Zanzibar Hotels near House of Wonders

Pros: Absolutely everything! The fact that the manager was constantly around was fantastic. The staff, the accommodation, the facilities, the food, all exceeded our expectations. Highly recommended!

Pros: The hotel is the most luxurious hotel in Zanzibar. It is very comfortable and welcoming. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The food was very good, especially the breakfast which had a great variety. Choose this hotel if you want to visit Stone Town and Prison Island for a couple of days or if you are there for business.

Cons: The Spa could definitely be improved. The beach is an open beach so dont choose this hotel if you want a beach holiday.

Pros: Breakfast was a fantastic spread! Many thanks to the general manager Nicholas for going out of his way to make us so comfortable. The staff was fabulous looking after us.

Pros: Terrific hotel with wonderful pool, views, right on the beach, good food selection and quality, superb staff. A bit pricey for being right in stone town (and therefore not on the nicest beach), but a great place to stay for those who don't have time to get out to the further parts of the island

Pros: It’s historical significance, architecture, cleanliness, upkeep, good air conditioning and comfortable bed. The room was spacious. The staff were responsive to our needs and recommended things to do in the areas and arranged for it.

Cons: Electricity outages were common during our stay but only lasted a minute at a time. Our room did not have hot water.

Pros: Location

Cons: We were promised a bottle of sparkling wine in our room on arrival as it was our honeymoon but this was not provided. No big deal. The service at the bar / restaurant was worst I have ever experienced in a 5 star hotel. 15 minutes between providing the menu and taking our drinks order. Red wine was being kept on ice so it was served ice cold. Our food took ages to arrive and when it did arrive it did not come with any of our side orders. They had forgotten. Side orders were provided 20 minutes after we finished our main meal. The restaurant was not busy. That evening we rang reception to ask about the sparkling wine and were told they would call us back. No response. We inquired on our way out to dinner and were met with a shrug of the shoulders. When we returned from dinner we asked again and they said they would send it to our room immediately. Unless we inquired again, the hotel staff would have continued to simply ignore us. 1 hour later and it still had not arrived to room. We had to call reception again. The next day we asked for some change at the bar as we only had large notes. We were told no. We asked at the reception and again were told no. This is meant to be a $500/night 5 star hotel but yet they could not handle such a simple request. We had a drink that night in the bar and ordered two glasses of red wine. 6 times the waiter returned to our table to confirm the order. Eventually he advised that the wine was not available so we ordered different wine. Again the red wine was served ice cold despite the hotels website boasting of their prestigious sommeliers. The robes in the room were torn and there was blood on the moaquito net around the bed. Despite all of the above, it is a beautiful hotel in an excellent location with spectacular views. Sadly the service is poor or maybe we simply weren't important enough guests as staff seemed to swarm to certain guests. It may be the most expensive hotel in stone town but definitely not the best.

Pros: Thank you for the birthday surprise cake. It was much appreciated.

Cons: Bed making needs improvement. There needs to be two sheets (linen) a fitted and flat sheet

Pros: Amazing location, highly recommended if staying in stone town.

Pros: The staff were very good and took a lot of time to get to know us and make us feel comfortable, especially our 8 year old granddaughter. The room was very well appointed (junior suite) with loads of storage space. The food was a nice mix of local and international style and fairly priced. Fabulous sunsets over the sea from our balcony.

Cons: TV remote and bathroom scales needed batteries and obviously hadn’t been checked before new guests arrived. TV choice very limited. Small problem with lighting that wouldn’t switch off too, though this was rectified when reported. So just a few small niggly things that shouldn’t really happen at the price level.

Cons: The price is high for the rooms

Pros: The hotel is beautiful. We had an ocean view and kept the door open all night and it was simply stunning. We woke to the local women doing bootcamp on the beach in their hijabs and it was delightful. The management were exceptional and introduced themselves individually to us in case we needed anything. When we wanted to send some of our belongings back to Australia they were so helpful. We loved the pool area and after 2 weeks on safari, we adored this hotel. It gave us the refreshment we needed to travel on to Egypt.

