiFi and the butler; lunch and drinks other than water are extra. Full board adds US$30 per person per night and bed and breakfast takes US$35 off. Other hotels set their own terms, so ask each one what is in the price.
Is Matlai the right hotel for me?
If you want six rooms on a quiet east-coast beach, half board, a pool at each villa and a sandbank at low tide, yes. If you want nightlife, a kite school at the door, an all-inclusive board or a room for a child under 14 (whole villas take every age), no: Paje, the north coast or a larger resort will suit you better, and we will tell you so.
Do you list or rank other hotels?
We name three hotels in the table, chosen to show the range of sizes and coasts, and we describe each only by what its own website says. This is not a ranking, not an award and not an advertisement; no hotel paid to appear. Check each hotel directly for current rooms, rates and rules.
How far is Matlai from the airport compared with other coasts?
Michamvi Pingwe is about 65 km from Zanzibar airport, 1h15 to 1h30 by car. The roads, not the distance, set the time on the east coast, and a private transfer is best arranged before you land.
Your stay at Matlai
Choose your dates and the booking page opens with them, showing live availability.
Bookings with children go by enquiry: the booking page books adults only, so send us your dates on WhatsApp and we reply with the options. Children under 14 stay with a whole villa. 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.
TripAdvisor 4.9/5 · 381+ reviews · Google 4.8/5