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The Swahili House

3.0 star property
Hotel in Zanzibar Town with free breakfast and a 24-hour front desk

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Photo gallery for The Swahili House

Outdoor pool, sun loungers
Bar (on property)
Terrace/patio
Interior
Reception

Popular amenities

  • Bar
  • Hot Tub
  • Pool
  • Room service
  • Breakfast included
  • 24/7 front desk

Room options

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Deluxe Double Room | In-room safe, individually decorated, individually furnished, free WiFi

Deluxe Double Room

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)

Highlights

Individually furnished
Individually decorated
Air conditioning
Day bed
Ceiling fan
Shower/tub combination
Private bathroom
Free bottled water
  • 21 sq m
  • City view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed OR 2 Twin Beds
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About the neighborhood

Map
Zanzibar Town, Stone Town

What's nearby

  • Slave Market - 2 min walk - 0.2 km
  • Shangani Beach - 5 min walk - 0.5 km
  • Forodhani Gardens - 5 min walk - 0.5 km
  • Old Fort - 5 min walk - 0.5 km
  • Zanzibar Ferry Terminal - 8 min walk - 0.7 km

Getting around

  • Zanzibar Intl. Airport (ZNZ) - 15 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Passing Show Hotel - ‬6 min walk
  • ‪Meeting Point Cafe - ‬7 min walk
  • ‪Lukmaan - ‬2 min walk
  • ‪Livingstone Beach Restaurant - ‬9 min walk
  • ‪Zenji Garden Café - ‬7 min walk

About this property

The Swahili House

Hotel located in Stone Town
Free English breakfast, a poolside bar, and a terrace are just a few of the amenities provided at The Swahili House. For some rest and relaxation, visit the hot tub. The on-site international cuisine restaurant, Rooftop Terrace, offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and al fresco dining. In addition to dry cleaning/laundry services and a bar, guests can connect to free in-room WiFi.
Other perks at this hotel include:
  • An outdoor pool with sun loungers
  • A roundtrip airport shuttle (surcharge), luggage storage, and a 24-hour front desk
  • Tour/ticket assistance, a front-desk safe, and concierge services
Room features
All guestrooms are individually furnished, and include comforts such as air conditioning, as well as perks like free WiFi and safes.
Other amenities include:
  • Ceiling fans, daily housekeeping, and phones

Languages

Dutch, English, Swahili

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Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • No onsite parking available
  • Roundtrip airport shuttle (surcharge)

Food and drink

  • Free English breakfast available daily 7:30 AM to 10:30 AM
  • A bar/lounge
  • A poolside bar
  • A restaurant

Restaurants on site

  • Rooftop Terrace

Things to do

  • Hot tub
  • Outdoor pool

Family friendly

  • Laundry facilities
  • Outdoor pool
  • Separate bedroom

Conveniences

  • 24-hour front desk
  • Laundry facilities
  • Luggage storage
  • Safe at front desk

Guest services

  • Concierge services
  • Dry cleaning/laundry service
  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Tour and ticket assistance

Outdoors

  • Pool loungers
  • Terrace

More

  • 1 building
  • 5 floors
  • Designated smoking areas
  • Mosquito nets

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided
  • Day bed

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Towels provided

Food and drink

  • Free bottled water
  • Room service

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Ceiling fan
  • Individual decor
  • Individual furnishings
  • Phone
  • Safe

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: noon; Check-in end time: midnight

Check-out

Check-out before 10 AM

Special check-in instructions

Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
For any questions, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Property payment types

Important information

Fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:

  • A tax is imposed by the city: USD 2.00 per person, per night
  • Administrative fee: USD 2 per person, per night

We have included all charges provided to us by the property.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Cashless transactions are available
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, a security system, and a first aid kit
Property Registration Number Z0000021157

Property is also known as

Swahili House
Swahili House Hotel
Swahili House Hotel Zanzibar Town
Swahili House Zanzibar Town
The Swahili House Hotel
The Swahili House Zanzibar Town
The Swahili House Hotel Zanzibar Town

Frequently asked questions

Does The Swahili House have a pool?

Yes, this property has an outdoor pool.

Is The Swahili House pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking at The Swahili House?

This hotel doesn't offer parking.

What time is check-in at The Swahili House?

Check-in start time: noon; Check-in end time: midnight.

What time is check-out at The Swahili House?

Check-out is at 10 AM.

Does The Swahili House provide a shuttle to the airport?

Yes, there's an airport shuttle.

Where is The Swahili House located?

Located in Stone Town, this hotel is steps from Christ Church Cathedral, Slave Market, and Hamamni Persian Baths. Darajani Market and Shakti Temple are also within 5 minutes.

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The Swahili House Reviews

Reviews

8.2

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 22 out of 63 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 25 out of 63 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 14 out of 63 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 63 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 63 reviews

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great friendly staff Unique well kept older building with a central location and access to the markets right outside the door
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

caroline

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely large rooms with wonderful roof top terrace and friendly, helpful staff.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Laura

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

A great stay in a beautiful and historic building.