Cons: The bar staff were so slow! Over an hour to get a Margherita at the pool is ridiculous and beers always arrived warm. However a local from Dar gave us a great tip - ask for an ice bucket with your beer and all will be fine.

Pros: Amazing experience.

Cons: Nothing

Pros: The staff was amazing and gracious. The gentleman who took our specific request ( don’t remember his name, it started with ‘M’ was so wonderful and helpful and Amina was also so gracious.

Cons: Nothing, we loved it.

Pros: Fantastic: room, bell man, staff, bar and breakfast!!!

Cons: Would Like to check out a bit later than 10.

Pros: Lovely service, old world charm, fantastic central location

Pros: The staff were amazing and friendly.

Cons: Nothing

Pros: Wonderful staff, the views, the character of this hotel a

Pros: The staff were very friendly and eager to help. However we were given some incorrecr information which completely derailed our plans for the final night.

Cons: The room we stayed in was poorly located and didn't catch any breeze and so was stiflingly hot and the a/c was glacial. A ceiling fan might be a possible option to ensure the rooms can stay cool. The bathroom was ridiculously small and in need of some upgrades to the fittings, particularly the taps and the showerhead which were encrusted with lime from the water. The sad little shower curtain was not a great look either. The breakfast has been the worst breakfast I have had at a supposedly 5* hotel. Both the hot and cold options were severely limited and underwhelming. The food was not particularly tasty either.

Pros: Serena Hotel was our first stop in Zanzibar on what has turned out to be one of the best trip of our lives. We spent two nights in stone town at the Serena Hotel. The hotel is really quite a heritage in stone town. Fantastically located, just a short walk from the old city. An excellent breakfast spread and really charming room which still has lots of classic touches that make it quite authentic. Tip: book a sun down dinner at the Emerson Spice which is a 10 min walk from the hotel! And book in advance to get the roof top/terrace!

Cons: There was a wedding on our last night and whilst it was quite entertaining to watch, I do wish the hotel had informed us as we could not go to bed until after 11pm when the wedding ended.

Pros: The service was impeccable and staff was very attentive to my needs. The buffet breakfast in AM was excellent. Wide variety of local cuisine with traditional breakfast with eggs, bacon and lots of other choices to choose from. My room was well taken care of especially with the room cleaning in AM and turn down was nice too. The room is scented with jasmine, windows shutters are closed and the mosquito net is covered around the bed. Needless, to say, I slept well. The AC and WiFi was reliable and the view from my room was beautiful.

Cons: I did not like how close the ocean is to the hotel. There is hardly any beach real estate left. The beach is very busy with locals so it isn’t as quiet as say the other side of the island. I ate once in the evening and ordered shrimp. It was tasty but the evening menu needs to be revamped. It’s too limited. I did sample a variety of desserts and this really needs to be worked on. For example, the mousse was too powdery and lacked consistency. The coffee bar isn’t inviting. It’s very sparse with limited cake menu that isn’t appealing. I did not order any hot drinks.

Pros: The breakfast was really good! Fresh fruit and lot of other things! The room was beautiful! I slept in in the room “Freddy Mercury” and it was really spaceful with a big bathroom!

Pros: Historical architecture of hotel outside and inside. Lovely and quite large swimming pool. Very spacious family rooms including safe deposit, fridge and mosquito nets are perfect for a family. Stone town visit. Friendly personnel, good service.

Cons: Breakfast could be improved. Location is close to ferry which is nice if you come by boat but if you come by plane a more central location close to the restaurants and shops is probably more practical.

Pros: Very central location in the heart of Stone town. All important locations accessible on feet. Forodhani gardens very near to the hotel. Very nice view from the suites. Well arranged and reasonably priced excursions (except for safari blue which has nothing to do with the hotel but is not as good excursion as generally advertised and should be avoided). The best breakfast we had in Zanzibar.

