The Africa House Hotel is a lively hotel in the heart of Stone Town, with a fantastic spot right by the sea. Though the Africa House is probably better known for its popular bar and restaurant than its hotel rooms, it is a good value place to stay with a lovely location.
The Africa House Hotel is steeped in interesting history, with the original part of the building being 340 years old. It was built by a slave trader, who then married into the Omani Royal Family. Shortly after, his home became a guest house for members of the royal family. The two cannons that sit at the front of Africa House Hotel, and the marble on the staircases actually come from original Omani Palaces!
In 1888 the building, which had by then grown in size, became the English Club and remained so until the end of the colonial era. The Africa House Hotel still houses the original English Club library collection – though unfortunately there is no access to guests.
The main focus of the Africa House Hotel is the balcony bar, which sits on a large open air terrace overlooking the sea, and is a very popular spot for a sundowner and a game of pool. There are plenty of lounge chairs and high-tables with stools where you can sit and enjoy a drink or a snack. The clientele here is a mix of hotel residents, local people of all hues and backpackers – it's quite eclectic and buzzy.
Upstairs is a rather quieter and more sedate restaurant, which is used mostly by hotel residents – and the odd regular Stone Town resident.
The rooms at Africa house are of a reasonable size and quality, and clean and comfortable – hence it makes it onto the short-list of Stone Town's top ten hotels. However, some of them (the Deluxe Rooms) are quite dated, probably because of their heavy fabrics and chunky furniture, and so if you stay here, then we'd always recommend the lighter and brighter Deluxe Seaview Rooms.
When we last visited Africa House (in 2007), we were told about some huge renovations being planned. Over the next few years the Africa House plans to have its bar and restaurant completely transformed. The bar will become more upmarket, the pool tables will be removed and a traditional Swahili dining area will be put in their place. The upstairs restaurant will become a fine-dining restaurant with silver-service and a dress code – the only one in Stone Town!
Work on all these changes has not started yet; Africa House is hoping the refurbishment will be complete for the start of the season in 2008.
Ideal length of stay: 1 or 2 nights to explore Stone Town.
Central facilities: The central areas of Africa House are full of Zanzibari charm, with huge antique chests, large carved mirrors and brass lamps hanging from the ceilings. A huge staircase winds up through the centre of the building, decorated in original marble from the days of the Omani Arabs.
As you enter the Africa House, there is reception area in a large open room adorned in Zanzibari antiques. To one side is a small shop selling t-shirts, brightly-coloured kikois and other curious, to the other is the stairs.
On the next level is the terrace bar where people gather to relax in the low comfortable chairs and have a drink. The bar is made from dark wood, whilst the soft furnishings are deep red in colour. Then low-slung chairs face out across the sea – with a fantastic view of the sunset in the evenings.
Set back slightly from the terrace, through some wide arched doors is a lounge area. There are a few comfortable sofas and chairs, which sit on wooden floors dotted with Persian rugs. Behind the lounge, though still part of the same room, are two pool-tables which draw a young crowd in the evenings.
Up one more level is Africa House's main restaurant, which is more formal than the bar downstairs. You can either sit inside, or out on the terrace, at small intimate tables. The tables are set with immaculately clean, ironed table clothes and candles set in beautiful brass lamps. The restaurant is smart, though still quite atmospheric – it is a good place to grab a bite to eat in the evenings.
Directions: It takes around 35 minutes to fly to Zanzibar from Dar es Salaam, and then it's a further 15 minutes by car to Stone Town and the Africa House.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
Usual board basis: B&B
Food quality: Breakfast at the Africa House is served between 6.00 and 10.00 in the morning and usually consists of fruit, tea and coffee and an English breakfast.
Lunch is then an a la carte menu, served in the terrace bar. It is open to all visitors and serves standard international cuisine such as pizzas, sandwiches and salads right into the evening.
Upstairs, the main restaurant starts serving dinner from 7pm, which is a variety of international cuisine from a 3-course a la carte menu.
When we were last here the food in the terrace bar at Africa House was fairly standard bar food. The menu consisted of burgers, pizzas and alike, but it was good value and filling.
The restaurant upstairs is better, with an a la carte menu that has a variety of seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes. A 3-course meal in the main restaurant will cost around $15 a head – and if the weather's dry, then you can ask them for one of the tables on the roof, adjacent to the restaurant.
Dining style: Inidividual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Room service: Yes
Drinks included: Drinks are not included
Children
Attitude towards children: Children are welcome at Africa House Hotel
Age restrictions: There are no age restrictions at Africa House Hotel
Activities: There are no special activities for children.
Equipment: Cots are available on request
Generally recommended for children: OK for older children – but it does little to actively cater for any children.
Notes: The Africa House Hotel is a busy place with a lively bar, there are also lots of steep stairs around the hotel to reach the various rooms. This isn't really the best place for small children.
Central communications
Power supply: Mains Electricity
Communications: There are phones in the rooms with outside lines – these have an automated billing system. Internet access is free for all guests and for those with their own laptops, there is WiFi around the hotel.
Health & safety
Malarial area: Yes
Medical care: Africa House can call a nearby doctor in the case of a medical emergency.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: Africa House employs security guards who are outside the hotel around the clock.
Fire safety: There are fire extinguishers and alarms around the main areas of the hotel.
Extras
Disabled access: On Request
Laundry facilities: Laundry is an extra charge
Money: Africa House Hotel cannot offer any currency exchange, though there are plenty of bureau de changes in the area – someone from the hotel can give you directions or show you where to go.
Accepted payment: You can pay for any extras in US dollars, pounds, euros and Tanzanian shillings cash. You can also use Mastercard and Visa – there is no fee for this.
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