We came to The Swahili House after a week-long safari in Tanzania. Our guide happened to know the manager at Swahili House and we met him upon check in. Our experience was great start to finish -- staff was so kind, a welcome drink on the rooftop terrace upon arrival, the room was clean and large, and the staff helped us arrange a city tour and transportation from the airport and to our next destination.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

We highly recommend this stunning hotel in the heart of StoneTown. The people are wonderful and the rooftop restaurant has delicious food and spectacular views. Don’t hesitate! Book your room now.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

eddy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The place is amazing, with beautiful decor and beautiful view form the terrace. I would definitely go back.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Janine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Quaint

Great staff, true to "felt like a sultan"

8/10 Good

Linda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The rooftop bar was extremely good, wonderful view and great service. The breakfast is absolutely fine. The room could use a new mattress and maybe some furniture like a table or something to hang your stuff. But all in all definitely a recommendation.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2024

6/10 Okay

Sanne Mussa

Liked: Cleanliness

Didnt meet our expectations

With the price paid, the hotel didnt meet our expectations. If the price is lowered to around 70 USD per night, I would say the hotel is okay. Breakfast was boring though.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024

6/10 Okay

anne marie

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The building architect amazing, the staff good, breakfast was delicious.the bed was so hard it was like sleeping on a wood box, which was with a box spring on the floor.Other guests also complaining.The bathroom has a big opening with no door. I asked him to credit it the dinner for the terrible nights sleep and my sore back, he said he could not do that.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

Vanessa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Fabulous rooftop bar, great breeze, excellent included breakfast, very helpful staff. NO wifi in rooms, only at reception area and rooftop bar/restaurant. Located on VERY narrow cobblestone street with ONLY motorcycle access. NO taxi or car service directly to hotel. MUST walk 5 - 10 minutes from street through crowded souq/market area to reach hotel. However, you can call the hotel and they can send someone out to the street area in front of the market entrance to help carry your bags and navigate entrance to hotel. Good central location. Safe area. Pool in photo is deceiving as it is more like a very large bath tub or splash pool. It was not very clean!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

Olivia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very central location for Stone Town. Easy to walk to local attractions. Less easy to get back to but that is due to the many narrow streets rather and geography of the area and nothing to do with the hotel! The hotel is known by everyone so if you get lost someone will help you get back. It is noisy with building work going on nearby, calls to prayer, and the church bells ringing but we expected that to be the case and soon got used to it. The air conditioning, fan and turn down service including bug spray were greatly appreciated. Great shower and toiletries provided. Front desk and cleaning staff were very friendly and helpful. Most restaurant staff were also very good - 1 or 2 seemed to stand back and not help out much. The food was ok - some was excellent (the chickpea curry was delicious), but other things (tuna and burgers) we had better outside of the hotel. Happy hour includes all cocktails, beer and wine so well worth sitting on the roof top at sunset to enjoy some drinks with a great view. As we stayed on the 3rd floor we were very grateful for the elevator. You cannot park outside the hotel so be aware you will need to walk from your transport to the hotel (short walk through market) - our driver helpfully took our cases for us.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

TOMAS

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Atendimento foi incrível, o prédio é antigo mas relativamente bem conservado
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2024

6/10 Okay

Jutta

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Die Menschen dort sind sehr nett und zuvorkommend. Das Haus ist sehr schön, im alten Stil. Das Frühstück lässt zu wünschen übrig. so könnte z. B. auch Erdnussbutter ohne Zucker, Produkte ohne Weizenmehl, wie z. B. Reismehl-Kokos Fladen angeboten werden. Die Dachterrasse ist wunderschön.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

6/10 Okay

Elisa Heidi Tuulia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Celia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Super séjour

Super séjour au cœur de stone Town . Idéalement situé pour visiter la ville . Établissement et décoration typique . Petit plus pour le rooftop au petit déjeuner qui est super agréable . Nous avons adoré notre séjour !
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Magdalena

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Fantastic accomodation, very friendly and competent employees, quick answers, good airport transfer and on time, just enjoyed the hotel the second time and I would come again. Thank's to the host, warm regards Magda
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

8/10 Good

SAMIA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Bien

Hotel propre, grande chambre mais pas de vue agreable. Service peut etre parfois très lent (j'ai attendu une fois plus de 2 heures pour avoir mon diner!). Staff très sympa. Hotel situé dans les petites ruelles donc un peu inquietant la nuit quand on est seule.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2022

8/10 Good

Tulin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The staff is very friendly and the hotel is very nice. Only dissappointing thing is the breakfast. For this price i was expecting a more wide breakfast. For example: not just boiled eggs but omelette, avocado etc.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022

8/10 Good

Lucia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Cute place

I liked the Swahili House, of course it’s right in stone town so an easy walk to any destination. The bed was big and comfortable. Only thing I didn’t like was that there is a door to the bathroom, but the wall doesn’t go all the way up so not much privacy there. Loved the rooftop, the wraps were good — wish we weren’t the only people there + more music would have been nice for it not to Ge so quiet. They also didn’t see our reservation or expect that we were coming!
Stayed 1 night in May 2021

10/10 Excellent

Olga

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Awesome place

Amazing place, the staff is so friendly and helpful, love this place and I will be back for sure...
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2021

10/10 Excellent

Marilyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Swahili House is a beautiful hotel nestled in the centre of Stone Town so it’s very easy to get around on foot. The staff were very nice and friendly, and the rooftop restaurant has a wonderful view over the town and the port. The wifi wasn’t so great; so be sure to let your loved ones know that your connection will be limited so they don’t worry about you. Otherwise no complaints! I look forward to staying there for my next visit to Zanzibar
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great service and good value

The staff were really friendly and helpful. Very beautiful traditional rooms and very comfortable. Everything is walkable from the hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Marie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Mycket bra!

Hotellet och dess personal var jättebra, läget var lite opraktiskt, åtminstone om man som vi hade mycket packning eftersom man var tvungen att gå i smala gränder under pågående marknad , det var väl det enda negativa...
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2019

10/10 Excellent

Jo, Johannesburg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very Friendly staff and reception. Nice central location makws sightseeing easy within Stonetown. The hitel has an authentic feel and loved the rooftop bar where I could watch the sun set and the day unwind.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

James

Nice Hotel

Swahili House is a great hotel in the Stone Town. It is within easy walking distance of anything in the Stone Town. The staff are friendly and the rooftop bar is a nice place to chill and have a drink.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018