Cons: Very noisy every night. Next to the hotel they give concerts every night. The bed mattress was hard.

Pros: The hotel is beautiful, the rooms comfortable and clean and the best is the staff! They are really helpful and friendly.

Pros: The hotel is a museum. It's just awesome!

Cons: Nothing!

Pros: Good location

Cons: Room had no chairs to sit on, veranda was so close to neighbourd, no privacy there.

Pros: No much. Over priced

Cons: No bar, no alcohol. I couldn’t have a beer. Mizingani a AND booking .com need to make this know to prospective customers. I booked what I thought was an upmarket fairly expensive hotel. No pub, breakfast room was shoddy. Not worth the money I paid.

Pros: Room

Cons: Food and service and customer care. Worse dinner and breakfast in África. How they set the food at breakfast is ridiculous.

Pros: Location: incredibly well located. Facilities: restaurant looks over the ocean which is perfect of breakfast. This is a no alcohol hotel so my partner assumed that this is why it was very quiet at night which was nice. Pool was beautiful but there is not many spots to lounge. Decor was lovely. Food: brekky was typical but good.

Cons: Room: our toilet didn’t flush at all when we got there and after some assistance it was somewhat working. The bed was extremely squeaky and not very comfortable.

Pros: The staff was friendly and very helpful. It’s a good quiet place near the ferry terminal.

Pros: It was beautiful and clean -lots of old world orientalists charm - with 18 c British trimmings! loved the pool -staff especially rashid was very helpful

Cons: Restaurant a bit shabby we didn’t eat there in the evenings -don’t serve alcohol but we didn’t mind that

Pros: Location Staff is polite and helpful Rooms were clean

Cons: Breakfast had limited options. Restaurant service is slow.

Pros: Above and beyond staff. Helped setup stone town activities, with well informed very patient guides. Staff had good looking young men too

Cons: My first room was musty, that bathroom needed more ventilation, plus the furniture is older. But the staff moved us to a much larger airy room. No musty odor.

Pros: Beautiful old building in the middle of Stone Town. Our room was the size of a small apartment! Had an early departure for the airport and the staff generously gave us a pre-packed breakfast.

Pros: A Palace full of carefully curated curiosities collected by the owners and put together to give you a glimpse of another era... Courtyard room beautiful and well equipped. Staff eager to please and very helpful, copious and never ending breakfast... Lovely secret almost forgotten roof terraces and well located near to port. Swimming pool looked lovely but didn't try, though nice to have breakfast next to.

Pros: Location was good

Cons: The room didn't feel very clean. There was no safe. The a/c was so loud!

Pros: the staff were very friendly. good views and area by the swimming pool was nice.

Cons: a bit pricy compared to other hotels in stone town

Pros: Great location. Beautiful rooms.

Cons: Breakfast was not very good, the food was not my taste. We also stood a lot near cups waiting long minutes for workers to bring new ones, or refill coffee pots when empty.

Pros: Excellent breakfast, confortable room and friendly staff. What else... the hotel is in the heart of Stonetown and at 30 min from the airport.

Cons: Everything was ok.

Pros: This is a very unique and beautiful hotel...They take care of a lot of little details. I believe it was a little pricey - but it was also during the holiday season. Some nickel and diing- too much for taxis and so forth - ut a kind and attentive staff.

Pros: Beautiful historic hotel, good breakfast, very helpful staff, amazing view from the top : a pleasant place to discover in Stown town, even if you are not spleeping here.

Cons: The noise from the AC too old.

Pros: Interesting location, large room, helpful staff.

Cons: AC master control was centralized and turned off during the day making staying in the room extremely uncomfortable, even between breakfast and check-out at 11AM.

Pros: The staff is absolutely lovely and caters to your every wish. The place is absolutely clean and well furnished, so you can relax and enjoy your stay.

Pros: The staff alone would worth 10* score, they went out of their way to cater to every whim of ours, helped with parking, shopping, gave us advice on where to go and what to see. Also everyone was all-around deligthful, very nice people. The place and the owner were very accomodating, and these things made our stay a very good experience.

Cons: The only kind of negative thing is, that since the property is located at the edge of stone town, the streets are a bit noisy, and the filtered in to our room. We took care of it, by turning on the overhead fan to 50%, which generated a constant hum, that was easy to sleep to, even early in the evening, when people were moving around on the streets. Being this close to stown town center and beach was totally worth it though :)

Pros: loved this authentic boutique hotel in the heart of old Zanzibar stone town

Pros: I liked everything. It was absolutely value for money and i will commend it to my friends. Breakfast could have homemade marmalade instead of the plastic one. We had handmade passion fruit the first day that we paid for our breakfast but after as was included in the room price was replaced.

Cons: The only comment here is that after i checked out i ve been asked to give $4 for Government fees. But it was never mentioned before or at the price breakdown.

Pros: Very good restaurant Location Room design

Cons: Beds could be harder

Pros: Nice building and location.

Cons: The room had a strong smell of mould. It was advertised as 33 m² but was not more than 11 m². There was barely room to get into the bed on either side of the single bed. The room was advertised as having a double bed. Since my night there, I have had a persistent chronic cough.

Pros: Hospitality ..freindly staff

Cons: Nothing ..

Pros: Location and facilities. Good value for money.

Cons: Breakfasr can have improvment

Pros: Good Restaurant.

Cons: No seating area, lobby.

Pros: The hotel was in a convenient and quiet location, within walking distance to beachfront, restaurants and attractions. The staff are amazing, so friendly and helpful. The room was big, spacious and the bed was comfy. The food in the restaurant was also great. Try the Crab soup.

Cons: Nothing I can think of.

Pros: Hotel was well located and staff extremely helpful. Rooms were spacious and well equipped.

Cons: The hotel website indicates it has a 24 hour reception, however, when we arrived at about 3.45 am, following an early flight the security guards were unable to rouse any Reception staff for about 45 mins, nor did anyone inform us what was happening. Once someone arrived we were luckily able to check into our rooms early so they redeemed themselves!

Pros: Both modern and oldSwahili style

Cons: Hard beds , none of the TV channels worked

Pros: The property is very well situated if you want to explore Stonetown. It allowed us to go out and come back for a short rest before going out again. It’s right behind the very expensive hotels on the foreshore but that was fine. It’s a delightful old building and the room we were in was large and very nicely fitted out.

Cons: Nothing. I would really recommend it to travellers looking for good value but not wanting to spend top dollar.

Pros: Helpful and friendly staff who were always willing to assist. The room was spacious and more importantly a firm bed!

Pros: Friendly personnel

Cons: Explanation About the shower. Boiler button was off.

Pros: Friendly and helpful staff. Clean and nice rooms. Good location, but hard to find the first time. Good breakfast on roof. Good value for money.

Pros: Staff did their to make a bad situation better.

Cons: The place was filthy. Elevator was broken. AC didn't work right. TV not working (no adapter), no kettle to make use of the coffee/tea provided, no maid service unless requested (for what good it did - basically just spread the dirt around), and no towel replacements without requesting.

Pros: Everything was very nice: room, staff, breakfast. Perfect location, near the major points of interest and 5 minutes walk from the ferry.

Pros: Lovely spacious and beautifully furnished rooms. Great service from the friendly staff - able to organise scooter hire and a driving permit for me with no fuss at all. Hotel is tucked away in a calm part of town.

Pros: Cleanliness,very quite despite being in town centre, staff friendly and helpful.

Cons: Nothing

Pros: Friendly helpful staff, location in town Cleanliness, nice bathroom

Cons: Lobby . , halls. Dull and dark. Need updating

Cons: Restaurant was closed on the weekend and the area around the hotel didn't feel safe after dark

Pros: Very welcoming, hotel has a great character

Pros: The staff were really helpful and so polite The hotel itself was a beautiful design in touch with its surroundings of the old town.